Gideon the Cutpurse: Being the First Part of the Gideon Trilogy

First off, this was a good narration. I started to write "great", but then remembered three moments where, if I had been (God forbid) listening through earbuds, I would have had to claw them off my head and rock back and forth for a minute in pain. At the beginning and end of the book comes a sound effect which may or may not be some kind of audio logo for Simon & Schuster Audio, which sounded like a jet taking off. An intense blast of white noise. And the chapter in which the children come 'round in 1763 opens with … screaming. Not even the muted yelling tone Gerard Doyle used in other places to indicate louder speech without actually hollering in my ear – this was a jump-out-of-your-socks full bore very much unmuted scream. RIGHT at the beginning of the chapter. No warning. YAAARRGGH. Really, S&S Audio? You're going to perpetrate that on your customers? I enjoyed the book while I was listening, and it held my interest enough that I think I got through it in one day, while doing random things that needed to be done. It felt legitimate, well-researched; the characters weren't perfect, and I can't say I liked them hugely, but they had engaging moments and pretty well-rounded. The only child Pete getting fed up with Kate's "embarrassing" tendency to burst into tears; Kate's reserve toward Peter who, after all, is someone she has only known for a few hours and who started off grumpy and sullen. I liked some of the interaction between the time periods, and the scientific attitude toward time travel. I liked that the children didn't fit right into the period with barely a raised eyebrow on others' parts or a complaint on theirs. I liked some of the secondary cast of characters, and especially I liked Gideon. I liked the celebrity cameos, mostly; they were a bit numerous, but fitted in pretty well. And I kind of enjoyed hating the genuinely kind of scary Tar Man. I even loved a few moments, like: "We might not have discovered anything yet, but we have fabulous doors!" But that's not to say I approved entirely. The device by which the children travel through time was vague and unconvincing, but it was just the techno-babble-embroidered mechanism to get the story rolling, and became the MacGuffin. And it never entirely made sense that it was entirely necessary for the children to have the device to get back to the future, nor how it appeared and disappeared. Did Kate's father mess something up? Did the dog or one of the kids careen into the thing and hit a button or something? Ridiculous as I know it sounds, it almost sounded like the dog was integral to its functioning as a time machine. (No, seriously. She seemed to have to be there.) What I did not like about the secondary characters was a consistent inconsistency their behavior. There were several of the 18th century folks (Byngs and their attachments) who were, I thought, built up to be villains – and then suddenly everyone and their in-laws were on Peter and Kate's side and everyone was utterly trustworthy and supportive. And of the Bad Guys, I was completely unconvinced regarding Lord Luxon's villainy. There was a lot of talk about how awful he was – but almost all his behavior seemed perfectly honorable. If Gideon was a liar, there would be no real evidence against his ex-boss. And as for the footpads and highwaymen… a more silly and unrealistic group of miscreants I have not seen since that live Peter Pan they put on around Christmas (2014 – the villainy was almost as unconvincing as the lip-synching.) There was genuine menace, and then for a while all was foolish and children's-bookish – and then suddenly a shot rang out … I don't know. Odd. The head-hopping in the book was a bit excessive. Point-of-view bounced dizzyingly from character to character, everyone from Peter and Kate all the way down to the I-believe-unnamed coachman – sometimes more than one in (what felt in the audiobook) the same paragraph. And what happened to Peter's governess Margrit? About halfway through the book, shortly after the children vanish into the past, she makes an appearance keeping the other Dyer children occupied … and then, apart from a handful of brief mentions, vanishes herself. I would have thought as Peter's in loco parentis she would have been a little more prominent in police inquiries, if nothing else. Speaking of the police … I don't know what to say about the investigation as described here. It felt … perfunctory, off-kilter – like the "time machine", more an object that had to be there and so was tossed in than anything meant to be believable. The detective was more a collection of descriptors than any kind of believable character (though I did like the line about his stocking up on single-serving frozen dinners at the start of the investigation – it was moments like that (and the fabulous doors) that keep this from a lower rating). And the interaction between the two sets of parents … I don't know. For Dr. Dyer to withhold information not only from the police – which was understandable, considering – but from Peter's parents… that was not right. Along with the Inspector, I was a bit glad when Peter's father forcibly expressed his displeasure with Kate's father. It felt like a chunk of text went missing toward the end; one moment Peter's father is getting up in the middle of the night, and the next, out of the blue, Kate's father is making a surprise appearance. Oh, and then there's the other disappearance related to the machine. Apparently experimentation was moving along similar lines in the US, and … "a couple of months ago" that machine vanished as well, along with a cleaner. So… now that they have an idea what's going on, can I assume someone is going to try and find that cleaner? Or was he less important because he wasn't an influential person's child? And - - how could two, as I understand it, independently conceived, built, and operated machines develop the same unintended ability? "You see, Tim Williamson has been working on an antigravity project very similar to one in the States – which is why we were particularly happy to fund his research here. [(Really?)] We hoped that one project would complement the other. Anyway, Russ Merrick, at MIT, built a device that was different in design from Tim's but that had pretty similar aims…" How does that happen? They couldn't get the machines to do what they wanted them to, but …? Even if I didn't have any other evidence I would be pretty sure this book was originally published in England. If for no other reason (like head-hopping, which is more common-slash-accepted in English fiction than American, I believe), the two Americans were singularly unconvincing; things came out of their mouths that sounded nothing like what ought to be said by American scientists. (And I have a very hard time believing that cash-strapped NASA is going to fund duplicate research in both MIT and London. They have had to fight tooth and nail for funding for everything they've done for the past quarter century.) Finally, what I disliked the most about the book was its ending. What a moronic way for a main character to behave. I didn't buy it; I didn't like it; in fact it irritated me enough that there's no earthly way I'd pay the (*checks*) $8.54 for the second book on the Kindle. Up till that point I had vague plans to follow the story through. After that? I can live without knowing what happens next.

Two children from our time are accidentally sent back to 1763, where they make the acquaintance of Gideon Seymour, former pickpocket and cutpurse, and his arch-enemy, the Tar Man. I liked it, but didn’t love it.

So far I am really liking it; I have about 50 pages to go. It is a different twist on time travel, and Kate and Peter get to learn history as well.

I loved this book. What struck it about me right away was how the chapters were laid out and explained in the Table of Contents. That reminded me of the style of really old books and made me even more interested in the story. I found the story easy-to-read and fun. However, one of the main problems with the book is that it takes entirely too long to get to the main story of the book. I almost lost interest before the author got there. While I wasn't a big fan of the characters in the beginning, they grew on me.

It was written beautifully and I was more than happy with the plot. It was one of the books that caught me. Some books just catch you up in the action and adventure of it all and this book did was no different. The characters of Peter and Kate were developed beautifully and Gideon will forever be my hero. Looking forward to the next one. It was a bit slow, but more than worth getting the next one.

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the switching between times. They would switch at really intense moments, which made you want to keep reading to see what happened. It was kind of lengthy, but worth it.

Time travel and historical settings are always exciting elements in a story. Unfortunately this novel does not capitalize on these. It is an enjoyable enough read but it lacks suspense. The plot and action is all very predictable and the characters are undeveloped. It could be engaging as part of a study of history but needs some editing and revising to condense the action. Enjoyable but not outstanding.

Book one also called "The Time Travelers"Book two: The Time ThiefBook three: The Time Quake

A pair of friends are moved back to late-nineteenth century London where they fall in with an honourable highwayman who helps them in their quest to retrieve the stolen machine that brought them back. Ingeniously, the time-shifted protagonists are visible in 21st century London as ephemeral ghosts. Tying historical adventure into contemporary life is popular trope in fiction for young people and here it is used to good effect by weaving together a rich collection of diverse strands.

Pretty decent book. Reminded me of Inkheart a bit, but didn't quite have the depth to the characters that Inkheart did. A very easy and quick read, as it is meant for kiddies, but my own kid has no interest in reading it at all. Claims it's "Harry Potter" for kids, but this is not anywhere near true. There is nothing mystical at work here, some science, but nothing mystical at all, so that was a disappointment. I will be skipping the rest of the trilogy in search of something more.

I was always a sucker for time travel books when I was a kid, and I would have enjoyed this. Just after meeting, Peter and Kate in England end up crashing into a anti-gravity machine that takes them back in time to 1763. They find a place that is somewhat recognizable but very different. They meet many helpful people and one really scary man who realizes the importance of the machine (that traveled with them) and takes it. Meanwhile, their families, friends and the police back in the 21st century are baffled about their disappearance, especially since they can occasionally fade away from the past and appear briefly in the present. This is an interesting way to show how things have changed. First in a trilogy.

I liked that the characters were so diverse and seemed to change and grow during their adventure. I hope there is a 2nd book.

This novel is about two modern British kids (12-13 years old) who accidentally get back in time to the 1760s and experience plenty of adventures in their attempts to get back with the help of the (former) cutpurse of the title and other friends they make in the 18th century. However, it’s not just a children’s book. What sets it apart from the general adventure fare are the vivid descriptions and characterizations of 18th century England and its people. It’s a cliché to say that reading a book has made one feel as if one has actually visited the place, but personally I can’t think of any other book off the top of my head that did this for me. And actually getting to visit the country after having read it adds a whole new dimension to the experience.This novel is the first in a trilogy, but personally I didn’t enjoy the second installment, Time Thief, as much. Most of it takes place either in contemporary London which is described as any other modern city, nothing memorable, or in the revolutionary France, which is depicted as stereotypically as the 18th century England in Gideon the Cutpurse is not. The third and final novel in this trilogy hasn’t come out yet, so I can’t say anything about it. However, regardless of how it turns out and my disappointment with the second volume, I’m very glad I’ve bought the first one!

When Peter's dad puts off his birthday treat (again) because of an important meeting, Peter is forced to spend a day with the Dyer family. Going to see Mr. Dyer's dark matter machine is all fun and games until, Molly, the golden retrever, gets loose. While chasing Molly, Peter and Kate are unexpectantly dumped in 1763 England. I really liked how Linda Buckley-Archer uses so much discription in the blurring and the 1763 scenery and everything else! A person who likes history to be bareable and enjoyable would like this book.

This is my fist even ARC and boy was I excited to get it. Wasnt sure what to think of the book more then it sounds good and its unique. I have found lately that all young adult books have the same flow to them and i cant stand a book like that so I figured what the hay ill try it. Im glad i did it was awesome. Its the start of a trilogy and i can totally see this becoming a bestselling set at that. It was very unique in its plot and characters, the development was at the right pace, didnt rush through the details or stretch them out needlessly. The book had a great flow and became a page turner for me. I am sure that Ms. Archer will have a great fanbase on her hands after this book is realeased :)

I really thought this wasn't very good. Actually, I hate it.... The character progression was terrible and the plot didn't go anywhere. The main characters were virtually doing nothing as some children would, but that makes a terrible story. Kate and Peter just keep getting ambushed and it has almost no connection whatsoever. It was amazing it I didn't fall asleep.

An Excellent Adventure!

Once again taken in by a lovely cover, and it was worth it! This proved to be an exciting book: an adventure that starts with a futuristic sci-fi time travel sequence but quickly becomes a classic adventure story placed in 1736, among outlaws and royals, and with a look at eighteenth century London.I found the book well-written, accessible to both the target age group and adults who like kids' books. The characters are believable and sympathetic; Buckley-Archer keeps you guessing about the true natures of those who help or hinder the childrens' quest to find the time machine that will take them home. The dialogue is often witty, especially with the confusion surrounding long-outdated vocabulary, clothing, customs, and objects. "I admire your bottom." Buckley-Archer takes a relatively unromantic view of the London of the past, with its very definitive punishments for crime (lice-infested prisons, and hangings), its celebrity worship of highwaymen, its lack of hygeine. Nontheless, she finds enough redeeming value there to make her main character wonder if his modern-day life with jet-setting parents too busy with work to pay attention to him is in fact better than the more modest life he has found with Gideon.The only criticisms I had were that some bits seemed a bit slow and others redundant; I felt that the narrative could have been just a bit tighter. Also, I know this is a fantasy book, but somehow I still found some parts scarcely to be believed, such as the rather casual meeting with the King and Queen. Thirdly, the attempt at a quantum physics explanation for the time travel was perfunctory and, in my opinion, unnecessary to the enjoyment of the story. But these are fairly minor points; I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the next in the trilogy.

quite good. i just got it and i am nearly done with it

No full-fedged review here. Started this one and never finished. Not a grabber, if you know what I mean.

Lovely book transporting two 21st century kids into the 1700's. Can't wait to read the next one.