Silver Blade [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Sally Gardner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2009

A mysterious boy is the focus of a novel that takes us from the September Massacres of 1792 to the death of Robespierre four years later. After rescuing Sido, the young daughter of an aristocrat, he flees to England, making secret journeys back to France to smuggle out refugees. He and Sido fall in love - but then she is kidnapped, and he needs all his courage and skill to rescue her a second time. Even then the young lovers are not safe, for our hero learns who he really is, and how can Sido marry him? The horrors of the French Revolution make a dazzlingly vivid setting for a tale of high adventure that is also a most touching love story. The first book, complete in itself, leaves the reader longing to know what happened next - the second book concludes the story of Sido and this wonderful charismatic young man who shows true heroism.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a tense story of love, danger and the devil, given considerable gravitas by a masterly narration.' -- Rachel Redford THE OBSERVER "Janety Suzman's voice is, as always, unforgettable." THE GUARDIAN

About the Author

Sally Gardner trained at art college and went on to work in the theatre, winning awards for her costume designs for some notable productions. After her twin daughters and her son were born she started to illustrate children's books, and then turned to writing. She lives in North London. Janet was raised in South Africa and is the niece of staunch South African anti-apartheid activist Helen Suzman. She has received The Evening Standard Award for Masha in THREE SISTERS and Hester in Hello And Goodbye. Janet has worked extensively on stage and screen and has also had Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominations for her Czarina in NICHOLAS AND ALEXANDRA. She has an Honorary Masters Degree from The Open University, and Honorary Doctors of Letters from the Universities of Warwick and Leicester.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Orion Childrens H/B & Trade Pb; Abridged edition edition (April 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752897829
• ISBN-13: 978-0752897820
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,063,949 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great historical fiction, March 22, 2010

By 

Amanda (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Silver Blade (Hardcover)

In this sequel to The Red Necklace, the love story of young noblewoman Sido and magician's apprentice/Gypsy Yann continues. At this point, the French Revolution has reached its most turbulent time known as "The Terror." A time when French nobles were executed left and right by the commoner revolutionaries simply because they were aristocrats, order has turned to complete chaos, the ruling figures of the revolution turn on one another in a counter-revolution and Madame de Guillotine is the only law of the land.

Against this backdrop, Yann emerges as "The Silver Blade," a near-literal copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel, a man who helps French nobles escape to England with their heads while working in a theater and practicing magic. When his love, Sido, is kidnapped, he must balance the need to find her with protecting his identity from the revolutionary authorities. As the story unfolds, Sido is faced with trials of her own, young Yann learns the secrets of his origins and the pair must find a way to be together.

While The Silver Blade does switch between the viewpoints of Yann and Sido -this really is Yann's story. Sido fades into the background completely.
As in The Red Necklace, Sally Gardner demonstrates fabulous writing skills and a great ability to paint a compelling historical novel. The French Revolution is a perfect backdrop, though I could have done without the Scarlet Pimpernel rip-off. Plus, while I did enjoy the interesting approach to magic, etc. because of the Gypsy influence, at times it seemed to move the story onto a level of unbelievability.

I'm also a little surprised at some of the items that were included here. While I understand that this was a very violent time in the French Revolution, there were some things that felt like they were described a little too much or just went a little too far -or had no real reason to be included other than for the shock factor. There was even one moment when I thought I would lose my lunch -while I'm sure this is a tribute to Gardner's writing skills, I still doubt if this is appropriate for a YA novel.

Filled with great action, some interesting thrills and sprinkled with romance, The Silver Blade is a fun historical novel set during one of the most fascinating times in European history. I'd recommend it to older teens and adults interested in historical fiction.

Not sure if there will be a third novel or not. The ending leaves it open, but also ties up the story into a satisfying ending.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great sequel! Definitely lives up to its predecessor., January 22, 2010

By 

Lawral Wornek (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Silver Blade (Hardcover)

In France The Revolution rages on, claiming more victims each day. Just about anyone with royal aspirations has long since left the country or already died in its name. But there are still some left in France who are at great risk: those with titles, remote but dangerous connections to the royal family, or the air of financial success. They will do anything to get to England safely. Rumor has it that the man for the job is The Silver Blade. His clients disappear right under the noses of the Revolutionaries who are charged with their capture. In their place, the small silver blade of a child's toy guillotine appears suspended in thin air. Everyone with a need to leave the country is desperate for The Silver Blade's services. Not that anyone knows who he is, which is just how Yann likes it.

Things get a lot more magical and dark in this installment of Yann and Sido's story. Yann, himself, goes through a lot of self-doubt and darkness in his own heart, leaving Sido, T'tu and everyone else behind while he basks in his own self-pity. But he grows and becomes stronger. This is, once again, his story.

4.0 out of 5 stars This book is awesome, so why aren't there more reviews?, May 3, 2011

By 

SavvyEscapades - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Silver Blade (Hardcover)

This is the second book in the series (which I don't think has a name), but it's the sequel to The Red Necklace. If you like The Scarlett Pimpernel you'll like this book:

Towards the end of the last book, Yann Margoza, gypsy assistant-magician, became the infamous and mysterious Silver Blade- a dashing hero who rescues the innocent from the guillotine. In the midst of the French Revolution he is suddenly confronted by an enemy he previously thought dead (who we know from the very end of the last book also harbors a secret about Yann). Meanwhile Sido, the marquise Yann loves and rescued from death, is living in London with her relations. But is the French Revolution enough to allow a gypsy boy to marry a marquise? If they even live through it?

I had a few issues with the book. One has to do with the way magic is written. Sometimes the magic-description gets too flow-y and distracts from what's actually happening. There's also a straight-up plagiarism of the opening scene from The Scarlet Pimpernel that isn't sitting well. I guess I'm really just peeved because I was so into Yann at the end of the The Red Necklace and so much was going on in this book that I don't know if I got into Yann's character as much. I do like that Sido finally got to stand up for herself in this book, but I would have liked to see that change developed a little more too. I would have especially like to see how she initially reacts to being trapped in a room with the hell-dog and how she manages to deal with that situation, but Gardner instead insists on leading us to believe that Sido has been killed for the billionth time. But it was an entertaining book, and I was really enthralled and HAD to keep reading so I would know what happened.