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Midnight is a Place
Lucas Bell is lonely and miserable at Midnight Court, a vast, brooding house owned by his intolerable guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby. When a mysterious carriage brings a visitor to the house, Lucas hopes he’s found a friend at last. But the newcomer, Anna Marie, is unfriendly and spoiled—and French. Just when Lucas thinks things can’t get any worse, disastrous circumstances force him and Anna Marie, parentless and penniless, into the dark and unfriendly streets of Blastburn.
304 pages, Paperback
Published October 28, 2002
28 people are currently reading
1211 people want to read
About the author
Joan Aiken
331 books599 followersJoan Aiken was a much loved English writer who received the MBE for services to Children's Literature. She was known as a writer of wild fantasy, Gothic novels and short stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
She was born in Rye, East Sussex, into a family of writers, including her father, Conrad Aiken (who won a Pulitzer Prize for his poetry), and her sister, Jane Aiken Hodge. She worked for the United Nations Information Office during the second world war, and then as an editor and freelance on Argosy magazine before she started writing full time, mainly children's books and thrillers. For her books she received the Guardian Award (1969) and the Edgar Allan Poe Award (1972).
Her most popular series, the "Wolves Chronicles" which began with The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, was set in an elaborate alternate period of history in a Britain in which James II was never deposed in the Glorious Revolution,and so supporters of the House of Hanover continually plot to overthrow the Stuart Kings. These books also feature cockney urchin heroine Dido Twite and her adventures and travels all over the world.
Another series of children's books about Arabel and her raven Mortimer are illustrated by Quentin Blake, and have been shown on the BBC as Jackanory and drama series. Others including the much loved Necklace of Raindrops and award winning Kingdom Under the Sea are illustrated by Jan Pieńkowski.
Her many novels for adults include several that continue or complement novels by Jane Austen. These include Mansfield Revisited and Jane Fairfax.
Aiken was a lifelong fan of ghost stories. She set her adult supernatural novel The Haunting of Lamb House at Lamb House in Rye (now a National Trust property). This ghost story recounts in fictional form an alleged haunting experienced by two former residents of the house, Henry James and E. F. Benson, both of whom also wrote ghost stories. Aiken's father, Conrad Aiken, also authored a small number of notable ghost stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
October 29, 2017
We have read this book together many times and agree it's one of our all time favourite books. A feel good book to read aloud by the fire. Twice orphaned children endure hardship and adventure. We love the scenes of the carpet factory and listening with horror to the occupation of toshing with man eating hogs. The sanctuary of the ice house and interweaving storylines fall beautifully into place. The copy I have is one of the few items I have from my childhood and a very treasured possession.
January 22, 2016
Joan Aiken is a master at creating atmosphere, and Midnight Is a Place is no exception; the book could well be called a Gothic novel for children, with its orphaned hero (and heroine), disagreeable guardian, mysterious events, and gloomy setting.
Lucas Bell, an orphan, lives with his guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby, and his tutor, Julian Oakapple, in an old mansion called Midnight Court. Soon after the arrival of Anna Marie, another orphan and the grandchild of the previous owner of Midnight Court, Lucas and Anna Marie are forced to fend for themselves on the streets of the dismal city of Blastburn.
There is never a dull moment; the story speeds along, through the dangerous mill where the workers may be crushed by a press or drowned in glue, to the sewers where man-eating hogs run in packs. The force of Aiken's imagination is present on every page, in the suspenseful story, the memorable characters, and the ominous atmosphere.
Lucas Bell, an orphan, lives with his guardian, Sir Randolph Grimsby, and his tutor, Julian Oakapple, in an old mansion called Midnight Court. Soon after the arrival of Anna Marie, another orphan and the grandchild of the previous owner of Midnight Court, Lucas and Anna Marie are forced to fend for themselves on the streets of the dismal city of Blastburn.
There is never a dull moment; the story speeds along, through the dangerous mill where the workers may be crushed by a press or drowned in glue, to the sewers where man-eating hogs run in packs. The force of Aiken's imagination is present on every page, in the suspenseful story, the memorable characters, and the ominous atmosphere.
March 8, 2016
Joan Aiken is one of my all-time favourite children’s writers. Her books were out-of-print for a while and I haunted second-hand bookshops in the hopes of building up my collection.
My copy of this wonderful book was bought from the Glebe Library years ago, and still has its yellow cardboard filing card in an envelope glued inside the front cover.
Happily, her books have all recently been re-issued with fabulous new covers and so are easy to get hold of now.
It’s difficult to exactly categorise Joan Aiken’s work. It’s historical fiction, with a Dickensian feel thanks to its brilliantly drawn characters (both comic and villainous), unusual names, and dark atmospheric settings.
Her stories are fabulously inventive, and often have surprising elements in them (like pink whales).
Some of the books have an alternative historical setting, with Good King James III on the throne of England, and the wicked Hanoverians trying to blow up Parliament House.
MIDNIGHT IS A PLACE is the most realist of her novels, and quite possibly her darkest.
It tells the story of a lonely boy named Lucas, who lives at Midnight Court, next to a smoggy industrial town called Blastburn. His guardian is a foul-tempered, brandy-drinking eccentric who won the great house in a card-game many years before.
One day the orphaned daughter of the previous owner comes to live at Midnight Court. Soon Lucas and Anna-Marie are left destitute, and must fend for themselves in the tough streets of Blackburn.
There is one particular scene set in the carpet-making factory that I shall never forget – as a child, it burnt itself deep into my imagination.
It is also striking for its refusal to restore the children’s lost wealth – instead they find happiness by making their own way in the world.
Joan Aiken is one of the great children’s writers, and deserves to be much more widely celebrated.
My copy of this wonderful book was bought from the Glebe Library years ago, and still has its yellow cardboard filing card in an envelope glued inside the front cover.
Happily, her books have all recently been re-issued with fabulous new covers and so are easy to get hold of now.
It’s difficult to exactly categorise Joan Aiken’s work. It’s historical fiction, with a Dickensian feel thanks to its brilliantly drawn characters (both comic and villainous), unusual names, and dark atmospheric settings.
Her stories are fabulously inventive, and often have surprising elements in them (like pink whales).
Some of the books have an alternative historical setting, with Good King James III on the throne of England, and the wicked Hanoverians trying to blow up Parliament House.
MIDNIGHT IS A PLACE is the most realist of her novels, and quite possibly her darkest.
It tells the story of a lonely boy named Lucas, who lives at Midnight Court, next to a smoggy industrial town called Blastburn. His guardian is a foul-tempered, brandy-drinking eccentric who won the great house in a card-game many years before.
One day the orphaned daughter of the previous owner comes to live at Midnight Court. Soon Lucas and Anna-Marie are left destitute, and must fend for themselves in the tough streets of Blackburn.
There is one particular scene set in the carpet-making factory that I shall never forget – as a child, it burnt itself deep into my imagination.
It is also striking for its refusal to restore the children’s lost wealth – instead they find happiness by making their own way in the world.
Joan Aiken is one of the great children’s writers, and deserves to be much more widely celebrated.
May 16, 2009
90 years after I read it, the image of the carpet-making machine and the child labor used to pick blobs of yarn off the carpets still haunts me.
September 5, 2019
I've never wholly clicked with Joan Aiken. I think, sometimes, some of it stems from my preferences; I like stories with a particular taste and style and frame. I like being able to handle them and know what I'm going to get and then being delighted in how my expectations are subverted. Outfox me, please, I long for it. But I think with Joan Aiken, I'm always struggling to understand, trying to figure out what's going on and where it is, and how I should feel about that. This is no criticism; it's a testament to her wild imagination and fiercely convincing world-building. Everything feels right and then, suddenly, off. A mirror, cracked. A world remade and reshaped by somebody who is undoubtedly brilliant. I am a little cowed by that, I think, and it's hard for me to find my place in the text.
And yet Midnight Is A Place is outstanding; fierce, rich, full of detail, but it's a detail that I chase after and never quite get hold of. There's so much packed in this novel - family history, dramatic personal change, hogs! in! sewers! - that I ache for time to explore it, to discover more about this and that before being pulled away to study the other. And again this is a testament to how good she is: there's so much here, whether it's the nuanced, subtle details of character, or the barely managed wilderness of the landscape, or it's simply those hogs that roam the sewers that thread like an artery underneath the world.
But here's the thing: sometimes it doesn't matter how I feel about a book. I can not be wholly comfortable with something, but I can recognise how great it is. I can recognise the mark of an author who is fine, fine, fine with her craft and I can understand how important this might be to somebody just discovering what language is and what it can be shaped to be. I would recommend this without batting an eyelid because it is good, powerful, bold fiction.
(et aussi j'aime Anna-Marie).
And yet Midnight Is A Place is outstanding; fierce, rich, full of detail, but it's a detail that I chase after and never quite get hold of. There's so much packed in this novel - family history, dramatic personal change, hogs! in! sewers! - that I ache for time to explore it, to discover more about this and that before being pulled away to study the other. And again this is a testament to how good she is: there's so much here, whether it's the nuanced, subtle details of character, or the barely managed wilderness of the landscape, or it's simply those hogs that roam the sewers that thread like an artery underneath the world.
But here's the thing: sometimes it doesn't matter how I feel about a book. I can not be wholly comfortable with something, but I can recognise how great it is. I can recognise the mark of an author who is fine, fine, fine with her craft and I can understand how important this might be to somebody just discovering what language is and what it can be shaped to be. I would recommend this without batting an eyelid because it is good, powerful, bold fiction.
(et aussi j'aime Anna-Marie).
October 31, 2018
Although this entertaining Victorian melodrama shares no characters with any of the books in Aiken's Wolves Chronicles, it is set in the same fictional Britain as the series. Opening in Blastburn, the dreary industrial city last seen in
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
, the novel follows the adventures of Lucas and Anna-Marie, two well-to-do children who find themselves unexpectedly orphaned and penniless.
As Lucas and Anna-Marie struggle to survive in a cold and hostile world, they also find themselves involved in many of the convoluted plot-lines for which Aiken is well-known. This well-constructed novel has always been one of the author's best-known works, but I have never found it as satisfying a read as some of her others. The characters simply don't interest me enough to arouse a strong emotional reaction. Fair or not, Anna-Marie is no Dido Twite.
As Lucas and Anna-Marie struggle to survive in a cold and hostile world, they also find themselves involved in many of the convoluted plot-lines for which Aiken is well-known. This well-constructed novel has always been one of the author's best-known works, but I have never found it as satisfying a read as some of her others. The characters simply don't interest me enough to arouse a strong emotional reaction. Fair or not, Anna-Marie is no Dido Twite.
November 23, 2017
3.5 stars
Aiken is a unique writer; it’s generally alternative action historical fiction. Some stories have some paranormal elements in them. I’ve decided to label her books “historical fantasy.” I made up that genre name, but I like it.
This one is a stand-alone novel. It takes place in the town of Blastburn (with Yorkshire-ish accents), a setting in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, but this is the only connection to that book or series. The review quoted on the back of the book gives away a lot of the plot, so don’t read that.
The writing is very good; the details shine with creativity. Part 1 and Part 2 of the book are quite different. In Part 3, we see all those threads tie together, and that was great fun.
Aiken is a unique writer; it’s generally alternative action historical fiction. Some stories have some paranormal elements in them. I’ve decided to label her books “historical fantasy.” I made up that genre name, but I like it.
This one is a stand-alone novel. It takes place in the town of Blastburn (with Yorkshire-ish accents), a setting in The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, but this is the only connection to that book or series. The review quoted on the back of the book gives away a lot of the plot, so don’t read that.
The writing is very good; the details shine with creativity. Part 1 and Part 2 of the book are quite different. In Part 3, we see all those threads tie together, and that was great fun.
June 10, 2012
I first read this book when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and then somehow or other I must have lost the copy - because as an adult I could never remember the title of it, but it always haunted me as a story which I fell in love with. Then, about 7 or 8 years ago, when I happened to describe it to a friend, they said 'you mean Midnight is a Place by Joan Aiken.' So I bought a new copy, and re-read it - again and again. I would say that it's probably one of the most influential children's books I ever read. It explores the idea of child labour and child poverty in a way that completely captivated me when I was 9. It's set around the time of the Industrial Revolution, and shows children having to work in the Lancashire cotton mills, the kind of conditions they had to tolerate. The little ink or pencil illustrations were particularly captivating to me as a child, showing the 'snatcher' - the girl who had to run out onto the carpet beneath a big massive press, which would squash her if she tripped and fell. Her job was to remove any spare bits of fluff from the carpet, which would spoil the design if they were left in place when the press came down. So the 'snatcher' was also the fastest, smallest child - and their life expectancy was not very long. This is the 'hook' if you like, into the novel - particularly for child readers. For this is based on a true fact, I believe. The illustration of this in the book mesmerized me, the idea that a child would be subjected to that. It has to be added, of course, that in some parts of the world child labour still is an issue, and we are all part of the machine which perpetuates it, whether we like it or not.
The two main characters in the book, Lucas Bell and Anne-Marie, are orphans, left to a guardian who lives in the gloomy Gothic Midnight Court, which overlooks the town of Blastburn. Their guardian, however, the owner of the cotton mills and factories, is heavily in debt and in his alcoholic-fuelled madness decides to burn down his own mansion. As a result, the two orphans are left homeless and destitute, and have to learn to survive in the harsh world that is Blastburn. The book contains graphic descriptions of their work in both the cotton mills, and also down the sewers, where Lucas earns pennies looking for valuable dosh in the underground world of sewers and tunnels, filled with death and danger. This is a very far cry from the life Lucas had before, where he was educated by a tutor and wrote essays on the Industrial Revolution. Now he has come face to face with the reality of it all.
It's an excellent, many-layered book which I loved as a child, and which I still love now, having re-discovered it.
The two main characters in the book, Lucas Bell and Anne-Marie, are orphans, left to a guardian who lives in the gloomy Gothic Midnight Court, which overlooks the town of Blastburn. Their guardian, however, the owner of the cotton mills and factories, is heavily in debt and in his alcoholic-fuelled madness decides to burn down his own mansion. As a result, the two orphans are left homeless and destitute, and have to learn to survive in the harsh world that is Blastburn. The book contains graphic descriptions of their work in both the cotton mills, and also down the sewers, where Lucas earns pennies looking for valuable dosh in the underground world of sewers and tunnels, filled with death and danger. This is a very far cry from the life Lucas had before, where he was educated by a tutor and wrote essays on the Industrial Revolution. Now he has come face to face with the reality of it all.
It's an excellent, many-layered book which I loved as a child, and which I still love now, having re-discovered it.
January 2, 2018
THIS is the book I read in Grade 7 that I've been searching for for years! I owe a huge thank-you to GoodReads member Oolookitty who steered me this way after I posted a review of A Chance Child. She recognized the carpet scene I'd remembered from my childhood. It was as nailbiting to read as it was when I was younger, from the winding sewer passages to the factory floor.
A Midnight Place is really a delight to read, with Dickensian themes of orphans and industrial England, showcasing hardships and triumphs. The ending is perhaps a little TOO tidy, but as a youth novel that explored many dark themes around hardship and bullying and fear and responsibility, it seems fair to end it on a more positive note. All of the characters ultimately got what they deserved in as civilized as manner as they could hope for.
As an added bonus, I found it a delight to read all the French sprinkled through the story. There are loose translations in the more dense sections, but the story doesn't hold the readers hand -- much like how the English characters would experience Anne-Marie's conversation. The meanings are often clear through context. Also, it was nice to see such a strong young female -- she had moments of weakness, but ultimately took charge, stood up for herself, and innovated solutions to her problems. There wasn't even a whisper that she should take on some sort of matriarchal or family role, no suggestion of seeking marriage to be kept. She and Lucas both were written as equals in character and capability, both with open potential to be explored as they mature. It was refreshing!
A Midnight Place is really a delight to read, with Dickensian themes of orphans and industrial England, showcasing hardships and triumphs. The ending is perhaps a little TOO tidy, but as a youth novel that explored many dark themes around hardship and bullying and fear and responsibility, it seems fair to end it on a more positive note. All of the characters ultimately got what they deserved in as civilized as manner as they could hope for.
As an added bonus, I found it a delight to read all the French sprinkled through the story. There are loose translations in the more dense sections, but the story doesn't hold the readers hand -- much like how the English characters would experience Anne-Marie's conversation. The meanings are often clear through context. Also, it was nice to see such a strong young female -- she had moments of weakness, but ultimately took charge, stood up for herself, and innovated solutions to her problems. There wasn't even a whisper that she should take on some sort of matriarchal or family role, no suggestion of seeking marriage to be kept. She and Lucas both were written as equals in character and capability, both with open potential to be explored as they mature. It was refreshing!
July 13, 2014
Joan Aiken continues her proto-steampunk adventures for children. Less silly than the Willoughby Chase series (no one bounces ten feet in the air on a windowseat cushion, for example), the standard Aiken universe is still in place--a place called Midnight. Plucky kids are still being done out of their homes and inheritance by unscrupulous adults. Good folks still live underground. And industry is still a bad thing, although in this book we are told as much right out loud, as Grandmere and Mr Oakapple inveigh against the "evils" of tools. I suppose "Midnight" is a reference to Blake's "dark, satanic mills." The plucky kids make money the best way they know how, whether it's picking apart cigar butts for the tobacco, to make "new" cheroots to sell (and if the nicotine doesn't kill you, the second-hand bacteria will!) or grubbing about in the sewers and garbage heaps for sellable secondhand items. I think Aiken must have seen the film "The Mudlarks" at some point.
The authoress' French isn't up to much, but that's OK, it's fictional French and I doubt many of her child readers know more than a few words anyway.
I am a bit surprised at how little I have to say about this book, but then it didn't make much of an impression. It was a quick read, and if I'd been about 11 or 12 I probably would have loved it. As it is, I found the ambience began to pall about two-thirds of the way through, and the wrap was hurried and patchy to say the very least. Two and a half stars.
The authoress' French isn't up to much, but that's OK, it's fictional French and I doubt many of her child readers know more than a few words anyway.
I am a bit surprised at how little I have to say about this book, but then it didn't make much of an impression. It was a quick read, and if I'd been about 11 or 12 I probably would have loved it. As it is, I found the ambience began to pall about two-thirds of the way through, and the wrap was hurried and patchy to say the very least. Two and a half stars.
October 1, 2012
I picked up this book in a second hand shop when I was about ten and was captivated from start to finish. I don't think it's too harsh and gloomy at all. As a child I loved reading about the tough challenges that Lucas and Anna-Marie face as they try to make their way through the world. I still reread it every few years and enjoy it as much as ever. I think it's important for children to read about characters who have difficult lives. A lot of real life children face all sorts of challenges and if they read about fictional children surviving and finding solutions they may be more able to act positively in their own lives. Well that's how it worked for me anyway. Any amount of gloom is fine by me as long as it's dealt with in a practical way and there's a reasonably happy ending and a dose of humour in there somewhere.
I thought Midnight is a Place was much better than The Wolves of Willoughby Chase as it wasn't nearly as sentimental.
And this book was outstanding source material when I had to do a school project on the Industrial Revolution. I think it was out of print at the time and not a lot of people had heard of it so my teacher was very impressed at my ability to imagine myself into the life of a child factory worker!
I thought Midnight is a Place was much better than The Wolves of Willoughby Chase as it wasn't nearly as sentimental.
And this book was outstanding source material when I had to do a school project on the Industrial Revolution. I think it was out of print at the time and not a lot of people had heard of it so my teacher was very impressed at my ability to imagine myself into the life of a child factory worker!
April 10, 2017
Plot summary: Lucas Bell lives in a gloomy house with no one but his bad-tempered guardian and tutor for company. But when someone else comes to live at Midnight Court, things are about to change forever.
Thoughts: I LOVED Joan Aiken's books as a kid. They were a big part of what got me interested in history and the Victorian era more specifically. The characters weren't nearly as wonderful as I remembered them being, and the story contains quite a lot of deaths. But then again, it's set in 1842 in a carpet mill, so what would you expect?!
It's still got plenty of gasp-worthy moments as an adult, but the action is all fairly shortlived. Lots of build up, and then the climax takes place in half a page! Still worth the read for kids who are interested in history, provided they can handle the dark themes.
Thoughts: I LOVED Joan Aiken's books as a kid. They were a big part of what got me interested in history and the Victorian era more specifically. The characters weren't nearly as wonderful as I remembered them being, and the story contains quite a lot of deaths. But then again, it's set in 1842 in a carpet mill, so what would you expect?!
It's still got plenty of gasp-worthy moments as an adult, but the action is all fairly shortlived. Lots of build up, and then the climax takes place in half a page! Still worth the read for kids who are interested in history, provided they can handle the dark themes.
June 30, 2008
Two orphans who don't even like each other at first are thrown together after their house burns down, their guardian dies, and their tutor is injured in the fire. (What a start!) Lucas and Anna Marie have to find a place to live, a place to work, and avoid the local gang. This is set in a very dark version of Victorian England, and both children wind up going through some really terrible things.
I have read books by this author before, and she often deals with dark themes. What bothered me about this book is that the book never let up much. Things got a little better towards the end, but when I was expecting the big payoff at the factory, it just sort of ended. I felt like I was robbed. There was no justice and no resolution.
I have read books by this author before, and she often deals with dark themes. What bothered me about this book is that the book never let up much. Things got a little better towards the end, but when I was expecting the big payoff at the factory, it just sort of ended. I felt like I was robbed. There was no justice and no resolution.
February 10, 2016
I adore this book, I've reread it many times and every time I read it I still love it. Something about her whimsical use of language, her Dickensian names and themes (I'm embarrassed a bit but I love Joan Aiken a lot more than Dicken's actually). Anyhow this is definitely one of my favourites.
February 3, 2013
One of my favourite childhood authors.
October 5, 2024
I find Aiken really hard to pin down with a star rating. I always get so much pleasure out of her novels, yet often there is some relatively small but significant thing that I feel is glaringly wrong, though her use of language is superb, and her settings are incredibly lifelike.
In this case, we have a nightmarish 19th century manufacturing town. Imagine Roald Dahl trying his hand at rewriting NORTH AND SOUTH and then throw in a lovely found family that wouldn’t be out of place in Elizabeth Goudge and you may get the general gist.
As usual, Aiken cranks up the tension and obstacles and then gives us a wonderful sense of relief with cozy scenes, a technique of hers which has strongly influenced me.
The flaw for me was the plot. There were so many coincidences, long-lost relatives, and backstory details that didn’t seem to really make a big enough difference to the characters or main story to merit the confusingly detailed explanations. Also, an important character was killed off summarily for no reason that I could discern.
However, I would happily read another Aiken just as flawed for her wonderful prose style and deliciously deft hand with historical settings.
In this case, we have a nightmarish 19th century manufacturing town. Imagine Roald Dahl trying his hand at rewriting NORTH AND SOUTH and then throw in a lovely found family that wouldn’t be out of place in Elizabeth Goudge and you may get the general gist.
As usual, Aiken cranks up the tension and obstacles and then gives us a wonderful sense of relief with cozy scenes, a technique of hers which has strongly influenced me.
The flaw for me was the plot. There were so many coincidences, long-lost relatives, and backstory details that didn’t seem to really make a big enough difference to the characters or main story to merit the confusingly detailed explanations. Also, an important character was killed off summarily for no reason that I could discern.
However, I would happily read another Aiken just as flawed for her wonderful prose style and deliciously deft hand with historical settings.
May 27, 2012
I am a huge fan of Joan Aiken, but this story has plenty of clunky-ness.
On the flip side, a clunky Joan Aiken novel still offers many positives: the character of Lady Murgatroyd is a great one for neurotic adults to think about. She can let kids try out solutions without overreacting or micromanaging. Aiken also illustrates the real risks of some common behaviors--like if someone is overly stubborn, or if another person is too self-righteous. I appreciated how she leaves larger societal/philosophical questions open--this quality is a rare gift for children's lit. This is a read for fans--if you haven't read her other stuff, THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is a far stronger story.
On the flip side, a clunky Joan Aiken novel still offers many positives: the character of Lady Murgatroyd is a great one for neurotic adults to think about. She can let kids try out solutions without overreacting or micromanaging. Aiken also illustrates the real risks of some common behaviors--like if someone is overly stubborn, or if another person is too self-righteous. I appreciated how she leaves larger societal/philosophical questions open--this quality is a rare gift for children's lit. This is a read for fans--if you haven't read her other stuff, THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE is a far stronger story.
June 19, 2019
'Nowt said breaks no head.' -- Davey Scatcherd
A dark tale of unspoken secrets and kind words, sharp practices and generosity, bravery and steadfastness, all set in a grim manufacturing town may not sound ideal fare for young readers, and yet Joan Aiken to my mind has carried it off. While there is no "Jerusalem builded here among those dark satanic mills" there is hope and optimism amongst the tragedy and a determination that creativity can counteract the bleaker side of human contradictions.
Orphan Lucas Bell is under the guardianship of Sir Randolph Grimsby, privately educated by a a taciturn tutor at the forbidding Midnight Court, hard by the town of Blastburn. As Lucas turns thirteen he is joined by another orphan, Anna-Marie Murgatroyd who, lately come from Calais, speaks only French.
But relationships between these four individuals is somewhat strained as suspicions sour the atmosphere, already fouled by the smoke and grime from nearby Blastburn. Something has to give and for Lucas and others they find it is a case of out of the frying pan, only to find themselves, almost literally, in the fire.
Midnight is a Place is a fierce re-imagining of an England (here called Albion) at the height of the Industrial Revolution, when the destitute from the countryside migrated to the urban centres where they hoped to find some kind of paid work in factories, mills and other workplaces. Here is an amalgam of the Vendale of the opening of Charles Kingsley's The Water-Babies with the Lancashire of Elizabeth Gaskell's novels, the curious and suggestive names from Dickens' fiction with the feminist sensibilities of the Brontë sisters. In fact this novel is set in 1842, the year in which Charlotte and Emily Brontë set off to work in Brussels, just as Anna-Marie Murgatroyd is making the reverse journey from the Continent to a thinly disguised Yorkshire.
In Lucas and Anna-Marie we have two distinctive protagonists, one creative and self-effacing, the other feisty and practical -- it's as though they represent twin aspects of the author herself. The journey from middleclass respectability to a hand-to-mouth penury working in sewers, in a textile mill, making cigars anew from discarded butts and so on is both heartbreaking and yet heartwarming, especially when friends are found in the most unlikely of places and in the direst of circumstances.
I must add that, unlike many of the Wolves Chronicles where villains get their just desserts and the good win through in the end, Midnight is a Place introduces death, often violent, as a necessary adjunct to life, and the hoped-for happy ending is edged with funereal black. If the Chronicles are magical realism, albeit with a social conscience, this novel -- probably set in the same alternate world as the Chronicles -- is more social realism, even if the fortuitous coincidences and unexpected revelations are more usual in lighter fiction.
Despite Midnight Court being a bleak house, as a Joan Aiken novel this still fulfils the promise of great expectations. Humour and music, wisdom and humanity suffuse the narrative; and, strangely, for a standalone title, there is to be an unsought-for sequel of sorts anticipated in a scripture-like prophecy made by a rascal in the closing pages.
December 1, 2024
Fairly solid Aiken with intrepid young heroes most especially female, battling the adult world which frankly is not concerned with their welfare. I love that Aiken has no compunction with killing off likable characters which seems to be a trademark of hers. This one is set in an industrial city called "Blastburn" with a carpet factory which employs child labour and nefarious characters abound. Aiken can address unions, capitalist enterprises in an adventure story with young protagonists using their wits and budding skills to win out in the end.
November 17, 2024
reviewed in a guest post for WitchWeek2024 at: https://calmgrove.wordpress.com/2024/...
January 29, 2024
In the town of Blastburn, England, stands a dark mansion called Midnight Court. Midnight Mill, the town’s carpet factory, darkens the sky with its smoke. Gloom and hardship became a way of life to the millworkers when years before, the Murgatroyd family lost both the town and the factory to Sir Randolph. Young Lucas Bell endures a dismal existence at Midnight Court. His father, who had been Sir Randolph's business partner, is dead. Sir Randolph is an embittered drunkard who pays him scant attention, and Mr. Oakapple, his tutor, is a stern young man. When feisty Anna-Marie Murgatroyd comes to Midnight Court as Sir Randolph’s ward, she provides a welcome diversion in Lucas' life. Then, one dark winter night, Midnight Court is destroyed by fire. With no home and no money, Lucas and Anna-Marie roam the unfriendly streets of Blastburn. They eventually find odd jobs, rent an attic room, and help nurse Mr. Oakapple back to health. When the children find Anna’s grandmother, Lady Murgatroyd, living in a cave in Midnight Court Park, they hope that she will be able to set things right.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com
October 23, 2011
I really wish I had written a review right after reading this book. I can tell you it was spectacular and vivid, and what impressed me most was that the writer was an excellent writer without needing to shove it in your face. Her style was simple, and beautiful in its simplicity--unlike some other authors who really want to make sure you know just how clever they are. Additionally, the book was very well researched. If you ever wanted to know what it would be like to be an orphan on the streets in industrial England, this will leave you with an exact picture of the misery. That said, with all the terrible things piling on these two children, the rare good things that occasionally happened will make you rejoice. Not everything turns out peaches and cream in the end, but it turns out all right. Read it. Love it.
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May 14, 2016This is a historical fiction my kids and I really enjoyed. A little slow to start, but it got better after the fire.
We read this because it was recommended by our history curriculum as a supplement to our learning about the Industrial Revolution. It was a great way to bring that time to life for my kids, who happen to be the same ages as the kids in the story, 8 and 12!
Two orphan children live with their guardian in England, who is not a very nice man. After a fire destroys their home, they are forced out onto the streets to fend for themselves.
Some great twists later in the book...and how sad and interesting to see children taking on the responsibility of bringing home an income. Fascinating look at life at this time.
We read this because it was recommended by our history curriculum as a supplement to our learning about the Industrial Revolution. It was a great way to bring that time to life for my kids, who happen to be the same ages as the kids in the story, 8 and 12!
Two orphan children live with their guardian in England, who is not a very nice man. After a fire destroys their home, they are forced out onto the streets to fend for themselves.
Some great twists later in the book...and how sad and interesting to see children taking on the responsibility of bringing home an income. Fascinating look at life at this time.
October 18, 2016
Everything I have read of Joan Aiken so far could be termed an instant classic. Her work stands above the crowd and gives adults and young readers alike something to savor.
Her Wolves of Willoughby grouping of books (they are not actually a series) is earthy, old-fashioned, wise, dreadful and dangerous.
Within these stories her language is delicious, with characters who get "March-mad" and who are "flinthearts," and we are warned "not to punch a tax official nor call him a scrimshanked blatherskite." Among many other things, Joan Aiken kept our language alive. I am glad there is lots of Joan Aiken reading to enjoy!
Her Wolves of Willoughby grouping of books (they are not actually a series) is earthy, old-fashioned, wise, dreadful and dangerous.
Within these stories her language is delicious, with characters who get "March-mad" and who are "flinthearts," and we are warned "not to punch a tax official nor call him a scrimshanked blatherskite." Among many other things, Joan Aiken kept our language alive. I am glad there is lots of Joan Aiken reading to enjoy!
July 5, 2011
I read this book at a young age. How or where I aquired it is anyone's guess. But I remember very distinctly how I felt the first time I finished it. It was past midnight, everything was quiet, the room was pitch dark around the edges. After closing the book, I felt a wave of disorientation, almost fear. It lingered on with me and made sleep difficult. For a long time after it, I didn't even want to touch the book again.
This, I think, is a testament to Aiken's abilty to create tone.
Four stars for mastery of the surreal.
This, I think, is a testament to Aiken's abilty to create tone.
Four stars for mastery of the surreal.
December 21, 2017
Joan Aiken has written an intriguing gothic-style mystery. Lucas Bell, orphaned and living with his guardian at Midnight Court, suddenly finds his life disrupted. He and Anna-Marie Murgatroyd are orphaned again when the mansion burns and their guardian dies. they fend for themselves by making new cigars from old and searching the sewers for treasure. Thus starts a series of adventures sure to hold the reader spellbound. Occasionally, Aiken digresses and presents the horrors of factory work and child labor but it never becomes too heavily moralistic.
March 11, 2009
Well, I finished it. What a dismal, dreary world. Where are all the adults in this book?? Why are Aiken's books (OK, I have only read two) so freezing cold? It's like eternal winter there. Children, no matter how admirable and clever, just shouldn't have to work so hard or know so much or feel so responsible. It was well-written and compelling enough to finish, but still disappointing and depressing. I would never, never recommend this to a child of any age.
February 11, 2008
The plot and attitude of this book have a definite Lemony Snicket feel. I researched a bit to see if Aiken was one of Daniel Handler's influences and couldn't find any proof of it, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if she were.
May 4, 2018
This was honestly quite bizarre and a little hard to follow at times, but also it was really good? It took me a while to get into it, but once I was in, I was in. There were many twists and turns along the way, and all my questions were answered in the end. What an interesting book.
January 2, 2012
This book reminds me of Dicken's Hard Times and Secret Garden. The focus is on the dangers of the early industrial age.
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