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Loading... Poppy Shakespeareby Clare Allan
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  Fluffyblue | Oct 8, 2008 |  An enjoyable send up of mental health institutions, bureaucracy generally, and government. The narrator, N, is a patient or "client" of a day mental health hospital -- she spends her days there, but lives in her own apartment. The story she tells is of a new patient named Poppy Shakespeare who arrives in the hospital insisting that nothing is wrong and that she's being unfairly forced into treatment. The narrative style is somewhat stream-of-consciousness (and a "mentally ill" consciousness at that), but it manages to work reasonably well most of the time. N is a classic unreliable narrator -- it's clear from the beginning that the reader is going to need to figure out the "facts" through the lens of a somewhat twisted and self-centered narrator. Those offended by curse words should avoid this book as the f-bomb is dropped repeatedly. Overall, the author manages to do a good job of expressing the frustration with the system experienced by its patients and the stupidity of certain programs. (  ) msjoanna | Jun 5, 2008 | This story is set in a North London psychiatric hospital and is narrated by N who has been a day patient for thirteen years and whose main objective is to remain a patient. Poppy Shakespeare arrives one day insistent that she shouldn't be there. N who has been asked to show her round agrees to help her. It took me a long time to settle into this book. I didn't like the writing style and N's strange use of language is a bit irritating. However, by the end, I found that I was really quite moved and disturbed by it and the issues it throws up remained in my thoughts long after I finished the book. ( ) silvercowrie | May 7, 2008 | 4 5 (  ) slove12 | Apr 13, 2008 | You have to be able to read some badly written dialogue to get through this book. Was 'N' meant to speak like that or is it the author's awful writing style - I wasn't sure. It did make for a difficult read so be fully prepared for this. Anyway I trudged through this book and it was a trudge because nothing was interesting. It was okay because it was good to see a patient's perspective as a service user. Having not read 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest' I'm unable to comment on the comparisons. The characters are difficult to get a feel for. I did enjoy reading about the hospital and her thoughts on the doctors; likewise her description of the other patients is funny and who knows but maybe they are accurate. It was the description of the two main characters that was lacking. I was bitterly disappointed as I'd been so looking forward to reading this. But sadly I won't be picking up anything else she writes. It could've been cut down quite a bit. The premis for the novel is fabulous and like I say, I'd been eagerly awaiting the reading of this. Sadly it wasn't one for me. (  ) SmithSJ01 | Mar 23, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0385662149, Hardcover)Shortlisted for the Guardian First Book PrizePoppy Shakespeare is wholly unique — both an insider’s look at the madness of the mental health system and an outsider’s discovery of the power of an unlikely friendship, it signals the arrival of an extraordinary new voice on the international literary scene. Who is mad? Who is sane? Who decides? Welcome to the Dorothy Fish, a day hospital in North London. N has been a patient here for thirteen years. Day after day she sits smoking in the common room, swapping medication and comparing MAD money rates. Like all the patients at the Dorothy Fish, N’s chief ambition is never to get discharged. Each year, when her annual assessment comes round, she is relieved to learn that she hasn’t got any better. Then in walks Poppy Shakespeare in her six-inch skirt and twelve-inch heels. She is certain she isn’t mentally ill and desperate to return to her life outside. Though baffled by Poppy’s attitude, N agrees to help. Together they plot to gain Poppy’s freedom. But in a world where everything’s upside-down, are they crazy enough to upset the system? Funny, brilliant, and moving, Poppy Shakespeare looks at madness from the inside, questioning our mental health system and the borders we place between sanity and insanity. Written in high-voltage prose, original and troubling, it is a stunning debut. Excerpt from Poppy Shakespeare: ‘It’s not that I’ve got a problem with mental illness,’ Poppy said. ‘It’s just there’s nothing the matter with me. Do you know what I’m saying?’ ‘I wouldn’t worry bout that,’ I said. ‘They must think you’s mad or you wouldn’t be here. Candid Headphones don’t reckon she’s mad. Never stopped her,’ I said. . . . ‘Poppy?’ I said, cause I got to say it. Be like watching a blind man walk under a bus. ‘You know what you said bout not thinking you’s mad?’ ‘Yes,’ she said, like what of it? ‘Well I wouldn’t say nothing to them about that,’ I told her. ‘Not at the moment. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I ain’t saying nothing. It’s just the doctors, you never know. They might decide to pick up on it. I mean, it’s up to you, do you know what I’m saying, but maybe if you stick to your other symptoms.’ (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:18 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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I struggled to keep my attention on the book whilst reading it, and found myself easily distracted, which to me is always a sign that I'm not really getting into something! (