The Red Necklace

The Red Necklace

First edition, 2007
Author Sally Gardner
Cover artist Lydia Corry
(portrait of boy)
Country United Kingdom
Series French Revolution
Genre Young-adult historical novel
Publisher Orion Children's Books
Publication date
4 October 2007
Media type Print (hardcover)
Pages viii + 376 pp
ISBN 1-84255-574-X
OCLC 148313489
LC Class PZ7.G179335 Red 2008[1]
Followed by The Silver Blade

The Red Necklace is a young adult historical novel by Sally Gardner, published by Orion in 2007. It is a story of the French Revolution, interwoven with gypsy magic. The audiobook is narrated by Tom Hiddleston.

The Silver Blade (Orion, 2008) is a sequel set during the Reign of Terror (OCLC 236120297). US editions were published by Dial Press in 2008 and 2009.[1][2]

Plot

The story is principally set in and near Paris between 1789 and 1792. Yannick "Yann" Margoza, an orphaned gypsy boy, who can throw his voice, read minds and predict the future, works in the Théâtre du Temple, with his guardians, Topolain, a magician, and Têtu, a dwarf who can move objects with his mind. The trio is invited by Count Kalliovski to perform at the chateau of the Marquis de Villeduval for him and his guests. Unbeknownst to them, Count Kalliovski is an old enemy from Têtu and Topolain's past. They run into him in the library of the chateau but it is too late for them to escape so they decided to leave the bullet catch out of the performance. During one trick with the pierrot, Yann has a disturbing premonition in which the guests are all carrying their bloodied severed heads. Têtu and Topolain hurriedly try to end the show but Kalliovski insists on performing the bullet catch. He tampers with the pistol, loading it with a real bullet and kills Topolain. While trying to escape from Kalliovski, Yann meets the Marquis' daughter, Sido, and is instantly smitten by her. After escaping back to Paris with Sido's help via a secret passage in her chamber, Têtu warns Yann he is in grave danger and insists he travel to London. Yann is bitter about this but eventually agrees.

Têtu's friend, Monsieur Cordell, arranges for Yann to stay with Henry and Juliette Laxton in London, who happen to be Sido's maternal aunt and uncle. Têtu also tells Cordell that Kalliovski was a gypsy who became obsessed with Yann's mother, Anis, while working in a circus. Topolain and Têtu tried to protect her but Kalliovski tracked them down and killed her after she boldly rejected him. He couldn't let anyone know the truth about him which is why he murdered Topolain. While trying to get Yann to safety, Têtu is shot by Kalliovski's henchman, Milkeye, while Yann is taken to London by Cordell and and Mr Tull.

Despite the Laxton's kindness to him, he is unhappy and homesick. After attempting to run away, he rescues a poor but eccentric actor named Mr Trippen from being robbed by throwing his voice to distract the thugs. Mr. Laxton apologises to Yann and employs Trippen as his new tutor. As Yann grows older he successfully adapts to English society but seems to have lost his gift to throw his voice and read minds. He becomes keen to learn about Têtu's telekinetic abilities, known as the 'threads of light'. One day, he meets a family of gypsies: Talo Cooper, his wife Orlenda, and his grandfather, Tobias. After Orlenda reads his fortune, Tobias successfully teaches Yann how to see and control the threads of light and gives him a magic talisman. Yann also receives news from Cordell that Têtu is alive. At the same time, the body an old acquaintance of Kalliovski is found by the Thames. Cordell notices Kalliovski's necklace around the victim's neck indicating that he murdered her for not paying her debts to him. Fearful for their niece's safety, the Laxton's agree to let Yann return to France and bring Sido to London.

During Yann's absence, the political situation in France worsens with the impending threat of The French Revolution. Maître Tardieu, the Marquis' lawyer visits him one day warning him that he is bankrupt from wasting all his money, and delivers a letter from Kalliovski demanding him to repay his debts and asking for Sido's hand in marriage. The Marquis initially refuses until he is threatened with a cryptic warning: Remember your wife. Afraid of the consequences he if refuses, he agrees. Sido is less than thrilled about this arrangement but has no choice. During her father's fête one evening, she overhears a heated conversion between the Marquis and his friend, Madame Perrien. Fearful for her life, she begs him to lend her money to repay her debts to Kalliovski. However, the Marquis refuses and ignores her warning that his own dealings with the Count will backfire. Perrien is indeed later murdered by Kalliovski, much to the Marquis' horror. He gradually descends further and further into madness causing him to further abuse his daughter, and begins to believe that she is being the ghost of his deceased wife, haunting him. The chateau is soon destroyed by a mob prompting Sido and her father to escape through a secret tunnel with the help of their servants. Yann eventually returns to the theatre, now renamed the Théâtre de la Liberté and reunites with Têtu, Didier, the caretaker of the theatre, and Monsieur Aulard, the manager. Têtu is overjoyed to see him and that he too can see the threads of light and finally reveals the truth about Kalliovski.

Yann and Sido are briefly reunited and realises that he can read her mind again. He tries to persuade her to forget the Marquis and come back to England with him. Sido explains her situation including her engagement to Kalliovski, and that the Duchesse had instructed her and her father to find Mr. Tull who would smuggle them out of the country. Yann, however, remembers his encounter with Tull the night he was smuggled out of France and warns Sido not to trust him and let him take her instead. He and Têtu later meet with Maître Tardieu who informs them that the Marquis wrote instructing him to end Sido's betrothal but when he informed Kalliovski, he received no reply. He gives them a bag of jewels that belonged to Sido's mother, Isabelle Gautier, and Armand de Villeduval, the Marquis' half brother. Upon noticing seven familiar red garnets, Têtu realises that Isabelle and Armand were murdered by Kalliovski on the Marquis' behalf. Yann attempts to see Sido again the next day but is too late as she and the Marquis have already been taken to prison by Tull who was working for Kalliovski.

During the night, Kalliovski meets with Sido and offers her freedom in exchange for her consent to their marriage. He then threatens that even if she doesn't come willingly she will still have no choice and even implies that he'll rape her. She faints and falls ill but he arranges to have her moved to her own cell and nursed back to health. Yann and Maître Tardieu meet with Sido in prison and she again refuses to leave her father behind. However after she leaves, Maître Tardieu reveals that Isabelle and Armand were lovers. Therefore, Sido is not the daughter of the Marquis, but of Isabelle and Armand. The pair had been attempting to join the Laxtons in London with a three-year-old Sido at the time of their murder. Yann, Têtu and Didier plan to use the information about Sido's parentage to change her mind.

They invite Kalliovski to a performance with a pierrot to distract him while Yann and Didier attempt to break into his apartment. During the performance, Têtu uses the threads of light to animate Kalliovski's automaton and the pierrot. The ghost of Anis later appears warning him that he is still in danger. Yann manages to drug Milkeye and sneaks into Kalliovski's apartment to find the love letters from Sido's parents. He discovers a room full of automatons made from Kalliovski's murdered victims known as 'The Sisters Macabre' which he uses to hide all his secrets. He also discovers that Kalliovski can also work the threads of light. Milkeye suddenly wakes up and the two engage in a fight ending with Yann being shot in the shoulder. Although weak, he uses his new magic abilities to make The Sisters Macabre talk. One of them opens a draw in their chest revealing the letters from Sido's parents and Kalliovski's 'Book of Tears' containing all the names of those who had borrowed money from him. He passes out but is rescued by Didier and taken back to the theatre where Têtu treats his wound.

Kalliovski soon realises that Yann is Anis' son and that he is his father. Meanwhile, fed up with all the abuse she has had to put up with for years, Sido finally decided that the Marquis isn't worth trying to help and that should Yann come for her, she will go with him. She is put on trial before the people the next day but is luckily declared innocent right at the last minute. In the midst of all the chaos, Kalliovski abducts her abandoning the Marquis to his fate. He taunts her that even if she did come willingly he would never have arranged for the Marquis' release. Didier manages to stop the carriage by drawing a mob to it allowing him and Yann to help Sido escape. Yann confesses that although he loves her, Sido's family are waiting for her as he is staying behind to help people escape from France. Sido doesn't want to be separated from Yann again but eventually agrees and he gives her his talisman. Kalliovski is revealed to have survived the mob. Sickened and enraged that he was defeated by a son he never wanted, he vows vengeance.

Character list

The title

The title refers to the murder signature of Count Kalliovski, who puts round the necks of all his murder victims a necklace of red garnets strung on a thin red ribbon. The effect of the necklace is to make it look as if the wearer's throat has been cut.

References

  1. 1 2 "The red necklace: a story of the French Revolution" (US edition). Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  2. "The Silver Blade" (US edition). LCC record. Retrieved 2014-07-02.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Monday, April 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.