A chance meeting with Jenny at an Oxford party leaves seventeen-year-old Chris with hope for a summer romance - and no premonition of trouble. Busy with his job and soon in love with Jenny, whose cheerful surface belies the dark uncertainty of her past, Chris misses all the signs of danger. Before he knows it, he's caught in the sinister web of a criminal whose desire for revenge crushes all those who stand in his way.
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Book Description
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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
The menacing darkness that lurked at the edges of Pullman's trilogy of Victorian-era thrillers ( The Ruby in the Smoke et al.) comes to the fore in this contemporary tale of shattered innocence and betrayed love set in Oxford, England. From the first line--"Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm night in early June"--the sense of imminent evil and inexorable doom builds unrelentingly to the novel's violent, gutwrenching climax. Naive and well-intentioned, 17-year-old Chris has love, not murder, on his mind when he meets and later beds Jenny (described in lyric and intimate detail), who has run away from her abusive father. Indeed, it is precisely Chris's trusting nature and sense of justice that cause the youth to be duped by a vengeful felon into causing Jenny's death--and only then because she is mistaken for someone else. Here is a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy, with star-crossed lovers separated by fate, a terrifyingly philosophical villain and assorted innocents, cads and buffoons. Its evocative narrative and throat-tightening suspense make this novel a compelling read; however, the graphic sex, moral ambiguity and somber ending make it most suitable for mature YA readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England, in 1946. He has won many awards, including the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. His acclaimed trilogy, His Dark Materials, has been published in thirty-nine languages. . The Amber Spyglass, the trilogy’s astonishing finale, was the first children’s book in history to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. It was also nominated for the Booker Prize. When he is not writing books, Pullman enjoys drawing, woodworking, and playing the piano. He lives with his family in Oxford, England.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
although i must admit this book didn't have quite as much depth as the sally lockart series and his dark materials series, it was still fantastic. this is a very sad book but i really enjoyed it. i read it in one day. i absoulutly love all of philip pullman's books. this book didn't dissapoint me, i highly recommend it to you, i'm sure it won't dissapoint you either.
when chris sees jenny, it is love instantly, although it takes a little for him to get through to her. however jenny is involved in horrible buisness, someone doesn't like her. and he relizes he is a part of it too, but doesn't mind because he is so head of heels in love. but what would you do if you accidently, but positivly betrayed the one you loved? this a fantastic you must read!
when chris sees jenny, it is love instantly, although it takes a little for him to get through to her. however jenny is involved in horrible buisness, someone doesn't like her. and he relizes he is a part of it too, but doesn't mind because he is so head of heels in love. but what would you do if you accidently, but positivly betrayed the one you loved? this a fantastic you must read!
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Philip Pullman has done it again in this captivating novel about trust, betrayal and love. While His Dark Materials was delightful in an innocent, fantastical sort of way, this book seemed a bit darker, more honest, and truer to our life. None of those things are bad or good; they're just different; and if you're expecting another THE GOLDEN COMPASS, change your expectations or you may be startled. This is an older children's book, more for fans of Chris Crutcher than C.S. Lewis. The characters are like people you meet on the street, not "destiny children" like Lyra and Will. They have dark pasts and modern-day troubles. You will love them and understand them as normal contemporary people.
Pullman's descriptions bring the print of the book to real life. Without ever boring you, he lets you feel Chris's emotions, and Jenny's, and their feelings about their pasts and each other. It's a tragedy book with plentiful references to child abuse, sex and troubled families, which means I wouldn't give it to a ten-year-old who adored HIS DARK MATERIALS, but read it yourself and give it to him in a few years' time, and he'll love it for what it is: a compelling modern masterpiece.
By A Customer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
...Basically I think that this book was way to simple. I dunno if I was dazed while I was reading or what, but there were a lot of detailes and complexity that was missing. The whole book was kinda boring and kinda pointless as well. Im very disapointed of Philip Pullman because all of his other books (the ones that I've read anyway) were brilliant and this one just wasn't up to par.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good but beware of chapter six
I've read books by Philip Pullman before but this one really suprised me. This is deffenetly not a childrens book, but I thought is was very interesting and I couldn't put it down. Read more
Published on Feb 9 2002
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing and overly simplistic
This book was a real disappointment. There were far too many convenient coincidences, and the short length of time during which Chris goes from "innocent" to... Read more
Published on Nov 10 2001
1.0 out of 5 stars
Could it get any worse
Look, the book was OK, but...its the worst book Ive ever read. Its not even original, Its a reteeling of Romeo and Juliet. The plot twists is really bad and predictable. Read more
Published on Aug 15 2001 by Bob Someone
5.0 out of 5 stars
UNFORGETTABLE!
I loved this book! I've never read a book by this author before but now i'm hooked... This book kept me on the edge of my seat, i didn't want to put it down. Read more
Published on Aug 9 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great!
I think all of Philip Pullman's books are great! He deserves much more credit than givin! If you love any of his other books you'll love this one too! Read more
Published on May 15 2001 by Melanie S. Dinh
5.0 out of 5 stars
I wish his first sentance was different
Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm ...i wanted to find the ending out for mself but other then that it was awesome and i dunno what ppl think about... Read more
Published on April 2 2001
5.0 out of 5 stars
The White Mercedes
I am 14 years old and i just LOVE this book. The way Philip Pullman writes about Chris's love for Jenny is so awesome! I cried when i read this book! Read more
Published on Mar 31 2000 by Melinda
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
I enjoyed "Count Karlstein," "The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," and "The Ruby in the Smoke" and its sequels, but I was very... Read more
Published on Mar 28 2000 by Sheila L. Beaumont
5.0 out of 5 stars
Romeo and Juliet in a White Mercedes
This book has to be one of my favorites. I haven't read Pullman before until i spotted the book at Kepler's. Read more
Published on Mar 20 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fan of Golden Compass
A very different flavor than the Golden Compass series but still very good. Sad ending with a Romeo and Juliet type of twist.
Published on Aug 20 1999
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