posted on 08 Oct 2015

Heartsong by Kevin Crossley-Holland and Jane Ray

This is a jewel of a book carefully crafted by two experienced master storytellers who have worked together to create a memorable life affirming story based around the power of music to transform lives. It is based on a true story about a founding child named Laura who arrives at the Venice orphanage ‘through the baby hatch’, like all the other children who are delivered into the care of nuns by often distraught mothers. This opening information, calmly conveyed to us by nine year old Laura in the first few pages really captured my attention. The empathy felt by this writer for the children and their mothers is strongly conveyed at an early stage of the story. These are not children who are often described as being abandoned, but those that have been given reluctantly amidst so much pain and suffering. Each child arrives with a small token to identify them but with no name. I remember imagining the agony of this decision by mothers who could no longer cope with looking after their children when visiting the Coram Foundling  Museum in London and seeing an exhibition of similar keepsakes. In this story, we are encouraged to believe that each individual child in this unfortunate situation was cherished and encouraged – perhaps this is a romantic interpretation but I hope not.

As might be expected from a writer who is renowned for his poetry and wonderful prose in his many other books, the writing is simple and evocative and every word matters to convey the atmosphere eg. ‘cold so cracking a man could snap his moustache’ ( p.114). The layout varies from page to page with some pictures indented into the text , facing pictures with text and two glorious full bleeds  with no text at all. The overall feeling is uncluttered and I think gives a sense of the child’s own voice and how she perceives her world. She is encouraged to play the flute by the music master at the orphanage and soon reveals a great talent despite her young age. One of her defining characteristics is that she is mute which gives rise to some initial teasing from the other girls but is soon accepted. She communicates effectively with her peers and others using signs and perhaps the implication is that her inability to use her own voice allows her to focus on becoming a more skilful flute player.

 Despite the fact that she is growing up in a busy community of other children, she is a lonely soul. She is well liked and forms strong intimate friendships but these are often fragile due to the nature of living in an institution. Once again, the author makes us reflect on the difficulties of living in a quasi- family where babies are dispersed from the orphanage firstly into the care of wet nurses, re accommodated and trained, then usually sent out into service as young teenagers.  Having to cope with leaving behind her temporary family at the tender age of eight with whom she had formed strong emotional bonds  is clearly described to us by Laura. She also tells us in a matter of fact way that all the babies are branded with a hot iron when they are admitted and she also has to come to terms with the pain of losing close friends who die. This is a brutal life in many respects but tempered by the rough kindness of the nuns and the special interest for her welfare and progress given by the music master.

 

The musical rhythm of the story is powerful throughout as from the opening words we are prepared for connections with her deeply held musical memories:
Plink ….
     plink ….
                   PLASH….
plink …

I am not going to spoil the unfolding of the plot any further but reassure you that the poetry of the writing is made even more powerful by the finely drawn illustrations. I love Jane Ray’s wistful style that is enhanced by a palette of rich colours. For me, there are echoes of artists like Fra Angelico that emphasise the spiritual nature of the story.  Laura is conveyed as a quiet, strong, thoughtful and graceful young girl whose muteness adds a dimension to her character rather than diminishing it. This illustrator has drawn powerful characters who are deaf in the past with equal success. Some of the pages are coloured and the illustrations continue across two pages with the writing being less prominent. There is also the leit- motif of a tree that is repeated through the book giving it a strong but different rhythm to the prose. We are shown the detailed interiors of the orphanage and the wider world of Venice through the eyes of Laura as she gains in confidence.  I have never been to this city but this magical depiction is making it a very tempting destination.

At the end of the book the reader is given some context for the story. We learn that it is based on research originally carried out by the illustrator, after she was intrigued by a ledger listing the names of foundling babies  left at the Ospedale della Pieta, an orphanage and music school run by nuns in early 18th century Venice. She decided to fill a sketch book with pictures and notes based on one of these children: Laura, no. 3170, born 1724. The author provides fascinating historical details including the background to the central adult character in the story, Antonio Vivaldi who was the director of music at the institution.  It seems that the story is organised, like the composer’s work into four seasons that represent Laura’s journey through her young life. I deliberately didn’t read about this context until the end, but it is clear that this is a book written by two people who know and love Venice , Vivaldi and children like Laura – this shines through every page:

‘And now, together, we have rediscovered her and listened to her: Laura and her heartsong (p.125)’.

 

Karen Argent
October 2015