Customer Reviews

Under the Harrow

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Another absolutely fantastic book from Mark Dunn. I read this and "Feral Park" within the same week- both of these books are amazing both in the way they mock the tropes of the original literature and in the way they readdress issues brought out in the original writings.

While there a lot of references and "in-jokes" that touch on the work of Dickens, don't let that put you off from reading this. If you haven't touched Dickens since college, you'll still enjoy this book- Dunn writes characters with depth and movement, and his pacing is fantastic.

As a huge fan of Victorian literature, I couldn't be happier with this- unless Dunn based a book around Thomas Hardy, that is.

I enjoyed the premise and language of this book. A group of orphans in an isolated valley woke up one day to find all of the adults gone. They had only an Encyclopedia Britannica, 9th edition (from 1890), a Bible, a book of poetry and the complete works of Dickens. The names and language used within Dingley Dell are straight from Dickens. Their community developed with no contact with others outside of their valley except for very limited trade. 100+ years later, some of the citizens start to suspect that there is more to their story. Why did one woman jump to her death? Why are those who return from the Outland locked away with no contact allowed with their families? The story is told by a resident of the Dell so his word choices and references and spelling are old fashioned. (My kindle dictionary was put to good use!) Overall, a very enjoyable book and I look forward to reading more by Mark Dunn.

What we have come to expect from Mark Dunn...a complex near-other world invested with humor and adventures. Similarities to J.R.R. Tolkien in its presentation of every detail, big and small, to surround the reader and place him/her right in the Dell. Complete with built-in lexicon provided at the end of each chapter. A delightful read.