Coram Boy [Paperback]

Jamila Gavin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2005

2000 Whitbread Children's Book of the Year

Published to acclaim in the United Kingdom, this stunning historical novel delves into a hidden side of eighteenth-century England: the world of infanticide and child slavery. Otis Gardiner, the Coram man, makes a vicious living disposing of the unwanted children and illegitimate offspring of distraught young women, rich and poor. Meshak is Otis's oppressed, simpleminded son, who finally discovers an infant he considers special enough to risk saving out of the hundreds who have succumbed to his father's brutality. The infant's father is Alexander Ashbrook, a brilliant young aristocrat disinherited by his family for his devotion to a forbidden career, who is astonishingly unaware that he even has a son, much less that he has abandoned him.

Around this trio and a host of other characters swirls Jamila Gavin's carefully orchestrated plot, in this disturbing, ultimately uplifting novel about sons and fathers, abuse and abandonment, treachery and devotion.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In the great tradition of Dickens, British author Gavin mines English history, contrasting 18th-century city life with that of country estates, the wealthy classes with the poverty-stricken. Parallel plots develop as the author introduces charismatic Otis Gardiner, nicknamed the "Coram man" for his role in taking unwanted children off of the hands of rich and poor alike, and his simpleton son, 14-year-old Meshak. But Otis's nickname, taken from a nobler man than he (an actual historic figure, Captain Thomas Coram, who opened a hospital for abandoned children in 1741), is unearned; readers discover as the novel progresses just how he disposes of his charges. Meanwhile, another story emerges surrounding 13-year-old Alexander, on scholarship as a chorister at the Gloucester Cathedral, and heir to the Ashbrook estate. Making brilliant use of an omniscient narrator, the author moves easily in and out of various characters' points of view, most notably that of the emotionally unstable Meshak, whose moral compass points somewhere shy of North, but whose heart is in the right place. Alexander's and Meshak's romantic leanings toward the same young woman thicken the plot. Gavin paints low-life characters every bit as seductively as the high-society variety, and never shows her hand as the disparate threads of her narrative join together into a seamless whole. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-9-Mystery, romance, horror, and adventure overlap in this story set in England in 1741. It begins with the brutal work of the "Coram man," a shady character who deals in unwanted children, whom he either abandons, buries, or sells into slavery. Accompanying this evil man is his son, Meshak, who appears to be slow-witted, but who has witnessed the horrifying nature of his father's work. One night, the boy rescues a baby born to Melissa, whom Meshak calls "his angel," and spirits the infant away to the Coram Hospital, a home for abandoned children. A separate story line involves teenaged Alexander, the baby's aristocratic father who is unaware of his son's existence, and his friend Thomas, raised in poverty. Alexander has pursued a career in music, which causes him to be disinherited from his family's fortune. Readers also follow the story of Melissa and Alexander's son, Aaron, who at age eight leaves the orphanage and is apprenticed to a musician, and his black friend, Toby, who is unknowingly apprenticed to the evil Coram man, now disguised as a wealthy pillar of society. Only when Aaron discovers his own musical abilities do the narratives begin to mesh. The author skillfully weaves the various threads together, and the characters are well drawn. While the obscure subject matter and the relatively slow beginning might deter some readers, those who stick with the compelling story will be rewarded with story lines that come together neatly and build suspense until the end.

Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (March 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374413746
• ISBN-13: 978-0374413743
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,865,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, September 27, 2001

By 

Alaria (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coram Boy (Costa Children's Book Award (Awards)) (Hardcover)

It is 1741; Otis Gardner is the Coram Man, a cruel, sadistic trader who makes his living from the disposal of unwanted infants and by selling older children into slavery. Together with his half-wit son Meshak, he travels from Gloucester to London, collecting children under false promises of delivering them to the famous hospice founded by Thomas Coram.

Alexander Ashbrook, disinherited heir to a large estate, is unaware of the existence of his illegitimate son Aaron, a child given away in infancy and brought up in the Coram hospice to avoid scandal. Aaron, also oblivious to his father's identity, befriends Toby, a young boy saved from an African slave ship, and the childlike Mish who brought him to the orphanage all those years ago.

Set in eighteenth century Britain, "Coram Boy" is an epic tale of good and evil and the relationships between a father and a son. The plot is complicated yet compelling enough to make this novel impossible to put down. Jamila Gavin weaves a powerful story that explores the darker side of life in the 1700s and which combines romance, history, tragedy and hope. Beautifully written and filled with a cast of colourful and memorable characters to bring this eighteenth century world to life, Coram Boy is both a unique and special book. Although difficult to get into, this is ultimately an extremely rewarding read that has a wide appeal, although some readers may find the content of infanticide disturbing. Overall, this is definitely a five star book, and I would highly recommend it to both teens and adults .

~Jenna~

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coram Boy, May 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Coram Boy (Costa Children's Book Award (Awards)) (Hardcover)

Set in the eighteenth century, Coram Boy is a story of love, crime, tragedy, heartbreak and miracles. It is one of the most beautifully written books I have ever read and one of my all time favourites. I am always reading it aloud, just because the words are so nice. The characters are very clear and made to love or hate. The author shows such depth of knowledge and expresses so much emotion! It is a complex, exciting novel and the end will make you cry! I love it to bits. I'm sure you will to.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book that Snatched my Breath Away, May 15, 2005

By 

Debbie (Shanghai) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Coram Boy (Paperback)

Books are like baskets, with sturdy sides and empty spaces in the centers to fill. It's rare to find a novel so well-crafted that its story fills the basket up to the brim, but I have. Coram Boy is one that shines because of its powerful story, life-like characters, and the many emotions portrayed throughout the tale.
Alexander is a rich, talented choirboy who spends his life enveloped in music. Thomas, his best friend, comes from a poorer family, but is also devoted to melodies. There is one difference: Thomas is free to become a musician, but Alex can only look forward to becoming the master of his huge mansion. When Thomas is invited to spend the summer at his friend's house, he discovers that Alex holds a great passion for Melissa, the maid's lovely daughter, while at the same time dislikes his father for not letting him follow his musical talent. However, none of them know that another person trails Melissa too: Meshak, the unloved son of a man who makes money out of selling babies to become slaves. To everybody's shock, Alex runs away from his father's grip to become a musician, and Melissa, barely a child herself, gives birth to his baby. The baby is handed over to the `slave-dealer' secretly, but Meshak snatches it away, and cares for his angel's child as if it were his own.
Eight years later, the child, called Aaron, is taken as the now famous Alexander Ashbrook's apprentice without knowing that they are related. Meshak's father is still on the lookout for young boys and girls to become slaves. He gets his hand on Aaron and plans to ship him across the sea. Will the innocent Aaron become a slave? Will he find out that his mother and father are still alive? Will Alexander discover that he has a son to love?
In a way, the characters in the novel are examples of people in real life. There are conflicts between fathers and sons, between girls and boys, and between best friends. These work out in the end because the characters feel a push to make things right again, even if it's a few years late. You can also learn numerous life lessons from this book. I found out that people with bad intentions never win in the long run; their bad hearts stick out like a piece of coal in gold! I also learned that you should always be optimistic, because you never know if your life will turn a bend that will change your life forever!
Out of the many characters in the book, whether old or young, I must say that my favourite one was Thomas, Alexander's friend. He felt sympathy for Alex when his family problems became bigger and helped him without any questions. He raised the suspicion of Meshak's father when many children started disappearing. He started the question of whether Aaron was his best friend's son. He raised many spirits with his sense of humour. Without him, how could the story have gone on?
Why did I choose this book and not a fat juicy one then? I leafed through the novel and discovered that it was the proud winner of the Whitbread Children's Book Award, and decided to give it a try. Even though the novel isn't as thick as some as the other ones, it's packed with precious lessons for life and stories you'll never forget!
I love this book with all my heart; I love the plot and the way the ending is a complete and breathtaking surprise! I recommend this book to the whole world, because everyone on Earth deserves such a great book!