Sweet Clarinet

by James Riordan

It's the second World War and Billy's life will never be the same again. As he lies in his hospital bed, horribly burned, he longs for death. But when a soldier comes to see him and gives him a clarinet Billy realizes that there might just be something worth living for - some hope for the future... BLJames Riordan has now earned himself a reputation for writng about war in a powerful and uncompromising way BLHis background in retelling traditional stories shows in his excellent storytelling abilities BLJames Riordan lives in Portsmouth

131 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Riōdan, Jeimuzu 1936-2012
Riordan, Dž.
Riordan, Džejms.
Riordan, James
Riordan, James William 1936-2012
Riordan, Jim, 1936-2012

James Riordan (10 October 1936 – 10 February 2012) was an English novelist, broadcaster, sports historian, association football player and Russian scholar.

Well known for his work Sport in Soviet Society, the first academic look at sport in the Soviet Union, and for his children's novels.

Reviews

[Esther Batt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the only books I remember enjoying as a child, my mum gave it to me and we managed to lose it. I’ve looked for the book since I got back into reading but it was out of print and wasn’t sold anymore. But thanks to Bristol Grammar School Library I now have this book back in my collection.

It was just as good as I remembered it. Lovely.

[Isabelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favourite books as a child, I kept it out of the library for weeks at a time and read it over and over. The it took me a long time to find it again, it doesn't appear to still be in print alas, but I'm so glad I went out of my way to find a copy. I wanted to see whether the book was as good as I remembered it being as a child, it was. It's got a certain echo of hope vs futility that run through the book. It's only 130 pages, but it neatly tackles prejudice, loss, profound hope, joy, despair disfigurement and disability, without toning down the harshness of the reality of war, nor treating children like they're stupid. It's not condescending, nor is it gratuitous, it's just real. Completely recommended.

[Emi Fujimoto · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got two copies of this because it's my favourite book but I couldn't bring myself to pencil it for a book report so I bought another copy! This book is a delightful read and I'm a little sad it's out of print but it's really worth the read. The story is simplistic, but that leaves room for a good amount of detail and exploring the things that happen. I won't say what because I don't want to spoil it, but it shows a nice detail for the problems presented from an incident that is sadly a horrific truth that has happened to people. It balances the good and bad moments well and the ending is really rewarding. It's absolutely the most prized story in my little library, LOL, so if anyone hasn't read it yet, I suggest you do!!

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn’t want to put it down but didn’t have much of a storyline

[Zahra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing, never got bored reading the book and this made me realize what genre i enjoy the most :)

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this very affecting, as a child. Very moving. Worth a read.

[Sukhita · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is an effecting book. It shows the importance of keeping going despite all the odds against you. With the right attitude and hard work, you can achieve anything you can set your mind too.