"History repeats itself only in that, from afar, we all seem to lead exactly the same life. We are all born; we all spend time here on earth; we all die. But up close, we have each walked down our own separate paths. We have stood at our own lonely crossroads. We have touched the lives of others at crucial points, for better or for worse. In the end, each of us has lived a unique life story, astounding and complicated, a story that could never be repeated." —London Calling, P. 1 I have now read each of Edward Bloor's first four novels, and he has easily become one of my favorite authors. Beyond just marvelous, intelligent characters, fascinating descriptive style and deep, fully fleshed-out stories, what captivates me about Edward Bloor's writing is the way he has of making every little thing in the narrative feel as if it could be a deceptive agent of harm utilized by a dark force bent on the destruction of the innocent, that an ostensibly innocuous bit of descriptive detail could change the entire complexion of the novel, if it were to be unleashed. It's the perfect atmosphere for the telling of a mystery embedded deep in the layers of time, a mystery of such rich historical importance that multiple lids are just waiting to be blown sky-high by one willing to turn up the heat. It feels as if every small thing could be a menacing part of the broader scheme: an elevator button that sticks a little bit when pressed, the furniture in the rooms of the primary characters and how it is arranged, the titles of classic books that line the shelves of a deceased relative...Edward Bloor has a unique way of making every last word he writes feel as if it has some ominous element attached to it, which explains why I always end up racing through his novels at a fevered, frenetic pace.London Calling begins as what appears to be a regular school drama, if somewhat ratcheted up in its intensity. A nasty skirmish right at the story's onset between seventh grade student Martin Conway and a couple of his friends, and classmate Hank Lowery and a couple of his bully pals, turns into something more serious when a large chunk of marble ends up getting thrown, injuring no one. Martin's friend who threw the heavy material is the one upon whom most of the blame for the confrontation is foisted, though Hank Lowery certainly had been the real instigator of the trouble. This incident acts as the impetus for one of the main story threads of London Calling, Martin's desire to see to it that the illustrious Lowery family—held in reverence by most for supposed wartime deeds of courage performed by the general, "Hollerin' Hank"—is seen for the fraud that he and his sister know the Lowery family to be. Martin's story takes an uneasy turn for the supernatural, though, after the death of his grandmother, whom he called "Nana". Martin had long felt a strange connection to Nana despite the geographic distance separating them, and in recent days she had made phone calls to Martin several times in a scatterbrained state, talking about a lost boy whom Martin needed to help. Martin brings home the old-fashioned radio that Nana had urgently bequeathed to him, and all seems ready to revert back to normal...until the vivid dreams begin, dreams too vivid to be dismissed as just illusions of the sleeping mind. Martin is transported to the grim scenes of London, England during the 1940 German Blitzkrieg. His guide up and down the war torn streets is a boy named Jimmy, who seems to know that Martin is the only person who can somehow help him. Devastating destruction sweeps the byways and avenues of the panicked city, yet Martin returns on a few occasions to this place and time sixty years ago to be led around by the boy, Jimmy, knowing that somehow this is what Nana was talking about when she had called, asking him to help the lost boy. Martin knows that the catalyst for these dreams is the old-fashioned radio that had belonged to Nana, but what is Martin really expected to be able to do to help under these circumstances? In his waking hours back in his own time, Martin's determined computer research begins to show that the minute details he remembers from his dreams with Jimmy during the Blitzkrieg are all true, and that there's no way he could know these things unless he really had, somehow, traveled into the past. Now, as the walls close in on Martin and the time approaches in which he must be willing to step up and do his part right now, the courage of an entire city forty years ago faced with the horror of bombing onslaughts every single day is the buoy by which Martin must keep his head above the fear that threatens to drown him. Above all, Martin has to be willing to accept the mission that has been given to him and act to do what he must, or the lives that he has been called upon to heal will have no one to provide that healing. Though fictionalized in many aspects, London Calling is a real, heartfelt look at the endlessly complex maze of intersections through which every one of us inadvertently affects the lives of others, even those we might think we could never truly impact. It's all right there in the choices we make every day, and even in the things we choose not to do. Just by being alive, we all have plugged into a vibrant network that reaches to all corners of the globe, promising the possibility of joy and of pain beyond one's most outlandish fantasies. But we have to be willing to step up and act when our moment comes, or who will take the exact part carved out in time for us? Edward Bloor has once again created a novel of depth and diligence, an impactful tribute to the power of human reasoning that will profoundly touch the mind of any thoughtful reader. I might give three and a half stars to London Calling.
tThe book “London Calling” by Edward Bloor is about Martin Mehan, the protagonist of the book, who starts the story as a young teenager that is generally very self-centered and focused on the wrong things in his life, such as the bullies in his school and who in his school is rich. After receiving a mysterious radio from his grandmother, Martin is transported back in time to World War II and the London Blitz where he meets a boy named Jimmy Harker that needs his help. As Martin runs around the ruined London streets with Jimmy seeing the horrors of the war and eventually seeing Jimmy get killed, Martin realizes that the things he cares about at home are petty and selfish. He decides to turn his life around and help others, including his alcoholic Dad. The theme of London Calling is about a boy who grows up after experiencing great drama and trauma and makes something out of himself. I think a lot of kids my age can relate to Martin’s attitude and behavior before the Blitz. His priorities were messed up, and he worried about trivial things instead of important things such as school and helping others. Many kids my age get caught up in school drama instead of focusing on school work just as Martin had. After witnessing Jimmy die during the Blitz, Martin decided to take charge of his life and try to do good for other people. On page 443, Martin states “My life, which had seemed to be such a waste just a few months ago, was now driven by a force so powerful that I felt I could not resist it even if I wanted to. I created a list in my head of the things that I needed to do, made out in the exact order in which I needed to do.” It’s both great and a shame that it took death and trauma to grow up and value the more important things in life. There are many sad and shocking moments in the novel, such as when Jimmy died during the fatal night of the Blitz. On page 314-315, Jimmy says to Martin immediately before his death “‘Good bye Johnny. Good bye and good luck.’ Jimmy’s face was illuminated one last time in the flash of an exploding bomb. He turned quickly and ducked into the surface shelter.” Another sad moment was when Martin and his father met Jimmy’s father. After they met him, Martin gave Jimmy’s father, James, the radio Martin used to transport himself to Jimmy’s time. The next day, Martin found out James had died in his sleep and Martin believed that James had been reunited with his son. Martin had finally been able to answer the question, “What did you do to help?”
What do You think about London Calling (2006)?
Loved it! John Martin Conway - known to one and all as Martin, the same name as his legendary war hero grandfather - hates the snobby rich-kid Catholic school that he is able to attend only because his mother works there as a secretary. His dad's an alcoholic who doesn't live with the family, and his mystical grandmother has just died - leaving him with an antique radio capable of initiating time travel.Having had my own experience with an alcoholic father and a mystical grandmother, I related quite well to those things. Found it very believable that Martin's mother was angry at the father, while Martin himself just found it a part of everyday life. (That's how I dealt with it, although with more naivete than Martin). I only had a couple of issues. First, I found Martin to be a somewhat unsympathetic character at first. He had exactly one experience with a "bully" who wasn't really even after him, and because of that spent half the summer sleeping in the basement and refusing to go back to the school. Really? Martin has no clue what real bullying is like. Not by that example, anyway. Maybe the author could have had Martin dredge up some memories so that he doesn't look like such a...let's just say weak-charactered person. Second, the dialogue didn't always ring true, especially in the IM sequences and in Jimmy's (the 1940s London Blitz boy's) lengthy explanations. However, I'm willing to overlook that because the rest of it is so darn good. Besides, by the end, I was cheering for Martin!I don't know much about the London Blitz, but I didn't need to in order to be fascinated by the time travel sequences as Martin travels back to World War II London. The further into the book I read, the harder it became to put it down. This was the kind of book that I finished feeling completely fulfilled. Excellent story!
—Alannah Davis
I quite liked this one. Not as good as Tangerine, which blew me away, but still very good. It was a quick, but deep read.I expected to spend more time in the past, but the time spent in London turned out to be a catalyst for the rest of the story rather than being a significant part of the story on its own. In the brief time we spent in the Blitz-ridden London, we come to know the people, but the historic setting is not described in great detail. At its core the book is about history and heroes. History written by the winners to cast themselves in the best possible light and how that rosey-tinted view of the idolized affects future generations, specifically our main character. The novel examines the true courage of living day to day in the shadow of the Blitz and makes the common man the hero, rather than the string-pullers sitting safely behind desks, but immortalized in textbooks. The book turns stale lists of dates and facts into living stories of real people. The symbolism of the Abraham and Isaac motif is beautiful. Angels stepped in between Martin and his father as much as between Jimmy and James to prevent an irreparable sacrifice.The time travel feels both interesting and plausible. In an inexplicable way this radio forms a connection across time between two young boys, bringing Martin to the past. In the third visit to London things move too quickly. This may be an intentional move by Bloor to heighten the chaos of the air raid, but it just causes unnecessary confusion. Bloor doesn't need to reveal any extra information in that scene, he just needs to move slower.Characterization is well done. Margaret is the supportive, caring older sister without being perfect. I thought Martin's depression/perpetual basement dwelling was going to go further than it did. I loved how Bloor introduced Martin's father slowly, just one bit of information at a time. He does an excellent job of showing rather than telling.The revenge against the Lowrys was taken a bit overdone. Confronting him and punching him would have been enough; the destruction was unnecessary. But, since this conflict was not the main focus of the novel, it is forgotten in the light of the more important reconciliations at the end of the book.I thought the book was well done. It could be called a WWII book, but it is more about making amends, honesty, and redemption.
—Tessa
Aniket KumtaForm II English (Blue)In the book, London Calling, by Edward Bloor, the main theme is one does not have to be powerful to help someone. The main character, Martin Conway, a thirteen year old boy hates his school, All Soul’s Preparatory School, in New Jersey, and is glad when school lets out in summer. Not only does he find the atmosphere in his school miserable, his situation at home is not much better. His alcoholic father has left the family and during summer, his beloved grandmother, Nana, dies. At the funeral, he finds out that his Nana has left him an ancient Philco radio that was used by his grandfather when he was assigned to the US Embassy in London during World War II. He does not think much of it until one night, when he has the radio plugged in, he dreams of an 8-year old English boy named Jimmy who asks him for help. Jimmy claims to have spoken with his grandmother when she was alive, and she had told him that Martin would be able to help him. When Martin is somehow transported back to London in the 1940s, he witnesses the terror and the suffering the people have to go through during the Nazi bomb raids in London. The people and the scenes Martin witnesses have a deep effect on him. He begins to believe that he can help Jimmy and tries to find a way to live with honor, and in the process, discover who he really is.Overall, I thought that this book was alright; there were parts that were interesting, but then there were certain points in the book where it got confusing. This is because the story keeps switching between the present and the past. For instance, when the author is talking about Jimmy taking Martin through the disastrous bomb raid of World War II in the past, the author abruptly switches to the present, which is Martin’s school life and his family. What I liked about the book is that the story communicates a great message to the readers; it shows that everyone is capable of making a difference. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes books with adventurous and interesting plots, but would tell them to be patient readers as there are constant switches between the past and the present in the story.
—Aniket K
