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The Brothers Story

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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.

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.

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)|

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 its 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 countryside 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 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+ due to sensuality and sexual references.

Reviewed by a young adult student reviewer
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