Young Jaffy Brown never expects to escape the slums of Victorian London. Then, aged eight, a chance encounter with Mr Jamrach changes Jaffy's stars. And before he knows it, he finds himself at the docks waving goodbye to his beloved Ishbel and boarding a ship bound for the Indian Ocean. With his friend Tim at his side, Jaffy's journey will push faith, love and friendship to their utmost limits.
- 'An imaginative tour-de-force encompassing the sights and smells of 19th-century London and the wild sea. . . Gripping, superbly written and a delight.', Times
- 'Riveting. Birch is masterful at evoking period and place . . . A teeming exhibition of the beautiful and the bizarre.', Sunday Times
- 'A captivating yarn of high seas and even higher drama.', Guardian
- 'Magical . . . A sustained feat of imagination and diligent research.', Daily Mail
- 'One of the best stories I've ever read . . . A completely original book.', A. S. Byatt
