The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley: The spellbinding BBC Between the Covers book club pick

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This beautiful novel with a touch of magic, well-developed characters and set in the 18th century England and Constantinople was a real treat for me. Zachary, a motherless boy receives all love he can have from those who surround him and develops an amazing gift that is not always a blessing. But then a near-fatal accident will take Zachary away from the workshop and his family. His father will have to make a journey that he will never return from. And, years later, only Zachary can find out what happened.

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley - Goodreads

Zachary] is also the bearer of an extraordinary gift; at the touch of a hand, Zachary can see into the hearts and minds of the people he meets." This plays actually less of a role than you'd think given it is mentioned in the short description. The actual time in the book this would have been useful to him its not working and that's sort of briefly hummed over and then not again. I was mesmerised by this whole story, Zachary and his second sight and the inventions that were part of his life. There are so many personal stories going on in the book. Yet because each of these characters is so unique, it never became overpowering or confused. A beautifully crafted historical mystery that will take the reader from 18th century London, across Europe and, finally, to the bustling city of Constantinople." also isn't entirely accurate because Constantinople again plays a fairly minor role in the grand scheme of the book. It's not finally ends in Constantinople, mystery solved and the story wraps up. That's almost a mid point and after they return to England. I would say the book spends more time discussing Mrs Morley on Lundey than in Constantinople.Zachary is a gifted, brilliant little boy, the kind of child who will read anything he can find and probably remember most of it. The publicity for the story reveals that Zachary later loses the sight in one eye and develops a kind of clairvoyance, although he never seems quite certain what is true or not. Before we start on the content of the book – let’s just say I LOVE the cover of the proof – so can only imagine the beauty of the finished article. Zachary's mother dies whilst giving birth to him, which gives him a guilty complex and without his mother an aunt has a great influence on his life, I couldn't help thinking of Bertie Wooster at this point.

The Second Sight of Zachary Cloudesley by Sean Lusk - Waterstones

As Zachary grows it is clear there is something out of the orginary about him, not least his abiltity to see into the future and the past. Please feel free to leave a comment to this book review below. Or even leave your own review if you like. But then a near-fatal accident will take Zachary away from the workshop and his family. His father will have to make a journey to Constantinople that he will never return from. And, years later, only Zachary can find out what happened.

When Zachary’s father, Abel, is forced to travel to Constantinople, Zachary is troubled. He can sense the betrayal and danger his father will find amongst the city’s bazaars, palaces and mosques. But Abel has no choice. He must leave London and his beloved son. And soon, letters cease to arrive and whispers reach Zachary that his father has disappeared within the city’s walls. Zachary begins to experience visions, a sense of what the future holds, and the uneasy and troubling gift of knowing the darkness residing within others, their regrets, hopes and their machinations. Abel finds himself with little choice but to travel to Constantinople but Zachary can feel the betrayal, fear and danger that awaits his father. As communications from father to son begin to cease and years pass, Zachary sets off to follow his father's journey to Constaninople, determined to find him despite the rumours of his death, as he strives to make sense of his visions. Will he succeed in finding his father? Lusk's world building is terrific, there is a wide and disparate stellar cast of distinct characters that include the eccentric Aunt Frances with her menagerie, and the courageous apprentice Tom with his own secrets.