I've read countless rave reviews on this book so was incredibly excited to read it.
The story follows Sophie, who has hair the 'colour of lightning'. She was found by Charles Maxim floating on a cello case. They were both travelling on the ship the Queen Mary, which sank and Sophie was saved by Charles.
Charles decides to raise Sophie up and brings her up in London. Charles is incredibly eccentric and raises Sophie to be as eccentric as him. When inspectors from the National Childcare Agency come to inspect they inform Charles that Sophie is not being looked after properly and needs to be taken to an orphanage.
Sophie is insistent that her mother is still alive and that she was a cello player on the ship, hence why she was found in a cello case. She refuses to believe that her mother is not still alive so she sets up a mission to find her.
This leads Sophie and Charles to embark on a trip to Paris, whilst there Sophie meets Matteo, a French rooftopper. They set forth on an adventure across the rooftops of Paris...
This is narrated in third person which I don't tend to like in a book, however, I didn't mind this one. The story was told well and it worked well with the plot of the book.
I will say, although I liked the book, not a lot really happened until the last 30 or so pages. It sort of felt like you were reading but nothing was really happening. Some of the time I would skim the pages as I was bored. I would say give it a read but, for me, it didn't live up to the rave reviews. I did like it, just not as much as I expected to.
• Buy this book at the Guardian Bookshop
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