Black Hearts in Battersea (The Wolves of Willoughby Chase)

This is the sequel to the excellent "The Wolves of Willoughby Chase". My daughter read that book in school and then I read this one to her at home. It was a good fun night time read as I got to practice my rather terrible rendition of a French accent, and my daughter got to giggle at me.

But my lack of skill with accents aside, this book was an interesting and engrossing adventure by a first class author. My daughter loved it, and so did I. Suitable for any age from children to adult (although older teens may skip it because it does not look cool to read children's books. That is their loss though, if they do).

Before this book, when I thought of Battersea, it was of the old power station and inner London traffic filled streets. This book paints a picture of a very different Battersea, and one that was very engaging.

*****  2010-08-20 Sir Furboy

A highly entertaining adventure of missing persons, mistaken identities and Hanoverian conspiracies, set in the contrasting dark and nefarious streets of London and the gloomy splendour of Battersea Castle and its environs. The plot is well paced, Simon is a believable protagonist and the scallywag antics of Dido Twite provide an excellent foil for his almost effortless honesty. A slightly annoying drawback is Sophie, absurdly raised by an otter for much of her childhood! She is a little too perfect and reminiscent of a bland Dickensian heroine. The characters however are what really make this story, the eccentric Dr Furneaux and his loyal art students, the Cobbs and the hostile castle servants. The wonderfully affable yet sinister Mr Twite and his macabre principles, his wife will always be in his shadow no matter how much she orders him around. All these plus a wealth of villains like Mr Buckle and the odious Midwink make the narrative exciting and amusing. Despite a slightly feeble and obvious end, this is throughout a most satisfactory read!

Suitable for all ages! A great historical (fantasy) adventure!

*****  2008-09-15 thomasleaf

I read Black Hearts to my wife every night, and we both roll about laughing. Such rich, Dickensian characters, with Dido Twite standing out as one of the great figures of English fiction. The use of slang along with some very solid writing brings Dido and her manic family to life with great skill. It's a kid's book, but I'm 57, a professional novelist, with a background in English literature, and I think it's terrific. I can't imagine a child who wouldn't be entranced by the story, the characters, and the language. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

*****  2006-02-11 D. Maceoin

Black hearts in Battersea is a fantastic sequel to Joan Aiken's first inher James III series.
The story follows the character Simon, who firstappeared in the Wolves of Willoughby Chase, on his stay in London and hisstumbling across a Hanoverian plot to kill the legitimate Englishking.
A great read for readers of all ages!

*****  2004-04-27

Simon, the resourceful goose-boy who saves the girl in The WOlves of Willouhghby Chase, travels to London to learn the advancement of his natural taltent for art. But his friend and patron has mysteriously disappeared from the house of the Twites, a Cockney family whose only remotely applealing member is Dido, a gutter-snipe. Simon meets Sophie, an old friend from the orphanage who is now maid to the Duchess of Battersea - an eccentric woman who lost her twin babies. Wolves, Hanoverian, bombs and treachery make this piece of cod-historical fiction a glorious romping adventure. All the other books in this series worth checking out too.

*****  2002-03-04 A. Craig