Fagin’s Boy – Reviews

The main purpose of my virtual book tour for Fagin’s Boy was to give various historical fiction bloggers a copy of the book and allow them to give their honest opinions. Which they did in grand style, and I give them all my heartfelt thanks for taking the time to read the book and then to comment on it.

Much thanks to Amy Bruno at Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for setting the tour up for me; I could not have managed so much on my own.

 

(A graphic of Charles Dickens’ signature.)

Review at Broken Teepee

This was the first review or feedback of any type that I received from someone whom I’d not previously met. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but her five-star stamp of approval had me floating on euphoria.

Here’s some of what Broken Teepee had to say:

“Ms. Pilz manages to maintain Dickens’ style yet make this book all her own…This is an amazing book… Ms. Pilz transported me to the poor underside of Victorian England with all of the dirt and stink that that entails. She continues Oliver’s story yet takes it to a place that I doubt anyone would have expected. I read through the 624 pages and I was disappointed that it was over – despite the darkness and sometimes overwhelming oppression. Ms. Pilz has continued a masterpiece with another.”

Read the entire review here.

(The blacking factory where Dickens worked as a child.)

Review at Lit Nerd

This was my second review, and while not quite as glowing as the first (and who can forget their first time?), I was quite pleased with the feedback.

Here’s what Lit Nerd had to say:

“Although this book wasn’t quite my cup of tea (let’s call it an over sweet vanilla latte), it does have some interesting ruminations on fate and destiny and some lovely nods to Dickens. For that alone, and for the fact that ‘lollygagging’ is used on more than one occasion, I’d say that Fagin’s Boy is a uniquely interesting read. If you’re a fan of Oliver Twist then I’m not sure I could predict how you’d react to some of the plot points, but Pilz is certainly well acquainted with the text and it shows in subtly delightful ways. “

 Read the entire review here.

Peeking Between the Pages

Then the review-o-meter shot up again with the lovely, lovely comments at Peeking Between the Pages:

“Fagin’s Boy is a beautifully written tale with vivid descriptions of life on the streets of London making you feel as though you are right there alongside Oliver! Well worth reading especially if you’re a fan of Oliver Twist but also stands on its own quite well!”

Read the entire review here.

(This image reminded me of the haberdashery where Oliver worked.)

Review at Impressions in Ink

Not all of the reviews I received were glowing; Impressions in Ink gave the book only two stars, which while difficult to accept, is fine because I appreciate the feedback all the same.

“Most of Fagin’s Boy I loved, and thought the author had accomplished a very good modern version and part two, to the Oliver Twist story. In the last part of the book Oliver took a nose dive off a short pier into the murky waters of homosexuality and murder. I’ve noticed in other reviews this last sentence has not been pointed out.”

P.S. While critical of the book overall, Impressions in Ink did not hesitate to point out that she did like my prose, which I thought was classy.

Read the entire review here.

(This is an image of part of the original manuscript for Oliver Twist.)

Mina’s Bookshelf

This is the review that made me cry, so I’m including the review from Mina’s Bookshelf in its entirety:

“If you think that writing your first book as the sequel to a timeless masterpiece could be an exceedingly ambitious project, bound to poorly compare with the magnitude of a nineteenth-century master storyteller, you obviously have never heard of Christina E. Pilz, newcomer author of historical fiction. Newcomer she may be, but I honestly think you will hardly find a better way to revisit a Dickens classic other than reading Pilz’s debut novel, Fagin’s Boy. If you are familiar with the extraordinary British novelist and his work, chances are you will be genuinely enthralled by Pilz’s ability to breathe new life into an iconic character of the Victorian realism. In her extremely well-executed novel, the author re-imagines, with exquisite richness of historical details, and penetrating understanding of character and social biases, the young adult life of Oliver Twist. The angel-face workhouse orphan, who refused to let his humble and troubled beginnings define his future, returns in Fagin’s Boy to build new bridges and rehash old demons. The resolution of this riveting and vividly drawn tale will blow you away. Highly recommended.”

The review and an additional interview can be read in their entirety here.

 

(A fountain pen.)

True Book Addict

This was the last review I received on my virtual book tour, and it was a beautiful ending to a somewhat nerve-wracking experience of having people I didn’t know reading my book:

“Oliver’s story is one that stays with us and to read such a worthy continuation of his story is a true delight. It’s quite impressive that this is Pilz’s first novel. It’s exciting to anticipate just what she will come up with next. I, for one, can’t wait!”

You can read the entire review here.

(Dickens and his characters.)