A Book Review—The Snake-Stone by Berlie Doherty

The setting: Urban England (the cities), but also rural England (the countryside) including remote English villages．

The theme: The main theme is a teenage research of self-discovery, in this case the search for a mother from whom the hero was separated at an early age．Its other concerns are love, getting on with others, being persistent and courageous and trying to deal with doubts, troubles and worries．As the book moves to a close, James’ swimming coach says to him: “You are not like a kid obeying instructions any more．You are diving like a young man who knows where he is going．”

The characters: James is the hero of the story．He is a championship diver, and has a comfortable life with his foster parents (养父母)．Yet he also has the qualities to take him on a long journey to find his birth mother．The other characters in The Snake-Stone, James’ parents, his diving instructor, best friend, the villagers, people he meets on his journey, are pictured realistically．

The turning point: The turning point in the story comes while James’ foster parents are away in London, and he wonders about the identity of his birth mother．The only clue he has is a fossil, “the snake stone” which she left behind along with a note on which she had written: “Take good care of Sammie．It was written on a torn envelope with parts of an address still there．

The journey: Instead of going to London, James decides to find his birth mother．With help from his geography teacher, James sets out for the remote country village where his mother might be found．James has painful, challenging, but also humorous and happy travels．The mother he finally meets, Anne, has a minor yet powerful voice in the novel．He comes to understand why she left him at a stranger’s door fifteen years before．Although the meeting is not long, it leaves him with a feeling of completeness．As a journey of self-discovery The Snake-Stone also provides its readers with a happy ending．Its hero says, on returning to his foster parents, “I was home．”

小题1:What is the main theme of the novel?

A．A journey of self-discovery．

B．Life in the world of diving．

C．Life with foster parents．

D．A travel around the country．小题2:What do the coach’s words in Paragraph 2 suggest?

A．James is a successful diver．

B．James is an independent young man．

C．James is an outgoing young man．

D．James is a hopeful swimmer．小题3:The snake stone in the novel is        ．

A．a stone with an address on it

B．a gift from the swimming coach

C．a clue left by the birth mother

D．a fossil left by the foster parents小题4:Which of the following is true about the novel?

A．The story has a sad ending．

B．The story takes place in the city of London．

C．The characters are vividly described．

D．The turning point comes after the hero meets his birth mother．小题5:It can be concluded that James’ journey is _________．

A．disappointing

B．boring

C．comfortable

D．worthwhile