At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

Eager to get to London, where her older sister Sarah runs a small sweetmeats shop called "The Sugared Plum," and where she hopes to see all the wonders of the great metropolis - the grand buildings, and warren-like labyrinth of streets; the lords and ladies in their fashionable attire - young country-girl Hannah is oblivious to all the warnings signs along the way, from the cryptic remarks of Farmer Price, to the graveyard funeral "games" of the children she passes. She is dismayed to learn, upon arriving, that Sarah - having written to ask her not to come - is less than overjoyed to see her. For the year is 1665, and the Great Plague has come to London, hanging over the city like a grim cloud, and bringing with it the specters of mass show more suffering and death...

A vividly realized work of historical fiction for younger readers, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum drew me immediately into its world, and never let go! Mary Hooper does an excellent job capturing the "feeling" of London in 1665, and what it must have seemed like, to a young country girl seeing it for the first time. I appreciated the fact that Hannah isn't presented as some kind of paragon - she's interested in fashion, and frets about her red hair and freckles (reminding me of Anne of Green Gables a bit) - but rather, as an ordinary young girl, interested in ordinary things (like getting her first kiss!), and that this is neither the point of the story, nor a problematic aspect of it. This adds to the sense of realism, the feeling that this is a real young girl, caught up in a terrible time.

And what a terrible time it was! The horror of the Plague - its inexorable spread through the city, from one parish to the next; and the unimaginable suffering it caused, with the ill being walled up inside their houses, before being dumped in mass graves - is captured here, in a narrative that is both poignant and disquieting. Highly recommended to all young readers who enjoy works of historical fiction! I've already requested the sequel, Petals in the Ashes, from my library. show less

A 17th century historical fiction set in London during the Great Plague. Interesting history of the plague carts and all the herbal remedies that were being used. Interesting to note that they were rounding up cats, as they perceived that wherever there were cats, there was the plague! They were not far off in the cause and effect category. Very atmospheric. Written for teens. Ends very abruptly. 159 pages

At the Sign of the Sugared Plum is a YA historical novel about two sisters living in London in 1665, the year that the Great Plague wiped out more than a third of the city’s population. Hannah is a recent arrival, come to help her sister Sarah in her sweet-shop. Even as the sisters start to hear rumors of a spreading sickness, she is excited to be in the city and enjoys her outings to discover the city as well as her blossoming friendship with Tom, the local apothecary's assistant.

As the heat mounts so too do the deaths, but by this time it is impossible to leave London unless one is rich. Hannah and Sarah stay healthy but all around them friends and neighbours fall victim to the disease. Being a YA story, the author manages to give show more these two likeable characters a hopeful ending as they become involved with trying to rescue a small baby from a house of death.

It was obvious that the author did a lot of research as she included a lot of details about food and clothing and was able to convey the atmosphere of fear, suspicion and horror that Londoners felt. No one knew that the disease is carried by the fleas on rats so many different preventatives were used, the sisters even developed a line of sweets to sell as medicinal aides. My only quibble with this story is the very abrupt ending. I felt there was still a lot of story yet to be told. show less

Short but gripping story about a young girl who goes to London to help her sister in her sweetshop and gets caught up in the Great Plague of 1665. Though this is aimed at younger readers (it was a Kindle daily deal that caught my eye some time last year), it pulls no punches in its descriptions of the horrors and heartbreak that families and communities suffered at that time. Very good. 5/5

Nicely done and well written young adult historical fiction. This author has a real talent for dropping the reader into the period and getting the fell of the setting and giving you characters to feel about with minimal set-up. She doesn't even stint on the realities of the situation although it is not as detailed as one would find in an adult novel of course. As described this a brief story set during the start of the London plague on 1665. I only have one minor problem with book and that is its sudden ending and semi-unfinished plotline (see spoiler) but overall it is a well written novel and it also has recipes the characters made in the book to try (modernized of course). The afterword was well done.

Do not read the spoiler unless show more you wish to be spoiled of course. Although unless you've read the book it won't make much sense.
The ending leaves them departing London, but doesn't really resolve what happens to them with the baby, or if they make it home safely. Considering the circumstances they found the child it is possible anything could have happened - including being refused in Dorchester, caught en route, or falling ill. While it might have been impractical to finish I think it should have been wound up somehow, it feels as if the reader is left hanging. As to Tom that part was left satisfactorily. show less

This was an interesting story which takes the reader back to London in 1665 where the plague is rampant. We watch Hannah change from a carefree, frivolous girl excited to be in the big city to that of a young woman troubled by nightmares of the real horror around her. At times the plot is a little thin, but it is still definitely worth the read.

This is a young adult/middle school book. Hannah travels to London in 1665 to help her sister, Sarah, run a sweetmeats shop. Shortly after arriving she realizes that the bubonic plague has begun to take hold in the poorer areas of the city. Slowly the plague travels throughout all of London, until Hannah and Sarah find nearby houses being shut up and neighbors dying.

I found this book to be utterly fascinating. Sarah and Hannah were well developed characters and the plot line moved at a good pace. Overall, I think that teenage girls would appreciate the book more than teenage boys, purely because of the in depth discussion of making sweetmeats and fashion. I highly enjoyed this book and will recommend it to others.