Montmorency (novel)
| Montmorency | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eleanor Updale |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | Montmorency Series |
| Genre | Children's, Thriller, Spy novel |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | 30 April 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback and Hardback) |
| Pages | 240 pages |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-439-85628-0 (paperback) |
| OCLC | 61439287 |
| Followed by | Montmorency on the Rocks |
Montmorency is the first book in the Montmorency Series by Eleanor Updale. It introduces several major characters such as Montmorency, George Fox-Selwyn and Dr. Robert Farcett.
Plot summary
London, England, 1875. The story begins with a man falling through a glass roof while fleeing from the police, onto a grinding machine below. He would have died if not for the intervention of Doctor Robert Farcett. Farcett hopes to prove himself an accomplished doctor by working on the criminal's complex wounds, and continues to work on the thief after he is imprisoned and given the temporary name "Prisoner 493". He soon takes the name "Montmorency" because he was sentenced under the name "Montmorency" in the criminal record. This is due to the fact that the name "Montmorency" was on the bag he had with him when he fell through the glass roof.
During his sentence Montmorency becomes a chief exhibit at the Scientific Society (as its name suggests, the Society was a place for medical and scientific gatherings). It is at one of these gatherings that Montmorency comes across Sir Joseph Bazalgette, who is the planner and supervisor of the ongoing London sewer project. From that moment on, this new system would make a drastic change in Montmorency's life.
Montmorency realizes that the sewers are the perfect escape route for his daring robberies. However, Montmorency also has high hopes for living as a gentlemen, mainly by selling the expensive items he could steal via the sewers. Since rich people do not normally smell like sewer water or go about in ratty clothes, he finds himself in need of an accomplice—a fellow thief with knowledge, capability, and secrecy to accomplish any given tasks. He formulates a genius idea of having two different yet coequal identities—Scarper and Montmorency. That way no one will discover the true identity of the thief. Scarper, the thief, will pose as a servant to the extravagant and wealthy Montmorency.
After three long years of waiting in prison, Montmorency is released from jail. It is notable at this point that all communications between Dr. Farcett and Montmorency ceases after his release from jail.
Scarper accomplishes many robberies under the name 'Scarper' (including burgling Doctor Farcett), and is never caught. During this time, Scarper rents a room in the slums to stash the particularly valuable goods. The place he stays is run by Vi Evans (who later becomes one of Montmorency's close friends). Meanwhile, Montmorency rents a room out at the Marimion Hotel for his wealthier self.
The robberies committed by Scarper make the papers. Eventually the police pick up a man named "Freakshow", a friend of Montmorency's from his prison days, and pin Scarper's thievery on him. He is hanged for Scarper's crimes, a great source of guilt for Montmorency from then on.
Montmorency saves a man by the name of Fox-Selwyn from a carriage accident outside the Marimion. He and Fox-Selwyn hit it off immediately and they become friends, and after a bet forces him to put all of his criminal skills to good use breaking into the Mauramanian Embassy to spy for information - "I bet you I could get in!" Turning it into a gambling matter had finally gotten his companion's attention., Fox-Selwyn gives Montmorency a job as a spy for the British government. His first assignment is to break into the Mauramanian embassy and listen for information that could prevent European war, which earns him a permanent position in the British government.
Eventually he frees himself from Scarper and returns all the stolen goods that remain in his possession, resolving to be an honest man.
Audio
An audiobook was released in the UK in July 2004 read by Stephen Fry.
Theatrical Adaptation
Professional theatre company, FreeRange Productions, adapted the novel for stage in 2012, performing at Edinburgh Fringe Festival through August of that year.[1][2] The show was well received by critics and audiences,[3] and Updale herself described it as "a nerve-wracking, but exciting experience".[4]