The White Mercedes [Hardcover]

Philip Pullman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1997

Chris met Jenny on a warm night in early June. Chris fell in love straight away, but for Jenny life was more complex.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The menacing darkness that lurked at the edges of Pullman's trilogy of Victorian-era thrillers ( The Ruby in the Smoke et al.) comes to the fore in this contemporary tale of shattered innocence and betrayed love set in Oxford, England. From the first line--"Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm night in early June"--the sense of imminent evil and inexorable doom builds unrelentingly to the novel's violent, gutwrenching climax. Naive and well-intentioned, 17-year-old Chris has love, not murder, on his mind when he meets and later beds Jenny (described in lyric and intimate detail), who has run away from her abusive father. Indeed, it is precisely Chris's trusting nature and sense of justice that cause the youth to be duped by a vengeful felon into causing Jenny's death--and only then because she is mistaken for someone else. Here is a modern-day Shakespearean tragedy, with star-crossed lovers separated by fate, a terrifyingly philosophical villain and assorted innocents, cads and buffoons. Its evocative narrative and throat-tightening suspense make this novel a compelling read; however, the graphic sex, moral ambiguity and somber ending make it most suitable for mature YA readers. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Philip Pullman was born in Norwich, England, in 1946. He has won many awards, including the Carnegie Medal and the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. His acclaimed trilogy, His Dark Materials, has been published in thirty-nine languages. . The Amber Spyglass, the trilogy’s astonishing finale, was the first children’s book in history to win the Whitbread Book of the Year Award. It was also nominated for the Booker Prize. When he is not writing books, Pullman enjoys drawing, woodworking, and playing the piano. He lives with his family in Oxford, England. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Perfection Learning (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078077678X
• ISBN-13: 978-0780776784
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,034,965 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Young Adult IS appropriate, June 10, 2005

By 

Roger Reynolds (Fort Worth, Tx) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The White Mercedes (Mass Market Paperback)

Enough with Romeo and Juliet, enough with 'near-pornography'! The fact that this is a tragedy reminiscent of Shakespeare is used as a contrast of R&J, not a retelling.

Its flaws are of logical plot turns and character, not a misplacement in the young adult genre. It IS a young adult novel, written about a boy and girl more realistic, perhaps, than parents would like their children to read about, but it is far from pornographic (look in your school libraries for Tropic of Cancer and Ulysses if you want something to get angry about). Much is said here about Chapter 6, but what of Chapter 13? Is sex so much worse than an innocent's death? Young people read more graphic things in Cosmo and the Bible.

This novel is about powerlessness and self-doubt in the face of Fate, and in that it succeeds better than most.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A modern addition to Pullman's scope of wonderful books, January 11, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The White Mercedes (Mass Market Paperback)

Philip Pullman has done it again in this captivating novel about trust, betrayal and love. While His Dark Materials was delightful in an innocent, fantastical sort of way, this book seemed a bit darker, more honest, and truer to our life. None of those things are bad or good; they're just different; and if you're expecting another THE GOLDEN COMPASS, change your expectations or you may be startled. This is an older children's book, more for fans of Chris Crutcher than C.S. Lewis. The characters are like people you meet on the street, not "destiny children" like Lyra and Will. They have dark pasts and modern-day troubles. You will love them and understand them as normal contemporary people.

Pullman's descriptions bring the print of the book to real life. Without ever boring you, he lets you feel Chris's emotions, and Jenny's, and their feelings about their pasts and each other. It's a tragedy book with plentiful references to child abuse, sex and troubled families, which means I wouldn't give it to a ten-year-old who adored HIS DARK MATERIALS, but read it yourself and give it to him in a few years' time, and he'll love it for what it is: a compelling modern masterpiece.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars UNFORGETTABLE!, August 8, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The White Mercedes (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved this book! I've never read a book by this author before but now i'm hooked... This book kept me on the edge of my seat, i didn't want to put it down. Anyways , i recommend this book to anyone who loves a good book.