Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
ALFRED A KNOPF (1987), Edition: 1st, 230 pages
Description
In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Lman
I read this book in one sitting, as I wanted to read it before a television episode of the story aired. I found it an easy, entertaining study of Victorian London, with droll caricatures of evil villains, and delightful heroes aplenty, yet slightly lacking in substance.
The story's mainstay is Sally
Akin somewhat to a 'penny-dreadful' itself, and filled with evocative descriptors as such, there is enough ambiguity and twists in the plot to entertain thoroughly. It is a fast-paced read, while offering a quite dark and disturbing image of life for some in this era, including the demise of many of the protagonists. This is not meant to be a profound work of fiction, but Philip Pullman is a talented author, and proffers, at times, a little more depth to a slightly Dickensian-style mystery, with action aplenty on every page.
The Ruby in the Smoke is possibly a story written for younger readers – but as an (older) adult I was enthralled throughout. The ending, though a bit precipitous, was still satisfying. This is a smart frolic through a set of mysteries, containing delicious forays into scary interludes, with an almost happy ending. What else do you need for a night’s light-hearted entertainment?
The story's mainstay is Sally
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Lockhart, whose only parent, her father, has recently died in strange circumstances; but Sally Lockhart is no ordinary sixteen year old orphan having been raised by this father in quite an unorthodox style. So she sets out to unravel the predicament in which she finds herself, upon receiving a rather unfathomable message from him after his death. The consequence of her initial foray results in a man dying from fright, and introduces a whole set of engaging characters, who supposedly exemplify England for this period, and are either intent on aiding Sally’s mission or thwarting her, at times quite viciously, at every turn. Akin somewhat to a 'penny-dreadful' itself, and filled with evocative descriptors as such, there is enough ambiguity and twists in the plot to entertain thoroughly. It is a fast-paced read, while offering a quite dark and disturbing image of life for some in this era, including the demise of many of the protagonists. This is not meant to be a profound work of fiction, but Philip Pullman is a talented author, and proffers, at times, a little more depth to a slightly Dickensian-style mystery, with action aplenty on every page.
The Ruby in the Smoke is possibly a story written for younger readers – but as an (older) adult I was enthralled throughout. The ending, though a bit precipitous, was still satisfying. This is a smart frolic through a set of mysteries, containing delicious forays into scary interludes, with an almost happy ending. What else do you need for a night’s light-hearted entertainment?
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LibraryThing member MagicalSibylle
My personal history with this series of books is a bit unusual, I suppose. I saw the TV adaptations of the first two books, then read the third and fourth books and I've recently decided to read the first two. The Ruby in the Smoke is the first book following Sally Lockhart, a spunky 16-year-old in
I really enjoyed the depth of Pullman's writing - the dialog and the descriptions in particular are packed with details and exquisite. Sally herself is well-developed from the start and extremely likeable. The cast of secondary characters is unevenly written: while Sally's allies are well fleshed out, her enemies are often cartoonish, with very little depth.
The general plot is good enough, though unnecessarily complex and unrealistic at times, which, combined with the caricatures we are often presented with amongst the 'baddies' makes for a very bizarre story.
The relationships between the different characters are very nice and warm, I felt very close to them all and my favourite parts often had to do with moments of friendships and Sally learning about her past rather than her escaping one of the clownish characters. Near the middle of the novel, she tries to put her finger on why she feels like she belongs and I found her conclusion particularly moving ('they didn't care that one was a servant and that I was a woman, we were equals here. That was what was different.') and gives an inkling of broader themes explored further in The Tiger in the Well, the third book in the series.
A word about the audio book, since it's the format I chose: Anton Lesser's narrative is flawless. Overall, a good book, not excellent but very worth reading and a nice introduction to the series and to one of my favourite heroines in literature.
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Victorian London (& Oxford, which was lovely as I lived there for a year and it's always nice to hear the names of familiar streets and roads.) It's a historical mystery with real backbone, despite a few flaws.I really enjoyed the depth of Pullman's writing - the dialog and the descriptions in particular are packed with details and exquisite. Sally herself is well-developed from the start and extremely likeable. The cast of secondary characters is unevenly written: while Sally's allies are well fleshed out, her enemies are often cartoonish, with very little depth.
The general plot is good enough, though unnecessarily complex and unrealistic at times, which, combined with the caricatures we are often presented with amongst the 'baddies' makes for a very bizarre story.
The relationships between the different characters are very nice and warm, I felt very close to them all and my favourite parts often had to do with moments of friendships and Sally learning about her past rather than her escaping one of the clownish characters. Near the middle of the novel, she tries to put her finger on why she feels like she belongs and I found her conclusion particularly moving ('they didn't care that one was a servant and that I was a woman, we were equals here. That was what was different.') and gives an inkling of broader themes explored further in The Tiger in the Well, the third book in the series.
A word about the audio book, since it's the format I chose: Anton Lesser's narrative is flawless. Overall, a good book, not excellent but very worth reading and a nice introduction to the series and to one of my favourite heroines in literature.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
1872, London. "Her name was Sally Lockhart; and within fifteen minutes, she was going to kill a man." Hard not to be immediately pulled into a story with a sentence like that! In the first of the four Sally Lockhart Mystery novels, having been recently orphaned with her father's ship sinking
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somewhere in the Orient, sixteen year old Sally finds herself drawn into a saga filled with suspense and mystery. When she asks her late father's associate to explain to her what "the seven blessings" means, he keels over and dies. Soon, an unsavoury woman by the name of Mrs Holland is hot on Sally's trail, though Sally doesn't yet have any idea why. We know of Mrs Holland that she wears too-big brown and grey dentures—having, just before her late husband's casket was closed, reached out to take said dentures out of his mouth, claiming "there's still plenty of wear in those!"—we also know that she's holding a sailor (who's recently nearly escaped sure drowning) prisoner by keeping him drugged with opium. There's a huge ruby in the stakes and the only way Sally can put all the pieces together before it's too late is by literally confronting her worst nightmare in a way no sane parent could ever approve of. With a smart and resourceful heroine and filled with a cast of wonderful, highly coloured characters and non-stop action, this is a very well written tale by the creator of His Dark Materials that keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. I couldn't wait for the follow up, and immediately ordered it from the BookDepository as soon as I'd finished listening to this very well made audiobook. Show Less
LibraryThing member edgeworth
I like young adult fiction a lot. It's a guilty pleasure. Philip Reeve's Mortal Engines series are probably my favourite books of all time, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is also awesome. So I expected this earlier work of his to be quite good. It's the average mystery/adventure
While Pullman captures the (exaggerated) spirit of Victorian England quite well - with its grimy streets, Cockney urchins, fetid river slop and the like - the story itself is unfortunately pretty mundane. I suppose he was a much younger man when he wrote this, and was still learning the craft. Oh well. Marginal thumbs down.
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novel featuring a young protagonist and the shennanigans she gets up to in "the murky streets and opium dens" of Old London after her father's untimely death in the South China Sea.While Pullman captures the (exaggerated) spirit of Victorian England quite well - with its grimy streets, Cockney urchins, fetid river slop and the like - the story itself is unfortunately pretty mundane. I suppose he was a much younger man when he wrote this, and was still learning the craft. Oh well. Marginal thumbs down.
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LibraryThing member melydia
Sally Lockhart, recently orphaned, finds herself suddenly embroiled in a complicated plot wherein multiple people want to either kill her or save her. There are guns, and opium, and diaries, and shipwrecks, and over all it's a pretty good whodunit. A little confusing at times, sure, but full of
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delightfully memorable characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member marsap
This young adult novel, opens with 16 year old Sally Lockhart visiting her deceased father’s shipping firm and accidentally causing one of his associates to die of a heart-attack when she ask him if he knows of the Seven Blessings. The phrase was on a piece of paper dictated by her father before
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his death and sent to her in secret. Believing that her life is in danger, Sally seeks to determine why her father died, who would like to see her dead, and where to find a mysterious ruby. The novel is set in Victorian London, and quickly Sally becomes entangled in a web of mystery involving murder, illegal opium trading, and a stolen ruby. She also meets a variety of characters along the way--both good and bad--including Frederick and his sister Rosa ( photographer and actress respectively) and Jim, a plucky office boy. Sally is a wonderful character--brave, smart, realistic and pragmatic. Lots of twists and turns keep the reader wanting more. 4 1/2 out of 4 stars. Show Less
LibraryThing member riverwillow
This book came highly recommended and deservedly so. I love all the Victorian back ground information contained in here which helps to create an authentic feeling world. Sally Lockhart and the friends and allies she discovers over the course of the book are fascinating characters and Sally's story
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is interesting and intriguing. Show Less
LibraryThing member miketroll
Ripping yarn by the author of the incomparable trilogy, His Dark Materials. TTITW is less ambitious, much less fantastic. Set in the foggy, gaslit late Victorian London familiar from tales of Sherlock H. and Jack T.R., it is well crafted tale, full of thrills, suspense and surprising twists. No
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revelation to the adult reader, but certainly the kind of book to instil a love of reading in a child. Can’t fault that. Show Less
LibraryThing member hoosgracie
I read this years ago and listened to it again. Excellent Victorian era mystery.
LibraryThing member wiremonkey
I would hate to be Philip Pullman. Inevitably, everything he has written will be compared to the His Dark Materials trilogy and pale in comparison. Unfortunately, this was just the case with the Ruby in the Smoke, the first in the Sally Lockhart trilogy (I sure do love my trilogies- it prolongs
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that final goodbye). Yet, it was so different in genre from HDM, so unabashedly mystery reading that I thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the characters in the book, a precocious clerk named Jim, has a passion for what he calls "Penny dreadfuls". I am assuming this was a popular fiction genre for young London lads, not unlike the Hardy Boys. If you can embrace the book for what it is, an enjoyable romp through 19th century London, full of sailors, opium addicts, pirates, chinese gangs and bohemians, and not expect the human condition to be clarified in any meaningful way, well then this is a good read for you! Show Less
LibraryThing member bhalpin
A really enjoyable ripping yarn with plucky heroine, evil villains, a mystery I didn't figure out before the heroine did, and some very interesting ideas. A great, fun read.
LibraryThing member lweddle
Just like the His Dark Materials series, Pullman doesn't hold back just because this is a children's mystery series. Murder, opium addiction, abuse... it's entertaining. Full of adventure, danger, and fun. Sally isn't alone, and her cohorts are equally full of life and each has a story of their own.
LibraryThing member stonesis
This is one I share with teens and adults! Sally Lockhart is a strong young woman who takes on a mystery involving her and her new companions. The first of four.
LibraryThing member BrianDewey
The nice thing about the book is I read it in an evening... it's pretty short, and it's a compelling enough and easy enough read to keep flipping the pages. The book also does a good job of evoking the atmosphere of Victorian London, and Sally Lockhart is a great character.
But there are a lot of
Similarly, the _villians_ weren't real enough to make the story powerful.
I don't think I'll be reading the other books in this series.
But there are a lot of
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downsides to the book. The plot twists (especially the big one at the end) didn't give me either the same emotional punch or intellectual "aha!" that I like. There's one exception, and that's the revelation about Sally's mother. That, I thought, was insightful and emotionally real. But in general, I thought the twists were kind of silly and detracted from the book. They weren't developed enough. Similarly, the _villians_ weren't real enough to make the story powerful.
I don't think I'll be reading the other books in this series.
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LibraryThing member beckybose
Rich and absorbing. Fascinating central characters, that rather than being instantly likeable offer depth and complexity. They encouarge the reader to approach them with care and scepticism before identifying with them and immediately accepting them as the positive protagnists.
LibraryThing member extrajoker
first line: "On a cold, fretful afternoon in early October, 1872, a hansom cab drew up outside the offices of Lockhart and Selby, Shipping Agents, in the financial heart of London, and a young girl got out and paid the driver."
If Nancy Drew were cool, she'd be Sally Lockhart.
The Ruby in the Smoke
A well-plotted book with strong and likeable characters, this is the young-adult answer to The Moonstone.
If Nancy Drew were cool, she'd be Sally Lockhart.
The Ruby in the Smoke
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is the first in Philip Pullman's series about a young woman in Victorian England who is thrust into dangerous intrigues after the death of her father.A well-plotted book with strong and likeable characters, this is the young-adult answer to The Moonstone.
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LibraryThing member thc_luver6
Well-written, mysterious, thrilling and scary this book takes you to a time in England when opium rulled the slums. It is the tale of a young girl named Sally Lockhart who finds herself wrapped up in a mystery several years in the making.
LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This is a book I should have loved, but I only liked it. It was well written, believable characters, A nice mystery, and it has a strong female lead in the Victorian Ages that actually makes sense.
But, I only liked it. Maybe it was because I read it chapter by chapter, when I was so sleepy. Or
Either way, I think I'm going to read it again :)
But, I only liked it. Maybe it was because I read it chapter by chapter, when I was so sleepy. Or
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maybe it was that I saw bits and pieces of the BBC production of it on PBS so kind of knew what was happening. Or maybe it just wasn't my type of book.Either way, I think I'm going to read it again :)
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LibraryThing member isabelx
... a place of darkness, under a knotted rope. Three red spots shine on the spot when the moon pulls on the water. Take it. It is clearly yours by my gift, and the laws of England. Antequam haec legis, mortuus ero; utinam ex animo hominum tam celeriter memoria mea discedat.
Sally Lockhart's father
Sally Lockhart's father
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has died leaving a mystery behind him; a mystery concerning a stolen ruby and shrouded in the smoke of an opium den. An exciting tale of Victorian England and the Far East. Show Less
LibraryThing member jauntyjinty
Cracking mystery. Such great storytelling.
LibraryThing member e1da
One of my all time favorites as a child. Philip Pullman is brilliant.
LibraryThing member francescadefreitas
This is a good, solid, rollicking mystery, with lots of interesting characters, satisfying twists, and convincing menace.
Alas, Sally is one of the weaker characters, she skipped from strong-willed to nervous wreck a little often for my taste.
But still, I really enjoyed this, and i look forward to
Alas, Sally is one of the weaker characters, she skipped from strong-willed to nervous wreck a little often for my taste.
But still, I really enjoyed this, and i look forward to
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continuing the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member conformer
While not nearly made of the same stuff that made the His Dark Materials books so fresh and memorable, Pullman's young adult series featuring perpetual victim of circumstance Sally Lockhart are agreeable to maturing and mature readers.A quick and jaunty read, although it's colored by the drab and
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depressing air that characterizes almost every single other book based in Victorian England. The Quincunx, The Anubis Gates, Harm's Way; all these books had exciting storylines, but the constant parade of scenes in drippy back alleys and squalid opium dens and soggy boarding houses just helps to drag down the mood of an otherwise colorful era.It's also hard to tell what kind of audience Pullman is ultimately writing for. The "smoke" in The Ruby In The Smoke refers to opium smoke, which ultimately claims the life of one character and compels Sally to reach a hidden revelation in order to solve the mystery of the ruby and the people hounding her. I found this book in the young adult section of the bookstore, right alongside the The Amber Spyglass, which is essentially a kid's guide to atheism and denying God.Opium, the British's rule over India, and free will in choosing one's belief are all things children have to learn about sooner or later as they become young adults, I guess. Here's hoping not too many parent blame the authors of such tales for their own bad judgement if the stories don't always have happy endings for their kids. Show Less
LibraryThing member madhatter22
Although [[Philip Pullman]] wrote the Sally Lockhart books first, I wasn't aware of them until after I'd read the [His Dark Materials] trilogy, and those are a nearly impossible act to follow. [The Ruby in the Smoke] is an engaging mystery though, and it does have a couple things in common with his
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later trilogy - it is set in a dangerous world where children are not always safe and cared for, and it is written smartly enough to have twists you might not see coming, something I often find lacking in YA lit. If you like your mysteries Victorian and your YA dark (kidnapping! murder! opium dens!) you should enjoy this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member lithicbee
While this book does not rise to the epic levels of the His Dark Materials trilogy, I enjoyed the Victorian London setting, the characters, the mystery, and the strangely adult themes in this young adult book. There are secret societies, a fabled treasure, the politics of the opium trade, and a
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16-year-old heroine with a gun. This is my type of young-adult book. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1985
Physical description
230 p.; 8.43 inches
ISBN
0394895894 / 9780394895895