A Chapel of Thieves [Hardcover]

Bruce Clements (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up

In this captivating sequel to I Tell a Lie Every So Often, a National Book Award finalist, it is 1849 and Henry Desant is on a mission from frontier St. Louis to revolutionary Paris to rescue his brother, Clayton, from a gang of thieves.

Clayton had been told in a dream to go to Paris and preach to the sinners there. In a letter home, he boasts of his success in attracting a congregation of fifteen men to his new church. These “TRUE BELIEVERS,” he says, were led to him by a man named Deacon George, who every night “sends my flock out into the streets of this Dark City, and gets people to give them silk, silver, ivory, and small pieces of furniture.” Henry, a romantic with open eyes, can see that Clayton is being hoodwinked into letting his church be used as a front. But as he sets off on his trip down the Mississippi and across the ocean to convince Clayton that he is in trouble, Henry has no inkling of the events in store that will open his eyes even wider to the dangers and possibilities of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This picaresque work opens right where its predecessor, I Tell a Lie Every So Often (1974), left off. It's 1849, and Henry Desant (a literary descendant of Huck Finn) sets off from St. Louis for Paris, where his older brother, Clayton, has styled himself a preacher. Writing home, Clayton boasts that after a rocky start, his chapel is creating "A Righteous Reek in the nostrils of God." But for all Clayton's bombast, Henry can see that Clayton is being used to front a gang of thieves, and so begins his rescue mission. The hyperbolic plot which involves a trip down the Mississippi on a steamboat, autopsies and amputations, riots in the Paris barricades and incendiary appearances by Victor Hugo feeds gleefully off the author's dry wit. Narrator Henry, equal parts ingenuous and smart, disarmingly (but correctly) sizes up each new set of circumstances. Discussing the way men drink in Paris, for example, Henry observes, "They don't get drunk the same way they do in Saint Louis. They take their time at it. You can't go into a cafe... and come out staggering five minutes later." Some of the best lines are assigned the fictional Hugo, who tells Henry: "You [Americans] are killing the Red Indians. You must put up a monument to these noble people. That's what we would do if we killed them here." The offhand, almost subversive delivery makes the steady humor all the more pungent. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-In this sequel to I Tell a Lie Every So Often (Sunburst, 1983), 15-year-old Henry Desant sets out for Paris in 1849 to rescue his naive older brother from a bunch of con men. Clayton left their Missouri farm to save some French souls through his preaching, but when he writes home to brag of his success, Henry can tell that he is being taken advantage of. In telling his own story, the teen conveys the rich excitement of his escapades with understated humor. His enthusiastic outlook and eager mind make him an engaging character. The adventures themselves are somewhat episodic; even the death of the main villain and Clayton's eventual decision to return to America are almost anticlimactic. Despite the sometimes scattered plot, though, the novel remains entertaining because of the strong narration and enjoyable cast of characters. Observing mid-19th-century France and America through Henry's wry point of view is a treat. His sincere good nature leads to solid friendships that help him throughout his quest. The atmosphere of Paris, complete with a riot started by Victor Hugo himself, comes through in colorful detail. Though there's plenty of humor throughout, the scenes with Henry and his brother are particularly funny. This sequel stands on its own and should appeal to fans of Sid Fleischman and Kathleen Karr.
Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (April 11, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374377014
• ISBN-13: 978-0374377014
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,885,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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