Rlly good, I formal but in a fun fun way 192 I read this book thinking it might be a new way to present information about the Black Plague to students in 7/8 class. I think it is a great book for that purpose. It was interesting and based on factual accounts of the time. The main character Alice, was certainly a brave and resourceful young girl. I enjoyed it. 192 I'll be honest, I did pick this up because we are in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic and I guess I wanted to read about a plague! I did quite enjoy this book but it isn't the best 'my story' book I've ever read :) 192 I don't even know why read this. It was just a dairy of a history girl's diary and yeah...This is really nit the book I would like to read again but whatever. I don't even know why I'm writing a review for a book I don't even like? 192 This book told me a lot about The Plague! Definitely a must read! Loved this book! It rocked! It was very interesting I learnt a lot about the plague. It was very sad when Alice's Aunt died from the plague though. 192
The diary of 13 year old Alice Paynton, a young girl in the time of Charles II. Her diary covers the months from June 1665 to the Great Fire of 1666, while the bubonic plague ravages London. The Great Plague: The Diary of Alice Paynton, London, 1665-1666
This is the first novel I've read by Pamela Oldfield, in fact she's written a whole series called My Story.
It's a novel set out in the way of a diary, although Alice Paynton is a fictitious character a lot of people during that time kept diaries during that time and some have been found.
The story is based on both fact and fiction, and the author has woven both extremely well to come up with an excellent piece of work. :-)
I found it interesting as the plague and the great fire were seen through the eyes of a child and not an adult. The emotions of this child come out extremely well.
I found this a very compulsive read and would love to read some more of her work. This is a great book for both adults and children who are interested in history. It's an easy read and the story pulls you a long into a world of horror during that time were many people lost their loved ones 192 Re-read in February 2012: This is too cute! Not the plague stuff -- that's all rather horrible, obviously -- but Alice Paynton is hilarious and adorable. By far my favourite diarist in the My Story series! Although she writes like a 17th Century girl, she sounds just like a modern teenager. Here's a quote from near the beginning of the book:
Aunt Mary teased me again about my distrust of horses. To prove her wrong I rode the big bay but fell off on to some hay which made them all laugh. Even Aunt Nell laughed which disappointed me greatly. If I never ride a horse again 'twill be too soon.
Next day: I have a large bruise on my thigh from my fall yesterday. A little more hay would have saved me. 'Tis no laughing matter. I might well have fallen on my head and split my skull.
Of course, the plague forces Alice to grow up -- she has to look after her Aunt Nell when she falls ill -- but there's still a touch of humour to her entries. I loved her frustration with the watchman who sits outside her house while she's quarantined -- she calls him a stupid creature and is tempted to empty the chamber pot on his head. I admit it: I lol'd.
The only thing I don't like is the gratuitous romance at the end. Alice is such a brilliant character by herself -- why was it necessary to suddenly introduce a bloke in the last couple of pages? 192 Not the most amazing diary I've read before, although it kept my attention the whole time. I read it pretty fast to see if it was okay for my sister. There wasn't much plot...hah! I know, my diary has no plot whatsoever, but being a book I can mention it :D I wanted to know more about Edward, who was suddenly thrown into the story at the end. He seems to be such a nice character, but there is little said of him.
There is a lot of talk of prayer and asking God for help. I didn't like that Alice felt like she had to bargain with God to help someone not die. Alice's desire to marry and be a wife was quite sweet. I won't saying anything about her being betrothed before she's even fifteen!!! Humph.
Content:
-a couple mentions of kissing (not by the writer;not detailed), and one kiss that was a little disturbing (an alcoholic man grabbed a woman in the street).
-death and sickness quite a big part of the book.
-very, very slight bit of romance. 192 This book is one in the My Story series. The books in this series are fictional diaries of young girls living during different events in world history.
Thirteen-year-old Alice Paynton lives in the busy and crowded city of London in 1665. She lives with her father and his sister, her Aunt Nell, who has raised Alice since her mother died giving birth to her. Alice begins her diary writing of happy events, such as seeing plays at the theater. However, a dark shadow begins to fall over London as the bubonic plague spreads. Alice writes of her family's desperate struggle to survive as the disease takes over the city.
This was an excellent book about a young girl's experiences during a horrifying period in history. I have not read many novels set during the Great Plague, so I found it very interesting. I recommend it to all readers of the My Story series. 192 Not for me. I could not immerse myself in the events taking place, and I could not connect with 14 year old Alice. I'm not sure why, maybe it was the mood I was in, or the state of mind I had while reading it, but for whatever reason this book fell really short of what my expectations were.
When rumors of the plague start emerging, Alice finds herself in constant fear of getting the disease. As the death tolls are mounting, Alice can barely leave the house, until her own Aunt Nell falls sick. Alice remains in the house with her aunt, caring for her as much as she could, hoping she doesn't catch the disease herself, while her father is locked out elsewhere, not allowed to leave due to the disease as well.
When her Aunt Nell dies, having not made it, Alice is completely alone in this world. Once pronounced safe to leave their houses, Alice packs and leaves in the hopes she could get to her Uncle's village outside of London, only she (along with many others) are turned back and not allowed to cross. Alice is kind of relieved to be going back to her own home, even though she had almost starved from lack of food earlier.
She finally finds herself reunited with her father, and we end the book with the huge London fire.
It may have been the events, or the way Alice wrote her story, but this book didn't do it for me. Not one bit.I found it very boring and uninteresting. 192
