Victory, by Susan Cooper

[Becky]

I finally finished Victory, by Susan Cooper. Has anybody else read it? I can't recommend it for our Newbery list, but if a child comes in and asks for books on battle ships and fighter planes, I may ask if they'd like to read fiction about battles and hand them this book.

There was some very interesting history about service in His Majesty's Navy in the early 1800's, and children who visit or will visit Mystic Seaport in Connecticut may be able to identify with the currently-alive Molly.

But the author alternates chapters between Sam in the 1800's and Molly today and while both have problems, Sam's are so much more severe than Molly's that I couldn't muster up much empathy for her.

And the ending -- all I can say is, why didn't somebody stop her and suggest a museum!?

[Interested Reader]

I found Molly’s story the more compelling; her feelings of loss and homesickness are so clearly and effortlessly portrayed; I could identify with her feelings more than I could with the feelings of a young boy pressed into service. Drawing a parallel between the losses both children experienced, the reader is drawn even more deeply into both stories.

As far as the ending… Molly’s willingness to give up something so dear to her was a vitally important step for her to take and neatly drew the two worlds together. Her words, “That’s for Sam Robbins, and for Daddy,” made me pause in my reading and blink back tears.

[Estonian Dancer]

I am back from the amazing country of T!
What a great trip! Wonderful food, history everywhere, amazing beaches, culture....and all that maddening sun!
But, I don't want to be boring and tell you where I was! I long for pondering minds consider the options with imagination and critical thinking!

Getting more to the point, I started reading Victory yesterday, and I am really enjoying it. I have strong feeling so far for both Molly and Sam. I really do feel Molly's homesickness and loneliness in America, and her desire to return home to England so far is gripping me as sincere.
Sam's story of growing up with an uncaring brute of a father and his brief joy in the ropeworks with his uncle is moving. I think Cooper has so far shown skill in conveying the brutality of Navy life for those "kidnapped" into service at a level that is appropriate and historically informative for children who are 8-12 years of age.
I will write more once I have finished the book.

[Estonian Dancer]

This book has the merits that I mentioned in my previous post. I think the climax to the ending (Molly wanting to be "adopted" by grandma and grandfather and the episode on HMS Victory when she was lost) was a bit twee but probably is a realistic option that a child would seek out in her situation of homesickness. I thought the family link bit between Molly and Sam unconvincing and far-fetched, and wondered why Cooper wrote that bit in. She didn't need to.

Sam's characterization is great in the book. I did slightly wish that Susan Cooper would have written the dialogue of the characters in 1805-06 more distinctly and with more Englishness.
What do others think who have read the book?

[martha]

I found Molly rather whiny and I was not really interested in her story. I also thought the family connection was a stretch. Considering she was so compelled to find that particular book in that shop, I expected more of a time-travel connection between her and Sam, and I was dissapointed when that didn't happen.

[DianeB]

Love it! I like the fact that there were two stories told, one by a boy and one by a girl. It makes life easier at our school media center when a student asks "What's a good book to read?" I don't have to think twice about gender. But, I did wonder why one story was told first person, the other third person.