I thought A Little Life was long - this is a massive tome at over 900 pages. The main difference between the two books is that I loved A Little Life. Sorry, but I can't say the same about City On Fire. It was overlong (it's taken me over a month, perhaps two, to read it), confusing, a bit pretentious (keep a dictionary at hand if, like me, you are an ordinary person with an ordinary person's vocabulary. Not quite as bad as Will Self, but nearly there.) I totally lost the plot (literally) a number of times, I got confused over the characters (mainly the Post Humanist gang - I still don't know who has the tattoos or the green hair).
The main premise of the story is this. It is 1970s New York. A girl is found shot in a park on New Year's Eve. That's the gist. Add into that many characters who are linked to the girl in one way or another, so you are left wondering who may have done it. But i didn't really care - even when the guilty person was revealed there was no gasp from me - nada. We have Regan and Will, son and daughter of a wealthy business man William Hamilton Sweeney, whose name is known all over New York. The snake-like and unlikeable Amory Gould, Regan and Will's step uncle from their father's second marriage to the money grabbing Felicia. Regan's husband Keith, who is having an affair with Sam, the victim in the park. Mercer, Will's black boyfriend, who also found Sam's body. Um, then we have Will's 'friends' from when he was in a short-lived punk band - Nicky Chaos, Sewer Girl, Sol, DT. Then there's the reporter Richard, his neighbour Jenny, Sam's father the firework maker, oh and not forgetting Regan and Keith's children Cate and Will. Yes, there are 3 Wills. When the story goes back and forth in time it gets mildly confusing. Then there's Charlie, who had a crush on Sam, and when he finds out she's been shot becomes Messiah-like. Oh, nearly forgot the crippled detective who has to sort out all the mess - and from what I understood, he didn't really solve it, someone showed him all the clues and led him to it.
There are fireworks, fires, black-outs, business frauds, drugs, anarchists. I've read good reviews and bad reviews - if you have the time to spare, read it yourself and make your own mind up.
Wow.I mean, wow. This book may have 'little' in the title, but it is oh so big in many ways. Firstly, it's 720 pages long - big in paper. Secondly, it's big in characters - and I don't mean the amount of characters, I mean it's a hugely character-driven story, with so much detail about all the people. Thirdly, it's big in emotion - I cried so many times. I think that's where I should start really. This book is harrowing, it's upsetting, it's powerful, it's emotional, it's awe-inspiring, it'll take over your life, it'll become your friend that you cannot bear to leave, it'll be there when you're not reading it. When you finish reading it, it'll leave a massive hole in your life. You will decide to read it again. It's brilliant. It'll definitely win many literary prizes.
I should tell you a little bit about the story. It's set in America, and spans the lives of four friends from university to late middle age. Willem, Malcolm, JB and Jude. Even though we learn a lot about all of them, it is Jude who is the main focus of the story, as he is the main focus of all his friend's lives. He has suffered a shocking and traumatic childhood, one that no-one would believe a child could or should go through, and we watch with sorrow and unease as he carries this weighty disturbing baggage with him into adulthood.
This is Hanya's second novel. Her first was 'The People in the Trees'. I will definitely be seeking this one out.
Milo's dad has run off with his secretary to Abu Dhabi, leaving Milo's distraught and heartbroken mum, Sandy, to cope with looking after Milo, Milo's pet pig Hamlet, and Milo's great grandma Lou. Milo has a sight problem - he suffers from retinitis pigmentosa, which means he has only pinhole vision, a condition which only gets worse and results in blindness. Lou is starting to suffer from dementia, and creates an incident at home which results in her being put into a nursing home. However, even though Milo is the one with the vision problem, he seems to see clearer than the adults around him when it comes to things happening right in front of their eyes. The nursing home is not as nice a place as the manager portrays, and Milo sets out to prove she is mistreating the residents. But no-one wants to listen to a young boy with a pig when they have problems of their own.
This is quite a sweet story, but for me it was overlong (I was skimreading large parts), and slightly confusing in places. The topics covered are rather current - dementia, the war in Syria, refugees, the lottery of choosing a nice care home, couples separated, depression, even mail order brides! I think my favourite character is Mr Overland, the man who watches everything from his bedroom window, whistling continuously. I guess that's because I'm a bit of a nosey parker myself! Milo himself is a strong boy who loves his great-gran very much, and is determined for his voice to be heard.
Contains some swearing.
Sophie Kinsella is well-known for her adult 'Shopaholic' series, but here she delves into the young adult arena - and, I think, is very successful!
Audrey has been the victim of serious bullying at her last school, as a result of which 3 girls were expelled, and Audrey now suffers from severe depression and an anxiety disorder. She no longer goes to school, she cannot leave the house (only to visit her therapist, Dr Sarah), and she constantly wears sunglasses, as she is unable to make eye contact with anyone, not even her parents.
As part of her therapy, Dr Sarah suggests Audrey films her family life, starting with her own family first, and then to film any strangers who come to the house. Audrey has 2 brothers - Frank, who's older, and Felix, who's younger. Frank is obsessed with a computer game called 'Land of Conquerors', and he plays it with his friend, Linus. Audrey likes Linus, but it's hard for her to try to talk to him, or even be near him at first, due to her stress and anxiety problems. But she soon realises that Linus understands her and her problems, and that he doesn't think she's a weirdo for wearing dark glasses indoors, and that he knows he has to take things slowly with her. One step at a time, he helps her venture into the world, encourages her to approach strangers and talk to them, and Audrey starts to improve hugely - until she goes one step too far, and it seems all the hard work may have been lost.
Even though the book has the serious story of depression and acute anxiety (which is explained really well, and dealt with brilliantly), it is also immensely funny. I think most mums of teenagers will be able to relate very well with Audrey's mum. She is totally fixated with how much time Frank is spending on his computer, she tries banning him, forcing him to watch a Dickens film instead, making him spend time 'jamming' with his dad on the guitars, helping out making sandwiches for the local fete. All, of course, at Frank's horror and embarrassment. But Frank always finds a way back to the computer - until his mum throws it out the window.
The book is full of hilarious moments, mostly concerning mum getting exasperated with Frank, but also touching scenes with Audrey struggling with her illness, and desperately wanting to be have a 'normal' life.
If you like this, you should try 'We Are All Made Of Molecules' by Susin Nielsen.
I'll heartily recommend this to anyone over the age of 13/14. It's funny, it's very life-like, it's awkward, it's horrid, it's shocking, it's sad - it's just about everything you want in a teen book.
Stewart is 13, super gifted and intelligent, but slightly socially awkward. He lives with his mum and dad, until his mum dies of cancer and leaves Stewart and his dad devastated, sad and alone.
Ashley is 14, beautiful, popular at school, but slightly dim and not the nicest person in the world (an understatement). She also lives happily with her mum and dad, until her dad leaves them - for another man. Ashley is so ashamed and embarrassed she barely speaks to him any more - even though he lives in the converted shed at the bottom of their garden.
Stewart's dad and Ashley's mum work together. Romance blossoms and they end up living together - much to Ashley's horror. She has no intention on being nice to either of them, especially 'Spewart', and is completely mortified when he transfers to her school, and into her class.
This is a story of love, hate, prejudice, but above all, compromise and forgiveness.
There is an upsetting scene of an adult nature involving a teen girl and teen boy, which is why I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 14.
This book grew on me the more I read it, and by the second day of reading I just couldn't put it down. It's about love - just like the title says, but it's more than just boy meeting girl, it's about love of film, love of family, love of friends.
Sixteen year old Luke has just started a Film Studies course at college. We know something's not right with his life from the start - he's paranoid about people staring, he doesn't talk very much, he's withdrawn, he has another voice talking in his head to him. Then he meets Leia, who's on the course with him, and they immediately click. They both love films, they're both named after characters in Star Wars, they both think the same things at the same time. They pair up in class to work together on a film script, and they both seem to be telling each other their life stories. Luke knows there's something between them, but it's not a full-on passionate love affair, it's a tentative 'getting to know someone better'. It's chaste and it's beautiful.
Then we learn more about Luke's brother, Marc, who's just about to come out of prison. He's been in for 2 years for serious assault, and life has been strange without him. How will it be when he comes home? Why does Luke has a scar on his face? Who is Craig Miller, and why is everyone scared of him?
The film thread is kept going throughout the book. We read screenplay scene descriptions (eg, 'INT car, dark, fingers drumming on wheel), the book cover itself looks like a manuscript, the characters play film games in the book (eg, Brad Pitt to Robert de Niro in 2 moves). It's all very clever, and it all adds to the atmosphere. Is everyone's life a film? Are we all characters in someone's manuscript?
A brilliant book about love, family and revenge.
Some of the characters from the book (Luke, Zia and Tommy) are in a stage play written by Steven called 'Back Down', and is currently touring the UK.
Steven Camden is also author of another teen book 'Tape'.
Wow, this just raced along! I loved it! Great descriptions, great characters, great story. I loved the fact it was set in the Edwardian era, its fashions, its architecture - yes, I loved it all!
The story itself is set in the newly opened department store in London - Sinclair's. I'm sure if I'd been watching 'Mr Selfridge' on television, I would've been comparing the two shops, but that series passed me by, so I was fresh to the Edwardian shopping experience! An expensive bejewelled clockwork sparrow has been stolen along with many other costly items from the jewellery department. Unfortunately, shop assistant Sophie has found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and is under suspicion for the theft. It will take a lot of hard detective work from her new-found friends to figure out the real culprits (and there are many sinister and suspicious characters to choose from) and to prove Sophie's innocence.
I very much look forward to more in the series!
If you loved Robin Stevens' Wells & Wong schoolgirl detective series, then this is for you.
I thought A Little Life was long - this is a massive tome at over 900 pages. The main difference between the two books is that I loved A Little Life. Sorry, but I can't say the same about City On Fire. It was overlong (it's taken me over a month, perhaps two, to read it), confusing, a bit pretentious (keep a dictionary at hand if, like me, you are an ordinary person with an ordinary person's vocabulary. Not quite as bad as Will Self, but nearly there.) I totally lost the plot (literally) a number of times, I got confused over the characters (mainly the Post Humanist gang - I still don't know who has the tattoos or the green hair).
