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Title details for Mr. Timothy by Louis Bayard - Available

Mr. Timothy

by Louis Bayard
Mark Honan
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

His father freshly buried, Mr. Timothy Cratchit embarks on the next phase of his life intent on two things: to rid himself of his image as a pitied cripple and to escape the financial shackles of his benevolent "Uncle" Ebenezer by vanishing into the thick of London's teeming underbelly. Plunging into the rolling brown fog of 1860's London, through filthy back alleys and boarding houses, Tim succeeds - or so he thinks - in sidestepping his past, but fate deals him a cruel blow when he discovers the bodies of two dead girls in the Thames, each seared with the same cruel brand on the upper arm. Unable to forget their horror-stricken death masks and spurred on by a street-smart, homeless boy who calls himself Colin the Melodious, Timothy finds himself on the trail of something far worse - and far more dangerous - than an ordinary killer.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 1, 2006

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780792743965
      • File size: 440775 KB
      • Duration: 15:18:16

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      According to novelist Louis Bayard, frail Tiny Tim was a survivor and a far more interesting character than Dickens let on. In MR. TIMOTHY, his delightful and atmospheric novel set in 1860s London, Bayard gives the adult Tim a limp, colorful compatriots, and a mystery to solve: Who is branding and killing homeless little girls? Mark Honan reads this first-person narrative beautifully. His Tim is plucky and engaging, a young man rising above the station into which he was born. (The difference between Tim's accent and his older brother's is clever and telling.) Tim's companions include an old boatman, a streetwise homeless boy, an Italian girl, and some London prostitutes--all read so believably that the scene in one's headphones passes before one's eyes. Be careful when driving. Otherwise, enjoy. This is a pleasure. A.C.S. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from September 15, 2003
      Bayard's first two novels (Fool's Errand; Endangered Species) were contemporary romantic comedies, a far cry from his third, an audacious and triumphant entertainment that imagines the post–Christmas Carol life of Tiny Tim, transformed from an iconic representation of innocent suffering ("the iron brace was bought by a salvager long ago, and the crutch went for kindling") into a fully realized young adult struggling to find his place in a cruel world. Having lost his parents and become estranged from his remaining family as well from as reformed Ebenezer Scrooge, Mr. Timothy Cratchit has found a niche in a brothel as the tutor to its madam. Haunted by his failure to connect with his father, as well as by his father's ghost, Timothy has developed a thick skin to guard against the oppressive misery endemic to 1860s London. His defenses are penetrated when he encounters Philomela, a 10-year-old waif who has been mysteriously abused. With the assistance of a singing street urchin called Colin the Melodious and a maimed retired seafarer, he pursues the source of her torment and its connection with another child whose branded body was dumped in an obscure alley. The quest becomes more quixotic when evidence points to the aristocracy, abetted by a corrupt police force, but with Philomela taking an active role, the quartet narrow in on their target. With surprising but plausible twists, and a visceral, bawdy evocation of Victorian London, Bayard has crafted a page-turner of a thriller that is elevated beyond its genre by its endearingly flawed hero for whom nothing human is alien. (Nov.)Forecast:Like Charles Palliser's The Quincunx, this book will be embraced by Dickens devotees and many others as well.Riveting storytelling and the Christmas Carol connection could make it a holiday hit. Five-city author tour.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Royal Shakespeare Company performer Matthew Lloyd Davies doesn't just narrate this new audiobook--he turns his entire performance into a one-man show. Tiny Tim is no longer so tiny. With the loss of his father, Bob Cratchett, the adult Timothy has lost his pious nature and turned to living in brothels and checking the pockets of the dead for money. When he discovers the bodies of two girls, he accidentally involves himself in a dangerous mystery. Davies brings intense energy to his performance He narrates a section about a man being choked as if he were being choked himself. His performance is so good that it becomes easy for the listener to picture the dirty streets and strange cast of characters that make up Timothy's world. V.B. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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