Rosemary Sutcliffe's historical fiction....

[Michelle T]

around what age are these books best for? Are they interesting enough for an easily bored 12 year old boy to enjoy? Or slow moving?

 

I see these on lists of recommended historical fiction all the time, but somehow I have an impression that they are written in an old fashioned, or slow moving style that would be too challenging for a 12 year old.

Michelle T

[In The Great White North]

Dd(14) liked them at 12 but ds(16) didn't like them til later. I think it was the reading level more than the style.

 

I do plan on having my dd(11) read them (Eagle of the Ninth, etc) next year (at 12) anyway. They fit in well with Rome. I would rather push her reading level with Sutcliff than assign Detectives in Togas, which is much easier. Our assigned reading is harder; free reading can be the easier stuff.

 

I do not think all of her books arel the same reading level. Black Ships Before Troy was easier (even when it isn't in the picture book format) and some have more adult content.

[Starr]

We read the Wanderings of Odysseus and Black Ships Before Troy aloud when the children were fairly young and they really enjoyed them. Give them a try or read part or all of one aloud. I think some of her books were on our ps 6th grade book list a few years ago.

[5wolfcubs]

I read Eagle of the Ninth aloud this past year -- wonderful, wonderful story & writing style. One of my (our) all time favorite read-alouds. But if I had just handed it to my oldest, she would've been lost in the first chapter. The sentence structure is rich & deep (at least compared to many books I've read aloud!). Maybe read the first chapter (of whatever book you've chosen) aloud and then let him continue.

[sfernb]

We found it depends on the reader. Our kids all enjoyed them by age 12 or 13 but, for some of them, we used audio books.

[In The Great White North]

We found it depends on the reader. Our kids all enjoyed them by age 12 or 13 but, for some of them, we used audio books.

 

Where did you find them as audio books?

 

We do a lot of driving and these would be great.

 

TIA

[Nicole M]

Um, for the record, I've noticed that on some WTM book lists, Sutcliff is misspelled. No "e" at the end.

 

Also, I agree with another person who posted, her books are not written in an old fashioned style, but the writing is sophisticated and mature. Her portraits, her characters, are marvelous and memorable. Sutcliff was trained as an artist, but a degenerative (is that a word? spellcheck doesn't like it) illness forced her to give up painting, and she began writing. You can see this training in her writing, her "landscapes" are beautiful, and you can see what she describes. Also, another fascinating thing about her is that she was homeschooled, because of her illness. Her mother mainly read aloud to her.

 

The Arthur books can be read by younger ones - my 11yo read them this summer. The ancient Rome ones are a bit harder, and I will eventually read them aloud, again, to my youngest: Eagle of the Ninth, The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers. Those are not a series, but related stories. I have an old British Penguin Classics edition of those three bound in one volume - which I don't recommend because of numerous typos. I noticed that many of her books are being reprinted very beautifully, with sophisticated covers and high quality paper. We have a few of those, too.

 

I adore her books and I have a soft spot in my heart for her and her work.

[Janice H]

It pleased me to read Nicole M's tribute to Sutcliff. Another book of hers I enjoyed was The Capricorn Bracelet which "links the generations of a soldier family in Roman Britain" (quote from online library catalog.) Even though I read this over three years ago, I remember her vivid descriptions of life on the edge of the Roman Empire where the protection from invaders by the military was not assured.

 

WTM lists her book, The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, for sixth grade reading. In a section of this book Genevieve beautifully tells a version of the "Tristan and Iseult" story. Sutcliff also has a book entitled Tristan and Iseult.

 

As Nicole mentioned, here are the titles of the rest of the Arthur books: The Light Beyond the Forest: The Quest for the Holy Grail and The Road to Camlann.

[Donna in OH]

at least, not at these ages (9 and 11) and not as read-alouds. I think the richness of the language just made it plain hard for them to follow as I read out loud.

 

I think these are well-written, worthwhile books. I just can't use them yet. I'm hoping that maybe in a couple of years I can hand them off to be read independently.

[VaKim]

I started two of them, at different times, as read alouds, and found that I just could not read them out loud for some reason. My dd13 read them herself and absolutely loved them and wants more of them.

 

Are all of her books "safe" to just hand to dc to read?

 

 

Also, Nicole, where did you find this information? We love to learn about the authors of books we like.

 

Also, I agree with another person who posted, her books are not written in an old fashioned style, but the writing is sophisticated and mature. Her portraits, her characters, are marvelous and memorable. Sutcliff was trained as an artist, but a degenerative (is that a word? spellcheck doesn't like it) illness forced her to give up painting, and she began writing. You can see this training in her writing, her "landscapes" are beautiful, and you can see what she describes. Also, another fascinating thing about her is that she was homeschooled, because of her illness. Her mother mainly read aloud to her.

[Nicole M]

Also, Nicole, where did you find this information? We love to learn about the authors of books we like.

 

 

They were difficult to read aloud, for me, too, at first. The language is more sophisticated than what I'd been reading aloud up until that point. I got used to it. And I agree with someone else who posted that they're difficult for younger children. When I read this aloud to my oldest, my younger son was about 8, and he was not getting it. Except battle scenes. He totally tuned in for those.

 

Not sure what you mean by "safe", though. My oldest has now read, alone, some of her fiction for adults (or maybe they're for older teens, not sure how they're marketed), like Mark of the Horse Lord. I read most, but not all, of that one. ("Mom! You're breaking the binding!" - I figure I'll get back to it when he goes to college. Heh, heh.) I overheard a very well educated friend of mine discussing the book with my son, and she said something to the effect of, "did you notice what year it was first published? A little too pro-war for me." I didn't follow up on that, but like any books with sophisticated themes, there will be stuff that comes up. No wild s*x that I can recall.

 

I just poked around on the internet until I found what seemed like a reputable source for biographical information. She wrote an autobiography that I have not yet read, called Blue Hills Remembered. It's available on Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Remembered-Hills-Rosemary-Sutcliff/dp/0374407142

 

(I don't know how you people can do that linky thing, where you write "here" and you can click on the link that way. You people astonish me!)

 

Hope that's helpful.

[Nicole M]

It pleased me to read Nicole M's tribute to Sutcliff. Another book of hers I enjoyed was The Capricorn Bracelet which "links the generations of a soldier family in Roman Britain" (quote from online library catalog.)

 

 

Thanks for recommending this! I've noticed it on Amazon ("recommended for you!") but haven't read it yet.

 

And also thanks for listing the other Arthur books. We found the first in the library, and my son would like to read the rest, which the library does not have. I'll get after finding copies of the others, now that you've reminded me.

 

Funny how you can just fall completely in love with an author.