Chains | 
| Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Creator: Madisun Leigh
Publisher: Brilliance Audio on CD Unabridged
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $14.96
You Save: $15.03 (50%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 389637
Format: Audiobook, Cd, Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Unabridged
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 7
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.2 x 1.4
ISBN: 1423367308
EAN: 9781423367307
ASIN: 1423367308
Publication Date: October 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom. brbrFrom acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling, impeccably researched novel that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 Free Your Mind January 6, 2009
After a couple of false starts with this book as the beginning was a little slow and there were lots of distractions, but after the first 80 pages, I couldn't put it down. br /br /Anderson never shies away from the truths of the era she writes about. She talks about the dirty truths of the Revolution--the Patriots were not always the good guys, slavery was not just a Southern issue and people did horrible things to each other in the name of liberty--but still helps you see the importance of the battles that were fought. This pivotal time in American history has made our country what it is today--both good and ill. br /br /I had never really though what the Revolution meant for the slaves in America, but now I have a greater appreciation for the decisions they had to make during that turbulent time. Isabel's story is one of courage and hope marred only by the horrific events she struggles to overcome. I grew to love Isabel and look forward to reading more about her life in Forge.
A portrait of a young woman struggling through a social structure that practically guarantees her failure December 17, 2008
When I first read the synopsis of Laurie Halse Anderson's new novel, I was initially put off. After all, this book --- which focuses on the treatment of slaves by Patriots and Loyalists during the American Revolution --- seemed to cover much of the same historical and thematic ground as a series near to my heart: M. T. Anderson's brilliant Octavian Nothing, the second part of which was published earlier this fall. How dare another book try to address those same issues! I thought to myself in disbelief.br /br /But I was determined to give CHAINS a chance. For one thing, it's written by one of my favorite young adult authors. Plus, it was nominated for a National Book Award about an hour before I started reading it. In the face of this evidence, it was hard to maintain my skepticism. So I overcame my doubts and sat down to read --- and am I ever glad I did.br /br /CHAINS is set in 1776 and centers on Isabel, a slave girl. At the novel's opening, Isabel is torn between mourning the death of her mistress and quietly celebrating her freedom; according to her mistress's will, Isabel and her younger sister Ruth are to be freed upon the mistress's passing. No one seemed to tell that to the mistress's relatives, however, who are determined to sell Isabel and Ruth to the highest bidder as soon as possible.br /br /The highest bidders turn out to be the Locktons, a couple heading back to their home in New York City after fleeing Boston, which has been effectively seized by the Patriots during the early battles of the Revolutionary War. Mr. Lockton and his wife are Loyalists, convinced that if these few pesky revolutionaries can just be controlled, the king's reign will be established once again and the proper order of things will be restored. Mr. Lockton is not taking any chances, though --- he and his Tory friends are busy planning secretive action against General Washington and his troops.br /br /Convinced by a slave named Curzon --- whose master is among the Patriots --- to spy on the Locktons' activities, Isabel does so at great peril to herself because she's convinced that she'll win her freedom as a result. Much to Isabel's anger and disillusionment, however, her espionage only leads to a painful and humiliating branding as well as a separation from her beloved sister. It's no wonder, then, that Isabel, who hears so much about freedom and loyalty from the growing revolutionary forces in New York City, eventually thinks to herself, Whenever I heard the words "liberty" or "freedom," I wanted to spit in the dust. As Isabel works out where (if anywhere) her own loyalties should lie, she is forced to develop unlikely allies and use her own talents for memory, creativity and perseverance to help her spirit survive.br /br /Like Anderson's earlier historical novels, CHAINS is meticulously researched and seemingly authentic, right down to the old-fashioned typeface and historical quotes that open each chapter. Anderson also includes a very useful question-and-answer section at the back of the book that helps clear up historical misunderstandings and explain this often-overlooked aspect of our country's early history.br /br /Far more than dry history, CHAINS is also a portrait of a single young woman struggling to make her way through a social structure that practically guarantees her failure. Isabel's body may be captive, but her spirit and imagination can never be truly enslaved. On the surface of things, this novel and the Octavian Nothing books might appear to be telling the same story. The beauty and brilliance of literature, however, is that good authors' perspectives and visions are startlingly unique. And so it is here, as both Laurie Halse Anderson and M. T. Anderson have brought a particular chapter of American history to life through their fiction.br /br /--- Reviewed by Norah Piehlbr /
Extraordinary Isabel December 13, 2008
Thirteen-year-old Isabel and her small sister Ruth are the slaves of Miss Finch, who has signed papers giving them their freedom when she dies. The lawyer, who kept these papers, subsequently moved to Boston. Upon Miss Finch's death, her greedy nephew sells Isabel and Ruth to the cruel Locktons who move them to New York City in May of 1776, just in time for all of the fighting between the patriots of the American Revolution and the British and their sympathizers. The Locktons are very high up in the hierarchy of the British sympathizers. While Isabel is running errands,she meets Curzon, a slave of an American officer. He tries to recruit her to spy on her owners. She refuses until Mrs. Lockton viciously sells Ruth away from her. Then she compliesbr /br / br /The juxtaposition of the personal cruelties inflicted on the protagonist and the impersonal cruelties of war is played out brilliantly against the events of the American Revolution as suffered by the denizens of New York City. The authentic details of the times are a wonderful backdrop for intelligent Isabel's struggle for freedom and friendship. With a satisfying but open-ended conclusion, readers can hope to share more of Isabel's extraordinarily delineated life.br /br / br /
 Pending Review... November 24, 2008
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is not a review. I ordered the book and the order was canceled by Amazon with no details. After reading other reviews, I confirmed that I was not the only one who did not receive this book. After reading such excellent reviews on this book (from those who did receive their order), I am anxious as ever to read Chains. Amazon, my review is pending, please send the book so that I may properly review it.
Interesting Read... November 21, 2008
There's not much I can add that the other reviews haven't covered already, but I do like this book a great deal. I highly recommend picking this one up.
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