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	Ivy Julie Hearn Ginee Seo Books, 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 21 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Which makes her the perfect subject for an aspiring painter named Oscar Aretino Frosdick, a member of the pre-Raphaelite school of artists. Oscar is determined to make his mark on the art world, with Ivy as his model and muse. But behind Ivy's angelic looks lurk dark secrets and a troubled past -- a past that has given her an unfortunate taste for laudanum. And when treachery and jealousy surface in the Eden that is the artist's garden, Ivy must learn to be more than a pretty face if she is to survive.

Julie Hearn, author of The Minister's Daughter and The Sign of the Raven, has created a memorable tale of nineteenth-century England with a character destined to take her place alongside Dickens's Pip and Oliver Twist.

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An extraordinary novel

I note that the description states that this novel is for "young adults". That "adult" word can be a catch -- it often is used to disguise the fact that the work contains naughty language, or naughty scenes. Permit me to offer a clarification: this novel contains neither. I would have no hesitation in recommending it to my grandchildren -- or, for that matter, to my fellow church members.

Charles Dickens was a master of writing about the seamy underside of life in England during his lifetime. He could do it because he'd seen the inside of a debtor's prison, and met the various denizens thereof. He had a knack of fleshing them out with a kind of humanity that explains why they did what they had done.

Julie Hearn appears to have caught whatever it was that Dickens had. She captures the very environment of the mid-19th century of England. I note that some have criticized this as being a negative, but I fail to see why. Wasn't Dickens a good enough writer to bear emulation?

The overall lifestyle and controlling factors that motivate all the participants in this novel still existed in England at least during the years I was there, 1952 - 1958. The class structure of the society had not yielded to the Labor government, "the War" hadn't softened it edges much.

I shall not dwell on the overall plot of the story, others have done that sufficiently. What I wish to emphasize is that, expecially for the younger reader, this book achieves something that writers like Walter Scott, and Alexandre Dumas did routinely. They turned off the TV set in the living room, and allowed the set in the brain take over. The detail of the scenes is as remarkable as the detail in Scott's description of the rooms in a castle in Ivanho.

In addition, by carefully crafting the chapters with succinct overview sentences as headings ("In which...") I was drawn to take a little more time and a little more, and a little more. I know that "page turner" is a cliche as is "I couldn't put it down", but know what? In this case it was true. I read it in probably less time than any novel I have read in years -- because it was that readable.

If I have anything negative to say about it, that would have to be the final paragraph of the epilog and the final sentence. How did the publisher's editor ever let the author get away with that? It was like being yanked back from a reverie of fantasy into an uncomfortable "real world" against my will. Dang -- That final sentence still rings in my head every time I think of the book, and not the adventures of the redoubtable Ivy.

Despite that, this one has my fullest endorsement.

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An Enjoyable Read in the Olden Style

Ivy is a red-haired girl who never can seem to find her place. We first meet her as a young child, orphaned, and living with relatives who have taken her in, though they can barely afford to - or take the trouble to - care for their own children.

Soon Ivy finds herself living with a band of thieves. It is her job to go out and lure other little girls away so that they can be robbed. With the band she finds a temporary home, and a taste for laudanum.

A few years on, Ivy has come back to her family when she attracts the attentions of a silly young artist. But his jealous mother is more of a threat than the young artist, who is most in love with himself and the idea of being great one day.

In the style of olden novels, the scandalous is hinted at, not put on display. There are trials and travails aplenty before Ivy finds her place, but the book jacket's claim to offer "nineteenth century sex, drugs and rock and roll" is a bit overstated. It would be more accurate to call this the seedy side of Jane Austen.

Ivy was written as a very slightly modern imitation of the mid-nineteenth century novel, from the use of instructive chapter headings ("In which Oscar finds himself a stunner") to the plot patterns to the use of low dialects for the poorer characters and stilted language for the wealthier. Ivy would be well worth looking at for those who like authentic nineteenth century authors from Dickens to Austen to Victor Hugo but who are looking for something a little lighter.

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A good book that was hard to put down, but might be hard to remember

This book was slightly reminiscent of Girl With Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer,21.9 in. x 27.9 in., it combines a bit of the painter's style as well as the society in which they live. It was a good book that kept me engrossed and entertained throughout the tale, but I am not sure that the story have the lasting impact that great books have. Very much worth the time to read, but not a life changer.

Ivy's red hair catches your eye on the cover (and be honest we do choose books based on the cover!) just as her hair catches the eye of a great many characters. Her story however is all about how she drifts through them. She is a bit likeable, but she has a spine like the cabbage in her meals. She becomes addicted to laudanum and at times you get pulled right down into her drug addled life leaving you wondering when she will get some gumption. She makes a few decisions toward the end of the book which leads to a surprisingly decent ending.

I liked the descriptions of poverty and the unscrupulous con artists and roustabouts in the book. It shows the filthy, dirty life of the poor in 19th century England much like Dickens, but in a much lighter, easier read. Unlike Dickens though, I don't think this book will give me lifelong images. I would recommend it, but not put it on a must read list.

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This book was fun to read at the beach

Even though this book is written for young adults, there is enough of a rich historical tapestry to keep older readers interested. The story of red haired Ivy, who is born into poverty, torn away from her uncaring family and taught the ways of thieves and pickpockets catches your sympathy in the first few pages. Her journey from street urchin to artist's model is set against a backdrop of Victorian England and introduces you to the pre-Raphaelite artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti. If I wasn't already familiar with the era, I would have been very motivated to read more about it. Just as my interest began to flag a bit, a strange plot twist piqued it and kept up the momentum to the end.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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