The New Policeman: Summary and book reviews of The New Policeman by Kate Thompson, plus links to an excerpt from The New Policeman and a biography of Kate Thompson.
The New Policeman
by Kate Thompson
Hardcover: Jan 2007,
448 pages.
Paperback: Apr 2008,
416 pages.
There never seems to be enough time in Kinvara, or anywhere else in Ireland for that matter. When J.J.'s mother says that what she really wants for her birthday is more time in her day, J.J. decides to find her some. But how can he find time for her, when he barely has enough time to keep up with school and his music? And where will he get time to find out if the shocking rumor is true—that his great-grandfather was a murderer?
It seems as though J.J.'s given himself an impossible task. But then a neighbor reveals a secret to him—there is a place where time stands still. J.J. realizes he's the only person who can make the journey, but to do so he'll have to vanish from his own life.
And when J.J. disappears from the village, enter the new policeman. . . .
If there was ever a book that deserved to be listened to rather than read, The New Policeman is it. Not only because the writing has a distinct Irish lilt but because each short chapter ends with a musical score for an Irish jig, so unless one happens to be a dab hand on the keyboard, or better still, the fiddle, there is an element of the book that one misses out on (in fact it's a little frustrating that this otherwise wonderful book, winner of the Guardian and Whitbread children's book awards, didn't come with an attached CD for the musically-challenged amongst us). Having said that, even without being able to fully appreciate the musical elements, all four of us (aged 11 to 47) very much enjoyed reading The New Policeman. (Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Bookpage - James Neal Webb
Thompson's novel catapults the reader into a Brigadoon-like world where nothing is exactly what it seems and where the only thing that really matters is music—the music we create, and the music that is life. The compelling plot is full of more twists than an Irish jig .... and the well-drawn characters jump off the page. The New Policeman will take you to places, both real and imagined, that you've never been before.
Kirkus Reviews
Extremely short chapters interspersed with musical scores of appropriate traditional tunes create a choppy start, but the novel, rich with Irish flavor, quickly warms up as time passes too quickly in both worlds. A wholly satisfying resolution returns all characters to their homes-with a bit of crossing-over fun. Charming.
Publisher's Weekly
[An] enchanting story....The book is a kind of love song to traditional Irish music, every chapter ends with a melody.
VOYA
Mesmerizing and captivating, this book is guaranteed to charm fantasy fans
Booklist - Gillian Engberg
Starred Review. Readers will ....fall eagerly into the rich, comic language and the captivating characters and scenes, particularly those that feature musicians (including talented J. J.), who play the "wild, anarchic music" that bridges worlds.
KLIATT
This jaunty, enchanting fantasy won the Whitbread Award and the Guardian Award when it was first published in Great Britain, and it's sure to appeal to readers on this side of the Atlantic as well.
The Guardian - Jan Mark
There is something hallucinatory, if not delirious, about this stylish, magical book, the sensation of tenuous recognition, of watching a dream slip away after waking.
Sunday Times
Imaginative, neatly constructed and rich in Irish lore, characters and atmosphere, it is deservedly gathering prizes.
Eoin Colfer The New Policeman is charming, seductive and completely enthralling. Everyone with even a passing interest in Irish music, or magic should read it.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Velma Time and Magic I just finished The New Policeman and it really proved how valuable Bookbrowse is to me. I would probably never have come across this charming and magical book without Davina since it isn't offered in the local bookstore and I have seen no other... Read More
Kate Thompson was born in
England in 1956, the youngest of
three children. Her parents were
social historians, both writers,
and both very active in the
peace and anti-nuclear movements
during the cold war years. After
she left school she worked with
racehorses for several years in
England and the USA before going
to college to study law, which
she left after a year to go
traveling to India, where she
spent the best part of two
years. She moved to Ireland in
1981 where she lives with her
partner Conor Minogue and their
two daughters. She started
writing seriously in the late
eighties and her first book, a
collection of poems, There is
Something, was published in
1992.
A year or so later she began to
write full length...
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(1043 words).
Eoin Colfer
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by Velma
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