The Clockwork Three By Matthew J. Kirby Book Review
Title: The Clockwork Three By Matthew J. Kirby
Genre: Suspense, Supernatural, Children Literature
Rating: 2 Stars; I would have liked it more if were for a few things
Summary: Giuseppe is an orphaned street musician from Italy, who was sold by his uncle to work as a slave for an evil padrone in the U.S. But when a mysterious green violin enters his life he begins to imagine a life of freedom. Hannah is a soft-hearted, strong-willed girl from the tenements, who supports her family as a hotel maid when tragedy strikes and her father can no longer work. She learns about a hidden treasure, which she knows will save her family — if she can find it. And Frederick, the talented and intense clockmaker's apprentice, seeks to learn the truth about his mother while trying to forget the nightmares of the orphanage where she left him. He is determined to build an automaton and enter the clockmakers' guild — if only he can create a working head.
Together, the three discover they have phenomenal power when they team up as friends, and that they can overcome even the darkest of fears.
During a friend’s moving day, I came across this little green book buried under layers of old sketch paper and skirts. I asked her if I could have it since she already planned to donate it; she wasn’t too fond of the story, but I liked what the summary had to say and thought I should form my opinion, so here we go!
The Story: * Reaches Aesthetic Expectations But…
From the cover to the scenery to the unique characters, everything fits into this unnamed feeling about their 19th-century world. I am hesitant to label it as supernatural, but some instances suggest magic of sorts without over-shadowing realism, like the green violin that hypnotizes listeners – a pied piper instrument. There is the allure of clockwork machinery in the legend and recreation of automaton, and the grandeur of working in an old, glamorous hotel too good to be lived in. The story holds technically three plotlines, a mystery surrounding the hotel serves as a major plot device, which eventually leads the promised trio’s team-up. But it takes some time to get there. Their lives sort of dance around each other, only briefly colliding every once and a while before the finale. I do wish that their meeting would have happened sooner and intermingled more, but this way subverted my expectations and keep me very engaged.
The pacing as well, I can say is slow, yet eventful. The summary promises the trio to meet and work together to reach a common goal, and they do, just not all at once. The way they met is one by one, accidentally walking into a friendship. It's, dare I say, believable.
Still, some instances are definitely magical and it disappoints me that we didn’t get to explore more of that magical side, disappointed that we didn’t get a chance to learn the rules of their world versus ours. We follow the trio throughout their lives and occasional interesting environment, but I still found myself walking a thin line between fantasy and reality and just how much fantasy.
I also wish that the dialogue had more variety as everyone sort of talked the same, the characters were used as vessels to relinquish information, and sometimes (sometimes) lacked personality. If I had to pick a line of dialogue without content, off of voice alone, I probably would not be able to tell them apart.
The Characters: * An Odd, Odd, Unfortunate Group
Giuseppe: The violinist; an overall unlucky kid who somehow wound up on another continent from his family and works for an abusive ringleader. His storyline I found to be the most intriguing since he is, as a character, a rebellious, talented, smart-mouthed little urchin.
From the beginning, I got an understanding of how rough around the edges he way. I imagine he had to be if had been living on the streets for years, working under the pain of beatings and other punishments. Yet, he does have a sense of honor, going against his own wellbeing to look after one youngster in particular. Since finding his new violin in the wreckage of a ship, these qualities of his seem to intensify because there is a new sense of hope for him to earn enough money to return home.
I have a lot of respect for this one solely and found myself most invested in his journey.
Frederick: The Clockmaker; that’s not all that he is but his whole life is the type of life I think most people fantasies about at least. His life is as a clockmaker’s apprentice, thankfully under a kind master and brilliant enough to start building his own clock man, an automaton. Maybe I have a soft spot due to the film Hugo, but God, I love the feel of his story, it just feels like a snippet of a steampunk universe.
Frederick as a character is alike the bookish boy you see on TV: unpopular, smart, poor social skills and prefer to be around a small group he trusts verse a large fleeting one. He’s cute, but his personal story wasn’t the most interesting of the trio I hate to say.
Hannah and Madame: The Maiden and The Ghost Talker; an extremely unique duo that I found to be the best pair up of characters if only because they are so weird. Hannah comes from an extremely impoverished family who for a variety of reasons has come to rely on her for financial support, which is not a lot. Well, being a young girl shouldering more responsibility than she can handle, she winds up blowing up at Madame, a rich guest staying at the hotel she works at, and somehow this leads to her being the rich woman’s personal assistant.
So much about them unfold in their dynamic like Hannah’s admirable maturity and desire to learn, as well as her mischievous side that’s willing to break rules to get what she needs. As I said, there’s a mystery surrounding the hotel, a treasure, that Hannah is determined to find to help her family. Madam, I feel to be an influence on her and I’m not sure if it's good or bad. Good in some ways because she is so eccentric and bold enough to do as she please, that she provides a sense of safety and freedom for Hannah to explore and go about her way. Bad, in other ways because she claims to talk to the dead and when has that ever led to anything good?
In the end, I can see why my friend didn’t like the story for the reasons I mentioned. The story touches on heavy subjects, but the delivery is carefully handled, I felt, to be digestible for young audiences. I enjoyed it, but I think I may not be in the right age range to really appreciate it. I think middle schoolers and young high schoolers may find something here, those who like a mystery, a little magic in a world like ours but different enough to be interesting.
[TRIGGER WARNING: Mentions blood and violence.]
