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Sign of the Sugared Plum #1-2
The Fever and the Flame
Two tales following the remarkable life of a girl in London in the tumultuous years of the Great Plague and the Great Fire. Hannah is excited as she is about to embark upon her first ever trip to London to help her sister in her shop 'The Sugared Plum', making sweetmeats for the gentry. She does not, however, get the reception she expected from her sister Sarah. Instead of giving Hannah a hearty welcome, Sarah is horrified that Hannah did not get her message to stay away - the Plague is taking hold of London. In the second of these stories, Hannah returns to her beloved London to re-open the sweetmeats shop with younger sister Anne. Londoners are reeling from the plague epidemic of the previous year, but Hannah and Anne are keen to start enjoying everything the bustling city has to offer. But this is 1666, and it has been prophesised that terrible things will happen, and on Pudding Lane, flames are raging through the bakery ...Based on meticulous research, Mary Hooper evokes with complete mastery the sights, sounds and terror of a London gripped firstly by the shocking and gruesome plague, and then by the ferocious and terrible fire.
368 pages, Paperback
First published September 4, 2006
4 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Mary Hooper
162 books289 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
British children's and young adult author Mary Hooper was born in 1944, in Barnes, then in Surrey, nowadays in South West London. She left school at fifteen, and went to work as a window dresser, and then as a secretary. She eventually returned to school, as an adult student, earning a degree in English from Reading University. Hooper began her writing career with short stories, publishing in women's and teen magazines. Her first book, Jodie, was published in 1978. She is married, has two children, and one grandchild, and lives in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire.
British children's and young adult author Mary Hooper was born in 1944, in Barnes, then in Surrey, nowadays in South West London. She left school at fifteen, and went to work as a window dresser, and then as a secretary. She eventually returned to school, as an adult student, earning a degree in English from Reading University. Hooper began her writing career with short stories, publishing in women's and teen magazines. Her first book, Jodie, was published in 1978. She is married, has two children, and one grandchild, and lives in Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 14, 2022
Wunderbar.
Ich weiß ganz sicher, dieses Buch bleibt in meiner Erinnerung für länger.
Ich weiß ganz sicher, dieses Buch bleibt in meiner Erinnerung für länger.
July 23, 2022
Reading this having now lived through a pandemic first hand (and other messed up world events immediately after) do be hitting different to when I first read it at 16...
January 4, 2015
Mon billet complet sur le blog
J’ai découvert Mary Hooper il y a deux ans avec son "Waterloo Necropolis" ; un roman jeunesse se déroulant à l’ère victorienne et abordant des sujets dont je ne connaissais alors pas grand-chose. Depuis j’ai lu plusieurs de ses autres bouquins qui m’ont toujours plu et j’avais acheté "The fever and the flame" l’année dernière. C’est une édition qui regroupe en fait les deux courts tomes d’un diptyque se déroulant au 17e siècle en Angleterre. L'action a lieu pendant l'épidémie de peste noire et le Grand Incendie qui ont eu lieu coup sur coup.
Jusque là je n’avais lu que des traductions de l’auteure et j’étais curieuse de voir ce que pouvait donner son style. Pour ceux qui veulent la découvrir aussi je peux vous dire que c’est très abordable. Elle a vieilli ses tournures juste assez pour donner une couleur locale sympathique, mais n’utilise pas non plus du vocabulaire incompréhensible. De plus il y a un lexique à la fin pour en expliquer certains.
Le premier volume, "At the sign of the sugar plum" nous fait découvrir Hannah, jeune fille de la campagne qui va rejoindre sa sœur qui tient une petite boutique de sweetmeats, en gros les sucreries de l’époque. Comme d’habitude Mary Hooper est méticuleuse dans sa reconstitution de l’époque ; que ce soit par les descriptions de vêtements, de paysages ou de manière, mais surtout de la nourriture. Dans chacun des bouquins que j’ai lu d’elle, et quelle que soit à l’époque où ils se déroulent elle parle de la nourriture avec talent. Elle inclut même des recettes à la fin des ouvrages. C’est un aspect que j’aime particulièrement dans ses textes, parce qu’ils me donnent alors l’impression de réellement vivre l’histoire aux côtés des personnages.
Hannah n’est pas un personnage auquel je pourrais m’identifier énormément, mais elle est sympathique et colle avec son temps. La reconstitution de la grande peste est impressionnante et oppressante. Chaque chapitre correspondant à une semaine dans la vie des jeunes filles on voit l’ambiance Londres évoluer, les théâtres fermer, les premiers malades se faire enfermer avec leurs familles, etc. J’étais réellement prise dans le bouquin et j’aurais aimé qu’il continue longtemps dans la même veine. En effet la conclusion du volume fait un peu retomber le rythme à mon gout, et le second prend son temps pour redémarrer. J’ai été moins impressionnée par le Grand Incendie, mais j’ai quand même été très intéressée par les descriptions des actions des gens, de l’avancée du feu, etc. La fin du volume m’a même un peu frustrée, j’aurais aimé avoir un autre tome des aventures de Hannah et voir la reconstruction de Londres comme Mary Hooper aurait su le faire avec talent.
Le seul réel point négatif que je pourrais signaler est l’impression bizarre, après avoir plusieurs de ses bouquins, que les voix de ses héroïnes se ressemblent beaucoup. Elles sont des personnalités un peu différentes, mais ne me semblent pas aussi distinctes qu’elles pourraient l’être. Je suis tout de même ravie que l’auteure ait à son actif encore plusieurs romans historiques que je n’ai pas lus et qui m’ont l’air très intéressants. En plus les couvertures sont très jolies donc c’est chouette.
J’ai découvert Mary Hooper il y a deux ans avec son "Waterloo Necropolis" ; un roman jeunesse se déroulant à l’ère victorienne et abordant des sujets dont je ne connaissais alors pas grand-chose. Depuis j’ai lu plusieurs de ses autres bouquins qui m’ont toujours plu et j’avais acheté "The fever and the flame" l’année dernière. C’est une édition qui regroupe en fait les deux courts tomes d’un diptyque se déroulant au 17e siècle en Angleterre. L'action a lieu pendant l'épidémie de peste noire et le Grand Incendie qui ont eu lieu coup sur coup.
Jusque là je n’avais lu que des traductions de l’auteure et j’étais curieuse de voir ce que pouvait donner son style. Pour ceux qui veulent la découvrir aussi je peux vous dire que c’est très abordable. Elle a vieilli ses tournures juste assez pour donner une couleur locale sympathique, mais n’utilise pas non plus du vocabulaire incompréhensible. De plus il y a un lexique à la fin pour en expliquer certains.
Le premier volume, "At the sign of the sugar plum" nous fait découvrir Hannah, jeune fille de la campagne qui va rejoindre sa sœur qui tient une petite boutique de sweetmeats, en gros les sucreries de l’époque. Comme d’habitude Mary Hooper est méticuleuse dans sa reconstitution de l’époque ; que ce soit par les descriptions de vêtements, de paysages ou de manière, mais surtout de la nourriture. Dans chacun des bouquins que j’ai lu d’elle, et quelle que soit à l’époque où ils se déroulent elle parle de la nourriture avec talent. Elle inclut même des recettes à la fin des ouvrages. C’est un aspect que j’aime particulièrement dans ses textes, parce qu’ils me donnent alors l’impression de réellement vivre l’histoire aux côtés des personnages.
Hannah n’est pas un personnage auquel je pourrais m’identifier énormément, mais elle est sympathique et colle avec son temps. La reconstitution de la grande peste est impressionnante et oppressante. Chaque chapitre correspondant à une semaine dans la vie des jeunes filles on voit l’ambiance Londres évoluer, les théâtres fermer, les premiers malades se faire enfermer avec leurs familles, etc. J’étais réellement prise dans le bouquin et j’aurais aimé qu’il continue longtemps dans la même veine. En effet la conclusion du volume fait un peu retomber le rythme à mon gout, et le second prend son temps pour redémarrer. J’ai été moins impressionnée par le Grand Incendie, mais j’ai quand même été très intéressée par les descriptions des actions des gens, de l’avancée du feu, etc. La fin du volume m’a même un peu frustrée, j’aurais aimé avoir un autre tome des aventures de Hannah et voir la reconstruction de Londres comme Mary Hooper aurait su le faire avec talent.
Le seul réel point négatif que je pourrais signaler est l’impression bizarre, après avoir plusieurs de ses bouquins, que les voix de ses héroïnes se ressemblent beaucoup. Elles sont des personnalités un peu différentes, mais ne me semblent pas aussi distinctes qu’elles pourraient l’être. Je suis tout de même ravie que l’auteure ait à son actif encore plusieurs romans historiques que je n’ai pas lus et qui m’ont l’air très intéressants. En plus les couvertures sont très jolies donc c’est chouette.
March 1, 2010
This is a two-in-one edition of Mary Hooper's two books about Hannah, a young teenage girl, living in London during the difficult times of the plague and great fire in 1665-1666.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum:
Teenaged Hannah has lived all her life in the English countryside, so she is thrilled when, in the summer of 1665, her older sister Sarah invites her to come live with her in London and help her at her candy shop. However, arriving in London she finds Sarah had sent a second letter instructing her not to come. Plague has taken hold in London, and Sarah fears for Hannah's life. Hannah insists on staying, believing she will be safe. But to her horror, in the coming weeks more and more people die, and the sickness becomes an epidemic. Hannah finds herself living every day in fear that she will catch the Plague and die from it, for there is little hope of surviving it, and no way of leaving the city to escape.
Petals in the Ashes:
Teenaged Hannah and her older sister Sarah barely managed to escape London alive during the great plague of 1665. Now a year has passed, and the plague has finally died out. Hannah wants to return to London to reopen their sweets shop, but Sarah wishes to remain at the family home in the countryside. So when Hannah returns to the city, she is accompanied by her younger sister, Anne. However, her life is once again interrupted when fire begins to spread through London. Can Hannah find the strength to survive yet another terrible calamity?
These two books truly bring to life the gritty details of life in London in the 17th century. Hannah is a realistic and appealing character. The author doesn't shy away from the disturbing details of disease and disaster, but it's not all grim, these are also stories of hope and rebuilding. I'd highly recommend these books to teenage readers - and older - who are interested in this era of history.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum:
Teenaged Hannah has lived all her life in the English countryside, so she is thrilled when, in the summer of 1665, her older sister Sarah invites her to come live with her in London and help her at her candy shop. However, arriving in London she finds Sarah had sent a second letter instructing her not to come. Plague has taken hold in London, and Sarah fears for Hannah's life. Hannah insists on staying, believing she will be safe. But to her horror, in the coming weeks more and more people die, and the sickness becomes an epidemic. Hannah finds herself living every day in fear that she will catch the Plague and die from it, for there is little hope of surviving it, and no way of leaving the city to escape.
Petals in the Ashes:
Teenaged Hannah and her older sister Sarah barely managed to escape London alive during the great plague of 1665. Now a year has passed, and the plague has finally died out. Hannah wants to return to London to reopen their sweets shop, but Sarah wishes to remain at the family home in the countryside. So when Hannah returns to the city, she is accompanied by her younger sister, Anne. However, her life is once again interrupted when fire begins to spread through London. Can Hannah find the strength to survive yet another terrible calamity?
These two books truly bring to life the gritty details of life in London in the 17th century. Hannah is a realistic and appealing character. The author doesn't shy away from the disturbing details of disease and disaster, but it's not all grim, these are also stories of hope and rebuilding. I'd highly recommend these books to teenage readers - and older - who are interested in this era of history.
March 30, 2020
This omnibus edition encapsulates two of Mary Hooper’s books ‘At the Sign of the Sugared Plum’ and ‘Petals in the Ashes’. I picked up this book after spotting it in a charity shop. Having read ‘At the sign of the Sugared Plum as a tween, I’ve always wanted to know how it ends. As I know this book is aimed at about a 10-12years old audience, I’m reviewing it for the audience it was aimed at.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum follows Hannah, as she moved from her family’s country home in rural Chertsey into the big, bustling city of London, to work for her sister Sarah, in their auntie’s sweetmeats shop. Hannah’s arrival is I’ll timed however, as she arrives at the beginning of the 1665 Black Plague outbreak. Hannah is enamoured with city life, and at first can ignore the insidious pestilence that is beginning to grip the city. As the plague takes hold, Hannah’s new life begins to fall apart as fear spreads just as rapidly as disease. At the end of this book, in the midst of a Death-gripped city, Hannah and her sister manage to escape with the help of their friend Abigail, who came from Chertsey to work as a maid in a big house, and Hannah’s beau.
In the second novel, we briefly see Hannah and Sarah in Dorset-shire after handing baby Grace to her relatives, before returning home to Chertsey. Hannah returns to London with her other sister Anne to reopens the shop, as Sarah is still unsure of what awaits them in the city. Shortly after their return, just as they feel life has returned to normality a fire breaks out (The Great Fire of London 1666). Hannah again fights for her life, triumphing - yet with the shop burned to the ground, and Hannah worn out she (we assume) returns to the comfort of country life.
Overall, both books share the same strengths and weaknesses. Both books are engaging, and use accessible language - unusual in a period novel. The books both have a high level of detail, which really give life to the story, warts and all. There is a high degree of historical accuracy, the author clearly did her research well.
However, in both books the conclusion is rushed after a well built story arch with amazing detail. There is a sense of unfinished business in both, leaving the reader feeling as if there is another chapter or two missing. But, overall a good read.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum follows Hannah, as she moved from her family’s country home in rural Chertsey into the big, bustling city of London, to work for her sister Sarah, in their auntie’s sweetmeats shop. Hannah’s arrival is I’ll timed however, as she arrives at the beginning of the 1665 Black Plague outbreak. Hannah is enamoured with city life, and at first can ignore the insidious pestilence that is beginning to grip the city. As the plague takes hold, Hannah’s new life begins to fall apart as fear spreads just as rapidly as disease. At the end of this book, in the midst of a Death-gripped city, Hannah and her sister manage to escape with the help of their friend Abigail, who came from Chertsey to work as a maid in a big house, and Hannah’s beau.
In the second novel, we briefly see Hannah and Sarah in Dorset-shire after handing baby Grace to her relatives, before returning home to Chertsey. Hannah returns to London with her other sister Anne to reopens the shop, as Sarah is still unsure of what awaits them in the city. Shortly after their return, just as they feel life has returned to normality a fire breaks out (The Great Fire of London 1666). Hannah again fights for her life, triumphing - yet with the shop burned to the ground, and Hannah worn out she (we assume) returns to the comfort of country life.
Overall, both books share the same strengths and weaknesses. Both books are engaging, and use accessible language - unusual in a period novel. The books both have a high level of detail, which really give life to the story, warts and all. There is a high degree of historical accuracy, the author clearly did her research well.
However, in both books the conclusion is rushed after a well built story arch with amazing detail. There is a sense of unfinished business in both, leaving the reader feeling as if there is another chapter or two missing. But, overall a good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 9, 2017
I really loved this book. I'm always a fan of fiction where I learn something along the way. This was one of those books. The plague and the Great Fire of London were both really well described.
January 29, 2024
To slow, did not finish
August 8, 2024
Regret giving the book away after 😭
August 18, 2015
This book was intended for a much younger audience - probably around 12 years of age. However, considering it was meant for that specific age demographic, I found it somewhat enjoyable with enough action and romance to satisfy a wide range of tweens. There were very few times that the book seemed to drone on, which I find is very rare with books that I pick up nowadays. Overall, I did not personally find it the most riveting book but would recommend it to 12 year olds who are looking for a younger version of the Hunger Games.
Oh, and this book, while set in the 1600's, is not heavy on the language of that era which I much appreciated.
Oh, and this book, while set in the 1600's, is not heavy on the language of that era which I much appreciated.
November 5, 2016
This book was quite informative on the events during the period of the plague and the fire of England. As much as this is informative, there is a story line and characters with a life beyond the key events to it- which makes it more interesting to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2008
The end left me wanting the book to continue.
August 21, 2011
These books were really good, I love the sound of a medieval candy shop!
July 16, 2013
A beautiful book, sumptuous details, amazingly researched and eloquently written, and a sweeping love affair based on more than sensual lust. Highly recommended.
January 20, 2014
I didn't enjoy the 2nd book quite as much as the first, but I'd recommend it to my class.
February 2, 2015
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, followed by Petals in the Ashes. Both are beautiful books with plenty of thrills, romance and history to keep you going. Very well researched too.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews