Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An artistic masterpiece, 12 Feb 2007
This book first interested me in a catalogue, and although it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was still very good.
It is about a girl called Ivy (!) who is spotted by a pre-Raphaelite painter in South London. He is taken by her and she becomes his model.
But there is more to the story than this. For it begins a few years back, when Ivy is about five and living with her aunt and uncle, and her numerous cousins. When the family attracts the attention of a pair of naive do-gooders - 'charity mongers' - she is sent to school with one of her cousins - and gets off to a very bad start.
When eventually driven to leave (when practically coerced to eat bacon, for Ivy is a vegetarian - a word almost unheard-of in this instance), she runs away and attracts the attention of Carroty Kate - a 'skinner', a thief who rids rich children of their expensive clothes and finery. Ivy is taken in, and becomes Kate's 'assistant' . . .
Some years later, Ivy, as a painter's model, is suddenly in danger. She has a laudanum habit, is still fighting the pressure put on her to eat meat, and her cousins want money. Her cousin Jared is the typical bully - forcing her to pose for the artist for money with no regards whatsoever for Ivy herself, who is determined to escape.
In addition to this, the artist's jealous mother wants rid of her, and will go to any lengths whatsoever to have her son's model out of the picture (excuse the pun)
But, just as the plot culminates, Carroty Kate turns up again - although not quite as Ivy remembered her . . .
I loved this book. It has a mysterious plot that unravels itself as it goes along, dredging up secrets from the past that could not possibly have been anticipated. In addition to that, the painter Rosetti and his model Jane Morris make an appearence.
The language is humourous, and I would strongly recommend this book to any art fans, particularly pre-Raphaelite fans, and also anyone who is interested in what life was like in that era.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely Magnificent, 3 Aug 2008
Ivy is a delight to read. It has everything I look for in a good historical book - an interesting, diverse range of characters, an absorbing plot, huge amounts of historical detail, lots of interesting settings, realistic dialogue and it's also really well written!
Julie Hearn's writing style in concise (she says what she wants to say, and then moves onto something else) but the book never comes across as too brief, disjointed or lacking in detail. She manages to portray a huge variety of different ideas, cultures, personalities etc in a realtively short space.
The plot is also believable, and the novel has a real driving force behind it. I found it difficult to put down without reading 'just one more chapter'. Having said that, there is a short space in the middle of the book where the action flags a little, and all any one is really doing is sending lots of letters. But it soon picks up again, and carries from strength to strength until the end.
Also, the main character, Ivy, is a very different sort of heroine. She doesn't have any particular talent, she's not sassy and doesn't have particularly strong views on the world in general that she has to tell every one about. But she is likeable, insecure and kind, and I became very attacthced to her. And at the end, when she decides to take her destiny in her own hands, I wanted to cheer and jump up and down and throw a party. Yeah, I do get a bit over excited sometimes.
So if you like vivid historical books with drama, comedy and just about everything else, I would certainly recommend this book!
|
|
|
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!!!, 12 Jul 2009
A Kid's Review
I just finished this one last night, and I was really impressed, Ivy was a funny, dramatic historical novel with an excellent heroine and many other mysterious, sometimes even dangerous supporting characters.
Ivy is in danger, but she doesn't know it yet.
Ivy has been spotted in a rough part of London by Oscar Aretino Frosdick, a rich pre-Raphaelite painter, but Ivy is a girl with a past. No amount of laudanum can block her memories of helping lure wealthy children down alley so that carroty Kate, a "skinner", could strip them of their clothes and jewels.
Realising quickly that Oscar has more money than sense, Ivy's greedy cousins order her to sit for him and to do anything her asks. But there nice little earner has more sinister consequences. Oscar's jealous mother is determined to rid her son of his beautiful model and Oscars famous neighbour wants Ivy for himself....
It was one of the best books I read so far from my pile from my birthday, really good, I cant wait to read Hazel!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Julie Hearn
by Julie Hearn
by Eva Ibbotson
by Eva Ibbotson
by Stephenie Meyer
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home