Reviews

Sapphire Battersea is a great historical novel set during Victorian times. Through the eyes of Hetty (originally Sapphire) we see the hard times she endures, great friendships, tragic losses and how it affects her. There is such a warm feeling to the book, even right through hard times and displeasure. The story is brilliant, but there is next to nothing of information, and though the casual style of writing was clear and understandable, it was lacking detail. I have enjoyed reading this book very much, but there could have been more information.

by Jazmin

 

An easy read: fascinating, funny, and moving, Victorian-era novel by Jacqueline Wilson. Named after her sapphire blue eyes, Sapphire, or  Hetty, starts off life in a foundlings hospital, but soon realises there are lots of opportunities waiting for her.

When Hetty leaves the hospital she hopes that with her new name also comes a new life. Through the eyes of Hetty Feather, she reveals the twists and turns of all her dreams, secrets and fears.

Over all a gripping, comical book, great for children ages eight and up.

By Claudia

 

The book was a fairly dull read. This is mainly because the characters were rather stereotypical making them unrealistic. However, the character I most liked was the butchers boy, as he was both lively and amusing consequently making the story bearable. I particularly disliked the plot as well, for it was largely predictable and not very exciting, especially the ending. The different settings and scenes in the story were also described with too much detail, which distracted the reader from the story.

The history in the book was particularly vague and did not inspire me to find out more about Victorian Britain in which it was set. This book may be more suitable for younger readers and subsequently did not immensely inspire me to read more books by this author. The vocabulary in the book was also somewhat plain.

by Sumaera