Fleshmarket (Signature) - Softcover

Morgan, Nicola

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0340855576 ISBN 13: 9780340855577

Publisher: Hachette Children's, 2003

Synopsis

It is Edinburgh, 1822, and young Robbie is eight years old when he witnesses his mother's pain and subsequent death from an operation - without anaesthetic - to remove a tumour from her breast at the hands of Dr Knox. Haunted by this terrible event, Robbie, his hapless father and baby sister Essie attempt to move on with their lives. But when Robbie's father loses all their money and disappears, Robbie is left to look after himself and his sister in the Edinburgh slums. Somehow he falls in with Burke and Hare, the two men whom Knox employs to 'collect' bodies for medical research. Robbie sees a way to avenge his mother's death. Convincing himself that Knox is having people killed for him to experiment on, Robbie eventually confronts him. But Robbie comes to realise that for all his hard-heartedness and corrupt methods, Knox's motives are ultimately for the good: to improve surgical conditions, and operate on patients with the greatest speed and therefore minimum risk. Robbie eventually trains to be a surgeon, finally giving meaning to his mother's tragic death.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Edinburgh, 1822. Young Robbie is just eight years old when he witnesses his mother's agonizing pain and then death from the removal of a breast tumor during public surgery at the hands of one savage surgeon, Dr. Knox. The sounds of his mother's piercing cries haunt Robbie as he and his hapless father and baby sister try to go on.

But life proves bitter when Robbie's father loses his business and disappears. Years of poverty go by as Robbie cares for his sister in the Edinburgh slums. Fueled by anger and grief, the teenaged Robbie seems to be heading for a life on the wrong side of the law when he helps the men providing "the butcher Knox" with dead bodies for his medical research.

For years, Robbie thinks of Knox as his mother's killer and wants revenge. He's convinced that Knox is involved in a murderous trade in bodies for experimentation and plans a confrontation. It will take time to see the motives behind Knox's corrupt methods. Perhaps there will be a way to give some meaning to his mother's tragic death after all.

About the Author:

Nicola lives near Edinburgh with her husband, two daughters, and a dog. After obtaining a degree in Classics and Philosophy, her various past jobs have included, cooking business lunches and plucking turkeys. She worked as an English teacher for 16 years and has promoted child literacy for many years. She has written over 65 non-fiction titles, including some for Hodder Wayland, but achieved a 21 year old ambition when her first and critically acclaimed novel, Mondays Are Red, was published as a Signature title by Hodder in 2001.

Nicola's favourite pastimes are reading, glass-painting, creating mosaics and cooking. She hates gardening, but likes nothing better than to sit in a beautifully tended one..

About this edition

• Publisher: Hachette Children's
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0340855576
• ISBN 13: 9780340855577
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272