Outcast (1955)

This is the story of Beric, a young man who did not know where he came from, he was adopted by a Celtic tribe, then cast out. The story follows his fortunes (or misfortunes) from there.
As always, Sutcliff delivers a griping tale, wrapped in historical details. Her characters and descriptions of places and events make the time she is writing about come alive. I was particularly pleased that Beric's tale was not pat or trite at the end. He was fleshed out as the conflicted person that such a life would lead to. The ending was satisfactory, without being completely predictable. ( )

A slow burn that is harder to get to grips with than the Eagle Chronicles, but rewarding in the long run. Very low key and slightly more grown up - the trials of a Roman castaway raised as a British tribesman and banished, only to be taken to Rome as a slave. This is to do with appreciation of self, relationship to society and finding a place - I didn't quite believe in where he got to by the end of the novel though. ( )

Even better than I remembered it. The harrowing situation of the slave-galley and Beric's confused desparation afterwards are particularly strong stuff for a children's book. ( )

In Outcast, by Rosemary Sutcliff, Beric is adopted by a Celtic tribe in Britain after he is found alive following the wreck of the Roman ship in which his parents were traveling with the infant boy. He is raised by the tribe until the age of 16, when bad harvests and other calamities befall the tribe; they blame the "foreigner" in their midst and he is cast out of the group and thereafter must find his way in the world alone. Having been captured by slavers, he next finds himself in Rome, and his adventures there are only the beginning of his long journey.... I enjoyed this glimpse into everyday life for classes in the Roman world not usually described, although the Celtic setting early in the book was quite inaccurate (for example, these cultures were matrilineal, not patriarchal as depicted here; fostering children from other tribes was common and those fosterlings were not blamed for ill fortune). Once past those early chapters, though, I found the storytelling quite good and worth reading. So, a mild recommendation, with reservations. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2006/03/15-outcast-rosemary-sutcliff.html ( )