Dodger

Product Information

The plot itself rather reminds me of the vintage heartwarming variety of nineteenth- or early twentieth- century children’s stories-- Cheaper by the Dozen, The Secret Garden, The Little Princess, Enchanted Castle--that sort of thing. Like those stories, Dodger isn’t particularly suspenseful--it’s clear from the first scene that Dodger will triumph over all adversity-- but it’s fun watching him stumble into serendipitous good fortune. Almost all of the characters are nice people, and they’re not just nice; they’re the type of people you’d enjoy being around. I especially loved Solomon, Dodger’s housemate and unofficial guardian. Much of the enjoyment of the story comes from watching how circumstances conspire to bring about favourable outcomes for the protagonist. It’s the type of book that brings an unconscious smile to your face. What saved the book, however, apart from the sensitive treatment of Sweeney Todd and the wonderful imagery of London's sewers, was, I think, Pratchett himself. One never knows whether this book or the next will be his last, and I buy every one of them aware that the man is a legend, right up there in my top five, and as we reach the end of his career I wonder what it was that made him, not only so good, but so prolific. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth

From these ignominious beginnings, Dodger becomes enmeshed in a plot, developing his detective and acting skills, and inadvertently beginning to rise up the ladder of Victorian society “faster than a chimpanzee”. In Dec. of 2007, Pratchett disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. On 18 Feb, 2009, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.one of the reasons I'm talking to you now is to tell you that whatever you may be planning, you must not break the law. Since I have just now stepped out of this room and any voice you may be hearing cannot possibly be mine, I must however point out to you that there are times when the law may be somewhat...flexible.” Un largo bloqueo lector y un seguido de problemas personales han hecho que tardara un mes en leerlo, pero, ahora que lo he terminado, me da muchísima pena separarme de esta historia. Ha sido toda una aventura victoriana llena de valores y que demuestra que, incluso en el mayor ambiente de miseria, podredumbre y desesperación, existe gente buena en el mundo. Though I have to confess that I wasn't as familiar with Mayhew, confounder of Punch magazine and advocate for reform. First off, this must be said, it didn't feel like a Terry Pratchett book. At all. No zany magic that makes no sense (which was fine). None of his trademark humor (which was not). No likable characters. Just a mystery novel that didn't even feel like a mystery. Boo.

Returning series include football drama Jamie Johnson (26x28’) commissioned for series six and seven, made by Short Form Film and filmed in South Wales for transmission later this year. Following last year’s breakout storyline around LGBT footballers, this year the series looks at CTE/dementia, racism and allyship in football. Dodger, the main protagonist. He earns his livelihood as a tosher, looking for valuables in the sewers and early in the story he is given the title "king of the toshers". He considers himself a " geezer" and despite his young age he has earned respect amongst the poor in London.In many ways, this book functions as an introduction to the Victorian era for the younger reader. For an adult reader, the pleasure comes from Pratchett's cleaver wordplay, references, and jokes. This is, in many ways, a real world Disc. Not surprising when conisdering what London gave birth to in Pratchett's mind. A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's...Dodger. He hunts treasure there – coins and jewels lost in the dark and dirty drains. It’s a good life, if you don’t mind getting your hands (and arms and feet and face) dirty. Simplicity and Dodger begin to grow close as she stays at Mayhew’s house, hiding away in fear. As they fall in love, Dodger is propelled into the limelight after a series of crime-stopping events. One day on his way to meet Charlie, he happens upon a robbery at the Morning Chronicle. Once again, the reader’s beloved underdog saves the day. The Darwinian maxim of survival of the fittest is almost chanted like a mantra by a lot of people I know. In the world in front of our eyes, no other principle is put to use with such effortless ease as this one. An erstwhile boss of mine used to call such a skill in the corporate world as 'streetsmart' which at an early stage of my career I found to be a rather plain usage. But as time went by, I understood the need for such a survival skill and just why is it that he called it so. Dodger is the story of a person who has this skill honed to the finest and he swims with sharks in the murky underworld of Victorian London.