The Clockwork Three

by Matthew J. Kirby
Start Date: 1 January 2011
End Date: 1 January 2011
400 pages (Hardcover Edition)
Published 1 October 2010
Recommended for: 8-14

I think my favorite part of The Clockwork Three was Kirby’s ability to weave the three threads of the story. I liked how each character had their individual stories that connected in a larger way but it wasn’t like they spent the whole book as a group (e.g. Mysterious Benedict Society). Kirby also achieved a balance that is missing in many books written from multiple perspectives. In terms of the feel of the story, it reminded me a bit of the Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, a favorite of mine since elementary school. Like the Thief Lord, The Clockwork Three was historical fiction with a little bit of magic.

The three main storylines:
Frederick – apprentice clockmaker, wants to become a clockmaker in his own right. In order to impress the council enough to end his apprenticeship, he is secretly making an automaton.
Giuseppe – An Italian boy tricked into leaving his home to come to New York and forced to play music on the streets to earn money for his “padrone”. When he finds a magic green violin, he make a plan to earn enough money to return to his family in Italy and escape his padrone.
Hannah – a maid in a grand hotel. She works in the hotel in order to earn enough money to sustain her family after her father, a stonemason, who was paralyzed. She needs to find the money to pay for his medicine, so she is looking for a treasure rumored to be hidden in the hotel.

Overall, very enjoyable. I think this will become a book I will read over and over – one of my “comfort books”. The Clockwork Three is a great first novel from Matthew Kirby. I’m looking forward to reading more.