Duo Book and Movie Review: The Ruby in the Smoke, by Philip Pullman

We've decided to review The Ruby in the Smoke because we've both read the book, probably multiple times, but the movie we just saw a couple of days ago.


The Ruby in the Smoke, by Philip Pullman
YA/Adult, 1985

On the event of her father's death, Sally goes to live with her Aunt, who treats her as though she is a nuisance and a child. Receiving an odd letter about her father's death, she meets with his solicitors. There she accidentally causes a man's death, starting a chain reaction where the end results could be fatal. Slowly events start to unravel the mystery - a Major Marchbanks, a friendly photographer and his sister, a notebook with a cipher, the evil Mrs. Holland and her opium den, and of course, the infamous Ruby. Set against the backdrop of the opium trade, this story will keep you reading long into the night.
My one caution is that although this is YA, there are a few adult themes, and a significant amount of opium use in the book. Adults tend to prefer the book over YA for the most part anyways.
Ryan: Graded an A-
Raspberry: Graded an A-
movie - B-
movie - C+
The Ruby in the Smoke, 2006

The movie follows the book's plot quite well, but shoves it all into 127 minutes. Because of that, the relationships between the characters aren't always fleshed out, and the characters themselves seem a little stunted. Our biggest beef was the casting. Neither of us are fans of Billie Piper, but when Hayley Atwell came on, well, she basically stole the show. She should definitely have been Sally Lockhart, and would have done a great job. Pictured below is Billie Piper as Sally Lockhart (front and center) with J.J. Feild as the photographer friend and his sister (Hayley Atwell). You may have seen Feild in the Northanger Abbey recently released. In the end, both of us were pretty disappointed, but after you read the book, try it out for yourself, and let us know how you liked it. :)
Trackgeek: Graded a B-
Raspberry:Graded a C+



Neither of us have read the sequels to the book. Here they are in the right order:
The Ruby in the Smoke (1985)
The Shadow in the North (1986) - also a movie made of this one as well, with the same actors.
The Tiger in the Well (1990)
The Tin Princess (1994)