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shorshewitch's review against another edition
5.0
Once upon a time, there was a man called "Thomas Coram" who was a sea captain by profession but decided that his philanthropic interests meant more to him. So he decided to follow his calling and set up a children's home, a foundling home. This was in the 18th century London, where reputations, family name, honor were of more significance than human lives. (Now that is a true story and the Coram hospital still exists.)
Jamila Gavin has woven a brilliant story around this plot. Otis Gardiner, promises his patrons that he will take their children (poor, illegitimate, sick children) to the Coram hospital at London where they'd be cared for, looked after. He takes money from them and along with that they give him their trust and confidence. What he does to the children is ghastly, harrowing, pathetic, despicable! And of course, Gardiner comes back to the families to haunt and blackmail them for more money. But one day his simpleton son Meshak runs away with a boy, an infant. The story revolves around what happened before and after that.
It starts by acquainting us with the terrible truth of Otis' work and by introducing us to his differently-abled son , who does what his father says, obediently in order to not invite his wrath. A mother-less child he is jeered and sneered at and loathed by his father but he continues to hold on, swallowing his father's terrifying truths.
Initially when I started reading I was very apprehensive about the age group for which it is said to be apt. 12+? The gore, the violence - will a 12+ be okay with it? The Captain said "Yes, it is surely apt." And as I read on, I realized why it was so apt. The story introduces a child to severe truths - slavery, human cargo, teenage pregnancy, childhood anxiety, peer pressure, parental pressures, abandonment, jealousy, child deaths. Everything that we try to shield our children from but is the grim reality of the world we live in.
Jamila Gavin hasn't held anything back. She has brought pictures to life with her words. The book is very well researched and the 18th century London is so well crafted for the reader that one gets lost in the woods and the by-lanes. It took some time for me to get into the book, but the last 30% had my heart in my mouth. By the middle of the story I almost guessed how it is going to be - lots of coincidences - but one should not forget that it is classified in the YA genre. And despite me guessing how it would go, I could not put the book down. This is one of those books which will put you in a situation where you look at the last few pages of the book and silently cry out, "Oh My! There is still so much to happen. How can the book end now?"
And that is the only gripe that I have. It ended abruptly. But I am not going to take away any stars for that.
It is a children's book but I do not see why adults would not enjoy it. It is so different from the other YA books with so many lessons embedded in it.
arisbookcorner's review against another edition
3.0
The summary was too vague for my taste. But that's not really all that important, something that did really bother me about the book was how slow the plot dragged and how simplistic the plot was. It does not end 100% happily which was realistic but most characters were seen clearly in black or white. The few who had some 'gray' areas remained an unsatisfactory mystery, the reason as to why characters acted the way they did sometimes out of the blue, was never explained through dialogue or observation. For example: why did Otis never get rid of Meshak? Was Otis a false 'Coram man' while his wife was still alive? If so, did she approve? If not, why did he start doing that? * I think there needs to be a whole 'nother book on Otis, although that would be hard to stomach. There's SO MUCH going on this novel and unfortunately I didn't think the author was able to juggle everything. In the end while it may not have been happy, it was still very neat and convenient. Speaking of convenient, the magical/religious/fairy tale/what-have-you aspect of it made certain events more convenient but added nothing to the story. In fact I was confused more than anything. Oh and the AGES of the CHILDREN. I may be showing some ignorance/naivete but I had a really hard time believing two fourteen year olds as innocent as Melissa and Alexander could have sex. I would have believed it if they showed maturity. And I had a hard time picturing such daring eight year olds as Toby and Aaron....
I lapped up so much knowledge from this book about London in the 1750s, specifically concerning children's welfare. They were treated TERRIBLY especially the poor orphans. Even the wealthier children were still beaten or punished in some way into submission and they had little say in their future. Instead of parents being motivated by their terrible childhoods to change the way they raised their children, they continued the same awful traditions, sending them to the horrible Eton College or other harsh boarding schools (for boys). Girls were doomed to a life of monotony, if they were fortunate enough to be born welathy they could attend parties and art events, working class girls' lives were filled with work, work and more work. I couldn't believe it took so long for a Captain Coram to come along and try and start to change the way children were treated. He wanted to nurture them and make them self-sufficient. Furthermore, the way young Black children were treated! Toby is 'given' as a servant for life to the man who sponsored his stay at the Coram Hospital. This man, Mr. Gaddarn, dresses Toby up "like a miniature prince, in silk trousers and embroidered jacket with curling slippers and a bejewelled turban on his head. He would be given a silver platter laden with sweetmeats which he had to hand round to all the guests. The ladies adored him, and loved to bounce him on their knees, feed him sweets, and push their fingers under his turban to feel his extraordinarily crinkly hair" (pgs. 213-214). While I knew Black people were treated like animals back then, I had no idea that young boys (no mention was made of how young Black girls were treated but I can imagine *shudder*) were treated as 'pets' or 'playthings.' It was appalling to say the least.
Coram Boy received a high rating for me because I love history so I found all the historical details enthralling to read about. The author covers a diverse aspect of perspectives in 18th century London, from the mentally ill Meshak to the former-slave Toby, each portrayal is respectful and eye-opening. At times the tales are gruesome, after all, Otis and Meshak bury BABIES ALIVE and the author describes their pitiful cries in great detail. It's tough to read about but it is rewarding to truly see how far we've come concerning children's welfare and yet, how far we still have to go. The plot and characters could have been more complex, the various story lines more deftly handled with a messier, authentic ending. The children acted more mature than their actual age in some regards but in others they were so naive (14 year olds having sex, the 14 year old girl freaking out about 'getting fat'). A most excellent read for delving into (and comparing) life in London and an English hamlet and how people dressed, spoke, acted and were treated.
I lapped up so much knowledge from this book about London in the 1750s, specifically concerning children's welfare. They were treated TERRIBLY especially the poor orphans. Even the wealthier children were still beaten or punished in some way into submission and they had little say in their future. Instead of parents being motivated by their terrible childhoods to change the way they raised their children, they continued the same awful traditions, sending them to the horrible Eton College or other harsh boarding schools (for boys). Girls were doomed to a life of monotony, if they were fortunate enough to be born welathy they could attend parties and art events, working class girls' lives were filled with work, work and more work. I couldn't believe it took so long for a Captain Coram to come along and try and start to change the way children were treated. He wanted to nurture them and make them self-sufficient. Furthermore, the way young Black children were treated! Toby is 'given' as a servant for life to the man who sponsored his stay at the Coram Hospital. This man, Mr. Gaddarn, dresses Toby up "like a miniature prince, in silk trousers and embroidered jacket with curling slippers and a bejewelled turban on his head. He would be given a silver platter laden with sweetmeats which he had to hand round to all the guests. The ladies adored him, and loved to bounce him on their knees, feed him sweets, and push their fingers under his turban to feel his extraordinarily crinkly hair" (pgs. 213-214). While I knew Black people were treated like animals back then, I had no idea that young boys (no mention was made of how young Black girls were treated but I can imagine *shudder*) were treated as 'pets' or 'playthings.' It was appalling to say the least.
Coram Boy received a high rating for me because I love history so I found all the historical details enthralling to read about. The author covers a diverse aspect of perspectives in 18th century London, from the mentally ill Meshak to the former-slave Toby, each portrayal is respectful and eye-opening. At times the tales are gruesome, after all, Otis and Meshak bury BABIES ALIVE and the author describes their pitiful cries in great detail. It's tough to read about but it is rewarding to truly see how far we've come concerning children's welfare and yet, how far we still have to go. The plot and characters could have been more complex, the various story lines more deftly handled with a messier, authentic ending. The children acted more mature than their actual age in some regards but in others they were so naive (14 year olds having sex, the 14 year old girl freaking out about 'getting fat'). A most excellent read for delving into (and comparing) life in London and an English hamlet and how people dressed, spoke, acted and were treated.
ellielabbett's review against another edition
4.0
Deeply dark and harrowing, I was completely in awe of this intricately woven story which had the power to engross, repulse and enchant me, all at the same time.
Set in the eighteenth century, the fragility of family reputation collides with cruelty and greed, as one man goes to any length to take advantage of the hysteria surrounding illegitimately born children. Gavin really highlights the merciless dictatorship that is born from societal expectations, and the losses that come as a result are insurmountable. Control is torn away, futures are sealed by luck of birth and a singular choice has the lower to destroy livelihoods. Such constructs would be very interesting to explore with children, and are ones that I have not seen portrayed to such a powerful and catastrophic degree as in this text.
This was a dense, and, at times, disturbing read, and one that needs to be slowly and careful unpicked so as not to become disorientated by the plot. Sharing this with a primary school class should be taken with caution. Understandably, the challenging themes may sway some teachers away from using this story. However, Gavin’s writing is genuinely so rich and emotive, and offers a lot of prospects that I think it could really enrich the learning of a small group of able and mature year six children.
Set in the eighteenth century, the fragility of family reputation collides with cruelty and greed, as one man goes to any length to take advantage of the hysteria surrounding illegitimately born children. Gavin really highlights the merciless dictatorship that is born from societal expectations, and the losses that come as a result are insurmountable. Control is torn away, futures are sealed by luck of birth and a singular choice has the lower to destroy livelihoods. Such constructs would be very interesting to explore with children, and are ones that I have not seen portrayed to such a powerful and catastrophic degree as in this text.
This was a dense, and, at times, disturbing read, and one that needs to be slowly and careful unpicked so as not to become disorientated by the plot. Sharing this with a primary school class should be taken with caution. Understandably, the challenging themes may sway some teachers away from using this story. However, Gavin’s writing is genuinely so rich and emotive, and offers a lot of prospects that I think it could really enrich the learning of a small group of able and mature year six children.
iris's review against another edition
2.0
Oh my gosh, I'm so glad that's over!! I was so incredibly bored!
The thing is, I don't think this is a bad book exactly, it just SO wasn't my thing.
THE PLOT
Ummm... I actually have no clue what the plot of this even was... Something about music and a bunch of random boys. Basically.
So... the plot was pretty weak. It was *just* compelling enough that I wanted to finish it, but for the most part it was BORING!
Also it was sort of confusing... I'm not quite sure WHAT happened at the end...
I think that it was Toby and Aaron, but like... how exactly did he survive getting thrown into the ocean in the middle of nowhere?! And also how did they get of the ship? And I'm confused!
THE WRITING
I think Coram Boy was well written, but it was sort of flowery and old fashioned, and wasn't very engaging. It fit the book, for sure, and it did help get the setting right, but... It made the book even more tedious. Bleh.
THE CHARACTERS
Normally, even if a book is weak in the other areas, the characters can save a book for me, and since this wasn't really plot driven, that's what I was expecting. Yeah, no. That didn't happen.
The characters were SO dry. They all had about as much personality as cardboard. Actually no, scratch that, I think cardboard has more personality. I was NOT impressed.
I could never even keep the characters straight, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO PERSONALITY!!!!!!
Also, they all acted way too old. Like, the tweens were passionately in love for the rest of their lives, and the eight year olds acted at least twelve. How about no?
OVER ALL
Bleh! Bleh, bleh, bleh! I think this was a decent book, but it wasn't for me. If this is the style of books you like, I'm sure this is a great book, it's just not the style I enjoy. I wish I'd liked it more than I did, but those characters!!!! Ugh.
The thing is, I don't think this is a bad book exactly, it just SO wasn't my thing.
THE PLOT
Ummm... I actually have no clue what the plot of this even was... Something about music and a bunch of random boys. Basically.
So... the plot was pretty weak. It was *just* compelling enough that I wanted to finish it, but for the most part it was BORING!
Also it was sort of confusing... I'm not quite sure WHAT happened at the end...
THE WRITING
I think Coram Boy was well written, but it was sort of flowery and old fashioned, and wasn't very engaging. It fit the book, for sure, and it did help get the setting right, but... It made the book even more tedious. Bleh.
THE CHARACTERS
Normally, even if a book is weak in the other areas, the characters can save a book for me, and since this wasn't really plot driven, that's what I was expecting. Yeah, no. That didn't happen.
The characters were SO dry. They all had about as much personality as cardboard. Actually no, scratch that, I think cardboard has more personality. I was NOT impressed.
I could never even keep the characters straight, BECAUSE THEY HAD NO PERSONALITY!!!!!!
Also, they all acted way too old. Like, the tweens were passionately in love for the rest of their lives, and the eight year olds acted at least twelve. How about no?
OVER ALL
Bleh! Bleh, bleh, bleh! I think this was a decent book, but it wasn't for me. If this is the style of books you like, I'm sure this is a great book, it's just not the style I enjoy. I wish I'd liked it more than I did, but those characters!!!! Ugh.
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