Ivy
by Julie
Hearn
Dickens with an
orginal twist
Publisher:
Ginee Seo Books (June 2008)
Ivy always stood out. If it wasn't her red curly hair, it was something
else that put her at odds with those around her. At age 5, she lives
with a family of con artists who would do anything for a meal of meat,
but Ivy has an aversion to eating creatures. When she is rescued from
the charity mongerers and offered an education, once again, she is the
outcast. Among thieves, her moral conscience interferes with her
ability to fit in with those who rescue her. What once started as a
remedy for sleeplessness now dulls her spirit. Ivy develops an
addiction to laudanum, the popular drug of nineteenth-century. When Ivy
grabs the attention of the painter Oscar Aretino Frosdick, a member of
the pre-Raphaelite school, the intrigue steps up several levels as the
artist's jealous mother seeks to keep power over her son's life.
In a style similar to Charles Dickens, Julie Hearn brings the reader
right into the heart of nineteenth century England. Her use of
description makes the smells, taste and touch of poverty palpable for
readers. At the same time, her characters have a vibrancy and spirit
that sparkles off the pages. The beneficent narrator clearly has a
fondness for Ivy, and so will readers. Despite the circumstances of her
life, her noble heart and inner goodness stand out from the first
introduction. The use of dialect in dialogue encourages a reader to
hear the voices of the time period. The dialect does not detract from
the ease of reading but rather adds punch, humor and social insights.
Julie Hearn gives a humorous social critique to the reader's experience
of the nineteenth century class system.
Julie Hearn's historical fiction takes the reader into the heart of the
historical time period but at the same time, she writes a story
relevant to young adults in modern times. IVY will appeal to both young
adults and much older adults, like myself. She takes the best of
Dickens and yet, her focus on a female protagonist expands on that
beauty with her own original insight.
IVY takes up a female protagonist with the same richness and
depth as the nineteenth century Victorian writers gave to their heroes.
Like Dickens, Julie Hearn takes the reader through all the ups and
downs of fortune, but always in such a way that the reader loves and
cheers for her characters. Julie Hearn's IVY is one of those classic books
readers will cherish rereading.
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