- Hardcover: 528 pages
- Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (Sep 15 1999)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0805062254
- ISBN-13: 978-0805062250
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 16 x 4.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 862 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Although Lewin, award-winning writer of detective fiction, claims that his first book for young readers is a "coming of age story," his sprawling thriller draws more on the conventions of the adult historical saga than those of the YA novel. He starts off with a bang: in 1895 New York, 20-year-old Jackie Cross promises her best friend, Nance, who is on her deathbed, that she'll get back the locket stolen from her by her attacker, the knife-throwing showman Teddy Zeph. The book's second chapter shifts both time and place with the introduction of Claudette LaCroix, separated from her brothers and sold at auction after the death of their parents in a fire in 1826 Indiana. Alternating chapters unfold Jackie's quest to track down the murdering Zeph and three generations of her back story (readers discover about half way through the connection between Claudette and Jackie); 19th-century baseball, Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, orphan trains, London music halls, Jack the Ripper and cross-dressing all play a part. Lewin's characters aren't drawn with much depth, but his facility with dialogue and dialect makes them lively and appealing; his fast-paced plotting compensates for the book's daunting length. While much of Claudette's story seems out of place in a children's book (her sexual relationships, her inability to love her only son), fans of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart will find a kindred spirit in Jackie. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-A meaty novel of suspense. In dying breath, Jackie's best friend Nance, a rider in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, identifies her murderer, a vaudeville knife thrower who tried to rape her, and Jackie promises to seek revenge. The trail leads to England, so she books passage to Liverpool. However, an unscrupulous bounty hunter is looking for her as a murder suspect. Aided by the first of many diverse characters, the girl-disguised-as-a-boy disembarks the ship "disguised" as a young woman. After a lengthy series of adventures, she fulfills her promise to Na
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Cutting Loose (Hardcover)
Just a quick note: Homocide books and baseball aren't my thing-- I've never even seen a baseball game-- but this book is compelling! Check it out!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Note to Adults,
By Merle K. Gatewood (Edmond, Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Cutting Loose (Hardcover)
The enjoyment of Lewin's first historical novel should not be reserved for adolescents. Within his two-continent, three-generational panorama, the intermingled tales of Jacky and her grandmother make compelling reading for adults. In plot and setting, the novel gives us Lewin the storyteller at his most expansive. To control such a large canvas, he limits the point of view to that of his naïve protagonists. For that reason, the cast of characters may lack depth, but the breadth is impressive. In a world of harsh cruelty and unexpected kindness, Jacky's success based on fortitude and personal integrity contrasts effectively with her grandmother's darker story. Cutting Loose reveals Lewin's versatility and scope. You don't need to be young to find it fascinating.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Baseball Fans and Homicide Fanatics Unite!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Cutting Loose (Hardcover)
The action-packed thriller is a master-peice! It combines history, baseball, and murder into a melting pot of profound and insightful literature. It follows the life of a young woman, Jaqueline, or Jacky. She dresses up as a boy so that the other kids let her play baseball. But when her famous baseball playing father is murdered in cold blood by a fellow team mate she sts out to avente her faqthers death, and of course, play baseball. However, at ten is not about to let her wander around the country unattended. So she is shipped off to a farm in the midwest. There, she meets her best freind, Mattie. Tired of the opressive farm life the two escape to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Happiness is short lived, however. Mattie is murdered by the knife act. Now Jacky must avenge two murders: Mattie's and her father's. From the Pruple Mountain's Majesty of the Rockey Mountains, to the sweeping Great Plains, to the gothic streets of New York, to the dark, dank sewers of London, where in the shadows, a killer waits. And at every possible place, baseball. This books is a roller-coaster ride of excitement! I loved it, and I guarentee that you will, too!
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