Customer Reviews

Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I received an Advanced Reader's Edition of this book from the bookstore I work at in February of this year. I read it immediately and have been impatiently waiting for it to be commercially available ever since so that I could recommend it to other people.

Despite being an adult, one of my favorite genres to read is Young Adult Fiction, particularly titles that fall under the fantastical and adventure categories. However, as of late, there have been quite a few titles that seem to be barely disguised knockoffs of "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings". This book is different and it's like a breath of fresh air in the genre.

This book tells the tale two British teenagers who find themselves accidentally transported back in time to the year 1763 where they are befriended by kind gentleman cutpurse named Gideon and an upper class family he has recently been employed by. Of course, before long they are off on the adventure of a lifetime to get their Time Machine back from the creepy and powerful Tar Man (who has a tragic story of his own to be told), while all the while just trying to learn how to live in the 18th Century.

What I enjoyed about this book is that other than the Time Travel itself, the book has no magic and doesn't take place in an alternate land of fantasy. It's firmly grounded in history without the less pleasant aspects of the time being glossed over. That makes other readers' comparison to Mark Twain's work very accurate! It has a lot of gritty adventure including a confrontation with a Highwayman who is not the romantic figure he's often portrayed as. It's a great book for people who love "Harry Potter" dearly, but are looking for something a little different to enjoy until that 7th book comes out.

Gideon and the kids are likeable characters and the friendship they form with each other in spite of the differences in their ages and time periods is interesting. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending is particularly surprising since it's not the way the protagonists in these sorts of stories have ever behaved. It definitely left me eagerly anticipating the next book in the trilogy!

Oh, and on a last completely aesthetic note from someone who is a Graphic Designer by profession, this is one incredibly beautiful, eye-catching novel! It completely does justice to the story told on the inside.

A couple of weeks ago, I read a blurb about this book and was intrigued with the headline on the cover ("The past is closer than you think.") The book really has an epic sweep, from the fact that Peter, a young teenager, is clearly looking for his lost father and finds a substitute in Gideon to the fact that the teens who go back in time travel across the British countryside having some amazing adventures as they try to get home. The scene where they approach London,and see it from a distance as it was in 1763, is positively breathtaking. The villain, The Tar Man, well, I don't want to say too much except like the best villains we understand why he is so, and he's responsible an ending that takes your breath away. I've been trying to think about what makes this book feels so special, and I guess it might be that the storytelling is so convincing, and the setting and characters so real. The book doesn't feel gimmicky or forced at all like some books that feel like they are just trying to cash in on the current fantasy craze. Also, just holding GIDEON feels special because it's designed to look like a book from the 18th century. According to the back of the book there's a sequel coming next summer, and you can tell when you're reading it that, while the book was really satisfying, the whole story isn't over. I can't wait!

I was looking for a good read over the 4th of July weekend, and this caught my eye in the bookstore. I'm an adult, but have always loved a good children's book. I thought this one had everything--great characters (you'll love Gideon, the hero), a really exciting plot (I don't want to give to much away, because there are twists, but the story really keeps up at a good clip) and I loved the sense of being in England in 1763. I also was intrigued that the kids, who go back in time accidentally, can blur into the current time, but not really stay there--so people keep seeing them and thinking they are seeing ghosts! I tell you, this book works on a lot of levels (just wait till they visit Dr. Samuel Johnson), and I really recommend it.

Make your youngsters read this book and they will beg to buy the next two in the series. Make them stop using the gameboy, computer, sitting in the a/c, eating candy and goodies and take a trip into the 1700's. Mrs. Archer has done a wonderful job recreating the setting of life in another era, providing an exciting tale, showing how difficult life would have been -- and then providing such a thrill of an ending that the kids will want to read the rest of the series. I try to read ahead of my grandchildren in their fields of literature for appropriate and interesting stories--- and I definately recommend this one. Cudos for Mrs. Archer's time travel trilogy.

Peter feels he has been brushed off by his father yet again--and he has been. He's been waiting for his birthday treat for months, but his father always has business meetings and is too busy to spend time with him. His mother is off working in Los Angeles, far away from Peter and his father in London. The morning Peter and his father fight about it again, Margrit, the Au Pair, takes Peter with her to visit her friends out in the country.

These friends have a daughter, Kate, who is about Peter's age, twelve. Kate's father takes the two of them, plus Kate's dog, Molly, to the lab where he works. Kate and Peter end up chasing Molly through the halls--a small thing that ends up being very important.

One minute, they're running through the halls of the lab. The next minute, Kate and Peter, along with an antigravity machine that one of Kate's father's colleagues has been working on, have been transported back in time to a grassy hillside in 1763.

Before long, they've met two very different men of that time. The first is the Tar Man, who steals the antigravity machine, which could very well be the key to getting back to the present. The second is Gideon, an enemy of the Tar Man, who decides to help the two children from the future.

Before long, Kate and Peter are on an adventure, headed to London to recover the antigravity machine and get back to their homes and families. On their way, they will encounter highwaymen, make friends (including Gideon), and learn a lot about that time in history--the good and the bad.

Back in present-day England, Peter's parents are frantic with worry. Kate's father has figured out that the machine has something to do with their disappearance--but when ghostly images of the children appear dressed in clothing from the eighteenth-century, it becomes clear that this can't be shared with the public; who knows what destruction could result from the misuse of time travel technology?

The parallel storylines--the children's quest to get back to the present and Kate's father's struggle to bring them back--go together quite nicely. The jumping back and forth is not as confusing as it could have been, and both parts of the story are extremely well-written. The characters are realistic, the storylines interesting, the history fascinating, and, well, every aspect of this book brilliant! The cover is very unique and will draw readers right in. The story inside will not disappoint them, either! GIDEON THE CUTPURSE is the first in a trilogy, and I can't wait for the next two books!

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

This series is INCREDIBLE! The author, characters, the plots, resolutions are intricate, detailed and fully developed. HOWEVER, BE AWARE that each book in the series has 2 published versions/titles. The first book is "Gideon the Cutpurse" (British version) and "The Time Travelers" (American version). The second book in the trilogy is "The Tar Man" (British version) and "The Time Thief" (American version). So far, the 3rd book is entitled "Lord Luxon" but I do not know if this is the British or American version, or what the other title will be. I prefer the British titles and British versions (the hardcover British "Gideon the Cutpurse" version is AWESOME and creative).

Once I stopped buying the same books but different versions, I absolutely loved this trilogy. It is well worth the money and the wait. This is SO MUCH MORE than just another time-travel story. I would even suggest it for people who don't usually go for time travel themes: the history, power struggles and choices between good vs. bad and right vs. wrong are truly deep and relevant yet not overdone. Just for the simple plot alone, this one's a keeper -- and yes, I've read the Harry Potter series, and Linda Buckley-Archer's Gideon series is a worthy rival, well worth the comparison. You won't regret it. For both children and adults alike.

As a retired English teacher, I am always looking for the next good book to read. While browsing in my local bookstore a few days ago, the unique cover of Gideon... captured my imagination. I didn't realize it was a young adult fiction category until I had read a few pages. By then I was hooked. Having just finished it today, I can say it stayed interesting to the very end and leaves you hanging with a few details that will tease you into buying the sequel due out next summer. I can hardly wait.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Like many I suspect, I was first attracted by the wonderful cover design. This book looks and feels very special ... you just WANT to own it! I bought it for my daughter but thought I'd take a quick read - once I started reading I just couldn't put the book down! It's one of those really rare books that are genuine 'page turners'.

I thought both the two main child characters, Peter and Kate, were very nicely developed. The author really captured Kate's frustration with 18th century attitudes to what girls could (or more accurately, could NOT) do very well indeed. I liked the way Kate's skirt (and 'stays' ... whatever they are!!) kept getting in the way - which I'm sure is exactly what modern girls would complain about if they went back to 1763!

Gideon is a rather sad but likeable character. Although it's a common theme, I thought the story of how Gideon became a cutpurse was truly believable and beautifully told. The Tar Man is a VERY scary baddie indeed. I don't want to give the ending away but things are very nicely setup for an exciting follow-up book!

Once I'd finished reading I gave the book to my daughter. She finished it in 3 or 4 days - very good going for her. She said she loved it and now wants me to buy the audio version for her ipod.

And I must take issue with reviewer who said that the biblical stuff about Gideon was wrong. In my version of the book it all seems perfectly OK to me - maybe this was something caught by the editors before the book was published? In any case, I agree with all the other reviewers that LOVED THIS BOOK! I will definately get the next book in the series when it comes out.

The cover of this book caught my eye at the bookstore. You can't tell from the photo here, but it's hardcover and the middle of the cover is broken away to reveal that face underneath. It turned out to be a time travel book and I love time travel stories so I decided to read it. Well, thank heaven for judging a book by its cover! :-) The book is targeted to the young reader but, much like "Harry Potter," is just as good for adults, of which I am, regrettably, one.

From start to finish it's an enjoyable read, and while I had some qualms about its time theory (the nature of time, not the travel mechanism), it certainly didn't spoil the book and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read. This is the first part of a projected trilogy, and I can't wait for the next two books.

Recommend this to old and young, different storyline with a good ending. Can't wait for the sequel in summer 2007.