Gypsy Davey [Hardcover]

Chris Lynch (Author), Chris Gall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 1994

Twelve-year-old Davey is the man of the household, taking care of his mother and older sister as best he can and avoiding them when they're either too mean or too sad.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Here is a book that's meticulously crafted, its prose evocative and lyrical-and almost excruciating to read. The eponymous protagonist and sometime narrator, an outsize boy considered simple, is the lone incorruptible character, an innocent adrift in a 20th-century Rake's Progress. Everyone else-from his drunken floozy of a mother and his drunken floozy of a sister (already a negligent mother at 17) to his shadowy father, Sneaky Pete-is, despite flashes of decency, irredeemably venal, selfish and manipulative. Lynch (Shadow Boxer) describes in unflinching detail a squalid, urban scene of mean-spirited ignorance, poverty, violence and offhand sex. Davey's heartrending closing vow, to "find somebody who's gonna love me and we're gonna have some babies and I'm gonna love 'em like hell to pieces like nobody ever loved babies before," magnifies the bleakness of the surrounding darkness. Best suited to mature readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Spanning the first 12 years of Davey's life, this book skillfully portrays the subject of childhood neglect and deprivation. Relegated to the care of his older sister, Davey spends hours in front of the television or riding aimlessly through the city on the mountain bike given to him by his deadbeat dad. Occasionally he accompanies his sister to the porch hangout of her dope-smoking friends or is dumped at a bar by his mom, where he is left in the charge of the bartender. Davey lives on macaroni and cheese and he rarely talks. His only friend (if you can call him that) is a local drug dealer who nicknames him Gypsy Davey. One day the friend is gone from the street with only the chalk outline of his dead body left. To complete this depressing cycle, Davey, before he is a teenager, becomes the caretaker of his sister's new baby. The characters are well drawn and elicit readers' concern. The dialogue crackles with realism including sporadic profanities. But the masterful prose is often overwhelmed by the brutal reality and the gloomy hopelessness of Davey's situation. Unlike his acclaimed novel, Shadow Boxer (HarperCollins, 1993), Lynch here gives us little to cheer about. Davey's father does return, but just for the warm months. And the rainbow in this story is found in an oily puddle of rainwater along the street gutter. In terms of literary quality, this work is outstanding. The book would inspire serious discussions in English classes, and, particularly with the guidance of a good teacher, will give worthwhile insights into parenting and family issues.
Tim Rausch, Crescent View Middle School, Sandy, UT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins; 1st edition (October 27, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060235861
• ISBN-13: 978-0060235864
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,847,587 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars gypsy davey, June 18, 2002

By 

Ricky D. (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gypsy Davey (Paperback)

Gypsy Davey was a pretty good book about a kid named Davey and how hard his life was. His dad isn't around and his mom drinks a lot and has a lot of boyfriends. His sister takes care of him mostly when he is little, but then when she is a teenager she has a baby. This story talks a lot about all the responsibilities that Davey has during his life, but it also talks about how the way he was raised helps him know how he wants to be as an adult. He wants to be a good father and have a good life.

3.0 out of 5 stars An Adolescent Adventure, February 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Gypsy Davey (Paperback)

Many middle-school students wish their parents would just leave them alone to make their own decisions. After reading the story of Davey's life, a student might think again. The freedom and neglect Davey lives with prevent him from doing well in school, forming good friendships and enjoying 'normal' activities. The adventures Davey experiences are interesting, funny and can help a reader to appreciate all that he/she has been given. Readers who enjoy reading about the realities of life, or think they have it tough may want to read this book. If a person liked Forest Gump, he/she will probably enjoy this novel.

4.0 out of 5 stars Absolutley Loved It, October 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gypsy Davey (Hardcover)

This was a very good book. It was good because it teaches you many things about life. It shows some things about life that are sad,but true. Even though young people like Chris Lynch's books the most, adults should also like his books because they might teach them a thing or two. Chris Lynch should write more books because they are interesting and fun to read.