Jack Maggs

Description

London, 1837. Jack Maggs, a foundling trained as a thief, betrayed and deported to a penal colony in Australia, has reversed his fortunes. Under threat of execution he returns to London after twenty years of exile to try to fulfill his well-concealed heart’s desire. Masquerading as a footman, Maggs places himself in the rather eccentric household of Percy Buckle, Esquire. But when the unlikely footman comes under the scrutiny of the brilliant and unscrupulous young novelist Tobias Oates, an enthusiastic dabbler in mesmerism, Maggs’s secrets are revealed and he is forced to take desperate, sometimes violent action. A powerful and unusual homage to Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, Jack Maggs displays all of Peter Carey’s broad historical and artistic knowledge, his masterful command of character, and his powerful moral vision. It is an unforgettable novel which will continue to stir the reader’s imagination and emotions long after it has been read.

First Sentence

IT WAS A SATURDAY NIGHT when the man with the red waistcoat arrived in London.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Jack MaggsG.K. Hall1998-01-01
• Jack MaggsUniversity of Queensland Press1997-01-01
• Jack MaggsSoftback Preview1997-01-01
• Jack MaggsFaber and Faber1997-01-01
• Jack MaggsAlfred A. Knopf1998-01-01
• Jack MaggsPlon1998-01-01