Product Description

Otis takes babies and money off desperate mothers, promising to deliver them to the Coram Foundling Hospital in London. Instead, he murders them and buries them by the roadside, to the helpless horror of his mentally ill son, Mish. When Melissa, beloved of Alexander Ashbrook and daughter of his governess becomes pregnant by him, her mother arranges for the Otis to take the child, telling Melissa it was stillborn. Alexander, not knowing Melissa's condition, has fled his home for a career in music. But Mish manages to save Melissa's baby, Aaron, and he grows up with Toby, the son of an African slave, inseparable friends. Toby is a plaything at the house of rich Mr Gaddarn, who is, in fact, Otis. When Mish sees Aaron and Alexander together, and realises the family link, he takes Aaron and Toby to Otis, who rejects them. A way must be found to rescue them, but a great friend must die before the family can be reunited.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7779 in Books
• Published on: 2004-05-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Eighteenth-century England is the setting for Jamilla Gavin's sweeping saga of growing-up, struggle, tradition and corruption. From an acorn of an idea about a real-life good Samaritan of yesteryear, the author has crafted a satisfying, if occasionally painful, novel that spans the lives of several fortunate and unfortunate young people of the day.

The author has researched her backdrop very well, and the atmospheric sights and sounds of the time are both vivid and captivating. Readers will smell the dirty streets and close-living of urban London, revel in the summer splendour of the finest country houses and then flinch when the harshness of life for the poorest souls is revealed in uncomfortable detail.

For in the late 1700s your circumstance of birth meant everything. Toby and Aaron may both find themselves living at Captain Thomas Coram's Hospital for parentless children, but their histories are as far apart as they could possibly be. Toby has been rescued from a life of slave labour in a faraway country; Aaron is the illegitimate son of the heir to a large country estate. They are watched over by Mish--a simple soul who has been with them since their arrival. His devotion to them is absolute, but his motives are not altogether straightforward. Could this curious man really be Meshak, the son of a wicked child-killer who was hanged at the gallows for his crimes?

Coram Boy is a glorious web of changing fortunes and subtle intrigues. There is tragedy and corruption, hope and evil. Sometimes brutal and sometimes unceasingly bleak, the genre of historical fiction has rarely been this good. It's undoubtedly the kind of book that wins awards. (Age 12 and over) --John McLay

Customer Reviews

A great read, if a bit coincidental.
I was amazed top see that someone had posted a review claiming this book wasn't suitable for children. I am 12, I loved this book, and I have a nine year old sister who, although some of it went over her head, also thought it was brilliant! The parts that included dying babies were dealt with with sympathy, compassion and great care, although, yes, they were moving. The first half is about Meshak Gardiner, a 'simpleton' and son of a baby trader and peddlar; Alexander Ashbrook, a musical genius who leaves home because his father won't comtinue to allow him to train as a musician; Thomas Ledbury, Alexander's companion at Gloucester cathedral; and Melissa Milcote, who Alexander falls in love with.
The second part is about Meshak, now a man known as Mish, Alexander's son Aaron, and Toby, Aaron's friend at the Coram hospital. When Mr Gaddarn (who has another name- that person presumed dead) puts Toby to work in his house as 'a little black puppy' for the nobles to play with, Toby finds out he is shipping Coram children away as slaves and hareem girls. Aaron was apprenticed out to Mr Burney, a musician, because he shares his father's amazing musical talent, and he and Toby try to stop this. I was choked at the end... The only thing about this book I wasn't sure of was the coincidences, and the way everyone connected up. It was a very small world indeed! But Jamila Gavin made them make sense, at least. Read it, whatever your other tastes are- and if you are a parent, don't worry because any sensible, intelligent child of nine or above, or even eight, will be moved but certainly not disturbed.

'Coram' read it!
Coram boy is an intricate tapestry of intertwined lives, set in the gothic time period. It appeals to a huge variety of people, due to its superb range of characters and situations. From the misunderstood Meshak, to star-crossed lovers Alex and Melissa. It evokes a cacophony of emotions, from pity and anger to extreme joy. You find yourself swept along with the characters and instantly absorbed into the story.
Coram Boy begins with the disturbing tale of Meshak and his cruel father, Otis. The troubled Meshak is burying crying bundles in ditches under the command of his overbearing father. This is swiftly contrasted by the switch to Alexander's lavish life style as he holidays with his choral friend Thomas. Here we are introduced to the book's main female characters; sister Isobel and the angelic Melissa. As the plot continues, we begin to discover links between the two stories which are pulled closer together as time goes by.
Although confusing at times, Coram Boy is an intriguing and compelling novel. One which we would recommend everybody to read.

Madness for Meshak
Coram boy is a compelling novel where different lives and cultures become intertwined.The story line covers many aspects of live as the characters involved are of different status and the huge range of characters creates an intricate tapestry when they all come together. The book contains smaller story-lines within the rest which are more subtle but just as important.The character Meshak is a misunderstood and emotionally-scared boy who is part of a disturbing story-line, involving his cruel and slightly insane father, named Otis.The main love of the book comes from the two young adults, Alexander and Melissa who are involved in a deep and slightly passionate relationship which is broken by alexanders father when he rids the house of the idea and music.
As the book unfolds the story-lines connect revealing a dramatic finish.Many of the main characters are children or young adults who tend to annoy the adults.The main downfall of the book is the fact that there are too many different story-lines which, at times, become hard to follow.
Although the book has a few flaws it is a must-read and i rate it 4 stars out of 5.I recommend this book to anyone who undrestands the suffering of children in the past.