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The Brothers Story
Teenage twins Kit and Christy have grown up amid grinding poverty in their Essex village. As Christy has been “simple” from birth, Kit is literally his brother’s keeper. But the latest hardships visited upon their country home by the Great Frost of 1683–84 bring Kit to frustration and despair, and he abandons Christy to make his way to London, seeking to better himself. There he finds work as an apprentice to a struggling artist and much else to take his mind off what he has left behind. But the time comes when he can no longer ignore the problem of his brother. A fascinating portrait of a young person struggling to balance family and freedom, The Brothers Story is also a frank depiction of Restoration London in its bawdy, raucous glory.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published November 10, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 19, 2014
Fianlly, a book with a perfect, clean-cut, satisfying ending!
This book was a lovely, heartwarming and humbling story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, who wants an escape from their everyday life, or who wants to be made appreciative of the life that they already have. It tugged my heartstrings throughout, but also left me with tears in my eyes - I'm still thinking about the characters days after I've finished. Fantastic. A real portrayal of life in the 17th century, and of how our fortunes can change in an instant; I cannot fault it.
This book was a lovely, heartwarming and humbling story, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in history, who wants an escape from their everyday life, or who wants to be made appreciative of the life that they already have. It tugged my heartstrings throughout, but also left me with tears in my eyes - I'm still thinking about the characters days after I've finished. Fantastic. A real portrayal of life in the 17th century, and of how our fortunes can change in an instant; I cannot fault it.
March 10, 2010
Although the jacket art depicts a lad who looks like a 70s California Boy, this novel about a teen who leaves his "simple" twin brother behind in their impoverished village to seek a better life in London plunged me right into the desperately cold winter of 1683. I sensed no anachronisms - even Kit's mindset and attitude (about sex and women, about religion, about a person's rightful station, about fairness) were clearly far from modern. There has always been a place in my heart for stories about roughing it in London Town, and this is a good 'un. For ages 13 and up.
May 19, 2010
THe plot is great but I felt there was a gratuitous sexual act in the book. It bugs me when it is in the story and does nothing to further the plot. Sexual acts used poorly do not make edgy teen literature; they make poor books. Set during the coldest winter on record in London, the protagonist is likable, except the icky act. I felt for him, and his twin. I liked the overall plot, just not a few incidences that are wasteful.
August 25, 2010
Katherine Sturtevant's third novel for young people returns to 17th century England, this time to the winter of 1683-84, known as "The Great Frost," considered the worst frost for which we have historical records. The Thames froze solid, two feet thick, as well as the surrounding seas, rendering commerce very difficult. In this historical context, Sturtevant spins the captivating story of two twin teenage boys, Kit and Christy. Identical in appearance, Christy has been simple since birth, and Kit, who narrates the story, is forced to look after his brother in every way. They are so poor that their mother puts them into service with a local wealthy family, where Kit cannot tolerate the way his brother is beaten and mistreated because of his disability. In desperation, he decides, despite the frigid cold, to run away to London, where he hopes to make his fortune or at least make a better life for himself without the burden of caring for his brother. He gets a stroke of luck when at an inn on the road, he meets two brothers, one an artist and the other a tailor to the London nobility. Joining their party, he goes into service with the artist, Nate.
Born and raised in a small Essex village, Kit is amazed at the sights and sounds of London. He is particularly attracted to the saucy serving maid Priscilla, who works for his master's brother. But he is especially mesmerized by the Frost Fair, a little village built on the frozen Thames, filled with booths offering refreshments, games, merchandise, and varied entertainment, including jugglers, puppet shows, acrobats, and rides on the ice. A whole ox was even roasted on a gigantic spit during the fair. But of course Kit has not forgotten his brother, and he aches to know what has become of him and who, if anyone, is watching over him. When his fortunes change, and he has the opportunity to have a real apprenticeship, Kit must make a difficult choice between listening to his heart--where his brother still lays claim--and pursuing the possibility of a prosperous life for himself in London.
The story of Kit, his brother Christy, and the characters Kit encounters in London emerges through the frost that covered London with burning intensity. These are characters that you will take into your heart. The relationship between the twins, and the heartbreaking choices Kit has to make, ring very true and draw the reader into the story. Moreover, the author provides many evocative and authentic tidbits of historical fact woven throughout the story. For example, it was so cold that birds fell out of the sky, frozen to death. "The piss had froze in the chamber pot and the ale in the bucket." She also incorporates very frank descriptions of teenage sexuality during this period, incorporating bawdy vocabulary that was definitely new to me. This language is not at all gratuitous, however, since the author has gone to great lengths to reconstruct the dialect of the time, particularly the way a young man of Kit's social class would have spoken. At first I found this dialect a bit jarring, but it truly brings Kit's voice to life in an authentic way.
Born and raised in a small Essex village, Kit is amazed at the sights and sounds of London. He is particularly attracted to the saucy serving maid Priscilla, who works for his master's brother. But he is especially mesmerized by the Frost Fair, a little village built on the frozen Thames, filled with booths offering refreshments, games, merchandise, and varied entertainment, including jugglers, puppet shows, acrobats, and rides on the ice. A whole ox was even roasted on a gigantic spit during the fair. But of course Kit has not forgotten his brother, and he aches to know what has become of him and who, if anyone, is watching over him. When his fortunes change, and he has the opportunity to have a real apprenticeship, Kit must make a difficult choice between listening to his heart--where his brother still lays claim--and pursuing the possibility of a prosperous life for himself in London.
The story of Kit, his brother Christy, and the characters Kit encounters in London emerges through the frost that covered London with burning intensity. These are characters that you will take into your heart. The relationship between the twins, and the heartbreaking choices Kit has to make, ring very true and draw the reader into the story. Moreover, the author provides many evocative and authentic tidbits of historical fact woven throughout the story. For example, it was so cold that birds fell out of the sky, frozen to death. "The piss had froze in the chamber pot and the ale in the bucket." She also incorporates very frank descriptions of teenage sexuality during this period, incorporating bawdy vocabulary that was definitely new to me. This language is not at all gratuitous, however, since the author has gone to great lengths to reconstruct the dialect of the time, particularly the way a young man of Kit's social class would have spoken. At first I found this dialect a bit jarring, but it truly brings Kit's voice to life in an authentic way.
May 1, 2010
The winter of 1683, the coldest winter ever recorded in England, has taken an terrible tole on Kit and his poor family. Kit dreams of going to London to find a job, but the only thing holding him back is his twin brother, Christy, who was born "simple". Since Kit has always looked after his brother and has never been separated, Kit isn't sure if Christy will survive without him. Frustrated and determined to better himself, in the end, Kit decides to abandon Christy in Essex and flee to the city. Once in London, Kit faces a world of opportunity and misfortune.
Capturing the icy, hardships of 1683 and the gritty streets of London, Sturtevant crafts a memorable story of duty, and brotherly love.
What drew me to The Brother's Story was the cover. I know, I know, "never judge a book by it's cover", but I couldn't help myself. The cover was neat looking and plus, it was set in London during the late 1600s--a period that I haven't read much about. Sturtevant is a good historical fiction writer because she describes the English country side and the bustling streets of London quite well. She also threw in the true time-period style language as well. Since Kit, our main character, is from Essex (a real country bumpkin), he has a sort of "hill billy" accent. It kind of annoyed me at first because he kept saying phrases and words like "I knowed that" or "hisself", but I got use to it after awhile.
The problem with The Brother's Story was that it was pretty slow at the beginning; almost to the point where only a hard-core reader would get through it. Another down-side was that it felt like Kit's story kind of lingered in one area for too long. The point of the story was Kit and his brother, but the climax kept wondering around the streets of London...literally. It also had a lot of references to prostitution, in which some cases the references were really bold and not just implied. Although it has to do with Kit's battle against temptation, I think we could have been spared some of those lewd British slang word. Because of it's frequent sexual references and Kit's sensuality, I would only recommend to older teens. Once I got halfway through the book though, it was terribly hard to put down. The ending was much better and I actually liked it! Through Kit's London "adventure", Kit learned a lot. I'm glad he did what was right.
Overall, The Brother's Story was an okay read, gritty, but well researched and intriguing nonetheless. I think Kit was a genuine character and it was worth while to watch him change from a child into an adult. If you're a history enthusiast like me, you probably can't resist picking up a copy; but I must say it is not an absolute must read. I still like the cover. Recommend for teens 14+.
|Content: Sexual references & sensuality (PG-13)|
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
Capturing the icy, hardships of 1683 and the gritty streets of London, Sturtevant crafts a memorable story of duty, and brotherly love.
What drew me to The Brother's Story was the cover. I know, I know, "never judge a book by it's cover", but I couldn't help myself. The cover was neat looking and plus, it was set in London during the late 1600s--a period that I haven't read much about. Sturtevant is a good historical fiction writer because she describes the English country side and the bustling streets of London quite well. She also threw in the true time-period style language as well. Since Kit, our main character, is from Essex (a real country bumpkin), he has a sort of "hill billy" accent. It kind of annoyed me at first because he kept saying phrases and words like "I knowed that" or "hisself", but I got use to it after awhile.
The problem with The Brother's Story was that it was pretty slow at the beginning; almost to the point where only a hard-core reader would get through it. Another down-side was that it felt like Kit's story kind of lingered in one area for too long. The point of the story was Kit and his brother, but the climax kept wondering around the streets of London...literally. It also had a lot of references to prostitution, in which some cases the references were really bold and not just implied. Although it has to do with Kit's battle against temptation, I think we could have been spared some of those lewd British slang word. Because of it's frequent sexual references and Kit's sensuality, I would only recommend to older teens. Once I got halfway through the book though, it was terribly hard to put down. The ending was much better and I actually liked it! Through Kit's London "adventure", Kit learned a lot. I'm glad he did what was right.
Overall, The Brother's Story was an okay read, gritty, but well researched and intriguing nonetheless. I think Kit was a genuine character and it was worth while to watch him change from a child into an adult. If you're a history enthusiast like me, you probably can't resist picking up a copy; but I must say it is not an absolute must read. I still like the cover. Recommend for teens 14+.
|Content: Sexual references & sensuality (PG-13)|
Courtesy of booksandliteratureforteens.blogspot.com
March 14, 2013
Katherine Sturtevant is the author of my favorite YA novel, A True and Faithful Narrative. That book also takes place in Restoration London, but it's about the daughter of a bookseller who wants to be a writer, which is naturally going to be a situation more modern readers can identify with, as opposed to this book, which is about a lower-class boy who wishes to better himself. He's not a sophisticated thinker. I empathized with him but didn't necessarily identify with him.
But what I love, love, LOVE about all her novels is that she is utterly unflinching in her depiction of the time period and place. I understand this won't be for all readers. This book has death, sex and bowel movements--we could sum it up like that. Her characters don't think in a modern way. They can be crude, violent, sexist...but my goodness, do I buy them completely, and the wealth of detail in these books is both breathtaking and natural. I lose myself in it and totally forget I'm reading a historical novel written by a modern-day person. The author talks about her research in the back, but I'm sure she's just brushing up--clearly she was THERE. Vampire or reincarnation, we'll leave that her secret. ;)
And while unsophisticated Kit might not be the kind of character I want to make friends with like Meg in ATaFN, I was still gripped by his story. I wanted to see where his journey would take him and finished the book in a couple nights' reading. I also appreciated where it led him--it's a happy ending, and a right ending, but a realistic one.
I just wish the cover and title of the hardcover were better. It is, unfortunately, difficult to imagine many teens scooping this off the library shelf.
But what I love, love, LOVE about all her novels is that she is utterly unflinching in her depiction of the time period and place. I understand this won't be for all readers. This book has death, sex and bowel movements--we could sum it up like that. Her characters don't think in a modern way. They can be crude, violent, sexist...but my goodness, do I buy them completely, and the wealth of detail in these books is both breathtaking and natural. I lose myself in it and totally forget I'm reading a historical novel written by a modern-day person. The author talks about her research in the back, but I'm sure she's just brushing up--clearly she was THERE. Vampire or reincarnation, we'll leave that her secret. ;)
And while unsophisticated Kit might not be the kind of character I want to make friends with like Meg in ATaFN, I was still gripped by his story. I wanted to see where his journey would take him and finished the book in a couple nights' reading. I also appreciated where it led him--it's a happy ending, and a right ending, but a realistic one.
I just wish the cover and title of the hardcover were better. It is, unfortunately, difficult to imagine many teens scooping this off the library shelf.
July 23, 2010
This was a good book, but had some more mature parts (I wouldn't let teens read it). But it seems to portray life as it would have been in England back in those days. Kind of enlightening, and a good read.
October 9, 2018
3.5 stars - very atmospheric. I felt the portrayal of women and sex shockingly realistic for its time. Disappointingly, 350 years later, some attitudes have changed so little.
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December 6, 2012Sturtevant, Katherine. (2009). The Brothers Story. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 275 pp. ISBN 978-0-374-30992-3 (Hardcover); $16.99.
In the coldest winter in England’s history, Kit and Christy are desperately scratching to eat, stay warm, and survive. His younger brother, Michael, has already died and his mother has sent him begging. Surviving for Kit may be a bit easier than for his twin brother Christy. Christy is developmentally disabled and we are in Essex in the year of our Lord, 1683. Attitudes about disabilities were decidedly different. Kit loves his brother and hates being responsible for him at the same time. Finally Kit decides to abandon his brother and take his chances in London Town. What brings this book into the review spotlight, however, is the fact that emotions about families, especially twins, remain constant. Just how would a young boy feel about abandoning his twin in the 17th century? Younger readers will read this one as a survival story (and don’t be surprised to see readers don coats while reading). Older readers and teachers may be even more impressed with the exceptional attention to the details of the Essex village, including its vernacular. Sturtevant has crafted a book that respects its time but still confronts readers with difficult and important ethical considerations that are still relevant today. This book has easy and obvious ties to history classrooms and is especially well placed in high school and even middle school libraries.
In the coldest winter in England’s history, Kit and Christy are desperately scratching to eat, stay warm, and survive. His younger brother, Michael, has already died and his mother has sent him begging. Surviving for Kit may be a bit easier than for his twin brother Christy. Christy is developmentally disabled and we are in Essex in the year of our Lord, 1683. Attitudes about disabilities were decidedly different. Kit loves his brother and hates being responsible for him at the same time. Finally Kit decides to abandon his brother and take his chances in London Town. What brings this book into the review spotlight, however, is the fact that emotions about families, especially twins, remain constant. Just how would a young boy feel about abandoning his twin in the 17th century? Younger readers will read this one as a survival story (and don’t be surprised to see readers don coats while reading). Older readers and teachers may be even more impressed with the exceptional attention to the details of the Essex village, including its vernacular. Sturtevant has crafted a book that respects its time but still confronts readers with difficult and important ethical considerations that are still relevant today. This book has easy and obvious ties to history classrooms and is especially well placed in high school and even middle school libraries.
January 12, 2010
England, 1683 brought the most brutal winter people had seen in a very long time. Kit, 15 and his twin Christy were cold, hungry, and poor living in Essex. Their father and sister died from the fever, and their 3 year-old brother, Michael is deathly ill. Christy is 'simple' and his mother wishes he would have died instead of other family members. Kit is his only champion. When Michael dies, the mother employs herself at a neighbor's farm, leaving the twins in the care and servitude of a despicably cruel master. Kit longs to go to London to seek his fortune and career... and he does, leaving Christy behind. While in London, he sees the good and bad and he has ups and downs, yet manages to elevate his station somewhat and become apprenticed to a tailor. Feeling guilty and downtrodden, Kit senses he must find out what happened to Kit. The Brothers Story comes full circle and finds Kit reaching out to his twin and Essex once again.
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March 16, 2012Another good example of why I really like reading historical fiction is this book. This story takes place in what is still believed the coldest winter in England's history - 1683-84. The main character, 15-year-old Kit, leaves his dreadful life in a small village in Essex, to better himself in London. He leaves behind his mother and twin brother, Christy, who is "simple."
The enormous struggle of the poor and the wretched treatment they received, is powerfully presented, and again, the reason I love historical fiction so much. Only the hardest heart out there is not going to empathize deeply with Kit and the situation he finds himself in and want to help somehow. Kit also has internal struggles on many levels He is passing through adolescence; trying to control his feelings and passions while remaining an honest and virtuous person.
A very well told story, and I am SO glad I live when I do!
The enormous struggle of the poor and the wretched treatment they received, is powerfully presented, and again, the reason I love historical fiction so much. Only the hardest heart out there is not going to empathize deeply with Kit and the situation he finds himself in and want to help somehow. Kit also has internal struggles on many levels He is passing through adolescence; trying to control his feelings and passions while remaining an honest and virtuous person.
A very well told story, and I am SO glad I live when I do!
November 30, 2012
this book was set in old time London, with a poor dialect to it. Set during the hardest frost period on record, two twin boys (Kit & Christy) are struggling to survive. Both of there real names are Christian, because there mom thought one of them was going to die from pneumonia. In a act of desperation, Kit leaves to London to try to make it on his own. Although the realism of the times, back then are interesting and the truthfulness of author gives the characters are pretty good, the second half of the book was a big disappointment. The author decided to focus on Kit's hormones. I realize teens are sexual, but this had no meaning in the overall story. The ending seemed rushed and unrealistic. Not a book I'd praise to teen readers interesting in the genre. Also the language in the book made it a bit hard to read.
September 12, 2010
Set in old time London during the hardest frost on record, twin boys, Kit & Christy are struggling to survive. In a act of desperation, Kit flees to London to try to make it on his own. Although the gritty realism of the times back then are interesting and the honesty the author gives the characters are refreshing, the second half of the book was a very big disappointment to me. The author decided to focus on Kit's hormones and the sexuality of the book was out of line for a teenage book. I realize teens are sexual, but this seemed thrown in for shock value and had no meaning in the overall story. The ending seemed rushed and unrealistic. Not a book I'd praise to teen readers interesting in the genre.
November 20, 2013
Sturtevant really made the coldest winter ever recorded in England seem real. I really enjoyed the contrast between the two brothers. I also enjoyed the subtle input of religion in the novel, like the coat of many colors. I'm a little irked at the sexual scenes, but I do not know why. It does not seem right in this historical fiction. I understand that Kit is a teenager and this is set in the late 1600's, but it seemed out of place, like a badly placed comic relief.
Overall, this novel will be one of my favorites. A light read that will keep you on your toes and have you thinking after reading it.
Overall, this novel will be one of my favorites. A light read that will keep you on your toes and have you thinking after reading it.
September 16, 2011
Don't know if I can fairly review this book. I didn't make it passed the first couple of chapters. I was already struggling with the hormonal issues discussed. I kept thinking, "I bet this is just going to get worse." So, I looked up a couple of reviews here. Yep. It was just going to get worse. I don't have time to waste that. There are so many good books out there that tell a story with teenage boys (or girls) as the protagonist that don't have sex in them; I'll just skip this one.
January 28, 2010
Horrible cover and didn't really feel anything towards the characters.
February 2, 2010
England in the 1600's...developmental disabilities, poverty, "frost fair", social class, coming of age...
July 9, 2010
It was so slow in the beginning that I just wanted to stop reading it, but more into the book it got better. I wouldn't recommend anyone to this book, but it was an ok book.
October 11, 2011
Set in 1680′s England, this is the story of twin brothers, Kit and Christy. Kit must care for Christy although he resents it. An interesting historical fiction. [Nov. 2010]
April 30, 2017
I found the story and historical settings interesting. Kit had his flaws, but I had some sympathy for him.
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