Bartholomew Fair [Turtleback]

Mary Stolz (Author)

Book Description

On an August day in 1598 six people, including Queen Elizabeth, a wealthy cloth merchant, a scullery maid, two schoolboys, and an overworked apprentice, attend London's Bartholomew's Fair and come away with unforgettable experiences.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's the twilight of the long reign of Elizabeth I, and just outside the city of London the Bartholomew Fair is drawing to a close. Half a dozen people--from a scullery maid to the queen herself--dearly wish to attend the final day's festivities. Accomplished storyteller Stolz weaves the threads of these six disparate lives (each chosen for the stratum of society he or she represents) into a compelling tale brimming with the traditions, pageantry and daily routine of Elizabethan life. Her characters are each granted their common wish, and eventually make their way to the merry chaos of the fairgrounds, which provides a backdrop to one of the book's more poignant storylines, in which an urchin apprentice finds a home and love. Stolz's rich broth of prose is peppered with colorful terms and phrases that both add to the story's authenticity as well as respect the reader's ability to garner information from context. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-- Six people go to Bartholomew Fair. "All but one got back that night." Of those who go, one is Elizabeth I, Queen of England, and another is a wealthy but lonely cloth merchant. The other four are young--a scullery maid of the palace, two students (one a "Queen's Scholar" and the other a lord's son), and "an overworked, underfed, so-called apprentice to a stonemason." How their lives interweave on the way to the fair, at the fair, and after the fair is the plot of this historical novel that captures a slice of Elizabethan life with energy and color. The elderly Elizabeth of 1597 springs to life for her subjects and for readers. Indeed, the sights and smells of London and the busy fairgrounds play a major role in the story. Readers will come to know the characters well enough to care about them and to see each one to a safe conclusion. --Amy Kellman, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Turtleback
• Publisher: Demco Media (April 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 060601375X
• ISBN-13: 978-0606013758
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,317,929 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bartholomew Fair was a good book with a few let-downs., January 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bartholomew Fair (Turtleback)

Bartholomew Fair was an interesting book that told the story of the different events of a fair from six different point of views. The summary in the back of the book wound me up to the expectation of a wonderful mystery, but I was let down as soon as I finished reading it.The author wonderfully entwined the paths of the travelers, but did not create a plot that did justice to the entwined paths. The book is slightly redeemed by the character's contradictable personalities and is still enjoyable enough to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The fair is a crossroads of life and anything can happen, June 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Bartholomew Fair (Turtleback)

Its too bad that this book is out of print. B.F. is a book that shows the classes that live next to each other every day. From the queen's elaborate "toilette" to the servants ignominious treatment. The merchant though rich is not spared the pain of lonliness. Most of all it shows how (with syncronicity) each of us touch others every day. Six may go to the fair but only 5 return. Stolz paints a rememberable picture of life in England.