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Book Review of Mr. Timothy

Mr. Timothy
reviewed on + 1568 more book reviews


Did you ever come to the last page of a book, close the covers, sigh, and wonder what happened next to an unforgettable character or two?
Louis Bayard did. And he now shares his imaginings with the rest of us about, "Whatever happened to Tiny Tim?"

It's the Christmas season, and Mr. Timothy Cratchit has just buried his father. He's also struggling to bury his past as a cripple and shed his financial ties to his benevolent "Uncle" Ebenezer by losing himself in the thick of London's underbelly. He boards at a brothel in exchange for teaching the mistress how to read and spends his nights dredging the Thames for dead bodies and the treasures in their pockets.
Timothy's life takes a sharp turn when he discovers the bodies of two dead girls, each seared with the same cruel brand on the upper arm. The sight of their horror-struck faces compels Timothy to become the protector of another young girl, the enigmatic Philomela, to save her from the fate the others suffered at the hands of a dangerous and powerful man.
A different kind of Christmas story, this breathless flight through the teeming markets, shadowy passageways, and rolling brown fog of 1860s London would do Dickens proud for its surprising twists and turns, and for its extraordinary heart.