HIM: His Infernal Majesty by Reinhardt Haydn  (7)
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Digital Versatile Doom: Live at the Orpheum Theater ~ H.I.M. (2)
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 UpASet in a leper hospital in early 19th-century Bergen, Norway, this serious, challenging novel follows the last few years in the life of a 13 year old immured in the facility by those who fear and hate lepers. The diffusely organized text, interrupted by flashbacks to Tora's conflict-ridden childhood, sketchily introduces her beloved mother, who concealed her own disease and took her own life; her weak father; the young neighbor who is her soulmate for life; the stalwart Marthe, who helps Tora survive in the leprosarium; and the difficult and enigmatic Sunniva, who relents toward Tora and teaches her to read. Reading enlarges the girl's mental world as her physical world contracts. Newth gives an unsparing account of the progress of the disease, the desperate treatments (amputation), and the painful death (sometimes by suffocation). Tora's escape from the leprosarium is via her death, where she will rejoin most of the novel's other characters. The story is somber, but not depressing. Despite the miserable poverty and the sadness of the lepers' fate, Tora's determination makes her admirable. Readers may be unsatisfied by the disappearance of Tora's beloved from the narrative, by the half-realized figure of the administrator of the hospital, and by the shadows in Sunniva's story. There are a few sensational touchesATora is nearly raped, there are hints of incest and infanticideAbut no shred of sentimentality. If they stay the course, those who pick up the book out of morbid curiosity may get more psychology and philosophy than they bargained for.APatricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Parents' Choice®
Living on the coast of Norway early in the nineteenth century, thirteen-year-old Tora's life is anything but idyllic. She does have the comfort of a loving mother and Endre, her best friend - not to mention the exquisite beauty of her surroundings. Her beloved mother, however, not only disappears after contracting leprosy, she passes the disease onto Tora who is banished to the leprosy hospital in Bergen.
Grade 9 UpASet in a leper hospital in early 19th-century Bergen, Norway, this serious, challenging novel follows the last few years in the life of a 13 year old immured in the facility by those who fear and hate lepers. The diffusely organized text, interrupted by flashbacks to Tora's conflict-ridden childhood, sketchily introduces her beloved mother, who concealed her own disease and took her own life; her weak father; the young neighbor who is her soulmate for life; the stalwart Marthe, who helps Tora survive in the leprosarium; and the difficult and enigmatic Sunniva, who relents toward Tora and teaches her to read. Reading enlarges the girl's mental world as her physical world contracts. Newth gives an unsparing account of the progress of the disease, the desperate treatments (amputation), and the painful death (sometimes by suffocation). Tora's escape from the leprosarium is via her death, where she will rejoin most of the novel's other characters. The story is somber, but not depressing. Despite the miserable poverty and the sadness of the lepers' fate, Tora's determination makes her admirable. Readers may be unsatisfied by the disappearance of Tora's beloved from the narrative, by the half-realized figure of the administrator of the hospital, and by the shadows in Sunniva's story. There are a few sensational touchesATora is nearly raped, there are hints of incest and infanticideAbut no shred of sentimentality. If they stay the course, those who pick up the book out of morbid curiosity may get more psychology and philosophy than they bargained for.APatricia Lothrop-Green, St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Parents' Choice®
Living on the coast of Norway early in the nineteenth century, thirteen-year-old Tora's life is anything but idyllic. She does have the comfort of a loving mother and Endre, her best friend - not to mention the exquisite beauty of her surroundings. Her beloved mother, however, not only disappears after contracting leprosy, she passes the disease onto Tora who is banished to the leprosy hospital in Bergen.
This amazing novel is not for everyone. It is truly one of the most realistically grim novels for young people I have ever read. Tora suffers terribly and all the characters are much acquainted with decay and death ... and yet, the novel itself is illuminated by the goodness of the main character. It is also suffused with the sheer power of books to alleviate suffering. The twin powers of love and literacy shine more strongly in this great darkness. A 1998 Parents' Choice® Silver Honor.
Reviewed by Kemie Nix, Parents' Choice® 1998
See all Editorial Reviews
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