Charlotte Randall

(8.5)
Although slow to get into, as the beginning is a monologue from William Lonsdale, an inmate of Bedlam, the London mental asylum in the early 1800's, the story is lifted by the vivid descriptions of time and place. He is in his present predicament by foul means. He eventually discovers that he was drugged into madness by a cuckolded husband. Although a married, family man he was a philanderer and spendthrift, so even one assumes his wife and family are relieved by his incarceration. His arrogant manner with the staff of the place, by humiliating them with his command of the English language has him labeled incurable and he spends his days chained to a wall with a mute. His soliloquy and philosophizing is what keeps him sane.
I found myself reaching for my Oxford dictionary, although he mostly explains the words he employs for the benefit of his companion.
The conditions of Bedlam and the treatments meted out to 'cure' are horrific. This is a very skilful and well-researched novel, which I will not forget in a hurry.… (mer)

It’s 1865 in the small town of Hokitika and the Gold Rush is at its peak; as in all Gold Rush towns there are pubs on every corner and strange characters lurk in their depths. A young Maori boy named Halfie, aka Harvey is trying to get by, by any means possible. Getting by for him means hanging around the Bathsheba Pub waiting to get paid ‘in coin’ for work like washing dishes and running errands. His life is full of adventure, but none more interesting than living with the old codger Ludo. Ludo teaches him about the world in his own way and with the onset of troubles that hit the small community Halfie needs to decide whose side he is one.
A word to describe this novel has to be lyrical. It was like music to my ears; from the descriptions of the characters and life in the Gold Rush to the phonetic spelling of Halfie’s talking. Written with strong and interesting characters that pull at your heart strings and full of history, this book will be added to my top 10 books, I just loved it. Recommended to mature readers over 16 years.… (mer)