Coram Boy

Eighteenth-century England is the setting for Jamilla Gavin's sweeping saga of growing-up, struggle, tradition and corruption. From an acorn of an idea about a real-life good Samaritan of yesteryear, the author has crafted a satisfying, if occasionally painful, novel that spans the lives of several fortunate and unfortunate young people of the day.

The author has researched her backdrop very well, and the atmospheric sights and sounds of the time are both vivid and captivating. Readers will smell the dirty streets and close-living of urban London, revel in the summer splendour of the finest country houses and then flinch when the harshness of life for the poorest souls is revealed in uncomfortable detail.

For in the late 1700s your circumstance of birth meant everything. Toby and Aaron may both find themselves living at Captain Thomas Coram's Hospital for parentless children, but their histories are as far apart as they could possibly be. Toby has been rescued from a life of slave labour in a faraway country; Aaron is the illegitimate son of the heir to a large country estate. They are watched over by Mish--a simple soul who has been with them since their arrival. His devotion to them is absolute, but his motives are not altogether straightforward. Could this curious man really be Meshak, the son of a wicked child-killer who was hanged at the gallows for his crimes?

Coram Boy is a glorious web of changing fortunes and subtle intrigues. There is tragedy and corruption, hope and evil. Sometimes brutal and sometimes unceasingly bleak, the genre of historical fiction has rarely been this good. It's undoubtedly the kind of book that wins awards. (Age 12 and over) --John McLay

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All becomes a bit predictable - Rated
Coram Boy is set in 18th century England and contrasts lives of the fortunate and unfortunate children of the times. Well written beginning given a horrific picture of child trafficking and murder. Unfortunately it all becomes a bit predictable - abandoned child is reunited with his parents, bad people get their just desserts etc. Not sure which age group this book was aimed at. Concepts such as pregnancy outside marriage, selling of young children into slavery and infanticide suggest it is aimed at 12 - 13 year olds. However the actual writing is very simple and the main boys are aged nine.

Coram Boy - boring or inspiring? - Rated
I am 13 years old and have recently been set this book as a 'Class Reader'. I finished it a couple of weeks ago now but it is one of those books that has a long term impact. It has both inspired me in my writing techniques and in my ideas for creative writing.
This book is set in the 1700s and I think that the author has researched 18th century London extremely well and includes precise detail. In my opinion, this is crucial in making a novel enjoyable and I think it has to be believable. Jamila Gavin has exceeded this. She uses description that in places is disturbingly detailed and accurate.
I like the way that the book is in two parts, skipping a few years in between. This is good as it cuts out a lot of unnecessary reading and leaves you to figure out many things in Part 2. I think books which do not spell everything out in black and white are great at keeping the reader's attention and make a story much more worth while.
Coram Boy is a moving, educational, Historical tale (that makes it sound boring but it really isn't!) which I would deffinately recommend to anyone my age and above. Just don't expect it to be a barrel of laughs, it is quite sad and depressing in places! Hope you enjoy it!!! :)

Not just for kids - Rated
This is a moving tale of slavery, friendship and oppression that will surely appeal to adults even though the teenager is the primary target audience. It is written in simple language, but this takes nothing away from the horror of slavery, and is sure to touch the heart of every sensitive child (or adult!)It is pretty grim and sombre at times, and evil is constantly in danger of overthrowing everything that is good and humane, but hope and joy never cease to shine, however dimly, in this heart-warming story. If you get it for your kids, make sure you read it too!

a stinking masterpiece - Rated
This is a big packed story set in the eighteenth century - and sadly not that different from today. Okay, we tend to bury fewer babies in the ditches but parents remain oppressive and the capitalism/opportunism at the expense of the weakest hasn't varied that much over the years. A fine story which allows the reader to develop bonds with the characters and care about their futures. Maybe a bit predicable in places but that doesn't in any way detract from a well written and constructed novel.
Described by Pullman as 'gothic' it genuinely evokes feelings for Meshak similar to those one feels for (Mary Shelley's)Frankenstein's creature who's life is spent on the periphery of all societies. Similarly, the ugliness and brutality of the historical setting is also comparable with Patrick Suskind's 'Perfume' evoking even a sense of smell from the story!
One of a handful of books I'd consider re-reading as there's so much in it I'm sure to have missed something. Excellent.

"...Jamila Gavin writes with such warmth..." - Rated
Coram Boy is set in 18th Century England, and Gavin writes with such accurracy that the reader is pulled into the harsh realities that lie behind the picturesque façades of the historical society. I read the book in two days, and was shocked at its simplicity, however, its powerful ability to leave me thinking about the author's incredible skills that build such strong relationships between the reader and such vivid characters; Jamila Gavin writes with such warmth. Coram Boy can be easily perceived as just a simple children's tale, when it is in fact an intellectual look into the damages of pretentiousness and corruption; and the dangers of denying one's dreams and one's true identity.