Bought for me by my husband, as a gift, the subject matter and plot of this book are not really within my usual realms of interest. It’s really quite the thriller—a murder mystery, edge of your seat sort of story. I rarely choose to read (or watch movies, for that matter) about violence that occurs in a fictional setting. Some fantasies, like JRR Tolkein’s works are notable exceptions, but for the most part, if it’s not history … stories that are factual, not fictional … I don’t want the violence in my life. I prefer to read about people, places, things and ideas, that I can learn from in some way. But, Kyle had his reasons for thinking I might enjoy this one.Author Louis Bayard has painstakingly brought to life Victorian London—and not just that. He’s done it in the style of Charles Dickens and he has given us Dickens’ own Tiny Tim as his main character. As the title implies, the beloved child from A Christmas Carol, Tim, is now all grown up. And, as imagination would have it, he carries the baggage of a child born into poverty and suddenly thrust into the middle class, in a world and a time when who you were was all about your “station.” In the course of this creative novel, Timothy explores the resentment he feels toward a father who loved him too much and has just died and an “uncle” who loved him for reasons he never understood and of which he now wishes to be free. He walks the streets of Dickens’ London— a picture painted for the reader as clearly as if written by Dickens himself. He meets along the way, colorful characters who could easily have walked off the pages of Oliver Twist or even the largely autobiographical David Copperfield. And, in the process, he evolves from a self-absorbed, angry young man into one who willingly risks his own life for those of others. He doesn’t start out as much of a hero, but by the end of the book, he certainly becomes one.My reaction after my first bedtime reading session with Mr. Timothy, was that although it was interesting, I did not know if I’d stick with it, or not! I love Charles Dickens—he’s among my favourite authors. But, it’s been quite some time since I read any of his works, and reading his style, complete with rambling sentences and gritty settings, seemed so odd when I knew it wasn’t his own. Louis Bayard has truly channeled Dickens. And, frankly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to work that hard!But, a second night of reading soon made me realize how rich and well-rounded was the world being created for me in these pages. And, not just the places, but the people! I’ve been reading things lately, that have been strong on the story-telling, but not so deep in the characterizations. Here, in the style of what is arguably Dickens’ greatest strength—fully-developed characters compelling the reader onward—Bayard has created characters so complex and so engaging that instead of giving up on this book, I now found myself fighting to put it down and get enough sleep! Add to that, the occasional nods to Dickens’ own places in the recycling of place names and locations from various of his books, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.Although the pages sometimes presented me with descriptions and therefore visualizations of horrible events, and the genre of mystery/thriller is not my first choice, I found myself so caught up and drawn into the story and the lives of these characters, that I rushed to finish this book, and learn what would become of them. My final night of reading lasted far longer than intended, because I simply couldn’t stop reading before I reached the end.I believe that if handed a copy of Mr. Timothy, Dickens himself, would be honoured and proud, and completely swept up in this world of fog and intrigue and plot twists.The book is published with wonderful addenda including an interview with the author, some facts about Dickens and A Christmas Carol, and a brief study guide.I am greatly looking forward to my next read of a Louis Bayard novel---his Pale Blue Eye, where Edgar Allen Poe is the main character and mystery solver. First sentence: Not so tiny any more, that’s a fact.~MB
The Mr. Timothy of the title is Tim Cratchit, Tiny Tim as an adult, with Uncle Ebeneezer as his sponsor, offering an income in return for a visit now and again. Tim is not very settled in the world, even though he has overcome his infirmity to a point where he has merely a limp from a shortened leg to remind him of his past. He finds work in Mrs. Sharpe’s bordello, teaching the madame to read and write, helping keep the business’s books. One day he spies a young girl in the alley, a homeless child struggling to survive. Having earlier spotted a dead urchin with the letter G branded upon her, he fears for her safety and sets out to help her. The game is afoot. Bayard has taken a mindful stroll through the world of one of his favorite authors. There are many references in the text to places and persons from a wide range of Charles’ Dickens’ works. Frankly, although I have read my share of Dickens, many of the references passed me by. But it can be fun to keep this in mind when reading the book, and be ready to google names and places as they appear. Dickens was inspired to write A Christmas Carol when he learned something of the state of children in the London of his time. Bayard keeps to that theme with a focus on the plight of abused children, and in that depiction, brings a more contemporary sensibility. Ghosts figure in this story as they did in its inspiration, although they have a very different nature here. This was a fun read, fast-paced, with likeable, interesting characters. I suppose the best thing one can say about this book is that I believe Mister Dickens would have approved. It should make a delightful film.Other Bayard titles I have enjoyed include:The Black Tower The Pale Blue Eye The School of Night
What do You think about Mr. Timothy (2004)?
I was very excited to finally read this book as I've been a huge fan of Charles Dickens for many years. This story is centered around Timothy Cratchit (Tiny Tim from A Christmas Carol) who is now a young man. Louis Bayard does a fantastic job of recreating the atmosphere of a Dickens novel... the foggy, cobbled streets of Victorian England complete with the fake cheerfulness of the hypocritical aristocracy and the underbelly of society... the impoverished who are all but invisible to the rest of society.This story has a couple of different levels. One part of the story surrounds Mr. Timothy and his search for some direction and purpose in his life. He has just lost his father and is grieving. He wants to break away from Uncle Ebeneezer and make his own way but he is drifting and without purpose. He acquires lodging in a brothel in exchange for teaching the madam to read. And keeping with a common Dickens theme, Mr. Timothy gets a job fishing bodies out of the Thames River and sells anything of value which may be in the pockets of the bodies he finds (reminiscent of Jerry Cruncher in A Tale of Two Cities). He discovers the bodies of two young girls with a strange brand marking on their bodies and this is where the story turns into a wonderful Victorian mystery which I think Charles Dickens would have liked! I don't wish to give away the all of the details of the mystery but the story takes Mr. Timothy on a journey through the sometimes frightening underbelly of the Victorian English streets and ultimately he finds what he's looking for... himself. This was a wonderful story although a little slow in the middle for my liking. If Mr. Bayard intended to write this story as a sort of tribute to Charles Dickens and all of his wonderfully quirky characters, he did a fantastic job!
—Darlene
What an awful, awful book. It was plugged as a Dickensian thriller, and the concept of the book is quite good: what happens when 'Christmas Carol's Tiny Tim is grown up and not so tiny anymore. Well... it turns out Timothy is a somewhat antisocial nobody who is still under the (financial) spell of uncle Ebenezer, until he meets a girl who unlocks the door to a scandal of prostitution, murder and human slavery. Timothy of course attempts to rescue her. So far so good. But the language, the language! The author is definitely not into 'less is more'. More is more! More adjectives! More unnecessary embellishments! Still more adjectives! The story kept me going until the end, but groaning inwardly and increasingly frustrated and annoyed.
—Annemariem
If anyone ever wondered whatever became of Tiny Tim from the Christmas Carol, well here is the answer. It paints a very clear picture of London England in the Victoria era. The discription is good and the intensity is such that I was forced to put it down in order bring myself back to the present. However the book never stayed down for long as I was drawn back time and time again to the world of Mr Timothy. His father has just died and Tim is grieving and sees his father's ghost everywhere. Most of his family has passed on and he feels responsible for he was due to die but because of the interference of his beneifactor his family's situation has changed. At the same time he gets wrapped up in a mystery which he persues with the help of a new found friend. I highly reccomend this reading for anyone interested in Victorian London and a good mystery and a race to stay alive.
—Lduff1108 Duff
