Bartholomew Fair

by Mary Stolz

On an August day in 1598 six people, including Queen Elizabeth, a wealthy cloth merchant, a scullery maid, two schoolboys, and an overworked apprentice, attend London's Bartholomew's Fair and come away with unforgettable experiences.

Genres: Historical Fiction

160 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Mary Stolz was a noted author for children and adolescents whose novels earned critical praise for the seriousness with which they took the problems of young people. Two of her books ''Belling the Tiger'' (1961) and ''The Noonday Friends'' (1965), were named Newbery Honor books by the ALA but it was her novels for young adults that combined romance with realistic situations that won devotion from her fans. Young men often created more problems and did not always provide happy ever after endings. Her heroines had to cope with complex situations and learn how to take action whether it was working as nurses (The Organdy Cupcakes), living in a housing project (Ready or Not), or escaping from being a social misfit by working for the summer as a waitress (The Sea Gulls Woke Me).

Reviews

[SarahC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly as I remember Mary Stolz's writing from reading when I was young. She writes very human stories with such a delicate and superior touch. The language in this novel is excellent.

This is a simple story of going to the fair, set in London in 1597. Several inhabitants of the city find themselves headed for the fair and what joins their stories is the want of a few hours' adventure, escape from the toils of their lives, and a nagging for completeness that they can't quite identify. The crowd headed for the fair includes two boy scholars, an maltreated young mason's servant, a young vegetable maid of the royal palace, a puppeteer, a strangely charitable merchant, and the elegant, glittering, but aging, Queen Elizabeth.

I enjoyed the novel so much and really recommend it as a historical fiction tale to provide a little taste of Elizabethan times for elementary readers on up. The individual stories of the characters are thoughtful and full of feeling. Very nice book.

[Geri Hoekz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Currently re-reading three childhood faves, all of them realistic historicals set in the middle ages. After reading The Door in the Wall fir the first time at age 8, I spent a week thereafter pretending I lived in 12th C. England.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was disappointing. I figured it would be a quick read, but I found it to be dull and not engaging at all. There were too many different stories being told and they didn't all connect or intertwine, apart from the fact that everyone went to the fair. There were some interactions, but most of these were just one character noticing another pass by. I also found the historical information conveyed to be rather minimal. Stolz is a decent middle grade writer (and the book really isn't bad, more just unremarkable), but I really shouldn't bother with her historical fiction (should have known this from reading Pangur Ban). I would not recommend this for curricular use. It might be OK for just idle pleasure, but there are so many other non-historical books that are better that it wouldn't be at the top of my list for that.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable peek into life during the late Elizabethan era.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

gr 5-8 152 pgs

1597, London, England. Follows six characters from all walks of life (from Queen Elizabeth to an orphan apprentice) as they make their way to the fair and what they see while they are there.

The description gave the impression that one of the characters was not going to survive to the end of the book, but it turned out that "all but one get home" didn't actually mean that anyone died.

I found the book a bit slow, but felt it gave a good idea of what life was like for people at a variety of levels of society at the time and some of their attitudes.

I think this book would appeal to readers who enjoyed Schlitz's "Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village:"

[Bartholomew Timm · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little read about fairs in the Elizabethan era. Has a few surprising twists, and gives, I think, a fairly accurate portrayal of the times. It wasn't a fantastic book, but not horrible either. I think how much you like it would depend upon how much you like reading stories about the era that are relatively simplistic.