Teenage twins Kit and Christy have grown up amid grinding poverty in their Essex village. As Christy has been “simple” from birth, Kit is literally his brother’s keeper. But the latest hardships visited upon their country home by the Great Frost of 1683–84 bring Kit to frustration and despair, and he abandons Christy to make his way to London, seeking to better himself. There he finds work as an apprentice to a struggling artist and much else to take his mind off what he has left behind. But the time comes when he can no longer ignore the problem of his brother. A fascinating portrait of a young person struggling to balance family and freedom, The Brothers Story is also a frank depiction of Restoration London in its bawdy, raucous glory.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up—Engrossing historical fiction, set during the Great Frost of 1683–1684. Fifteen-year-old Kit and his "simple" twin, Christy, live in an Essex village with their mother and younger brother, Michael. Having no wood to burn, Kit's mother demands that Kit find "a little charity," in other words, go begging among the neighbors. Tragedy strikes when Michael dies; Kit and Christy go into service, where the slow boy is mercilessly beaten for his mistakes. Desperate to find a way out for them both, Kit escapes to London, where he finds work with a pious and fashionable tailor. London is teeming with excitement, danger, and temptations. Readers will quickly empathize with Kit; his conflicted feelings toward his brother, a mixture of great tenderness and shame, are sensitively drawn. He experiences the beginnings of his sexual awakening in scenes that are occasionally ribald but never gratuitous. Sturtevant invokes the cacophony of noises, smells, and sights of London, along with the sorrows and kindnesses found in daily life. The demanding conditions of apprenticeship, as well as the misfortunes that often befell the servant class, are movingly told. A satisfactory ending brings the novel to its hopeful conclusion. Sturtevant's fans will delight in another well-crafted story, while newcomers will certainly seek out her other novels.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Kit longs to rise in the world but to do so would mean leaving his Essex village for London Town and abandoning his twin brother, Christy, who is “simple” and cannot care for himself. Yet the terrible privations of the Great Frost of 1683–84, the coldest winter in England’s history, may leave the increasingly desperate 15-year-old no choice. In giving us Kit’s story, with its echoes of the Biblical tale of Joseph and his brothers, Sturtevant has done a breathtakingly good job of recreating not only the earthy sense of Restoration England—its sights, smells, sounds, lusts and longings—but its ethos, as well. Her readers discover, dramatically, not only how Kit and his colorful contemporaries feel but also how they think—about themselves, their stations, their society, their moral behavior and responsibilities, and, yes, their God. There are no easy answers to the difficult questions that confront and sometimes torment Kit, nor is it an easy world in which this character can reflect, “At first it was nearly a satisfaction to me to be suffering again, as the poor are born to do.” Sturtevant’s book is not only a stunning story but a challenging and deeply satisfying work of social conscience. Grades 9-12. --Michael Cart
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children,
By Yana V. Rodgers "econkids.rutgers.edu" (New Brunswick, NJ) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Brothers Story (Hardcover)
The winter of 1683 to 1684, one of the coldest ever in English history, presented enormous challenges to poor households who had insufficient means to protect themselves from the bitter cold. Twin brothers Kit and Christy, their mother, and their little brother, a family living in extreme poverty in the English countryside, counted themselves among those who had to resort to begging to stay alive. Yet Kit knew he could make something better of himself, and he desperately wanted to follow the lead of other young people from his village and seek his fortune in London.
The only thing that stopped Kit was the obligation he felt to care for his developmentally disabled twin, who needed constant companionship and support. Ultimately the cold and the drudgery led Kit to abandon Christy and leave for London. His situation did turn around when he found employment with a painter who paid room and board and a small wage. He enjoyed the new experiences of city life, including a large fair on the frozen Thames and the attentions of a young maid, but he felt incredible guilt at the knowledge that his improved well-being came at the expense of his brother. This engrossing book takes the reader across a sweeping range of emotions and situations as a well-meaning young man struggles against extreme odds to support loved ones, find a source of income, avoid new temptations, and make difficult decisions about his future and that of the brother he left behind. Note that the book has some sexual content that makes it more appropriate for older middle grade and young adult readers. The Brothers Story is difficult to set down once the reader has embarked with Kit on his journey to find a way out of backbreaking poverty and despair.
4.0 out of 5 stars
excellent historical fiction for teens,
By
This review is from: The Brothers Story (Hardcover)
Katherine Sturtevant's third novel for young people returns to 17th century England, this time to the winter of 1683-84, known as "The Great Frost," considered the worst frost for which we have historical records. The Thames froze solid, two feet thick, as well as the surrounding seas, rendering commerce very difficult. In this historical context, Sturtevant spins the captivating story of two twin teenage boys, Kit and Christy. Identical in appearance, Christy has been simple since birth, and Kit, who narrates the story, is forced to look after his brother in every way. They are so poor that their mother puts them into service with a local wealthy family, where Kit cannot tolerate the way his brother is beaten and mistreated because of his disability. In desperation, he decides, despite the frigid cold, to run away to London, where he hopes to make his fortune or at least make a better life for himself without the burden of caring for his brother. He gets a stroke of luck when at an inn on the road, he meets two brothers, one an artist and the other a tailor to the London nobility. Joining their party, he goes into service with the artist, Nate.
Born and raised in a small Essex village, Kit is amazed at the sights and sounds of London. He is particularly attracted to the saucy serving maid Priscilla, who works for his master's brother. But he is especially mesmerized by the Frost Fair, a little village built on the frozen Thames, filled with booths offering refreshments, games, merchandise, and varied entertainment, including jugglers, puppet shows, acrobats, and rides on the ice. A whole ox was even roasted on a gigantic spit during the fair. But of course Kit has not forgotten his brother, and he aches to know what has become of him and who, if anyone, is watching over him. When his fortunes change, and he has the opportunity to have a real apprenticeship, Kit must make a difficult choice between listening to his heart--where his brother still lays claim--and pursuing the possibility of a prosperous life for himself in London. The story of Kit, his brother Christy, and the characters Kit encounters in London emerges through the frost that covered London with burning intensity. These are characters that you will take into your heart. The relationship between the twins, and the heartbreaking choices Kit has to make, ring very true and draw the reader into the story. Moreover, the author provides many evocative and authentic tidbits of historical fact woven throughout the story. For example, it was so cold that birds fell out of the sky, frozen to death. "The piss had froze in the chamber pot and the ale in the bucket." She also incorporates very frank descriptions of teenage sexuality during this period, incorporating bawdy vocabulary that was definitely new to me. This language is not at all gratuitous, however, since the author has gone to great lengths to reconstruct the dialect of the time, particularly the way a young man of Kit's social class would have spoken. At first I found this dialect a bit jarring, but it truly brings Kit's voice to life in an authentic way.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Memorable Story of Brotherly Love,
By Books and Literature for Teens (BLT) (Southwest, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Brothers Story (Hardcover)
The winter of 1683, the coldest winter ever recorded in England, has taken an terrible tole on Kit and his poor family. Kit dreams of going to London to find a job, but the only thing holding him back is his twin brother, Christy, who was born "simple". Since Kit has always looked after his brother and has never been separated, Kit isn't sure if Christy will survive without him. Frustrated and determined to better himself, in the end, Kit decides to abandon Christy in Essex and flee to the city. Once in London, Kit faces a world of opportunity and misfortune. Capturing the icy, hardships of 1683 and the gritty streets of London, Sturtevant crafts a memorable story of duty, and brotherly love. What drew me to The Brother's Story was the cover. I know, I know, "never judge a book by it's cover", but I couldn't help myself. The cover was neat looking and plus, it was set in London during the late 1600s--a period that I haven't read much about. Sturtevant is a good historical fiction writer because she describes the English country side and the bustling streets of London quite well. She also threw in the true time-period style language as well. Since Kit, our main character, is from Essex (a real country bumpkin), he has a sort of "hill billy" accent. It kind of annoyed me at first because he kept saying phrases and words like "I knowed that" or "hisself", but I got use to it after awhile.The problem with The Brother's Story was that it was pretty slow at the beginning; almost to the point where only a hard-core reader would get through it. Another down-side was that it felt like Kit's story kind of lingered in one area for too long. The point of the story was Kit and his brother, but the climax kept wondering around the streets of London...literally. It also had a lot of references to prostitution, in which some cases the references were really bold and not just implied. Although it has to do with Kit's battle against temptation, I think we could have been spared some of those lewd British slang word. Because of it's frequent sexual references and Kit's sensuality, I would only recommend to older teens. Once I got halfway through the book though, it was terribly hard to put down. The ending was much better and I actually liked it! Through Kit's London "adventure", Kit learned a lot. I'm glad he did what was right.Overall, The Brother's Story was an okay read, gritty, but well researched and intriguing nonetheless. I think Kit was a genuine character and it was worth while to watch him change from a child into an adult. If you're a history enthusiast like me, you probably can't resist picking up a copy; but I must say it is not an absolute must read. I still like the cover.
Recommend for teens 14+|Content: Sexual references & sensuality (PG-13)|
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