361 pages
English language
Published Aug. 8, 2001 by Dell Laurel-Leaf.
In 1878 in London, Sally, now twenty-two and established in her own business, and her companions Frederick and Jim try to solve the mystery surrounding the unexpected collapse of a shipping firm and its ties to a sinister corporation called North Star.
I did like reading this novel, and the characters were definitely likable, and original. However, the plot was very unrealistic at times, which made me like it less. Sally and Mr Bellmann reminded me of Miss Coulter and Lord Asriel, as the four of them are all very strong characters!
Second in the Sally Lockhart series, Phillip Pullman's YA victorian mysteries. In this book Sally is 22 -- six years older than in the first book -- and has her own financial business. She sets off to solve the mystery of the failure of a shipping company and is pulled into a much larger and much more dangerous conspiracy.
I was impressed with nearly everything about the first book (the pacing, the setting, the characters), but I had concerns about Sally Lockhart herself being too modern and too perfect a character for the setting. Pullman has fixed that problem in this book, drawing Sally in much better detail, giving her realistic flaws and significant challenges to overcome simply for being independent and female in Victorian London. Given Pullman's significant talents for scene-setting, character building and pacing, I'm pleased that Sally has been so improved in this book.
The Shadow in …
Second in the Sally Lockhart series, Phillip Pullman's YA victorian mysteries. In this book Sally is 22 -- six years older than in the first book -- and has her own financial business. She sets off to solve the mystery of the failure of a shipping company and is pulled into a much larger and much more dangerous conspiracy.
I was impressed with nearly everything about the first book (the pacing, the setting, the characters), but I had concerns about Sally Lockhart herself being too modern and too perfect a character for the setting. Pullman has fixed that problem in this book, drawing Sally in much better detail, giving her realistic flaws and significant challenges to overcome simply for being independent and female in Victorian London. Given Pullman's significant talents for scene-setting, character building and pacing, I'm pleased that Sally has been so improved in this book.
The Shadow in the North is better than the first in the series; the plot is more complex and detailed, the characters are older and have more adult problems, and the tragic ending may be difficult to take even for adults (I note a number of goodreads reviewers are quite miffed about it). I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
