Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart Quartet) [Paperback]

Philip Pullman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2004 | Series: Sally Lockhart Quartet

A terrifying thriller set in Victorian London. Sally Lockhart is content - her business is thriving, she has a comfortable house, and her adored baby daughter Harriet. But her life is about to change - or rather someone has already changed it. Sally's history has been altered, and her child is suddenly no longer hers. To save Harriet, Sally must abandon her comfortable existence and hide - until it's time to fight back.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This sequel to The Ruby in the Smoke and The Shadow in the North combines heart-thumping suspense, a thorough-going examination of Victorian London's underclass, a lively gang of heroes and villains and a mystery sinister enough to leave readers filled with anxiety. An unknown evildoer has made elaborate plans to steal Sally Lockhart's life away from her--by usurping her home, her business, her daughter Harriet and, finally, her sanity. Elsewhere in London, Jewish immigrants who have fled the Russian pogroms are being systematically fleeced. Daniel Goldberg, a socialist journalist, believes that the evil genius behind these brutal acts is a shadowy figure known as the Tzaddik. Rendered homeless and hounded through London's slums, Sally endures a plight that in many ways mirrors the mistreatment of the Jews. Aided by Goldberg and a handful of the city's toughest gangsters, the dauntless heroine triumphs over this malevolence. Astute readers are likely to figure out the Tzaddik's identity long before Sally does--a bit of predictability that is at odds with Pullman's otherwise tight plotting. On the whole, however, this thought-provoking romp is as rich and captivating as a modern-day Dickens novel. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Pullman is fast becoming a modern-day Charles Dickens for young adults. The setting (Victorian London) is the same; the strong eye for characters large and small is there, as are the sometimes brooding atmosphere, the social conscience, the ability to spin plot within plot against a large landscape, and the occasional editorial comment. These last are not intrusive; the author's voice is that of a friend, filling in details in a story he has witnessed, not wanting readers to miss a thing. Sally Lockhart, first met in Ruby in the Smoke (1987) and Shadow in the North (1988, both Knopf), is now a young woman, left alone with a toddler since the death of her lover, Frederick Garland. Nothing prepares her for the shock of receiving a summons from a man she has never even heard of, suing her for divorce and the custody of her beloved Harriet. Two other figures emerge: Daniel Goldberg, a Jewish slum radical with a violent past; and the ironically titled Tzaddik (saint), who preys on helpless European Jewish immigrants. The Tiger in the Well is the story of their converging paths, as Sally struggles against the net closing around her and seeks to find out who is persecuting her and why. The writing style is lively and direct, and there's lots of action. While Sally's story is for mature readers, it is never sordid or sensational. This is a suspense novel with a conscience, and a most enjoyable one. --Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C., Canada
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Hippo/Scholastic (February 13, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439977800
• ISBN-13: 978-0439977807
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,350,376 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can't find the ten star button, August 23, 2001

By 

F. G. Hamer "MadManxMan" (Isle of Man) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

I notice that Pullman's Sally Lockhart Trilogy are all rated 'Young Adult'. Who made that dumb decision? Pullman is eminently readable by anyone from 10 to 100 (and I should know, because I'm about halfway between the two!). Put simply - no matter what age you are, if you read just ONE Philip Pullman book, you'll be totally hooked. He has the rare ability to draw his readers into his story-telling right from the first pages, and he doesn't let go of you until he's finished spinning his yarn. He doesn't exactly attack you, but he sure has a mean way with words, that will leave a firm grip on your throat for a long while after the final page has been turned.

He also has an exquisite command of characterization. Not for Pullman the weak, wishy-washy characters. His positively jump off the page at you and drag you into their world of Victorian London. There's something of Dickens in Pullman's stuff. The good guys are very good and the bad guys are very bad. But that makes it sound trite and clichéd - which it isn't. It's much more complex than that, which probably explains why Philip Pullman is one of the few authors from this side of The Big Pond, who succeeds on that side of The Big Pond.

The Sally Lockhart trilogy is on my list of 'Books you MUST read before you die'. And since I'm no longer a Young Adult, I've made sure to read them quickly!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Satisfying conclusion to an excellent trilogy, November 24, 2000

By 

T. Adshead - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

We start the story with Sally living happily in the country, with her friends and her daughter, and everything is wonderful. Then she falls into a nightmare - someone, claiming to be her husband, wants custody of her daughter. Who hates Sally so much that he wants to destroy her utterly, and steal her daughter?

This is a really gripping story with no loose ends. Sally goes on a journey through the underside of Victorian London, ending up in Spitalfields. I used to live in this area, and loved reading the way that Pullman brought its history to life. The baddies are very bad, and get their comeuppance. The finale is worthy of a Hollywood action movie.

I came to these books after reading The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife. The Sally Lockhart trilogy has none of the fantasy aspects of these books - it's set firmly in gritty, dirty Victorian England. The stories are simpler, so the books would be easier for a younger reader. Sally is a real role model heroine for a young girl - she never gives up, and is very smart and brave.

For the older reader, the attractions are the quality of the stories (except perhaps for the middle book), and the excellent descriptions of life in Victorian England. These stories rattle along at a fast pace, with plot twists coming from the baddies trying to outwit Sally and her friends. Sally ends up in the Victorian underworld, and the portrayal of street gangs, and the lives they lead, is very believable. A nice piece of social history. Highly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The final book in the Sally Lockheart trilogy, August 25, 2002

By 

Nancy E. "Nancy" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

After two years Sally Lockheart is finally recovering from the death of the father of her child, Harriet, and has created a successful business for herself and her partner Margaret. Life is going along rather nicely for out heroine until she receives a letter which claims that she was once married to a man she's never met, Mr. Parrish. The letter also claims that Mr. Parrish is the father of Harriet and he is asking for full custody of Sally's daughter because Sally is not a suitable mother. Sally is furious of course and will do anything to protect her daughter from this strange man. Unfortunately when she tries to investigate she finds herself drawn into a tangled web of events. Mr. Parrish isn't working alone, he's working for someone that hates Sally from the very depth's of his soul. And that can only be one person. Meanwhile London is receiving a very large amount of unwelcome Jewish immigrants. Among them is a Mr. Goldman, a socialist journalist who is wanted dead in more than one country. A journalist who also happens to have a rocky relationship with the same Mr. Parrish but for two very different reasons. What will happen when the two meet?

The Tiger in the Well is another impressive edition to the Sally Lockheart trilogy. It's interesting to see that with each novel Sally matures and turns into a really strong woman. Although the Tiger in the Well is not as good as the 2nd novel in the trilogy, the Shadow in the North, it is definitely worth reading. I'm just still surprised that these novels have been put into the YA section when the only real YA book would probably be The Ruby in the Smoke, and even that can be considered an adult novel. The sequel novel to the trilogy, The Tin Princess, is on my shelf and ready to be read.