Last in the Sally Lockhart trilogy (there's a fourth book, but features related characters). As you might expect, Sally is put into a grim position almost immediately and things just get darker from there. The blurb for this book calls Pullman a "modern-day Dickens" and I could agree, his descriptions of the wretched condition of London's poor is unsparing considering this is a YA novel. Sally's grit and determination is excellent, liked the character of Dan Goldberg as well as the bit players in the Irish and Jewish gangs. The identity of the mysterious Mr. Lee is easy to guess as long as you've read the other two books. Excellent sense of place, good pacing, exciting finish.
The Tiger in the Well (Sally Lockhart Trilogy, Book 3) is the most complex story of the Sally Lockhart Series. The author literally pulls you into the story and you are compelled to keep reading. The window into Victorian England is vivid and astounding in its descriptions and you can almost smell it.
A great read, highly recommend it. But read Book 1 and 2 first as they set up characters that run through the series.
As "The Tiger in the Well" begins, we find Sally Lockhart a single mother in Victorian England, her lover having died before they could be married. This is a hard enough situation, in those times, but soon Sally finds herself as the victim of a mysterious and elaborate scheme designed to ruin her reputation and have her daughter taken from her. Who could hate her this much, and why? Exciting, entertaining (and feminist) adventure.
