Saturnalia

by FLEISCHMAN

Apprenticed to a printer in 1681 Boston, young Weetasket, renamed William, yearns to return to his Indian tribe and the companionship and love of his twin brother, Cancasset

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Historical

113 pages, Library Binding

First published May 1, 1990

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb oversimplifies. There are other characters, other plots, and finally a climax that combines adventure and, believe it or not, comedy. Some covers are misleading, as much is made of how William dresses well like an ambitious white man. This is about a time not well known, a century before independence. And in part :brrr: about a subject not well known, the "tithingman."

[Kellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

William, a fourteen-year old printer’s apprentice, lives in Boston. In 1675, when he was eight-years old, he was captured in a British raid against the Narraganset Indians. Most of his family and tribe were killed.

William is extremely bright and excels as an apprentice. The printer, Mr. Currie, is well-educated and not at all comfortable with all of the restrictions imposed in Puritan Boston. Mr. Currie teaches William Greek and Latin and provides a nurturing home for William.

Mr. Baggot suspects that William and the Curries are not keeping the Puritan practices and he tries to catch the Curries celebrating Saturnalia, a pagan form of Christmas.

William often goes out at night and travels the streets of Boston while playing his flute. He remembers snatches of a tune he learned from his father. William hopes that someone, maybe even his brother, will hear his playing and thus he will find another Narraganset. Through his night playing William discovers an uncle and cousin who are servants. These family members try to convince William to escape with them. In the end William decides to stay in Boston.

In some ways I felt that nothing happened in this story yet I came to care about William and his plight. The Currie’s attempts to outwit Mr. Baggot were delightful. This book provides great description of life in early America long before the Revolutionary War.

[Kit · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting and surprising historical fiction title about race, class, and keeping your origins in a time of colonization.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book I've read by Paul Fleischman, and each of them has given insight into a time or place in American history. This book is somber, partly because much of it takes place in winter and/or at night, and partly because most of the characters have a dark side.

Boston. 1681. I don't think I would have liked to live under such a heavy religious rule. I had no idea that people were under such constant surveillance. Here's one quote from p 5 that was instructive:

Like the town's other tithing men, he had spiritual charge of ten families, noting with care their attendance at services and testing their children's knowledge of Scripture.

A struggling reader would probably lose interest in this story fairly quickly.

[Jamey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saturnalia, by Paul Fleischman, is written in the style of such movies as “Valentines Day”, “New Year’s Eve” and “New York, I Love You.” There are multiple characters, multiple plots, and the various characters and plots intertwine here and there throughout the novel.
The book’s main character is an Indian boy who has been named William by the English. It is set in Boston, December of 1681, after the English had forced many Indians to be their servants. The book deals with the aftermath of a raid on an Indian village, and how surviving victims and soldiers are working through the trauma of that day.
Fleischman does not excuse what the English have done. In fact, he makes it plain that they were very much in the wrong. However, he also acknowledges the innocent victims in both camps that were effected, and one of the characters in the novel is an English raider who is haunted by his past. He is repentant, and sorrowfully carries the guilt of being a part of that fateful day. Fleischman did a good job remaining unbiased, and simply developing a story that would educate readers of the dynamics of life between the English and the Indians. However, he was not unbiased on one point: God. Throughout the novel there are short, subtle jabs at God. It is easy to see why he would be annoyed with Him, since the English claimed God had given them the land and ordained the raids- a false ideology that makes one wonder if they claimed it only to excuse their actions.

Although written for younger readers, I would say it would do well with an older audience. It has some very vague sexual themes, and alludes to a lot of death and sorrow all throughout. It is a very educational and enlightening novel, one that honestly looks at a part of America’s past that we are not proud of.

[Ixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for 50 cents at the library, and was immediately drawn into the landscape, cast as a rat hugging the shadows, a little watcher of this strange antique town and its residents; I hung on every word.

This novel is great if you are ready to adapt to quick shifts in perspective, and if you have read Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, or the Importance of Being Ernest. (They have nothing in common, but if you have found yourself reading things such as De Profundis then I would be surprised if you did not like the writings of Paul Fleischman, who is also a master of the written word, in my humble opinion.)

The characters are really well done, and I was surprised at how much I was actually learning about First Peoples - (instead of saying Native American, it's more polite to say First Peoples) - and about the immigration to the area.

Some quotes that I highlighted in my copy:

"He stood before the hearth's hissing coals as if taking their testimony." page 99.

"An icy wind swooped down on the streets. Clouds curtained the sun. Birds sought shelter. By nightfall the sky had begun bestowing snow upon the town, stingily at first, then with boundless philanthropy. Flakes covered the cobblestones once more, recolonized the windowsills, and filled portly Mr. Trulliber's lantern beam with a legion of alarming mirages." page 51

Just a personal preference, but I like the way Mr. Fleischman writes. Other reviews seem to critical to me for that reason.

[Dawn Gehler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was only a little over a 100 pages so I read it in one night. It was a hard book to follow. It was set back in the 1600's and I really didn't like the fact that Mr. Biggot could go around hitting kids in the head with his septer if they got questions wrong it just was not a read for me.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dark tale from the early American colonies.

[Jay DeVine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This nook wasn't as good as others I have read involving this time period. (It reads quickly, and it's fairly amusing.) But it does open the door to some interesting questions, as well as discussions of the views of the Puritans at that time.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saturnalia, a Roman holiday in which masters and servants trade places, is used as a backdrop for this story about people's double lives. Mr. Rudd, the eyeglass maker is murdered by his apprentice who refuses to take any more of his abuse. Mr. Baggot sees William, a young Indian boy, at the scene. Seeing William as a cocky know-it-all who challenges his position as tithing man, Mr. Baggot finds it easy to accuse the boy of Mr. Rudd's murder. William's quick intellect and near photographic memory help him prove his innocence. He remembers seeing a torn run-away poster with the apprentice's name on it. William is guilty of one thing- breaking curfew each night as he plays his heron-bone flute through Boston's streets. He hopes to find his brother who has been missing since the massacre of their Narraganset village in 1675. In his wanderings, William discovers his great uncle, Weetasket and Ninnomi. Mr. Speke, the woodcarver, has befriended the young Indian maiden. She serves as the model for a ship's figurehead that immortalizes the Indian children killed by Mr. Speke. These lives and others play out against the background of Puritan bigotry and intolerance.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Danny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Saturnalia being only 113 pages long could be overlooked by many people that think a good book is a longer book. The main character's name is William. He was a Native American who was taken from his home by Puritans after his family had been massacred. In the beginning Mr. Baggot, when asking the kids at the printing press religious questions almost treats William as if he had less learning ability than the other kids even though he was the printer's very intelligent apprentice.
This story took place mostly in Boston in December of 1681. William was in trouble with the tithingmen, which were religious sheriffs. William meet up with his cousin and uncle which if he did not he may have been hung.
The book concluded with William wanting to go back to his own people but, he had too much respect for the Curries which was the family he was staying with. He had a certain loyalty and trust that he just could not brake.This was a very interesting book if you are interested in colonial era books but, as someone who is not it was still ok.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Paul Fleishman's prose are a joy to read! History of Boston MA 1681 - the shaping of a god fearing, bible toting righteous society in the new world along with the history of the need for slaves and consequential Native American raids and capture. American colonization. Many characters to keep track of (would be good to list or plot out with readers) and all intertwined in some way. Tightly wrought and potential for ill lurks but all comes out well in the end. Not long, 112 which includes historical notes but not sure subject would interest readers. Could pare with other novels on the slave trade. Saturnalia is pagan costume like Christmas where masters and their slaves/apprentices trade places for the day. the protagonist, William is a type setter apprenticed to the printer Mr. Currie and his family. some idea of what it was like in a printer's shop and many little details woven into the story of life at the time. compare with 'Endymion Spring' (Skelton).

[Sandra Strange · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is very short (109 pages with large print and space between lines), and the story is engaging enough for reluctant readers. The setting is Boston, December 1681. The protagonist, William is the printer’s very intelligent apprentice--and a Narragansett Indian captured by the Puritans when his village and family were massacred. Confronted with the hostility of the tithingman (a religious sheriff) that could result in his hanging and an unexpected encounter with his uncle and cousin, who are virtual slaves that he wants to free, he must decide between his two cultures--Native American or newly American. Positive. Good pairing with Richter’s Light in the Forest.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short historical novel takes place in 1681 and is about the wars between the native Americans and the settlers. A whole village of Narragansets was wiped out, but some of the Indians were taken by the settlers to become their slaves. This is the story of one of them--William. I found it very informative about this particular era. There were some scary parts and some funny parts. However, I feel that there were too many characters for so short of a novel. It was hard for me to remember who was who.

[Mrs.b · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first time I read this, it was fairly disappointing - I read this on recommendation from my school librarian. I had a hard time with the characters and their movements. When this happens, I know my comprehension is suffering.

I would consider this piece as a companion novel to 8th grade Social Studies...this would be perfect for Colonial America. I would assume that most of my 7th graders would struggle with this one.

[Tacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because my 10 year-old said it, doesn't mean he really disliked this story, does it? His eight-year-old brother certainly laughed in all the right places! I liked it, too. If I ever have the opportunity again to share it with middle-grade students, I certainly shall. Fleischman's satire shines; all the while expertly setting a seriously dark mood. It's one of the best movies I've ever read.

[Miss Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

gr 6-9 109 pgs

1681, Boston, MA. Follows various towns people including William, who was kidnapped from his Narraganset tribe. When Williams discovers that two of his relatives have also been brought as slaves to Boston, he is determined to find some way to free them.

I felt there were two many characters for such a short story. It would've been better to have fewer characters so that more time could be spent on each one.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the structure of Saturnalia, with the story being passed from character to character as their lives touched. The actual story, though, was a little too quick and shallow for me. Probably because I'm way older than when I first read it!

[Austin Unseld · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story tells about an Indian boy who was captured and made a servant until the age of 18. He goes through hardships and good times. He helps others when they need it and always wants to please his master. He is falsely accused but proves his innocence, this is a good book.

[Rose]

JF Fle

[Kathleen Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in the early '90s and enjoyed it immensely.

[Noelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

The changing point of views was really confusing and detracted from the story.

[Arlene Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeously written book.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleischman is amazing - such a powerful novel - so humane - and so seasonal

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

school book blah vair vair confuzzizzleing