- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Running Press; 1 edition (May 7 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0762433442
- ISBN-13: 978-0762433445
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 14.2 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #895,513 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
Review
The Compulsive Reader
"The Plague is a unique and engrossing read with admirable characters and possess a good, even pace that will even entice the reluctant reader. This is one to stick on the wish list."
Publishers Weekly web exclusive review, October 21, 2009
“This dark piece of historical fiction…is gritty and realistic…A harrowing and grim historical fantasy.”
"The Plague is a unique and engrossing read with admirable characters and possess a good, even pace that will even entice the reluctant reader. This is one to stick on the wish list."
Publishers Weekly web exclusive review, October 21, 2009
“This dark piece of historical fiction…is gritty and realistic…A harrowing and grim historical fantasy.”
Product Description
In a land overshadowed by death, fifteen year-old Nell’s uncanny resemblance to Princess Joan brings her to act as her double—what young girl wouldn’t want to leave a life of poverty and pretend to be a princess? But when the plague catches up to the royal entourage, thwarting the King’s plan for the princess to marry the Prince of Castile and seal an alliance between their kingdoms, Nell’s life could change forever. Princess Joan’s brother The Black Prince schemes to make the wedding go on declaring Nell will no longer double for Joan, she will become the princess and dupe Prince Pedro into marriage! With the aid and protection of a quirky band of friends—a Spanish minstrel, a monk, a gravedigger, a band of merchants—Nell must evade not only the Black Prince, a practitioner of the dark arts, but the plague as well, as she fights to return to the King and country. Based on historical truth, Dahme beautifully captures the dark terror of a Plague-infested fourteenth century Europe, while bringing to life the daily existence of medieval life for young adult readers.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2.0 out of 5 stars
Historical fiction - not quite. It has a 'magical' aspect in it.,
By
This review is from: The Plague (Hardcover)
I thought this book was going to be all historical and for the most part, it is. However then there's this fantastical element that's been added in and I can't quite understand why as there really was no need for it. Actually I think it made the book worse. I especially disliked how Edward was seen as a 'sorcerer' with his army of black rats descending terror upon Nell and her friends. What in the world was that about??!!! I really did not like that at all.Although the plot was interesting, the pace was really slow and it felt as if I would never get around to finishing the book. The characters, were well done though, if only there wasn't a magic theme to it, it would have been ten times better. If the story was just purely historical fiction I think it would have been a decent novel. Even with the magic though, it wasn't properly explained and you are left rather perplexed at the entire novel. The description of the plague wasn't really the main focus but it seemed as if it was just rushed through to get to Nell's journey back home. In other words, the theme of the plague just seemed secondary to everything else. The ending was all right. Decently written but by the end of novel I was glad I was done. Overall, I'd definitely pass on this one. It could have been so much better but instead it falls short. Fans of historical fiction may not like the way the Black Prince is portrayed (such as me). I might recommend this book to those that aren't too heavy on the historical fiction and wouldn't mind a bit of fantasy as well.
2.0 out of 5 stars
Bland Historical Fiction with a Supernatural Twist.,
This review is from: The Plague (Hardcover)
Story: Young girl who looks like the Princess Joan is forced to take on her idetity after the Princess is killed from the Plague.This was a bland story, even though the storyline should have been exciting the writing was boring and mostly jumped through major events just summing them up at the beginning or end of the chapter. It could have been a great book but the writing needs some work. Also I like fantasy and historical fiction but this mix did not work for me, the Prince with his "dark arts" and weird rat connection was not well placed in this medieval story. If you are looking for good medieval historical fiction try There Will Be Wolves,The Raging Quiet or Anna of Byzantium
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A gripping historical novel for young adults.,
By Rebecca Herman - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Plague (Hardcover)
Nell and her younger brother George lost their parents to the plague in London, and were only rescued from the fate of being left orphaned and alone in the devastated city by chance. King Edward was traveling through the city to view the devastation of the plague for himself, and happened to notice Nell, who had a strong resemblance to his own daughter, Princess Joan. He decided to rescue the children and bring them to his castle so that Nell could be a companion and double for the princess.Now, two years later, in 1348, fifteen-year-old Nell and nine-year-old George are accompanying the princess on her journey to marry Prince Pedro of Castile. Also along for the journey is the princess's sinister older brother, the Black Prince, who frightens Nell. At the start of the sea voyage, they hear rumors that the plague has returned, and upon their arrival at Bordeaux, they discover the rumors to be truth. When Princess Joan dies of the plague, the Black Prince decides that Nell, as the princess's look-a-like, must take her place so the political marriage can occur as planned. Nell knows that this deception cannot end well and is determined to run away with George and make her way back to England and the King to tell the truth of what happened. Her escape through the plague-stricken countryside is full of peril, and she is not sure which of her unlikely allies she can truly trust. The Plague is an exciting and interesting historical novel that brings to life the plague of 1348, now known as the Black Death, which devastated Europe but which is little-written about for young adults. Although some of the events in the story seemed implausible at times, overall it was a gripping and enjoyable read that I would recommend for readers who enjoy young adult historical fiction. One thing I would have liked to have seen is a historical note about some of the real places, events, and people featured in the story, since many are not well-known to the average reader that would read this book.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of [...],
By Cynthia Hudson - Published on Amazon.com
In the 1300s England, fifteen-year-old Nell has served as an attendant to Princess Joan since Nell's parents died of the plague two years before. She also protects her nine-year-old brother, George, who is simple but also wise in unexpected ways. Nell bears an uncanny resemblance to Princess Joan. When the princess dies of a new plague outbreak while on a journey to meet her future husband, her brother, the Black Prince, hatches a plot to pass Nell off as the princess and marry her to a Spanish prince.Nell has no choice but to go along while she plots an escape. She finds unexpected allies in her quest to flee the Black Prince and make her way back to what she believes is safety in Bordeaux. The Plague by Joanne Dahme captures the dark mood and superstitions of Europeans during this time when the plague carried off so much of the population. The sickness had no favorites, and it infected young, old, rich, poor, healthy and weak just the same. People believed it was caused by bad air, and no one paid much attention to the rats that swarmed among them. Nell's is a tense story against this backdrop of whole nations under stress. Mother-daughter book clubs can talk about the historical time period as well as Nell's reaction to the predicament she finds herself in. I recommend The Plague for groups with girls aged 12 to 16.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Plague - a 7th grade perspective,
By J. Larkin "Pearl Jam fan" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Plague (Hardcover)
[..]Do you like to read books with princesses and dark magic? If yes, than The Plague by Joanne Dahme is the book for you. There is a deadly disease spreading through the country, killing everyone in its path. Nell and her brother's parents are infected with the plague, leaving Nell in charge of her little brother, George. One day when the king is riding through the sick village he sees how much Nell resembles the princes, he asks Nell to come to the castle and serve the kind and loving princess Joan. She says yes, hoping to have a place to live and food to eat. Now Nell must make her journey to the king's castle with George and Henry, a trusted guard to the king. When the plague infects the princess, the black prince, Princes Joan's brother, orders something horrible of Nell, to take the princess's place. The prince had come aboard on the way to the castle, and knows Nell is finding out that the black prince is not the nice man that everyone thought that he was. The black prince is a horrible man who only wants power. One night when the prince and his knights were asleep a kind jester from the king's castle helps them escape. The prince sends thousands of rats to bring Nell back to complete his request. It is a long journey back to the king's castle, but eventually they succeed. When they reach the castle, Nell, George and Henry think they were safe from the black prince, but they were wrong. The jester, who they had trusted greatly, had told the prince where to find them. Now with the king only believing the lies of the prince, what are Nell, George, and Henry going to do? I absolutely loved this book. It was suspenseful and had a twist to the end of the story. I really liked how the author put so much detail into the characters and plot. I could actually feel like I was in the book. I also liked how the author, Joanne Dahme, added a love story into the book, but without over doing it. My favorite part of the book was when Nell, George, and Henry are traveling with the three merchant brothers. Overall this is an exciting and suspenseful book that I would suggest to anyone. Julia B., EMS Blogger CHECK OUT OUR BLOG to see more great student reviews! [..] |
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
