- Author : Sherryl Jordan
- Binding : Paperback
- EAN : 9780689828775
- ISBN : 0689828772
- Label : Simon Pulse
- List Price : $8.00 (USD)
- Manufacturer : Simon Pulse
- Number Of Items : 1
- Number Of Pages : 266
- Package Dimensions : 0.72 inches (Height) x 7.94 inches (Length) x 0.75 pounds (Weight) x 5.56 inches (Width)
- Publication Date : 2000-11-01
- Publisher : Simon Pulse
- Reading Level : Young Adult
- Studio : Simon Pulse
New Zealand author Sherryl Jordan has crafted a riveting story, reminiscent of the work of Thomas Hardy, that's shimmering with the romanticism of a fairy tale but told with the vivid detail and suspense of a modern novel. In an ancient time, a newlywed girl is taken to a seaside thatched cottage by her much older husband. His drunken lovemaking repels her, but Marnie must endure because he is the lord's middle son and she has married him to save her family from starvation. When he is killed in a fall, she feels more release than grief, in spite of the village rumors that she caused his death with a witch's curse. Suspicions grow when she befriends an outcast, a "mad" boy called Raver whose rages and yammerings look to villagers like the work of the devil. But Marnie realizes that the boy is deaf, and his bursts of anger come from his inability to communicate. With the help of the kindly and wise village priest, she begins to invent a sign language for him. A tender love grows between them in the cottage, but Marnie still fears the marriage bed. Meanwhile, the scandalized villagers spy on the "witch," and at last force her to endure the bloodcurdling ordeal of trial by hot iron. Readers will gobble up this entrancing story, and may want to move on to Cynthia Voigt's Jackaroo, Michael Cadnum's In a Dark Wood, and perhaps Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles. (Ages 12 to 15) --Patty Campbell
- Amazon.com Review
OUTSIDERS Widowed just two days after her unwilling marriage to a man twice her age, Marnie finds herself an outsider in the remote seaside village of Torcurra. Spurned by the townsfolk who suspect her involvement in her husband's death, she has only two friends: the local priest and the madman known as Raver, even more of an outcast than Marnie herself. Marnie makes a remarkable discovers about Raver, whom she renames Raven, and the two forge a deep bond that begins to heal her own bruised heart. But the suspicious villagers see Raven's transformation as evidence of witchcraft, and suddenly Marnie finds herself facing an ordeal that threatens not only her future with Raven, but her very life.
- Product Description
Customer Reviews:
Customers rated The Raging Quiet 4.5 stars out of 5.0 based on 94 reviews:Great book
by Winged Reader - 2010-07-24
This is a great book and one of the few I've read over and over again.What an ethereal read!
by Kakari (Honolulu, Hawaii) - 2009-10-29
The Raging Quiet was absolutely "moon good beautiful" -definitely worth the read. It reminds me a bit of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and works by Thomas Hardy, but of course, an easier read. If you're a fan of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare and Beauty by Robin McKinely, I highly recommend you to give this a try. As a cautionary note though, there are adult themes in this book, such as implied sex; therefore, I suggest that the reading age of The Raging Quiet to be 16+. I won't summarize the story since there's a lovely one by Amazon already, but I would like to address the setting of the novel. There have been debates on whether this is historical or fantasy. To clear this up, allow me to quote from the Author's Note in the back of the book: "[Sherryl Jordan] left their tale in the freer atmosphere of myth, and simply wrote a fantasy set in an ancient time."Moon-good beautiful!
by Arali (NY USA) - 2009-10-23
What a beautiful book! I thank my goodreads pals for recommending this gem of a book which takes place a very long time ago, when people believed in witchcraft and faeries. Marnie is a young woman of sixteen years who is forced into marriage with an older man to save her family from certain poverty when her father is struck down by illness and can no longer perform his duties as overseer on their lord's estate. Luke Isherwood, Marnie's husband, is one of the lord's sons and his inheritance is an old, rundown cabin by the sea. He is happy with this arrangement because the cabin holds a hidden treasure that will make him richer than a king, and it is to this place that he brings Marnie to start their new life. Marnie, young and inexperienced, soon finds marriage to Luke an ordeal and though, he is not a cruel man, Luke is neither interterested in making his wife happy nor willing to ease her distress, as he is consumed with the search for treasure. When a horrible fall removes Luke from Marnie's life, it seems that all will be well with Marnie, but for the suspicions of the villagers who believe that Marnie is responsible for Luke's death. The fact that she has befriended the town madman, Raver, and has taken him into her home doesn't help Marnie's situation. Sheryl Jordan writes a beautiful story of love and innocence, in the face of hatred, prejudice and ignorance. It is a timeless tale that is still relevant as it describes the consequences that arise from gossip, false witness, and a desire to unwittingly commit evil for the sake of "justice". This is one little book that you just can't put down. Ms. Jordan is an exceptionally talented writer who effortlessly draws you into her story, making you care instantly for Marnie, Father Brannan and, most of all, for Raver--lovingly renamed Raven by Marnie because she is able to look beyond the obvious into the beauty within--unlike her hateful neighbors.This is no fantasy
by E. Smiley (USA) - 2009-07-04
I'm astonished to see this book classified as "fantasy"--I read quite a bit of fantasy and historical fiction, and this belongs solidly in the second category. There's no magic here--well, the story is about two young people who create a sign language and fall in love, which is magical in its own way, but nothing that couldn't happen in our world. And although Jordan claims in the afterward that there's something mythological about this tale because she didn't specify the historical setting, it's obvious from the characters' names, the social structure and customs, and the landscape that the book is set in medieval Ireland (more or less; the "mythological" comment may be intended to cover a few minor deviations, and to give the author free rein with geography). I wonder if people are confused because some of the author's other books are actual fantasy? At any rate, The Raging Quiet is a beautiful story set in a realistic medieval world. The good-hearted but naive Marnie moves to an unwelcoming coastal village with her new husband, only for him to die shortly thereafter. The only people who will have anything to do with her are the kindly, liberal priest, Father Brannan, and the village madman, Raven, who turns out to be not crazy but deaf. Marnie decides to learn to communicate with Raven, and things go from there; the plot is interesting throughout, although a couple of Marnie's choices seem a bit senseless. The characters are three-dimensional if a bit advanced for their medieval setting, which is beautifully depicted. There is a fair bit of nastiness in this book--and a plot twist or two I didn't expect in a young adult novel--but Jordan resists the temptation to create lots of one-dimensional nasty characters, portraying them instead in shades of gray. It's obvious from the writing that she has some familiarity with both deaf people and the Middle Ages, and the romance will appeal to anyone who likes a good love story. I do agree with the reviewers who have commented that the book sets Marnie on too much of a pedestal, though; she's a sympathetic character, and given what she goes through it makes sense for Father Brannan to encourage her, but his praise and indulgence are a little much. This book may be labeled "young adult," but there is plenty for older readers to enjoy as well. Still, the label seems to have upset a few people when they found that sex is present (although anything but graphic--and while trying to avoid spoilers, I would argue that the sex that occurs is entirely appropriate and necessary in context), so keep that in mind if looking for a book for a small child. For the rest of us, I highly recommend this one.Insightful
by L. Wicks (New Zealand) - 2009-06-30
I wanted to learn sign language after reading this novel. Though I was forced to read it for English, and parts of it were squrim-worthy, I am glad I had the opportunity to study this novel. :) You will see things differently after you read this novel.
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