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A review by jennygaitskell
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
3.0
After an encounter with a tiger, young Jaffy finds himself working for an animal trader. He leaves Late Victorian London on a whaling boat, headed for the Pacific and a hunt for a rumoured dragon on behalf of his master. The high seas adventure is told by an older and wiser Jaffy.
Every scene in this book is vividly described, so that I shared excitement, delight, seasickness and horror. Long, lyrical passages explore the relationship between place and Jaffy's emotions.
Jaffy is obedient, unambitious, considered to have a way with animals. Though the settings are technicoloured, characters are less filled in - until their ultimate test. For much of the book the narrative tension derives from Jaffy's competition with his friend Tim, which didn't keep me turning pages. I kept going, if slowly, and despite the depictions of whaling, to find the stakes soar in the final third.
Some of the images from this book are staying with me. Unfortunately they're those of human cruelty and suffering.
Every scene in this book is vividly described, so that I shared excitement, delight, seasickness and horror. Long, lyrical passages explore the relationship between place and Jaffy's emotions.
Jaffy is obedient, unambitious, considered to have a way with animals. Though the settings are technicoloured, characters are less filled in - until their ultimate test. For much of the book the narrative tension derives from Jaffy's competition with his friend Tim, which didn't keep me turning pages. I kept going, if slowly, and despite the depictions of whaling, to find the stakes soar in the final third.
Some of the images from this book are staying with me. Unfortunately they're those of human cruelty and suffering.