Customer Reviews

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is June, 1665 and young Hannah---fresh from her small country village---excitedly arrives in London to help her sister, Sarah, at Sarah's sweetmeats shop called The Sugared Plum. Hannah's excitement is tempered, however, when she learns that the plague has broken out in London .

As the two young women create miniature, candied confections, they watch and wait quietly as the dreaded disease begins to move closer to their parish. Soon "Orders" are posted which lists the rules and procedures that Londoners must follow to help prevent spread of the sickness. The well-to-do, able to obtain "Certificates of Health" begin to leave the city.

Bills of Mortality, which list the number of deaths during the week, begin to rise steadily. Mention of hundreds of dead soon rises to thousands. More alarming than the rising numbers, however, are the immediate, personal signs that the plague is running rampant. Hannah sees, to her horror, houses near their shop which have been "enclosed" because someone inside had died of the disease. The remaining occupants must live inside, behind padlocks and chains, guarded day and night for forty days.

Just when all seems lost, Hannah discovers a means of escape. But will it be too late?

This well-written story is fast-paced and alive with believable characters. The author has skillfully woven throughout enough background information so that readers will be able to identify with young Hannah and all that is happening to her. Also included are a glossary, "Notes on London 's Plague," and recipes from the seventeenth century.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis staff.

Teenaged Hannah has lived all her life in the English countryside, so she is thrilled when, in the summer of 1665, her older sister Sarah invites her to come live with her in London and help her at her candy shop. However, arriving in London she finds Sarah had sent a second letter instructing her not to come. Plague has taken hold in London, and Sarah fears for Hannah's life. Hannah insists on staying, believing she will be safe. But to her horror, in the coming weeks more and more people die, and the sickness becomes an epidemic. Hannah finds herself living every day in fear that she will catch the Plague and die from it, for there is little hope of surviving it, and no way of leaving the city to escape.

I recommend this book to readers who like historical fiction and are interested in this time period. It brings to life the daily life of people in the 17th century and the horrors of living in a city filled with disease. The historical details were fascinating and I learned a lot.

At the sign of the sugared plum is a touching story and is the best book I've ever read! The story-line is of Hannah and her older sister Sarah struggling through difficult times as the plague threatens them in every chapter. Bringing the scene alive is exatly what Mary Hooper acheives, you can imagine the sights and smells of London, the church bells ringing constantly declaring more deaths as the sisters parish becomes infected.Also the fear stricken into Hannah as she discovers more and more blood, red crosses on doors and the dreaded words: God have mercy on us! This is also a very educational book telling you about the scenes of London, the symtoms of the plague such as the buboes and tokens that apper on the body. Everything seems so real as they travel through the disease stricken land-the pits piled high to the brim with corpses and the smell of preventives everywhere! I don't think Hannah will have any more time to worry about her bright red hair or freckles! This is a must read book!!!!!

I truly enjoyed reading this book with my 10 yr old daughter. It allowed her to hear how young girls used to live in different centuries and see the differences in the standards of living. She had never heard of the the plague and it inspired her to do some research, she was able to view the world from a different cultural and historical perspective. It was wonderful to share.

This would appear to be aimed at 10-13 year olds and tells the story of two sisters living in London in 1665. The plague is taking hold and while they work in their sweetmeats shop they witness the horror of the disease. The quotes at the beginning of the chapters are from Pepys's Diary and there are many interesting historical details. Unfortunately there are also a lot of references to English history in the 1600s (Puritans, Cromwell's head erroneously placed at Traitor's Gate, the restoration of Charles II to the throne etc) without any proper explanations at the end of the book where there is a glossary and discussion about the plague.

It is also quite gruesome - within the first few pages our heroine is worried about rotting flesh dropping off heads on stakes as she walks under Traitor's Gate! No mention why there are rotting heads on stakes, mind you. Then it gets pretty nasty when the plague descriptions come along (pits of corpses, nightmares about being trapped in such pits, pain driving one to suicide....). There are a couple of references to whores and prostitutes and sexually transmitted diseases but I think they would go over the heads of most 10 year olds.

The history is interesting. She covers costume, makeup, shops, theatre, the court, water collection, apothecaries, superstitions to ward off the plague and copious detail about the dead and dying. The characters however are not well drawn and are surprisingly unsympathetic despite their dire circumstances. The end is poor but I see there is a sequel to this which covers the Great Fire of London.

I am surprised this is published by a mainstream publisher - it reeks of "educational" historical fiction similar to Jackie French's work. If you want an example of hisotical fiction where the characters are developed and the plot more exciting then try Harnett, Trease or Sutcliff. They are in a different league.

A wonderful peek into the past. This book shows that "merry olde England" was not so merry after all, especially when The Black Death, bubonic plague, swept through London in 1665. Honest but not overpowering in its depiction of the tradgedy, with adventure and a little romance; honest too in its hints of the bawdiness of the times. A believable and likable heroine, a page-turning climax, a great read.

For Hannah, going to London for the first time and living there with her sister Sarah is the most wonderful adventure she has ever had in her happy but rather sheltered life. Sarah owns and runs a sweet shop, The Sugared Plum, and Hannah has come to help her make the candies and sweetmeats sold in the shop.

Even before Hannah arrives at the Sugared Plum, she receives warnings that all is not well in the great city, warnings that she chooses to ignore. Even after she finds the shop and is reunited with her sister, Hannah chooses to brush off the disturbing remarks that her sister makes about the possibility of a plague spreading through the city. Hannah insists that there are only a few cases of the illness in the more distant slums, and she is determined to stay in London and become a city lady.

However, this state of affairs does not last, and Hannah and Sarah watch and listen with fear and horror as the plague begins its terrifyingly rapid spread through the city. In this time of great misery and suffering, Hannah discovers a good deal about herself and others, about the cruelty and compassion that can lie in the hearts of both friends and strangers. Somehow, Hannah and her sister have to survive this terrible calamity and escape the monster that threatens both their lives.

Beautifully written, gripping and able to transport us into a London of 1665 complete with its sounds, smells and people, AT THE SIGN OF THE SUGARED PLUM is a book I highly recommend.

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At the sign of the sugared plum is just plan BRILLIANT!!! I would recomend it to Anyone and I advise Anyone to read it.
Mary Hooper creates the scene of london so well that you can imagen that your there in the terribl time of the Plauge.
Please, please, PLEASE read this book because I assure you that you're love it!

What a great book. Mary Hooper brings 17th century london vividly to life with this fascinating tale. Very evocative and brilliant story too. Cant wait for her next one.

My daughter is an avid reader, but she absolutely hated this book. She struggled with the old terms spoken in the 1600"s and found it to be way too morbid. The visuals of dead bodies and the looming fears of the plague were too depressing. She has read historical fictions before and enjoyed them, but she claims that this was the worst book that she has read. I decided to write this review in case you see the great reviews here and are persuaded to have your child read it. If you have a sensitive child, be aware they may not enjoy this novel. Adults will enjoy this book more than most children.