A Parcel of Patterns

Paton Walsh, Jill

ISBN 10: 080727609X ISBN 13: 9780807276099

Publisher: Listening Library, 1996

Synopsis

Mall Percival tells how the plague came to her Derbyshire village of Eyam in the year 1665, how the villagers determined to isolate themselves to prevent further spread of the disease, and how three-fourths of them died before the end of the following year.

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Reviews

Grade 7-12?Talented British actress Brigit Forsyth becomes young Mall Percival to recount Jill Paton Walsh's touching story (FS&G, 1992 pap.) of life in medieval England following the Restoration and religious turmoil and through the death and devastation caused by the Bubonic plague. Her good diction and clear enunciation make it easy for listeners to follow the regional accents and varied levels of education of the speakers in the town. Her speech is steady and appropriately paced. There is no hesitation with the unusual sentence structure of the time period. The emotions of the characters are effectively portrayed; grief, fear, love, anger are naturally reflected in her voice and never seem artificial or contrived. The producer has made it easy for one to read along with the narration as the corresponding page numbers are printed on each side of the tapes. This excellent presentation will make it possible for a young lady of 1665 to visit with the youth of 1996.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

In 1665 Mall Percival is a young woman from Eyam in Derbyshire. When the village tailor receives an innocent parcel of patterns from London, it turns the Great Plague loose on her small village. Eyam becomes a crucible in which all are triedÐweak and strong, sinner and saint. Brigit Forsyth reads as the young and acutely sensitive, country girl, complete with a convincing, clipped Derbyshire accent. An accomplished actress, well known to British television, she performs with a sense of immediacy and urgency that quickly bridges the 300 years between reader and story, drawing us into Mall's poignant tale. P.E.F. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Listening Library
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080727609X
• ISBN 13: 9780807276099
• Binding: Audio Cassette