Playing the Jack

by Mary Brown

Book Overview

Paperback Book This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671542524
• ISBN13: 9780671542528
• Release Date: January 1984
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 583 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Accidental Find

I read the reviews below and was struck by the similarity; everyone seems to have found this book on vacation or in a bargain bin. I discovered it when I was 14 staying at a rented beach house. . .now that I think about it, I guess I stole it. Ever since it's been one of my favorites :)

Favourite Book Ever

This is my favourite book of all time!!! My mum found it on a holiday about 8 years ago and I have read it at least that many times since, as has my sister. Sometimes our copy has gotten lost through lending it to other people and we've had to spend up to eighteen months searching for another copy. Thats how much we love it! The first time I read it I wanted to go straight back to the beginning and start again. I love the way Mary Brown writes and the language she uses. A truly beautiful book where all the characters are your friends and you are right there beside them through this fantastic adventure

Quite frankly, one of my favorite books of all time.

I had picked this book up by chance sometime in the mid-to-late 1980s and have read it once a year, nearly every year since. For me, there has never been a story so engrossing, never a main character so believable, or a plotline so interesting and fun. This is what historical novels should be when seeking escapism. As the French Revolution threatens, a young runaway orphan in England finds hope by joining a ragged group of performance artists run by the enigmatic Jack. From then on, Zoroaster Mortimer grows up and explores the highs and lows of the British society, finds a new family, and discovers the burden and gratification of mutability. The pages are so absorbing and colorful, but it is not satisfying end that makes this book so wonderful, it's really the journey and the vibrant characters through it. Mary Brown has woven an amazing story in this novel. It's truly written entertainment at its zenith.

Medieval setting,plot twists,romance.What more do you need?

The writing is so spectacular, my emotions reacted as if I were remembering a part of my own life rather than just reading words in a book. Mary Brown is clearly a sensitive individual, and this is reflected in her writing. The tale of Jack and Sprat will leave you yearning for more.