Petals in the Ashes

Sign of the Sugared Plum #2

by Mary Hooper

This gripping account of London's Great Fire of 1666 is a worthy companion to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum . Only one year after the city suffered such terrible losses during the Plague, London is recovering and Hannah convinces her parents that, with her younger sister Anne's help, she can return to the city and manage the sweetmeats shop on her own. The girls are thrilled to be back in London, and Hannah even finds her old beau, Tom, alive and well and working for a magician. But her newfound happiness is short-lived as fires begin to spring up around the city and quickly move closer to their shop. Finally, Hannah and Anne are forced to abandon their home to save their lives. When the fires have abated, the girls return to find their shop in ruins. They also find Tom, beaten and injured after being chased by a mob that blamed the magician for starting the fire. Despite their losses, Hannah is sure that one day she will rebuild her shop and once again trade under the sign of the sugared plum.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Romance, Fiction, 17th Century, Middle Grade

192 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2004

About the author

Librarian 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.

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts right up where At the Sign of the Sugared Plum left off. In that first book, the London plague of 1665 is covered, seen through the eyes of our narrator Hannah, Sarah’s younger and more naïve sister. Here, in 1666, the Great Fire of London is covered, and this time Hannah, still the narrator, is the more worldly and older sister to her younger sister Anne. They’re still the proprietors of their sweetmeats shop.

I loved this one almost as much, maybe as much as the first book, and I’m delighted that there is plenty of opportunity for at least one more sequel.

For me the fire didn’t have quite the punch of the plague, but it didn’t start in this book until way into the story, and it lasted less than a week vs. the much lengthier course of the plague. So, did anything momentous happen in the London area in 1667? Doesn’t matter. There are at least two domestic storylines in which I’d be interested; I don’t need high drama. The characters are interesting enough without it.

I love how the two sisters cared so for their cat Kitty. I love the (very chaste) romance. I love the family and sister relationships. I love how the author makes London of this time come alive. The sights, scents, way of life at the time are all shown so well.

There is a wonderful author’s note at the end where she gives some details about the fire, and the plague too and, as with the first book that had recipes for the sisters’ confections, here there are recipes for body and home products: Rose water, Pot Pourri, Herbal hair rinses, Scented water to bathe in, Pomander balls.

Great fun for me was reading (in the story) about Pomander balls, sticking cloves in oranges and then wrapping them with netting/lace and ribbons. My mother and I used to make these when I was a child, and I continued the tradition for a number of years. However, we used the cloves themselves to prick the oranges; here (according the the “recipe”) knitting needles are used to first make holes in the citrus fruit where the cloves will go, and the process is a bit more complicated, but easily doable. All these products can be made. Teens or families, including families with middle school aged kids, can enjoy making all of these.

Book 3 please. I want more of Hannah and all the other characters too.

This book works fine as a standalone book but I think it will be better appreciated if the first book is read first.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having survived the terrible Plague of 1665, escaping with her older sister Sarah from the horrors of London at the conclusion of At the Sign of the Sugared Plum , Hannah returns once again to the great metropolis in this second story devoted to her (mis)adventures. Accompanied this time by her younger sister Anne - Sarah having elected to stay behind at the family home in Chertsey - Hannah finds London mostly as it was before the terrible events of the previous year, with its bustling crowds and its gay pageantry once more to be seen. Some things have changed, however, from missing neighbors to buildings that still bear the dread mark of the plague, and as Hannah and Anne begin to set their sweetmeat shop, The Sugared Plum, to rights, Hannah searches for her friend Tom, an apothecary's apprentice who stayed behind in London, when she and Sarah escaped. Did he, as neighbors report, die during the last outbreak of the plague? If so, why does the magician's assistant, that she sees at the theater one day, look so much like him? Most of all, having finally found him again, can she escape a second calamity, when a terrible fire begins to move through the city...?

I found Petals In the Ashes to be every bit as engrossing as its predecessor, and was immediately drawn into the story, which picks up right where At the Sign of the Sugared Plum left off, as Hannah and Sarah arrive in Dorchester, with infant Emma in tow. Although I had expected that the events of the Great Fire would take up more of the story than they did - the fire doesn't begin until roughly two thirds of the way through, after Hannah and Anne have been in London for some time - I wasn't disappointed in the book as a result, as it never failed to engage my interest. There were moments, reading along - notably, when the sisters encounter a man leading a chained bear, and a number of patients from the madhouse through The Bartholomew Fair, advertising their services as "entertainment" for the quality - that I was reminded of that famous L.P. Hartley quotation about the past being a "foreign country." But there were moments of recognition too, and experiences that felt familiar, from Hannah's first brush with romance, to Anne's sense of resentment, at her sister's behavior. The chapters involving the fire itself were by turns terrifying and heartbreaking - the thought of the king's wild menagerie, trapped in their cages, and unable to escape the heat and the smoke, as they died slow and painful deaths, made me feel sick to my stomach - and I simply raced along, wanting to know what happened next.

All in all, this was another excellent work of historical fiction from Mary Hooper, and I recommend it to all fans of the genre. Now, if only the author would pen a third story involving Hannah! Perhaps something involving Tom, and another return (hopefully successful) to London...?

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sequel to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum, and just as good. I was disappointed that there wasn't much description of how they made their candied fruits and flowers, but the period detail about London during the Great Fire of 1666 was fascinating. I think there's a third book to the series, which I must now sniff out...

[carola · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute little read but nothing more! I liked the setting because I haven’t read books about the great fire of London before. But there was no character development, in my opinion, and the book was so short it felt like I rushed from one thing to another without any excitement built up. So, it was an alright (ish) book but I’m always very generous when it come to rating a book so that’s why it gets 3 star since I still enjoyed reading it!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again is this 5⭐️ because its an amazingly well written book? No. But the nostalgia of rereading it again after 10+ years was amazing and it will always have a place in my heart

[Kate Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable read. Not nearly as cleverly written as the first book but nonetheless a fantastic, historically accurate, researched book. Hannah’s story arc lacked depth for me, and I would’ve liked to see Hooper do more with Anne, but given Hannah is the protagonist, that was to be expected. The end of the book felt rushed, as though Hooper didn’t want to write anymore or tie up loose ends that both the plague and the great fire had left. I would like to read a third book, exploring life in Chertsey more, but I doubt that’ll happen.... overall, would recommend!

[Nancy Lockett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Independent Sisters work to survive the Great Plague of London and then the Great Fire of London. It looks as if it is the second in a series .

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

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?

I highly recommend this book to all readers who enjoyed the first book about Hannah, "At the Sign of the Sugared Plum." I also recommend it to new readers who enjoy historical fiction and are interested in this time period. Hannah is a wonderful character, and her struggle for survival is riveting. I hope Mary Hooper writes another book about Hannah's adventures, as I would love to read it.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this sequel to "At the Sign of the Sugared Plum," but found it more scattered than the original. It's a hard thing to match expectations of a great initial book when an author writes a sequel, of course, but I found that this was just "okay" as a novel. Mary Hooper still does amazing research (in this case, into the great fire that nearly destroyed London in the mid 1600s) but the novel either needed to be a little longer to fully tie up loose ends, or there needed to be another aspect to the story to really engage me as much as her first book in the series (I think maybe it's just a two-book series?). Anyway, it was still enjoyable.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. This sequel to At the Sign of the Sugar Plum is another gripping read. Just a year after the Great Plague took hold of London, the Great Fire of London sweeps through the city and destroys it, once again disrupting the life of the heroine, Hannah. The historical details in these books are the most well done and intriguing aspects of the stories. This duo of YA books are quick, enticing historical fiction reads.

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mary Hooper gehört für mich eindeutig zu der Kategorie Lieblingsautoren. Ich habe mich als Teenager in ihren Schreibstil verliebt und hatte bisher mit jedem ihrer Bücher unglaubliche Momente. "Aschenblüten" ist für mich eine herausragende Fortsetzung zu "Die Schwester der Zuckermacherin" und steht diesem in nichts nach. Ich habe es dieses Jahr nun zum 4.Mal gelesen. Ich greife in bestimmten Momenten immer wieder auf die Bücher von Mary Hooper zurück. Ich glaube das sagt schon viel aus.

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book about life after the Black Death and then the fire of 1666 in England.
Thought of Lois Lowry, AVI, and the princess series of YA books.

[Dorottya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

It was a fine enough ending to the duology, but I enjoyed this one a little bit less than the previous one. I am not sure if the writing was different in this one, or I just did not notice this in the previous novel, but I found the writing a bit rushed and lacking some "spice"... which I did not notice in the first one. Maybe I was expecting a bit more emotional and nuanced language because Hannah was so much more mature than previously because what she experienced in London (to fend for herself without parents for the first time and to live through the plague) - which was actually showing through in the plot (how she handled Anne like Sarah handled her a year ago).
I also was expecting more from the love story plot. I liked it more in the previous novel... I mean, the love wasn't written in a nuanced way then, but it made sense, because it was just a crush, "love in the making"... but I wanted to get more feeling out of it, more time between the two, getting to know why they are attracted to each other... what we got was just they are still attracted to each other and they consider it love and that's it. That was flat for me, too little. I wanted something more detailed and something with more heart and more psyhological background.

I enjoyed Hannah's personal development, though and the storyline about the great fire of London. It was also really entertaining and an easy read.

[Justine Laismith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This young YA book is set in the mid-1660s. It is a direct continuation from Book 1, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum. For continuity, I recommend readers to read this straight after you have read the first book. The book blurb suggests the story is about the Great Fire of 1666, but the start of the story ties up the ends of the previous book.

In our last book the heroines have escaped the clutches of London's plague. They journey to Dorchester to deliver the baby orphan girl her aristocrat aunt. Eventually Hannah makes the decision to return to London without her older sister, but takes her younger sister along instead. Hence at the fresh start in London it was reminiscent of the first book, except this time round Hannah is the teacher.

The book give a good insight into the lives in London as they emerge from the depths of the Great Plague. When the fire came, the author has skilfully brought the reader right into the midst of the trauma and mayhem. You feel as if you were there when it happened, and the great loss afterwards.

A good read.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to "At the Sign of the Sugared Plum" this book picks up where the first book left off. This time set against the backdrop of the Great Fire of London 1666. A most enjoyable read that had you gripped from start to finish. Loved the interaction of the fictional and real life characters as they blended so well together.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for early teens that have an interest in history. A good continuation of the first book but you have to read that one first otherwise this one will make no sense. Looking forward to reading it again.

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyable. I definitely enjoyed 'At the Sign of the Sugared Plum' more than this sequel but it was nice to see that Tom and Hannah find each other after the devastation that the plague wrought on them.

[Kalilah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as gripping as the first. The first has a certain nostalgia for me, as I read it while I thought I too was dying of the plague. But, as ever, the descriptions of making the sweetmeats were very satisfying.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set during the Great Fire of London 1666, the story of sisters who run a sweet shoppe and how the deal with the horrifying destruction.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

B. fiction, YA , historical fiction, England, 17th c. Great London Fire

[Jake]

good book

[Lis Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say anything bad about this book. It's beautiful written and wonderfully catches the atmosphere of the past times.

[Amanda Witt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teen fiction and based on the true events of the Great Plague and Fire, one year after another in London in the 1660's.
Moving action, couldn't put it down.

[Lenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5*

[Hannah Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

great love tom

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoping there will be more about Hannah. Throughly enjoyed reading these.

[Annika · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Aschenblüten" hatte ich mir direkt mit dem Vorgängerband "Die Schwester der Zuckermacherin" gekauft. Und nachdem mich der erste Band so restlos begeistert hat, wollte ich natürlich nicht zu lange damit warten, bis ich auch "Aschenblüten" lese.

Wir folgen darin Hannah und Sarah, die sich mit der kleinen Grace auf den Weg nach Dorchester machen. Doch entgegen ihrer Erwartung fällt die erste Begegnung mit Graces Tante nicht besonders dankbar und herzlich aus. Sie werden ins Pesthaus gesteckt und müssen dort 40 Tage ausharren, bevor sie als gesund gelten und ins Anwesen der Cartmels eingelassen werden. Im Dienstbotentrackt leben die beiden Schwestern nun, bis sie Nachricht aus London haben, dass die Pest besiegt ist und man sicher in die Stadt zurückkehren kann.

Als es soweit ist, reisen die beiden jedoch zuerst nach Hause zu ihren Eltern. Unterwegs nehmen sie noch einen jungen Mann aus dem Nachbarort mit, der auf dem Weg nach Hause überfallen wurde. Dass dessen anschließende Besuche nicht nur mit purer Dankbarkeit, sondern auch mit starken Gefühlen für Sarah zu tun haben, sorgt dafür, dass Hannah mit ihrer jüngeren Schwester Anne zurück nach London geht, um das Geschäft "Zur kandierten Rosenblüte" wieder aufzunehmen. Zurück in London sucht Hannah nach Tom, erfährt jedoch, dass dieser zusammen mit Doktor Da Silva in einem Pesthaus der tückischen Krankheit erlegen ist. In tiefer Trauer stürzt sie sich in die Arbeit. Bei einem Theaterbesuch, für den die beiden Schwestern Karten von Nelly Gwyn erhalten, sieht Hannah einen jungen Mann, den sie für Tom hält. Lebt er etwa noch? Sie macht sich mit Anne auf die Suche nach ihm, während in London ein Feuer mit nie erlebtem Ausmaß ausbricht.

"Aschenblüten" war wieder in dem gleichen, wunderbaren, ruhigen Ton geschrieben, wie auch schon der Vorgängerband. Ich fand es etwas schade, mich von Sarah verabschieden zu müssen, auch wenn es schön war, zur Abwechslung Hannah in der Rolle der älteren Schwester zu sehen. Die Einreise nach London zum Beispiel war ein schönes Gegenstück zum ersten Teil, in dem Hannah selbst alles bestaunte, wie es nun Anne tat.

Auf Action wartet man auch hier wieder vergebens, wenn auch durch den großen Brand einige spannungsgeladenere Szenen als in "Die Schwester der Zuckermacherin" dabei sind. Die Flucht der Menschen aus der Stadt, die Gefahr der um sich greifenden Flammen, die die Menschen so kurz nach der letzten überstandenen Katastrophe heimsuchen, das alles schildert Mary Hooper wieder wunderbar nah und bedrohlich, ohne dabei in die Hollywood-Trickkiste greifen zu müssen.

Das einzige, was mir nicht so gut gefallen hat, war, dass sich die Geschichte ein wenig übereilt angefühlt hat. Ich glaube, 100 Seiten mehr hätten diesem Buch wirklich gut getan, denn mit der Zeit im Pesthaus, der anschließenden Wartezeit in Dorchester, der Reise zurück zu den Eltern und dem dortigen Aufenthalt, der Rückkehr von Hannah nach London, der Suche nach Tom und der Rückkehr in den Alltag und anschließend das ausbrechende und sich ausbreitende Feuer und die Flucht vor diesem, war es für nicht einmal 300 Seiten einfach zu viel Inhalt. Ich hätte auch gern ein wenig mehr über die Auswirkungen NACH dem Feuer auf London und die Bevölkerung gelesen.

Aber das sind keine großen Kritikpunkte und ich glaube, es werden nicht die letzten beiden Bücher von Mary Hooper gewesen sein, die ich lese. Daher von mir für "Aschenblüten": 4 Punkte.

[Cardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zauberhaft und mitreißend wie der erste Band. Besonders die Romanze zwischen Hannah und Tom hat es mit angetan. Und die historischen Beschreibungen … es fühlt sich alles so echt an. Aufregend und faszinierend. In diesem Buch passiert irgendwie viel mehr als im ersten, aber es ist trotzdem immer ein schönes zurückkehren.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this immediately after The Sign Of The Sugared Plum because I couldn't wait to find out what happens with Hannah and Tom.
This was still an enjoyable book but I was left feeling like Hannah could have ended up a little better off. When we meet Tom again in this book, he is the disappearing act for a crack magician. He reappears in each act in disguise. I'm thinking his station in life has not only plummeted but he appears dishonest and desperate. He also admits only to looking for Hannah on one occasion while she's been pining over him constantly and going to all lengths to find him. I just cannot seem to like Tom & can't root for the 'lovers' getting together forever. So, this I think put a big downer on the whole thing for me, as the romantic element was ruined.
During the big London fire Hannah's life is saved by a boy she was acquainted with before & who had quite a crush on her. He said that he'd made a bundle carting people and their belongings out of the city and had enough to start a real life with a nice woman (hint hint). I could just picture Hannah taking him up on it. They rebuild the Sugared Plum but far better than it was before. Have a peaceful and happy life. The end. But nooooo - instead we find Tom all beaten and half dead, lucky to still be alive - left behind by the crack magician. Alone. With nothing. Our heroin sweeps in and saves his bu--, whisking him off back home with her to nurse him back to health and hope that he finds work. NO! NO! NO! It is not supposed to work that way. Hannah is better than that. She got the bottom of the barrel. He didn't show much appreciation for her chasing him around and saving him either.
Other than that, it really was a good book. Hannah is very likeable, sweet and brave. Can you imagine finally getting past the whole plague scare only to return with hope of rebuilding and carrying on only to be BURNED OUT completely?! How much lower can a person go? It's like complete defeat. It would be nice to have a third book that ends up on a happy note. To see London being rebuilt and how folks managed after the fire. There was a little mention of what occurred in the aftermath, but to see it from Hannah's perspective would be even better. And, maybe she could end up in a more favorable position, too???
Despite my problems with the romance part of the book, it is a book very worth reading. I would love to see both this book and the Sugared Plum in middle schools everywhere. There is alot of good historical information, written in a way that makes it interesting and easy to follow. 4 enthusiatic stars!

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this sequel to At the Sign of the Sugared Plum (http://www.eyelevelbooks.com/2009/05/...), Hannah and her sister Sarah escape from quarantined London to Dorchester, bearing the orphaned child of a noble family who have died of the Bubonic Plague. They deliver the child to her relatives and,after a sojourn at a local house of pestilence, remain at the estate until the Plague begins abate in London. Eventually the quarantine lifts, and after visiting their country home in Chertsey, Hannah returns with her younger sister Anne to re-open their confectionary shop in London.

The city is a different place after the ravages of the Plague, and white crosses are visible on many empty homes and businesses. Hannah visits the shop of her sweetheart and learns from neighbors that he contracted the Plague and was taken to a burial pit. She grieves, and then is mystified when a local conjurer's assistant bears a strikingly resemblance to him. She follows him to Bartholomew Fair to discover that he has not in fact died. The budding romance are interrupted when fire breaks out, completely devastating the city.

The romantic story is a thin foil for the real action, which is the rebuilding of London and then the Great Fire. Hooper builds upon the excellent historical foundation she laid in the original book, giving a sense of the period's flavor by such scenes as the two sisters at confectionary-making and herb-gathering (recipes are included at the end of the book); the many sideshows at Bartholomew Fair (taken from historical accounts); and the detailed description of Hannah's journey through the burning city, with all the landmarks that succumb to the fire, is nothing short of breathtaking. As in the first book, excerpts from Pepys' diary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_P...) introduce each chapter.

The character development is again rather shallow and the love story leaves much to be desired. Hannah continues to be self-absorbed and shallow. Her beau never declares his intentions, but he gives her a keepsake locket and there are several romantic scenes that end in kissing. This sentimental indulgence in the context of an undefined pseudo-courtship makes the book feel more like a modern teenage novel than a story from this time period. Parents will have to judge for themselves whether the love story outweighs the historical benefit of this book. For our purposes, we will probably read it once as a supplement to our history education, but it won't make it to our recreational reading shelf.