Books like The Boy with the Cuckoo-Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu
On the coldest night in 1874 Edinburgh, a boy named Little Jack is born with a freeze‑solid heart. A non‑conventional doctor, Dr Madeleine, saves him by implanting a cuckoo‑clock into his chest, imposing a strict rule: anger is too dangerous for the ticking heart. As Jack grows, his unusual heart makes him the target of bullying at school, where the device’s daily wind‑up becomes a source of ridicule. When Miss Acacia, a street‑singer, enters his life, a romance blooms, but Jack’s heart—and life—are put at risk. The story blends tender fairytale elements with darker themes of emotion control and survival, all set against the historic backdrop of 19th‑century Edinburgh.
First publish date: 2009
Genre: Romance/Historical Romance
Authors: Mathias Malzieu
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