Sorta Like A Rockstar by Matthew Quick

I think I'm going to have to start reading longer books, because I am just rattling through them at the moment. So here I am, already breaking my rule about doing one book a week, but only because I've got a really good book this time!

Matthew Quick's name first caught my attention from the critical acclaim that surrounded the hit film Silver Linings Playbook based on his novel of the same name. I have yet to be lucky enough to get hold of this (please charity box Gods let me find it!) but have read on of his other novels, Forgive Me Leonard Peacock. All about a boy who does that American horror and kills in his own high school. So along with depression in amongst his other novels (such delightful topics), it comes as no surprise to find in Sorta Like A Rockstar many issues including homelessness, abuse and death. Why are young adult novels always so damn depressing? I guess you only realise this as you get older. But then, they must learn.

Quick is responsible for Silver Linings Playbook. 

Set around the character of Amber, we follow her story, right from the outset where she is living in the school bus that her mother drives for a living. We immediately can connote facts about her past of course; abandonment, not knowing her father and her mother having boyfriend after boyfriend all feature. But there is something incredibly different about Amber that you don't get in these usually cliched stories. She is full of hope. And always keeps herself busy. Whether it be having debates at on old peoples' home, visiting a war veteran who writes haiku's endlessly, teaching the Vietnamese 'diva' choir by seeing diva classics or cooking tequila omelettes (sound delicious), there seems something so pure about Amber's character. And something else Quick does well to eradicate is the teenage girl chase for a boy, or a boy coming along and saving the day. There is no mention of relationships or her desire for one. It is something we need to see more of, and it is so important for girls to know relationships at such a young age is not the be all and end all.

There are some lovely moments throughout the novel, especially the relationship between Amber and her eventual adoptive mother Donna. Donna is the woman that she, in my opinion, should aspire to be. Quick sure does know how to great a fantastic and strong mother figure, someone that Amber never really has in her life. And their relationship feels so real, never forced. I guess that because Quick used to teach, he knows how to write in teenage talk (God I feel old writing that, and yes I'm only 21). You forget after awhile it isn't a teenager writing the book. He does it is so seemlessly.

Sorta Like A Rockstar

Another poignant moment in the book is where tragedy strikes with Amber's mother. The book literally falls apart in the middle as Amber's life does. Quick gives us mere sentences as chapters, intercut with Amber's talks with the local Vietnamese church priest where she contemplates life as anyone would in the situation. And this is where the book begins to lose some of its momentum. Her friends try to rally around her but she just rejects those who try to help. It gets extremely difficult after sometime to understand she this after awhile, and I think Quick drags this out slightly. Also the constant haiku's eventually, for me, were moments to skim read. I hate poetry (sorry guys, awful English graduate right?). But Quick manages to pull it together at the end, with a fantastic ending. We can only hope that every teenager who goes through hardship has people like Amber does to pull around her in times of need. But deep down I know that's not true. Truly heartbreaking for me.

So in a story that is full of a variety of characters, most of them old but let's face it, aren't they the ones who have the most to talk about? But Quick does something quite special with Amber by matching her to these people. The interaction between the old and the young never feels false and you always get a sense reality from Amber. Whilst the tiresome references to religion and JC get old very quickly (typical atheist me), there is plenty to keep you entertained. Yes it might be for the young adult market, but come on, the issues are so serious that we adults will have no problem enjoying a book as great as this. There are rumours of a film for this too. Cross those fingers. And them toes too.

Sorta Like A Rockstar by Matthew Quick is published by Headline books in the UK. 

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I'm beginning to think that Sunday evening might just become my weekly review post. I just get so tired during the week that I don't want to write a rubbish post and you not enjoy it (or get anything from it). But then I read so many good books I don't to get lag behind and forget. So maybe I'll just go against what I said anyway. What the hell. What are rules for! So anyway hello and welcome to today's review...

Got quite a different book for you this week compared to last weeks lovely, gory and sexually violent book, Stardust. Written by Neil Gaiman, a man who has been receiving a lot of attention for his latest novel The Ocean At The End Of The Lane- watch this space, that book is currently residing in my pile of books to be read- so before I get to that to see what all the fuss is about, I decided to read another one of his older novels. Wow that was a long sentence.

I have seen the film adaptation that was released nearly 7 years ago now- where the hell is time going?! I really enjoyed the film, mainly down to the adult fairytale feeling that the film gave across. And of course I never miss a chance to watch a film starring the only woman I would ever consider, Michelle Pfeiffer. I was immediately thrown into a completely different universe, but one that I couldn't help but think was slightly familiar. Set in sunny (always is in fairytales) England, there was an extremely picturesque feeling to the whole story, especially in the village of Wall. Gaiman certainly does have a way with words.

I always enjoy a fairytale, mainly down to the themes that it deals with, that can often been of quite a violent or adult nature, but they are dressed in such a way you simply don't think of them as such. Stardust follows the character of Tristian, as he sets off into the other world that Wall sits next to. He is in search of a fallen star that he wants to get in order to get a hand in marriage. Being a demanding woman, she wants the star. In what I think is such a lovely image, the star is not an object, or a ball of gas, but is actually a woman whom has fallen out the sky. She was hit by a gem that 2 brothers, Primus and Septimus, the last two alive lords of the land, who must find the stone in order to become King. There is some great scenes involving them, mainly down to their ghostly brothers who always appear behind them in the film, and this detail is carried on the preceding novel, something Gaiman uses to a great comic advantage. This is also true of the witch who is after the star, and there are some great scenes where she forces an inn keeper to pretend they are married in order to entice the star into staying. There is something so sinister about reading the witch doing everything she can to relax the star, when we know she really wants to cut her heart right out of her.

Now, being 21, you may think my memory may be very sharp, but alas you would be mistaken. But I have to say I was quite impressed in noticing differences between the book and novel, something that alas (I love that word) always must occur. But I think the book wins out on all the alternatives that the film presented. This is more than evident in the witch's final scene, where an old witch, who is also after the star in order to recapture her youth, lets the star go when she eventually gives her heart to Tristian. This means her heart, which needs to be cut out before something like this occurs in order for it to give her the youth back, wouldn't work Gaiman's version is so much better and so less the stereotypical Hollywood ending where the evil is stamped out by the goodies. She simply just leaves them to live their lives in the novel, something so different it was a joy to read.

Does the film of 2007 film adaptation fair better? 

Another book vs film difference, where the book wins out, is seeing Tristian and his starry bride getting to travel and see the world that they will eventually reign first hand before taking over from Tristian's mother as rulers. They just seemed so down to earth, as much as a fallen star can be, that we can only hope for leaders like them in this world. And for people who actually know and have seen what the hell they are talking about.

Gaiman is truly a master of words, he truly drew me into his faitytale world, but not letting the picturesque setting take away from the fascinating characters or the adult tones that burst through. A truly adult fairytale, that anyone will enjoy, Gaiman puts to the forefront a world that anyone would want to be part of. Don't let the film put you off, there are moments that work so much better, are so less cliched, all in the end making a great little read. And the book is quite thin, slip it in your bag for your holidays! I look forward to reading more of his books, as well as the TV adaptation of his novel American Gods.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman is published by Headline in the UK. 

Ten Storey Love Song by Richard Milward

I can only apologise for the lack of book reviews for the past week. You may think that I haven't read any books recently but you would be wrong. I've read two more.... so that only means that I have been lazy. But do forgive me. I have been too busy down the church paying for Jesus.... Oh hang what the fuck am I talking about! Of course I've just been eating chocolate. So anyway, creepy chocolate covered Jesus images aside, let's plough on with one of the books I have recently devoured (sorry mid-devouring-chocolate as I type this).

Ten Storey Love Song is set in Middlesbrough in a tower block called Peach House. Full of characters that are both complex, hilarious and scarily violent all at the same time, the book is written in continuous prose. Expect no gaps or breaks in the texts, not even a chapter in sight. Usually I am a fiend for stopping at the start of a new chapter in a book, but trains suddenly arriving at their destination has snapped me out of this habit. So I didn't struggle with this at all. And if anything it reflected real life. Life's continuous journey, never stopping for a break, especially in a tower block where someone is always passing doors or heading out to work.

Now Richard Milward's not only a genius in this continuous flowing form of writing, but the content is absolutely brilliant. Focusing on two misfiring relationships between Bobby the Artist and Georgie as well as Ellen and Johnnie, they both encapsulate the benefit nation, often found out drinking, cheating the system and generally being delinquents. But there is hope for them all in some way, whether it be Bobby's talent attracting attention in London for painting masterpieces whilst under the influence of a multitude of drugs (including sniffing Lynx) or Georgie's job at BHS. Their relationship is full of complex moments, and also some heart warming ones, including Bobby thinking drugs no longer effect him even though he doesn't know Georgie has swapped his drugs for her addiction, sweets. Although you sometimes feel so angry at just how many bad mistakes they make and how much money is wasted, in the end your heart goes out for this couple, something Milward handles to well.

Johnnie and Ellen's relationship on the other hand is less hard to understand. I just want to warn you now, this novel is extremely graphic in its description, but whether you see it as graphic or realistic is up to you. But there are some fantastic descriptions and I loved the way Milward gives voices to inanimate objects whilst Bobby is on drugs including a VCR- yes its an older book- it's just hilarious. But yes I digress. Ellen and Johnnie's relationship always feels a bit doomed, especially when Ellen cheats on him and Johnnie loses his temper and nearly kills Angelo, the man she cheats with. Again, the graphic description here just adds to the intensity and your toes will curl, I guarantee you. I found it hard to like either of these characters, but again I think it is Milward's way of writing, that despite the good moments, there will always be disaster around the block.

There are other characters that Milward is so successful with that are worth a mention, all bringing their own complications and issues to the story. Lewis, the art dealer from London that Bobby thinks is so posh, is if you really look into his character, is just like everyone else. There is also Alan The Blunt Cunt (to give him his full name used throughout) whom is shown to be a pervert during the course of the story, that is right until the end when we learn about his real character. And you start to feel sorry for him.

In a story that is both graphic, realistic, tragic and heart warming, I couldn't help but smile when I finished the book. Milward did something I really respect of authors, taking characters that you should hate and detest for the choices that they make, but it is simply impossible. In a world that I know very little about, people taking drugs and delinquents on benefits, I saw a vein of positivity running from start to finish. Added to all this, one of the funniest books I have read in a long, long while. Go read now!

Ten Story Love Sony by Richard Milward is published by Faber and Faber in the UK. 

The Other Half Of Me by Morgan McCarthy

Now I don't really have a particularly dramatic or close family, but I do love a good story about a the traditional family, and how behind closed doors, things are not as simple as they look. And this is exactly what I have in store for you this week fellow readers: a dramatic family tale. And before you say anything, yes I did read this book mostly based on the fact that the family surname is Anthony (basically my name) and the main characters' name is Jonathan (my middle name). Fairly selfish reason I'm sure you will agree...

Set in rural Wales, The Other Half Of Me focuses on the not-troubled-for-money Anthony family. The story is told from Jonathan Anthony's point of view, as we criss-cross different times in his life, with details about the plot slowly being revealed as we go. McCarthy achieves this with such grace and elegance, it's hard not to admire the way she manages to reveal everything throughout so many different time periods. From the outset, we can tell that whilst they may have no money worries, they have plenty else to deal with.

Morgan's novel

 Jonathan's younger sister Theo (yes that confused me for a very long time, boy or girl?) is an intriguing character even at such a young innocent age, asking strange questions and following Jonathan about like a lost puppy. This continues into the latter stages of their lives, when they have both moved to London and Theo is completely dependent on Jonathan. But their relationship is told so well, you almost start to feel sorry for Theo, and the fact she can never hold down a job and gets bored very easily. Reading the parts about her, I struggled to not agree, yes work can get boring, why not just not turn up sometimes? But unfortunately, as reading is an escape from the real world, this idea soon fades.

There are many other family characters who continue to intrigue and fascinate throughout as well, including Theo and Jonathan's mother Alicia, who is never referred to as Mum or Mother and only ever Alicia. This little detail highlights to us just how distant she is from her children, and they constantly rely on each other for entertainment, or the multiple staff that work in their huge country house. Along with the mother is their estranged father, whom either child knows about, and are both told died in Australia. This absentee father bases the majority of the story, as Theo always until her tragic demise, wants to find out about and know what happens to him. This continues to haunt Jonathan throughout his adult life until he gets some truth (I won't ruin it for you) and you will be satisfied with the ending.

The character that clinched my interest the most was their grandmother Eve. A former US government worker, there are many names dropped throughout, including Nixon and JFK himself. Now a international hotel owner, Eve plays a somewhat impermanent fixture in Jonathan's life, and she is the character I enjoyed the most. She is the one who carries the family secrets to her death bed, telling Jonathan almost everything just before she passes towards the end of the novel. She was such an complex character, with plenty of history, that I was always a little saddened when she disappeared again and again from the novel. Maybe this is one downside; not enough Eve.

This is not to say that Jonathan doesn't tell a good story. He kept my attention at all times, as he described his long lust for their almost neighbour Maria, but it does get a bit creepy after awhile at just how many years he thinks about her and just how many relationships he lets it effect.  But all in all, I found this book hugely enjoyable read, not to complex, not graphic but plenty of mystery, plenty of fantastic characters and PLENTY of family dirt. A must read.

The Other Half Of Me by Morgan McCarthy is published by Headline books in the UK. 

The Fields by Kevin Mahar

The Fields opens in Dublin during the 80s and we find Jim Finnegan as our protagonist. He is only 13-years-old and we are immediately thrown into his innocent world, joining him and his best mate on cycle trips. There is an instant enthusiasm from Jim as learn about his family, including 5 sisters, his distant father and typically Irish, gossipy (is that a word?) mother. They are an extremely varied bunch, all with their own traits, but slowly fade into the background as we explore Jim's character more and more.

We soon begin to learn that Jim isn't as straight forward as we first think. The innocence still remains in his voice throughout the novel, but his actions start to become more and more erratic. This all escalates in him eventually stealing someone's girlfriend, whose name is so Irish I'm not even going to attempt to type it let alone say it. There are some very uncomfortable scenes with her, as learn about them passionately kissing, bearing in mind he is only 14 by this time. Kissing very soon leads to more (I'm not going to spell this out for you), and for me the uncomfortable feeling just continued here. The way that Mahar has told it through Jim's childish voice just doesn't make it sound right, and maybe that was what he was trying to get at. But for me, the feeling of complete gross out never left me in these scenes.

Now the front cover of the novel promised a heart warming and laugh out loud story. I'm not sure these are quite the words to describe this novel, especially when Jim becomes an altar boy and a priest starts to take an unhealthy, and very illegal interest in him. These scenes of rape, again told through Jim's innocent eyes really put me on edge. I've always been funny with the power of religion, and the fact that the priest continues to blame Jim for what the rape he is committing, just adds to the tension that I felt reading it. I was so on edge, people on the train must have thought I was feeling a tad ill. But it is important to hear these stories, as well know to well the stories of abuse that come out of the church.

Jim's relationship continues during this time, and there are so many opportunities for him to tell someone, it almost starts to become annoying. But then we must remember he is only a child, but the sheer honesty and naivety of the story telling makes it the more real, and we soon realise he is powerless to tell anyone. Who would believe him over the highly regarded local priest?

The story soon moves onto London where Jim and his girlfriend have traveled in order for her to have an abortion. It made me extremely sad to see the lengths they had to go to in order to abort the foetus; Ireland has never exactly been tolerant of it. And it is when the story moves to London that the hit and miss novel really falls apart for me. It just seemed a bit ridiculous, whether it was the 15 year old Jim working in a bar with a lot of gay men (who by the way beat up the priest when he visits Jim in London- creepy- and you can't help but smile), or the spiritual classes he attends where they teach people to heal, it doesn't ever feel right for me.

So for a novel that I was expecting to laugh out loud to (I refuse to put that abbreviation here), I was highly disappointed. There are some lovely moments between Jim and his family, but these are heavily taken away from when there is too much focus on the spiritual healing, and the details that just seem too far fetched, and doesn't seem realistic enough. This is such a shame for a book that deals with hugely modern issues such as the abuse that children suffer and the poor sex education they are giving. But Mahar does achieve one thing; finding a suitable voice to innocently present these issues and make them seem to much worse because of it.

The Fields is published by Abacus, an imprint of Little, Brown books in the UK.