Some men seem to have all the luck. Others dream of only fi nding a little. Richard Smith's world was the orphanage. It was the only one he knew. All of the other worlds for children, of mothers and fathers and a place called home, he learned from the tears of those who had lost theirs only to wind up in his. From the way they grieved, he knew it must have been something pretty great. Once he had two sisters, they said. One had died and the other went to a place called Iowa with an uncle. He was left behind. He grew up to ...
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Some men seem to have all the luck. Others dream of only fi nding a little. Richard Smith's world was the orphanage. It was the only one he knew. All of the other worlds for children, of mothers and fathers and a place called home, he learned from the tears of those who had lost theirs only to wind up in his. From the way they grieved, he knew it must have been something pretty great. Once he had two sisters, they said. One had died and the other went to a place called Iowa with an uncle. He was left behind. He grew up to put most of it behind him and in his search for a family of his own, thought that he had. But an electrical shock opened some door to his early childhood he couldn't seem to get closed again. Each discovery posed more questions until fi nally there was only one other person he needed to see. It would be a three-day road trip, or so he thought...
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PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Richard Smith had a life before he lived at St. James Orphanage, St. Paul, Minnesota, but that was too long ago to remember. Even his first days at the orphanage seem hidden under a strange cloud of forgetfulness. One thing Richard does remember is that, no matter what, he must not eat the ?cornmeal mush? (Ch. 1 and following) the nuns serve for breakfast. Refusing this meal is against the Orphanage rules, and Richard?s insistence over the years, as he grows up, marks him out as a trouble-maker. Faced with the harsh bureaucracy of the Catholic Church Richard decides that all talk of God is a fake, but he is determined to do what is really ?right? (Ch. 1 and following) by people, regardless of what the church says. From a very early age ethics, rather than morals, interests this young thinker. As Richard grows up he changes in some ways, but in many ways he stays the same. What will the course of his life be?
The Children Shall be Blameless is a story about real life, taking a very practical and pragmatic view of things. It is, however, also a ?spiritual? (rather than religious) story asking deeper, philosophic questions about how to live and how we find meaning. Savage?s story is interesting and in parts very exciting, and the novel is not in any way preachy.
The plot of the novel is divided into basically two parts. The first part covers Richard?s early life and his adult search for his birth family, and also for a partner and family of his own. The second part takes a new direction as Richard finds himself involved in the intrigues of crime, though the themes and plot arc of the first part is never lost. Chapters 1 to 3 cover Richards youth, narrating his growth as an individual. This is a section of increasing complexity of story and themes. Chapters 4 to 5 describe Richard?s early adulthood, particularly his time in the army. This section is unfortunately in large part rather a hiatus, in some ways simply repeating the themes and plot devices of the first section. It should be pointed out, though, that this ?dull? section is a necessary character device which provides the motivational impetus for the next section. Chapters 6 to 8 narrate Richard?s journey of discovery as he delves into his distant, ?forgotten? past. Chapters 9 and 10 form the midpoint of the novel and are marked by a peak of adventure and danger both in terms of character development and events. Chapters 11 to 14 involve the new plot direction of crime and adventure. Much of this section works well, however, in parts we feel Savage is struggling for plot line. When Richard is knocked unconscious and loses his memory for a third time we feel it is one time too many. Chapter 15 serves as an epilogue. This last Chapter is too compressed in narration, with too many events happening all at one time (especially in one short section). We feel that Savage is rushing to get the story completely finished, and is perhaps under editorial direction concerning page numbers.
Virtually all of Savage?s characters are likable, though imperfect, and the reader immediately relates to them as ?real? people. Even the ?bad? character, Shirley Stanton, is in many ways likable in perhaps a dangerous way. We are beguiled by her ?charm? and double dealing. Richard is good, tough, practical and pragmatic, and hides a remarkable athletic ability. His failing is that in many ways he is ignorant of his own motivations, especially where his life?s direction is not going right. His character has some mystery as he keeps to himself in some circumstances, but is extroverted in others. Father Allen Brown, Richard?s mentor, is good, but not rigid in his ethics, as well as practical and loving. Shirley Stanton, as we have said, is an ambiguous character, and is certainly an interesting element in the novel. She could have been the stereotyped, beautiful ?hussy,? but she is a much more complex character than that.
Justice and ethics, in the broadest sense of those words, is the central theme of the novel. Richard develops a set of personal values throughout the novel, which guide him in his actions. He is interested, at the most, in guidelines, rather than a set of rules for correct behaviour. These values include stepping up for the down-trodden (Ch. 1), equality (Ch. 2), tolerance (Ch. 3) and loving the people you find yourself with (Ch. 8). Most of us want to do our best, what is right, but why is this so important to us? We could simply let the whole problem slip and say, ?Who cares!? Our need for connection, the next theme to be discussed, seems to propel us towards ?goodness? (Ch. 2 and following). These moments of ?goodness? have great meaning to us and repeatedly in the novel we hear that certain events ?changed me? (Ch. 1 and following). Criminal justice makes an appearance in the second half of the book, but the theme is never fully developed. The issue of criminality is rather dealt with in terms of the personal values we have just been talking about. None the less we face issues such as: (1) are the law enforcers necessarily good, (2) is justice necessarily always done, and, (3) what is our correct response to crime?
The importance of family is the second major theme of The Children Shall Be Blameless. What is family and why do we seem to need it? In the 1950?s life seemed simple and we all knew that a family was a mother and a father and two children. Now we have fractured families, blended families, birth families, adopted families, single parent families and LGBTIQ families. Indeed, some of these types of families appear in the novel. In keeping with the ?spiritual,? rather than religious, attitude of this novel the approach to families is ?non-traditional? (Ch. 7). We all, even orphans, have families of some kind, but it is tempting to romanticise the notion: we dream of the ?ideal family?. Richard very much likes movies, but must learn that while they reflect life, and give us ideas to think about life, they are not life (Ch. 2 and Ch. 8).
Bureaucracy appears as a strong minor theme. We seem to need some rules and organisations, but they in themselves can become the source of injustice. This injustice is very easily denied and swept under the carpet when it is an embarrassment. How can we be ?spontaneous? (Ch. 2) in the face of bureaucracies? There is also a sub-theme of the horror of war. This is not exactly an anti-war novel, but it is also not war affirming. How should we treat soldiers and veterans? Can those who do not go to war ever really understand what it is like?