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When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past
AJ Flynn has just failed all but one of his GCSEs, and his future is looking far from rosy. So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much.
Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key. And so begins an amazing journey to a very real and tangible past - 1830, to be precise - where the streets of modern Clerkenwell are replaced with cobbles and carts, and the law can be twisted to suit a villain's means. Although life in 1830 is cheap, AJ and his friends quickly find that their own lives have much more value. They've gone from sad youth statistics to young men with purpose - and at the heart of everything lies a crime that only they can solve. But with enemies all around, can they unravel the mysteries of the past, before it unravels them?
A fast-paced mystery novel by one of the country's finest writers, and a UKLA Book Awards 2016 shortlisted title, THE DOOR THAT LED TO WHERE will delight, surprise and mesmerise all those who read it.
About the author
Sally Gardner wuchs im Herzen Londons auf. Da sie an Dyslexie (Buchstabenblindheit) litt, lernte sie Lesen und Schreiben erst im Alter von 14 Jahren. Weil man sie für lernbehindert hielt, wurde sie von Schule zu Schule weitergereicht und landete schließlich auf einer Schule für schwer erziehbare Kinder. Allen Schwierigkeiten zum Trotz absolvierte sie eine führende Londoner Kunstakademie mit Auszeichnung und arbeitete schließlich als Kostümbildnerin in zahlreichen Theaterproduktionen. Nach der Geburt ihrer Kinder, begann sie erfolgreich Bilderbücher zu schreiben und zu illustrieren.
Summary
So when he is offered a junior position at a London law firm he hopes his life is about to change - but he could never have imagined by how much. Tidying up the archive one day, AJ finds an old key, mysteriously labelled with his name and date of birth - and he becomes determined to find the door that fits the key.
Foreword
When the present offers no hope for the future, the answers may lie in the past
Additional text
Gardner vividly juxtaposes the drug deaths and gang rivalry of the present with the top hats and formality of the early 19th century ... Gardner's clever tale is enjoyably complex.
Report
Captures the mood of a generation. The Times
