Flame-Colored Taffeta [Paperback]

Rosemary Sutcliff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1989

This lively adventure is the story of smugglers on the Sussex coast and an emissary of Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Once they wade through some rather lengthy sentences, peppered with semi-colons, readers will enjoy this gentle tale of a girl who rescues a mysterious, wounded man. Twelve-year-old Damaris, who lives on a seaside Sussex farm, discovers a young man who has been shot in the leg. She and 13-year-old Peter hide the man, who calls himself Tom Wildgoose, in their secret meeting placea half-ruined cottage in the forest. At first Damaris thinks Tom is a smuggler, but later she learns he is carrying papers from Bonnie Prince Charlie in France to his London supporters. Tom is captured when he rescues Damaris and her pet fox from a pack of foxhounds. But Damaris gets Tom freed by enlisting the aid of village wisewoman Genty. Under the very noses of royal customs officers, Damaris and Peter get Tom off on the road to London. Years later, Damaris knows that Tom is alive and safe when he sends her, as a wedding present, what she has always desiredflame-colored taffeta to wear as a petticoat. It's a fitting and satisfying resolution to this historically based tale of intrigue.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-8 Twelve-year-old Damaris and 13-year-old Peter literally stumble over a young man who had been shot during the night. How they rescue him and help him get safe passage out of the country is the plot of this historical adventure set in Sussex, England in the 1750s. As readers have come to expect, Sutcliff writes in a demanding, evocative style and conveys a strong sense of place. The characters are not complex, but are strong enough to carry this tale of nighttime intrigue in which courage and resourcefulness are rewarded years later with a special wedding gift of a flame-colored taffeta slip. The fast-moving plot makes this book accessible to a wide range of readers. Amy Kellman, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Sunburst (March 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374423415
• ISBN-13: 978-0374423414
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,575,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rosemary Sutcliff wrote more than 40 historical novels for young adults-including The Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch, The Lantern Bearers, The Sword and the Circle, and Black Ships Before Troy-five adult novels, and several books of nonfiction.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars WHOEVER HE WAS, WHATEVER HE WAS, SHE WAS ON HIS SIDE, August 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Flame-Colored Taffeta (Paperback)

Twelve-year-old Damaris is wise for her years, since she has been raised along the southern English coast where smugglers make frequent runs. She knows not to ask certain questions which will embarrass her father, when she can use her eyes and ears to interpret the activities of the Fair Traders (as they are called). Her best friend in her childhood adventures is Peter, the vicar's son, a loyal and eager comrade. They even have a private playhouse, a ramshackle lost cottage half falling in, which she names "Jouous Gard" after Sir Lancelot's castle.

One day after a nocturnal run, she discovers a young stranger lying near their cottage, badly wounded and barely conscious. Mentally claiming him as her own and adopting his cause--whatever it might be--Damaris enlists Peter's aid to carry him into their hideout, to sneak food and provide company. They realize that they need adult medical skill to remove the bullet from "the Smuggler's" knee, so Damaris turns to the Wise Woman (polite name for an old woman wiih knowledge of herbs and often darker matters). Genty offers her services and her home to help this unknown young man, whom even in his delirium Daramris considers romantic.

This is one adventure she will not share with her family. The only name he gives is Tom Wildgoose, but what is he carrying so closely guarded in an oilskin bag around his neck? Could he really be a smuggler or is he part of the cargo? Whose side is he on: King George, France or Scotland? None of that matters to Damaris, who risks a great deal to save him.

The title refers to her girlhood wish for a scarlet petticoat like the one the gypsy girl wore when she danced for the community last season. A flaming piece of material frippery which she does Not need, which would have shocked her father and aunt. But few adults understand a girl's dream of freedom and joy of living, which such a petticoat represents for her. This is a light novel of adventure and mild intrigue, which will appeal to elementary children--especially the parts about deceiving parents in order to achieve a noble goal. Not to mention risking her soul by getting involved in the Black Arts. Was she right to place her trust in a total stranger who could prove a traitor to her country or a threat to her body? Was helping him worth the real dangers she willingly undertook on his behalf? Twentieth Century Children's writers states: "In Rosemary Sutcliff's hands, the children's historical novel has gained passion, insight and depth." A truly enjoyable read.