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Sylvia (novel)

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Sylvia
First edition
AuthorBryce Courtenay
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherViking Press
Publication date
16 November 2006
Publication placeAustralia
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages503 pp
ISBN0-670-07026-2
OCLC86110767
823/.914 22
LC ClassPR9619.3.C5964 S95 2006

Sylvia is a 2006 novel by Australian author Bryce Courtenay.[1]

Synopsis

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It is written as the memoir of a teenage girl, Sylvia Honeyeater, during the Children's Crusade of the 13th century. She encounters several historical figures such as the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Francis of Assisi. It explores themes of religious intolerance, womanhood, abuse and childhood.

Critical reception

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Sophie Masson, writing in the Sydney Morning Herald was not impressed with the novel: "Courtenay is clearly fascinated by the swirl of the Middle Ages. But he cannot resist the preacherly tone, in which awkward dialogue imparts too much instruction. This may be exactly what his many readers seek – to be educated as well as entertained. But for this reader, the action and interest of the novel was soon buried under a weight of preaching."[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Sylvia by Bryce Courtenay". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  2. ^ ""Middle Ages in a preachy muddle"". Sydney Morning Herald, 16 December 2006. ProQuest 364345472. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
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