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| Plot Summary of Crossing the Lines |
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"In the third novel in the series that began with The Soldier's Return, we find Joe Richardson on the eve of high school graduation. The series began with the return of Joe's father, Sam Richardson, from four years of fighting in Burma in World War II. Sam, born and bred working class, is torn between his desire to be close to his son and his desire for Joe to do better than he did.
Sam has become the proprietor of the most popular bar in the working-class town of Wigton. Joe works at the bar between studying for his A-Levels, the exams that can determine entrance to college. As the novel opens, Sam is unsure of whether he can pass and is sure he can't win a scholarship. His friends are all working, mostly in the local factories, and earning what this town calls good money.
Joe is in love with Rachel Wardlow, the daughter of a farmer whose jealousy of his daughter forces the couple into secrecy. Yet, they consummate their love, and Joe is sure it will last a lifetime.
To Joe's surprise, he places tops in his class and earns a scholarship to an Oxford college. Before starting at the college he spends a summer working in France, and begins to learn about art. This is just the first of the changes that will gradually move him into a world far removed from the working-class life of Wigton. Joe is also surprised to find that as his tastes in literature become more eclectic, Sam is also becoming well read; his native intelligence blossoms as his son introduces him to the fringes of the world he is entering.
At Oxford, Joe becomes close to his roommate, James, who comes from an upper middle-class family. He begins to change his accent, imitating the upper-class Roderick. Then, at a dance, he meets Harold and Frank, Yorkshiremen who have made it into Oxford. They try to persuade him to keep his working-class accent and not let Oxford change him into something he is not.
Joe's mother, Ellen, is also changing. She has become friendly with the head of the local Labour Party, and has persuaded Sam to let the group meet at the pub. When she gets an opportunity to meet her father's second wife at his grave, William offers to drive her. Sam is jealous, but is able to keep his feelings under control. Ellen's relationship with William never gets beyond friendship, but he influences her to consider running for the local council on the Labour ticket.
The book ends with many unresolved loose ends: Will Joe eventually lose his roots? Will Ellen decide whether to become involved in politics? Can Sam come to terms with his son's growth into a world he can't really understand? Will Melvyn Bragg continue this series that explores the meaning and even adventure in the lives of ordinary people?
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David Gordon, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Crossing the Lines |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Age group of kid(s) in story:
- college
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- a teen
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- small businessman
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 7 (a good amount)
Europe
Yes
European country:
- England/UK
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- descript of kissing
Amount of dialog
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Melvyn Bragg Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 David Gordon
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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