Blood Stone [Paperback]

Jamila Gavin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2004

Filippo has never seen his father. Before he was born, his father left their home in Venice to travel to the court of the Great Mogul Emperor Shah Jehan. He never returned. Twelve years later, a stranger brings a message that Filippo's father is in the hands of bandits, and only the most valuable jewel, his masterpiece The Ocean of the Moon, is worth enough to raise his ransom. Filippo follows his father's journey, into the intrigue of the Emperor's court, where Prince Aurangzeb plot to overthrow Shah Jehan. Filippo travels on into Afghanistan, to the bandit stronghold, and at last rescues his father. But it's too late. His father has been driven mad by his captivity and dies on the journey home. Filippo can hardly bear his loss, but finds his sadness healed when, years later, he returns to Hindustan with his brother. The Taj Mahal is a replica of The Ocean of the Moon; their father's work has not been in vain.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8–This gripping 17th-century odyssey takes 12-year-old Filippo Veroneo from Venice to Hindustan. He has never seen his father, a jeweler, who left before his birth. Now the Veroneos are in the clutches of their guardian, Bernardo Pagliarin, Filippo's brother-in-law who is trying to gain the family's wealth, most especially an extremely valuable diamond. The Veroneos learn that a high ransom is needed to secure the jeweler's release from prison, and Filippo goes to Hindustan with the diamond surgically hidden in his skull, a rather sophisticated procedure for the time. Gavin has created fascinating, multidimensional characters whose actions and motives remain suspicious through much of the story. Only Pagliarin is one-dimensional, being a thoroughly evil character solely interested in power and wealth. The rich prose at times borders on poetry, and the author cleverly parallels the protagonist's adventure to that of Ulysses as she intersperses quotes from Homer spoken by the grandmother of Filippo's friend Andreas. This is well-researched historical fiction but it does include some element of fantasy; the diamond endows Filippo with a sixth sense. As a storytelling device, it helps to keep all of his problems in focus as the scene shifts back and forth between the journey route and Venice. Strong readers will find this challenging, unpredictable tale absorbing and rewarding.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Spanning continents from Europe to Arabia to the Mogul Empire, this powerful historical fantasy begins with a child's search for his father. In seventeenth-century Venice, 12-year-old Fillipo's family has been charged with delivering a priceless diamond to Hindustan, where the father Fillipo has never known, a jeweler, is being held captive. Fillipo's adventure takes him on perilous crossings of seas and deserts, and into the equally perilous courts of Mogul kings and Afghan lords. He is helped by visions and magic, and by devoted, and sometimes unlikely, friends. Gavin's ambitious, wide-reaching novel makes challenging references to classical mythology (excerpts from Homer appear), shifts viewpoints abruptly (Fillipo occasionally narrates), and includes a crowded cast--all of which may slow some readers. But readers drawn to epic adventures will be richly rewarded by sumptuous, cinematic detail and the thrilling, dangerous ques, as well as deeper questions of trust and family bonds: "Will I love him?" Fillipo wonders in anticipation of meeting the father he has never seen. An accomplished, lyrical, high-reaching novel that will stay with readers. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Egmont Books (May 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405212845
• ISBN-13: 978-1405212847
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,444,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars THis book was........., March 26, 2004

By 

"superwoman_angel27" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blood Stone (Paperback)

This book was a change for me because i usually read things like Charlie Bone, Faerie Wars, ect but this book was amazing. as soon as i finished i gave it to my best friend. This book is about a young boy filippo, and it doesn't have a precise time but its back b4 cars. But his father is absent, away in Hindostan and everyone outside his family believes him to be dead. But b4 his father left he arranged a marriage, his oldest daughter must marry a slave trader, or else the father wouldn't be able to go. Now this guy is completely evil he uses his wife to spy on her father and his other sons cause a death later on, and he also tries to steal the stone and marry off filippo's sisters who are like 8. But this book is based on a diamond which Filippo's father made it is perfect and is called the moon of the ocean. But this story is full of mystery, death and questions. Filippo is a interesting character with interesting views on life. And you feel what he feels the author has written this very well, and i thought is was a touching book and yes i cried at the end.