LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
In a Nutshell: Intrigue and artisanal invention in an Alice in Wonderland world
An endlessly inventive adventure through the twisting tunnels of a subterranean city that’s sent reeling by the arrival of a girl like no other.
Caverna is like no place ever imagined. It has passages so twisty they make a person go mad. Wines that make you forget. Perfumes that provoke trust. And there are dark cheese tunnels in which expert artisans create incredible delicacies, none more committed to the craft than Master Grandible: “the cheeses were Grandible’s only friends and family, their scents and textures taking the place of conversation.”
Then the unexpected arrival of a girl shifts Grandible’s life onto a different path, and sends Caverna into a spiral of fear and danger, for Neverfell is not like other girls. She’s certainly not like others in Caverna, whose faces bear no expression until the Facesmiths teach them how to express anything. Neverfell is issued with a mask to hide her face, for it reveals emotions with terrifying transparency, and that way madness and murder lies…And so an utterly compelling tale of political intrigue, revolution and truths unfolds, with as many unexpected, complex twists as the tunnels of Caverna itself. Hardinge is a truly distinctive writer, from the mind-bogglingly unique concepts and worlds she conjures, to her pithily elegant language, and this is a jewel that defies convention, and sparkles at every turn.
Joanne Owen
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About
A Face Like Glass Synopsis
"the most enjoyable children's book of the year so far" Sunday Times
"This unusual and highly imaginative fantasy from Frances Hardinge is spellbinding: sophisticated, multi-layered and elegantly written." Booktrust
"Weird and wonderful." Evening Standard
"It would be hard to imagine any book by Frances Hardinge being anything but excellent." Bookbag
"I loved this book! . Face Like Glass: it's a sweet little onion of a story - layer on layer of plot, and characters, and realisations" British Fantasy Society
In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare - wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) joy, despair or fear - at a price.
Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell's emotions are as obvious on her face as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, though entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed . . .
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780330519700 |
| Publication date: |
28th February 2013 |
| Author: |
Frances Hardinge |
| Publisher: |
Macmillan Children's Books an imprint of Macmillan |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
488 pages |
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Press Reviews
Frances Hardinge Press Reviews
Everyone should read Frances Hardinge. Everyone. Right now. Patrick Ness
This unusual and highly imaginative fantasy from Frances Hardinge is spellbinding: sophisticated, multi-layered and elegantly written. Booktrust
Weird and wonderful. Evening Standard
It would be hard to imagine any book by Frances Hardinge being anything but excellent. Bookbag
I loved this book! ... Face Like Glass: it's a sweet little onion of a story - layer on layer of plot, and characters, and realizations. British Fantasy Society
Author
About Frances Hardinge
Frances Hardinge spent a large part of her childhood in a huge old house that inspired her to write strange stories from an early age. She read English at Oxford University, then got a job at a software company. However, a few years later a persistent friend finally managed to bully Frances into sending a few chapters of Fly By Night, her first children's novel, to a publisher. Macmillan made her an immediate offer. The book went on to publish to huge critical acclaim and win the Branford Boase First Novel Award. She has since written many highly acclaimed children's novels including, Fly By Night's sequel, Twilight Robbery, as well as the Carnegie shortlisted Cuckoo Song and the Costa Book of the Year winner, The Lie Tree.
Author photo © David Levenson
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