
Victory
Susan Cooper
Two children cross an ocean, two hundred years apart. One is Sam Robbins, a powder monkey aboard HMS Victory, the ship in which Lord Nelson will die a hero's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The other is Molly Jennings, a present-day English girl transplanted from London to America, fighting a battle of her own against loss and loneliness.
This extraordinary time-shifting adventure tells the interwoven stories of Sam and Molly, linked by a mystery. Sam is a farm boy, press ganged to serve in the Royal Navy. In the dangerous world of a warship enduring the Napoleonic Wars, he meets both cruelty and kindness, and survives a fearsome battle whose echoes reach through the years to involve Molly as well. Like him, she has lost her childhood but will find her future, with help from a very unexpected source. Two lives joined forever by the touch of Nelson, the greatest sailor of all time.
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About Susan Cooper
Reviews for Victory
Amanda Craig
The Times
Themes of loss, displacement and - eventually - adjustment and acceptance link two very different narrative strands in this evocative novel . . . The historical background is meticulously researched but above all this is an engrossing story for children to enjoy
Kate Agnew
Guardian
Susan Cooper hits top form with Victory . . . A rousing yarn, crammed with enough accurate detail to keep any history teacher more than happy
Nick Tucker
Independent
Susan Cooper shows great empathy for her characters . . . this is masterful historical writing which vividly brings the past to life
Publishing News
The emotional demands of contemporary family life are beautifully counter-pointed with the privations of early 19th century seafaring . . . An evocative novel
Lesley Agnew
The Bookseller