Die Flüsternde Straße

by Livi Michael, Salah Naoura (Übersetzer)

Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso

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

512 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author was inspired to write this book after hearing the following true story that took place near her home over a century ago.

“A farmer and his wife took in two children, boy and girl, from the workhouse, to help with the run of the farm. As the years passed, people began to notice that the children never got any older. But the farm was isolated, people kept to themselves, and only when the mother of one of the children came looking for her did the truth finally emerge. The farmer and his wife had been working the children to death, and replacing them with similar-looking children from different workhouses. No one ever discovered how many children had been disposed of this way.”

Her story takes place in 1830s England, a time when industrialization was putting an end to feudalism. The population growth of the poor was out of control and overflowing the slums. I think that the author did a good job of bringing the environment of that time to life and incorporating satire. She even included some famous historical figures in her story. The suspense of the book had me turning pages for hours. There were some powerful moments in the story, as well as some creepy elements, which I thought were very well-written (the main character’s sister is possessed by spirits). The book reminds me a bit of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, with British slang.

A downside of the story is that it has too many chance encounters and stroke-of-luck moments, and there is not enough humor or novelty in those sections to distract you from noticing that.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a gem of a book! Dickinson like, it deals with abject poverty, work houses for the poor and children whose parents cannot afford to keep them and resort to dropping them off at work houses.

Realistically written without over dramatization, we travel the streets of England during the 1830's when poor were deemed unworthy, stupid, and people to be abused.

Two children, a young boy and his younger sister run away from an abusive situation at a working house. Traveling through the woods they eventually arrive in Manchester, a dirty industrial town.

Longing to find their mother, they met a host of characters, some good/most bad.

Highly recommended!!

[Stefan Bachmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

O.o THIS BOOK IS SO SAD AND DARK. But also gripping and spooky and full of historical detail and an intriguing, barely-there fantasy edge. I read it in two days, which is the highest praise I can give tbh because I'm normally the slowest. *sobs in direction of Goodreads Challenge being 4-books-behind-schedule*

Anyway. Good stuff. I'm still thinking about the ending. Also, I thought this was MG but... if anything, it's upper, uuuuupper MG. The darkness levels are easily in YA-to-adult territory, and there were sections I skimmed because the descriptions of diseases, street fighting, and wounds were so freakin' sad and gritty.

Lastly, I remember reviewing Livi Michael's follow-up book Faerie Heart for a magazine ages ago and being a big fan. I still remember that book fondly and would highly recommend it. I really need to read more of this author's work.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 19th Century England, Joe and Annie have been sent to work on a farm. When they left the workhouse they thought they were lucky, but this is much worse - worked to the bone and violently beaten they know they need to escape. The pair make a run for it and decide to head towards Manchester, to see if they can find their mum, she always promised to come back and now is the time to reunite.
Along the way they meet a host of characters, some nice and others only want to use them, the pair must learn who to trust and how to survive.
Joe is a cheeky chap, not completely sure of his age but somewhere around 12-14. He likes to tell stories and has a way with words, he is close to his sister but finds her very hard work. Annie has always been strange and is some sort of Medium, able to see Ghosts. Very strange, and doesn't speak much but very dependant on Joe.
I liked the two main children, they had a good bond and I really felt for them. Annie was very odd, but I just wanted to hug her, her upbringing had been so tough. And the sad thing is, these things really did happen, children were sold as cheap workers, slave like and beaten or worked to death.
There is lots of mystery and a hint of magic in the story but it is namely a historical fiction, the scene is set well and I could clearly picture everything, I really did walk down that road with Annie and Joe.
Joe ends up leaving Annie and gets involved with a street gang, the characters there are great, so diverse, a real jumble but all very real. I loved little Queenie, so tough and brave holding it together, the whole group was so diverse.
There were moments in this book where I laughed out loud and others where I had tears in my eyes. For the most part I was hooked into the story and really enjoyed it.
However, there is the chunk of the book where Joe is taken in by a wealthy man, this part of teh book takes on a rather more political angle, discussing the affects of poverty on people and what the best ways to stop the poor from 'spreading' would be. This was OK for a little while as it offered an insight of how the other half lived in that time, but for me it went on a bit too long and really slowed the book down. I found myself losing focus and scanning the paragraphs a little bit, when Joe finally left there I breathed a sigh of relief.
But that was only a small issue and I actually really did like this book.
The language and setting of the time was right down and the characters captured my heart. I'm glad I decided to keep hold of this book to read.

[Jennifer Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me of Oliver Twist, but it was more fast-paced and I think younger readers will get more messages out of it. The layered worlds the protagonist experiences in 1830s Manchester tell you a lot about society in general. What struck me most about Joe was that he was a survivor. Whenever he was selfish, heartless even at one point in the story, it was from the realistic perspective of that struggle. You could say his whole journey is a desperate search to belong somewhere. I saw it more as a strenuous climb up the hierarchy of needs. In the end, his triumph is that he climbs beyond survival. He can care about people who need him, rather than see them as a burden. He can care what he does for a living and even look forward to his future.

[Saba Basharat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Loved the characters and plot! Great for learning about workhouse, Victorian times and just for general reading at the end of day to children. Explores different issues such as family, friendship, loneliness, belonging.

[BubblesTheMonkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a great influence on me because now I know how tough things could get for me in the future. It's a great book about an adventurous boy named Joe, but he also has many other names.

[Becky Banks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I nearly stopped reading this several times, I don't, however, like to abandon a book, so I pushed on.
There are a lot of characters to keep track of in this (some of which I still couldn't name), and you don't know how many of them you will or will not come back to. It did feel very long, and it felt like there wasn't much progress and point in parts, a lot of repetitive situations but with different people.
The sister, for me, was always the most interesting character, so it was annoying to me that she was removed from it when she was becoming more intriguing. Because you had met a lot of people by this point who hadn't come back into it, it was highly plasible that we wouldn't see her again.
I will say that the last third of the book is definitely the best and most interesting it just felt quite the age before I got there.
I would not read the book again, but I did finish it, which is why it got the rating it did.

[Granny Swithins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seemed a promising idea, combining magical realism and Victorian social history in a kids' book, but for me it never quite gelled together. The disparate episodes of the siblings' experiences felt disjointed and didn't quite add up to form a coherent story. It was interesting to read about the working class history of Manchester but the story could have been more fully rooted in this history and place - whereas I normally enjoy a magical aspect to a novel, here the fantastical characters such as Dogwoman seemed to detract from the very real struggles of the poor and make the entire scenario less believable.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

A thoroughly unlikable central character does not make for a great novel. Joe (or whatever name he chooses/ is given) is selfish and thoughtless, abandoning his young sister at one point and only bothering to rescue her when he seems to have nothing better to do. The basic format of the story is: run away from bad situation, meet people who seem like they'll help, find out they're not really nice and end up in a bad situation, repeat. On a few occasions, the people do help, but it's all very much by the numbers. Too many predictable outcomes, and an oh so very convenient ending.

[twilightsprincess · Rating 5 out of 5]

実は本当にびっくりした！この本が大好きだ！自由の課題は強かった。主人公は自由が欲しかったのに全く自由がなかった。この本は私のおすすめだー
I was really surprised by this book! I really loved it! The theme of freedom was strong. It was interesting to see how no matter how hard the main character wanted freedom and without responsibilities, he was never truly free. I really suggest this book!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm rather torn between giving this 3 stars or 4. I really liked the ending and the historical basis was interesting, but most of the book was really long and slow, and I didn't much care for the main character. However, like the story, I liked him more towards the end, which I think you're supposed to, but it was still annoying during the beginning and middle.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never really read a book like this before and was surprised that I enjoyed it so much. There is a lot of plot to keep you entertained and it touches upon many issues and subjects. The only problem I would say is that it gets a bit slow in some places but I don't mind.

[Maura Gallaher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was extremely detailed but not interesting to me.

[C. D. Brinker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Whispering Road tells a story that's familiar to any fan of literature. Indeed, having read numerous novels, novellas, novelettes, short stories and poetry, one would be quite comfortable with the symbolism behind roads and the thematic elements thereby expressed. The Whispering Road stays on this path (pun intended), keeping in line with the ever-ole' cliches concerning the travels through life -- figuratively and literally in this case. There are the comings of strangers and the goings of friends, the trials and errors of everyday, the who, the what, the where? The journey through life couldn't be better expressed than on a voyage to an unknown destination. But in the end the destination doesn't always reflect the travels . . . does it? Sometimes, the destination is merely destiny.

I do believe that this was one of the major thematic elements, whether or not it was designed by the author as such. Being a fan of fiction, and having many titles credited to such fandom, one will undoubtedly see the ending coming a mile away (again, pun intended). There are enough clues and foreshadowing elements throughout the book, but where and when the end becomes apparent is most likely during the second-half of the novel . . . or rather, the destination of Manchester, England. It was here that the novel took a drastic turn from what it originally set out to be. What was once an interesting (albeit redundant) fantastical journey with supernatural elements suddenly turned into a historical-drama-esque story centered around orphans (again redundant), whereby the end of the novel everything comes together nicely and neatly under the simple guidance of fate.

This is perhaps my harshest criticism of the book: it's almost as Livi Michael wished to write two novels, but instead crammed it all together into one. The story starts out with all of these supernatural elements which really gear you up for a good ole' fashioned fantastical ride -- there's ghosts, a dog-woman, circus folk . . . how exciting! Then all of that comes to screeching halt when suddenly the story takes on this political tone based on the streets in the up-and-coming industrial city of Manchester, England. The story now concerns itself with orphans, who suddenly begin to emerge as major characters (whereas the preceding chapters only dealt with the emergence of minor characters) and the plot suddenly focuses on the tyranny of the rich and the oppression of the poor. And this is the big clue . . . this is where the end is within sights. To begin a novel with a fun, fantastical journey only to suddenly abandon it for a destination of everyday monotony . . . ??? Seriously, what roads are left to travel down . . . ???

And in the end everything ties together nicely and neatly . . . if a little forcefully.

Yet there's more to a book other than the journey (the plot, the climax, the theme). There are of course the words, the language. Overall I found this book to be an easy read and it kept my attention thoroughly. The language was simple, yet interesting, and whimsical with a touch of lingual. I found myself more immersed in the way the book was written, rather than what it was about.

But I wouldn't dare say the story was poorly told or boring . . . only misleading. Then again, some roads are.

[MaryEllen · Rating 3 out of 5]

To read my full review, check out my blog at http://maryellenherrera.com/2012/10/2...

The Whispering Road by author Livi Michael will, with no doubt, open up a whole new world for the reader. The two main characters, Joe and his sister Annie, are orphaned children who have escaped an intolerable living situation; a place where they were underfed and overworked. Once they are free, Joe decides the best place for them to hide is the big city of Manchester. Annie’s hope is to find their mother there, but Joe is doubtful and just wants to escape the brutal existence of the orphanage life. Ultimately their journey to the big city is full of adventure as they meet some interesting characters along the way. Due to Annie’s ability to contact spirits of those who have passed, she is left behind by Joe who thinks the traveling fair is a better place for her. Thinking she’ll be taken care of by the people in the fair, he trots off alone to the city. He soon discovers his life isn’t any easier there, but he manages to make a few friendships. Time passes and his mind begins to think of Annie. He feels bad about leaving her and makes the decision to correct his mistake – but is it too late? Life doesn’t always turn out as you’ve planned, and Joe and Annie find this hard lesson out as they travel their whispering road.

Once I began to read this book I was enveloped in it. The story was fun, adventurous, and had some interesting characters, all of which kept me reading from page to page. Because the children were traveling to the city, there was plenty of different places mentioned and that helped to keep the story flowing. The two main characters, Joe and Annie, were believable and the differences between them gave a good balance to the story. I was totally cheering them on as they came across one obstacle after another.

And this is the UK version. Although the changes are subtle, which one grabs your interest more?

Although I read The Whispering Road a few months ago, I don’t remember any areas of the book that concerned me such as language, sexual content, or gory details. However, there were a few parts in the story where Annie channeled the dead spirits – a child, for instance – of those she met on her journey to the city. Even though these encounters were mentioned in the book, I wouldn’t categorize this book as a horror novel or a supernatural one. The channeling incidents were brief and not at all scary.

[Gwynivere Elefante · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great book. I read it fairly quick because I was interested in the story. I have to suggest reading the authors note before reading the book and looking over the glossary. It WILL help. The storyline was good but a little “all over the place”. I have to be honest, I was interested in the characters but I personally felt it to be a little too ‘stuck’ between fiction, a mystery and non-fiction. But, all and all it was a good read that I recommend.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest. I totally judged this book by its cover: it's beautiful, and it's the sole reason I picked up The Whispering Road. It's taken me some time to get through it because it's a different style than I usually read, but it's been worth the time.

To me, this is a hybridized genre: part fairy tale, part magical realism, part historical fiction. Set in 1830s England, during the height of the cholera epidemic and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, this story follows Annie and Jack Sowerby over the course of several of the toughest months of their lives. Beginning with their flight from the cruel farmer who took them in from the workhouse; through the forest with a tramp named Travis who "listens to the stories of the road through his feet" and "Dog-Woman", a half angel and half devil who can heal or kill; into the clutches of a traveling circus man named Honest Bob who wants to buy Annie because she's a medium and people will pay for that; through the streets of Manchester as Jack takes up with an Oliver Twist-type gang called the Little Angels; into the home of Sheridan Mosley, cousin to the manorial lord of Manchester who wants to study Jack to fix "the problem of the poor"; and finally into the makeshift family of Abel and Nell, publishers of an illegal paper trying to unite the working classes of the city.

I actually really liked this book, and I was kind of surprised by that. I didn't love Jack - he seemed pretty selfish, although I'm not sure how you could survive what he did if you didn't look out for yourself. I was completely surprised by most of the plot twists, and while some of them seemed a little fantastical, it all contributed to the overall fable feeling of the novel. I would have loved to read more about traveling Travis and Dog-Woman, and I was also particularly interested in Abel's paper since it reminded me of "Newsies"! :)

The scary part of this book (and it gets very dark at times) is that it was all based on a true story. My interest in the Industrial Revolution has been piqued!

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I freely admit that I am a book -judger-by-its-cover kind of reader. Sometimes I get a dud, but most often I get what I got from this book — a true little gem of a story.We first meet Joe and Annie as they struggle to escape the tortuous servitude they suffer under Old Bert and The Mistress. The children manage to get away and literally bump into Travis, a man of the Road, who saves them from certain death. Travis introduces our two young heroes to life on the Road, teaching them to hear through their feet, find food, and stay safe on the dangerous byways of England in the grip of the Industrial Revolution. Eventually, the pair find their way to a traveling show where Annie’s ability to commune with the dead lands her in the spotlight. Joe, jealous of Annie’s “talent” and of the attention she gets from the show crowd, hoofs it into Manchester, the blackest of the black industrial towns. There he hooks up with a gang called the Little Angels and begins a life right out of Oliver Twist. After much drama, Joe finds his way back to Annie, who desperately needs him. The two find each other and find a home. Happily. Ever. After.

Despite the tremendous number of plot twists and turns, I completely enjoyed this story. It presents an unusual look at the life of children during the Industrial Revolution, a point in history before the concept of “childhood” was known. The heart-rending choices made by parents who could no longer care for their children are presented in a way that will make any parent cringe. Although there are a few instances where I think the editing could be better — for instance, I somehow doubt that a 19th century English child would have “freaked out” — I had a fine time reading this one and would recommend it for ages 10 and up.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe just wants to find his mother and his home, and he knows that the workhouse can’t be all there is for him. But even so, he’s willing to stay and work and wait for his mother to return, until the farmers he is working for go too far and hurt his sister Annie. That’s when he knows that he has to get them out.

And get them out he does. So begins Joe’s story, that will take him and Annie from encounter to encounter—with Travis, a kind stranger who tells Joe and Annie to never trust people in houses, to the mysterious Dog-Woman, to Honest Bob and his travelling fair, to Queenie and the Angels of Angel Field, a rabid group of street orphans, and more. And all along the way, Joe is always seeking and searching for the place where he can finally stop and call home.

This book is about Story. It’s made up of different pieces of stories, and even when it’s horrific, it feels like a fairy tale, like a fable of the Industrial Age. Joe is a compelling, likeable hero, even when he does unlikeable things, and it is impossible not to root for him and to care about him, and to hope against hope for his happy ending.

The flap copy claimed that it evoked Dickens, which made me less interested in reading it, because I am not a Dickens fan. But it does evoke Dickens, and yet I still ate it up. It’s a book well worth reading. Joe’s story will linger in your head for a long time after you turn the last page.

[Kristian]

this book is about a boy named john and a girl named amber. in the beginning of the book you see Amber getting beaten to death. right after that had happened john told her hat they are about to run away from there masters. after she heals they hop the gate and run off. as they are running they see the master along the way, they were not loud to take the main roads they were only loud to take the black roads. which were dark dirt roads. so the master knew automatically were to go and look for them. but john is smart he takes Amber through the woods and when they hear the master, they get low so no one can see them. once he and his dogs leave the run for florida, because back in the day that was the only safe place to be. they finally make it to the free florida also owned by the spanish in that time, so they sign in get a room and they had 3 babies 3 years later.
i can connect this book to my life because like last year we learned about slavery and we read a book that this girl was trying to get to the spanish lands, also known as Florida.
i give this book 4.5 stars because it was good it kept me hooked and at the end of each chapter i wanted to see what was happening in the next chapter until i was finally done.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the two kids named Joe and Annie. In the beginning of the book, they're servants for someone named Old Bert. Old Bert is an cruel master who constantly beats on Joe and Annie. At the start of the book, Annie was unconscious because old Bert Beat her, Joe thought she was dead. They slept in a chicken coop, which was cold and dirty. they thought it time they escaped. They lured Old Bert to the coop and knocked him out cold with a shovel. So now they're running for the gate.

I connect this book to another book called "The Incredible Journey". That book was about 3 animals lost in the woods looking for their way back. I connect this book because the 3 animals were split up at some point in the book, but they regroup. the same happened in this book, Joe and Annie separated.

I gave this book 4 stars because I thought it was a good book. I liked and I would recommend this book to my friends. I would Recommend this book to anyone who read any adventure books.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to stop about halfway through on this one, it was too dark and sad. It's about two children, brother and sister, during the industrial revolution, who are abandoned at a workhouse by their mother, and are eventually sold to work at a farm. They live a hellish existance, enslaved and abused, but are able to narrowly escape with their lives one night.

Their goal is to get to Manchester, the last know whereabouts of their mother. Along the way they find people who help them, but also people who take advantage of them and try, and succeed in some cases, to exploit them. The brother is angry and mean to almost the point of abusiveness towards his younger sister, and at one point even abandons her. He constantly is having thoughts of being violent and killing people.

I kept waiting for his redeeming qualities to surface to make all the depair worth reading, but it just wasn't happening and I had enough.

[Parenting For · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book. I'm looking for books that teachers can use to open up conversations about economic inequality. It's hard to find books that approach poverty from a resiliency and systems perspective (rather than deficit or blame) and this book does an excellent job of it. While Michael is writing about the realities of poverty in mid 19th century, through the lives of Joe and Annie, it is not hard to draw the comparisons to today. The views that Mr. M holds about the poor are not so different than the views that many hold about the poor today. Joe and all of the wonderful friends he meets along the way do an excellent job of telling the story of poverty being something that presses upon the poor, instead of initiating with the poor. What a bunch of characters! It was hard to put the book down.

[Liaken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dark tale for sure. Sadly, it is based not only on historical knowledge, but on actual people. It concerns two children left at the poorhouse by their widowed mother and all that befalls them as they are "farmed out" to hard work and little food in a cruel household. They escape and have many unhappy adventures that encompass many spheres of life including travelling freak-shows, children's street gangs, working class revolution, and the prejudices of the upper class.

The speaker of the story is the brother; he is a different sort of protagonist because he often makes not only bad choices but mean-hearted choices. The sister, you'll have to meet for yourself. If I try to describe her, I won't portray her correctly.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 Sterne

Ein Kinder-Jugendbuch mit ein kleinen fantastischen Hauch, das mich wirklich sehr begeistert, mitgenommen und manchmal auch traurig gestimmt hat.
Eine Geschichte über 2 junge Geschwister die wirklich ans Herz geht.
Joe, der ältere Bruder, aus welcher Sicht auch das Buch geschrieben ist, ging mir teilweise sehr auf die Nerven, weil er öfters sehr dumm gehandelt hat. Aber dies ist auch der Sinn der Sache, damit der Leser aus den Fehlern des Jungen lernen kann.
Einen kleinen Abzug gab es dafür, das am Anfang der Geschichte viel fantastisches geschieht und ab der Mitte kaum oder sogar gar nicht mehr. Hat mir gefehlt!
Sonst ist an dem Buch nichts auszusetzen. Schade nur, dass es so unbekannt ist.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book absolutely surprised me. I started it under the impression that it was some sort of fantasy, but it turned out to be an exceptional work of historical fiction. I loved the authenticity of the characters, particularly the "voice" of Joe. I've heard that it's a "tale that's been told before"---by many, most notably Charles Dickens. But rather than just being a "rewrite" of an old story, Livi Michael's novel is unique in its approach (combining historical fiction with hints of fantasy) and provides a look at the plight of the urban poor in 1800s England in a manner much more accessible to younger readers than the novels of Dickens or the like.

[Jennie Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two children escape a workhouse where they were left by their mother. They must now learn to survive on their own in a big city!

What I first loved about this book was that it started in media res so that you're immediately thrown into the action. This hooked me straight away and proceeded to do this right until the end. The plot was full of mystery like Annie's powers and many unexpected twists. The ending was happy and I was so happy about this because the kids had been through such hard ship that they deserved some good fortune!

Check out the rest of my review on my blog here: https://jennieelouisee.blogspot.co.uk...

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Siblings, Joe and Annie are both different to each other and everyone else. When they escape the workhouse they embark on a series of adventures each mysterious and interesting.
This book flowed well and had a storyline which separated it from the rest. A quirky book which is for anybody who wants to read something none of their friends have.

N.B. Please note the actual name is The Whispering Road, not Whispering Pond

[Louize · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first picked up this book I thought it's some kind of fairytale (with ghost on the side). I didn't realize that it's more of a historical fiction that tackles social interests in Old Manchester- human rights, poverty and industrial filth.

Joe and Annie's adventures and hurdles on the road, to find their mother, was heartbreaking indeed. Being a mother myself, it's quite disturbing for me to know children going through that sort of life. Good read.