Sleeper - Hardcover

Dewhurst, Eileen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002321726 ISBN 13: 9780002321723

Publisher: Collins, 1988

Synopsis

Olga Trent, a Russian expatriot married to Henry Trent, an Englishman, faces threats from the KGB, who want her to act as their agent

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 2-6-- In 213 b.c. the Emperor Qin Shihuangdi (Emperor Chin here) ordered all books, except those few with which he agreed, burned. In this story, a young monk is given the task of delivering the most precious books and scrolls from the library of a great Chinese monastery to the Emperor Chin, who has demanded that all books in his empire be brought to him. But events conspire against Wu and his packhorses when he is lured into a mysterious cave where two men are playing chess. Drawn into an irresistible sleep, he awakens the next morning to find that the cobwebs are thick across the entrace to the cave; believing he has overslept, he hurries to deliver his books. Actually, he has slept for 200 years, and the books he carries are the only ones to survive the Emperor's book-burning. Through those treasured possessions, a dispute about the Emperor's successor is resolved and peace in the country is restored. The watercolor illustrations suggest Chinese landscape painting, drawing viewers deep into the scenes. Some illustrations are narrow, in the manner of oriental scrolls, while others fill the page. The brilliance of the colors and the brushstrokes combine to make powerful illustrations that support both the magic of the story and the historical setting. A book that will appeal to those who want to introduce this period of Chinese history, even while it causes readers to reflect on the power of books and the effect of censorship on societies. --Susan Middleton, LaJolla Country Day School, CA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Neatly plotted and pieced, this combination mystery/thriller features a lovely Russian emigree married to a British civil servant and living in London with him and their two small children. After 10 years, Olga Trent's quiet life is disrupted with the call she has been dreadingthe KGB has assigned her an assassination, forcing her cooperation by threatening her childrens' lives. Desperate for a way to refuse, she decides to confide in a friend of her husband's; discovering him dead from a gunshot wound, she declares herself responsible, taking the opportunity to put herself safely behind bars. The narrative switches its focus to the police and their unofficial investigation into the crime. The questions of who was meant to be Olga's victim, who murdered her friend and why, and who ordered the police investigation, build to a suspenseful crescendo. Dewhurst ( Playing Safe , The House That Jack Built ) offers complex and satisfying, even if telegraphed, answers to all. (Nov.)not clear if she confesses to being a kgb assasin or the murderer of
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Collins
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0002321726
• ISBN 13: 9780002321723
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208