Field Lane
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3 months free
Field Lane
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Narrated by:
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Sebastian Abineri
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By:
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John Sodeau
About this listen
Charley Bates was an outsider. Always the third wheel to the Artful Dodger and Oliver Twists double-act in Fagins gang. Then he became the redeemed thief who managed to turn himself into the merriest young grazier in the whole of Northamptonshire. But would he remain on the straight and narrow or go back to his criminal ways? What he needed was a mission to keep himself honest. And then he got one: a chance to bring justice to bear on a villain from his past, Monks, the half-brother of Oliver Twist. Getting even would mean a trip from the Thames to the Mississippi and help from old friends to right the wrongs done by the creature as Charley thought of him.
Field Lane reflects a 19th century world filled with social injustice, slavery, drug abuse and Royal privilege. Its fictional characters become intertwined with real-life historical figures such as the Duchess of Kent (the mother of Queen Victoria), the scientist Michael Faraday and Sam Clemens, the boy who would become Mark Twain. At the climax justice is indeed served in line with Charles Dickens wish. But by whom?
©2024 John Sodeau (P)2024 John SodeauIt really is a crackin book, recommended
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From the cobbled paving of Field Lane, follow Charley Bates and Oliver Twist through the smoky London back alleys to the shores of the Mississippi, as they uncover the repugnant human trafficking in the aftermath of the supposed abolition of slavery, hidden prostitution rings, and the homebrewing of cure-all opioid tonics to ensnare Victorian high-society.
Into this mix, Sodeau garnishes an eclectic feast of established and exotic details; the underbelly of Victorian economics, intrigue of royal succession, the intoxicating power of Friedlieb Runge’s Kaffebase, the Irish Potato Famine, and so so much more.
For readers who are unfamiliar with Dicken’s work (such as myself), the wealth of detail and charm of the characters will guide your journey in these unfamiliar surroundings. For those familiar with the classics, I have no doubt it will be a fond nostalgic return to Field Lane.
Sebastian Abineri breaths live into these dynamic characters with unique identifiable accents, transporting the listener to the dingey crime riddled streets of London where devious thoughts glimmer behind crooked smiles.
A book that captures not just the smells and intrigue of Victorian times, but also raises questions of where the lines of fact and fiction are blurred in our own times as well.
Highly recommend!
Dickens, Twain and a Chem Prof. walk into a pub...
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