William Nicholson (1) (1948–)

I was more than a little skeptical about this book going in. For one, I'm skeptical about books with real-life writers as characters (I dislike the whole Jane Austen-solves-crimes thing). For another, I grew up in and around Amherst and it can be hard to read about a place you know and love if you feel like the writer gets it wrong — I'm probably extra-sensitive to that, living now in a place that gets written about a LOT. But this book won me over and by the end I was blown away. It's a show more really thoughtful, interesting take on the role of love in our lives, what we expect from it and what we're willing to do to seek it. I also learned a lot about the Dickinson-Todd love affair, which I'd heard about but always thought was just ancient gossip dredged up because the poet was famous. And I *really* hope Nicholson, an accomplished screenwriter, writes that movie about Austin Dickinson and Mabel Loomis Todd. show less

Kestrel Hath and her Brother, Bowman, are twins in the city of Aramanth in a wonderfully imagined world full of magic and surprises. But their world is not the perfect place it once was, for the Wind Singer that overlooks their city has been broken for many years, and in the mean time the city has been overtaken by a rigidly enforced regime that ensures everyone is put to work in the place best suited to their skills and effort.

From the age of 2, children are educated and examined show more repeatedly, and their scores are added to the scores of their parents who also undertake regular examinations. The scores then calculate their priveleges, where they may live and what colour clothing they may wear.

But the Hath family think differently to other people, and they see that the system - rather than achieving a wonderful egalitarian society - actually binds them and imprisons them. And when Kestrel one day snaps in a school lesson, she awakes a chain of events that bring down the wrath of the chief examiner and set in motion something much larger and more dangerous than anyone would have believed possible.

I first looked at this book when it was newly published. I picked it up to buy it, but it was on one of those "3 for 2" displays where you can get 3 books for the price of two. As I could not find 3 books I wanted I resented paying full price for it and put it back! (Waterstones take note - you would sell me more books just by discounting them a little instead!)

It is a pity it took me so long to actually buy this book, becauise it is excellent. I was expecting a good fantasy story, but the story I read exceeded my expectations on two counts:

1) The characterisations were very well done, and often very amusing. The conversation Bowman had with an official as Kestrel climbed the Wind Singer had me laughing out loud. I instantly fell in love with the Hath family. Not that they were a perfect family, and you see their warts and all - particularly as the discover friendship in an unlikely place.

2) The world that Aramanth sits in is a richly imagined but very fresh and non stereotyped world. I get very fed up with fantasy books that set themselves in a kind of medieval world, just because that is how Tolkien did it. But this is not one of those books. The world described here shows the ability of the author to imagine something bold and new and very engaging.

The book is written with young adults as an intended audience, but adult readers should enjoy this too - and younger children may well love it too. As a rough guide, I would probably not give it to anyone much younger than 10, or older than 95 (although the latter only because the print might then be a little too small!)

All in all this was a richly imagined book with good characters, some good humour and plenty of action as well as things to make the reader pause and consider afterwards - particularly on the nature of freedom. show less

So disappointing, and so bad, I'm struggling for anything to say. The first page has the ominous sentence, "It was a summer to remember so far". Sadly, the book is not one to remember.

The story takes place over seven days, and I read two of them (to page 159 of 534), so I gave it a fair crack.

It is set in a Sussex village in July 2010 and follows various couples and families with particular issues (fear of commitment, how to care for an aging parent, unemployment, troublesome teens, rabbit show more invasion - yes, really).

I often like unsympathetic protagonists, and there are plenty to choose from here, but they were too dead for me to dislike them enough to enjoy it.

It's all told in the present tense, each chapter from the viewpoint of one character, and it's desperate to make the reader conscious of it being 2010, so there are LOTS of clunky references to very specific people, events and fashions that will make the book age badly. In many cases, it is pure padding that adds nothing but irritation. For example, "She navigated her laptop [her laptop?] through the BBC website", there's mention of a specific Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall cookbook, Raoul Moat, Nick Griffin of the BNP being invited to a royal garden party and... meh.

Even when it's not banging on about the date, it spells things out with a sledgehammer, talking about "the elephant in the room" and then defining it, even though the context makes it clear for anyone who is unfamiliar with term (which can't be many).

I am shocked at how bad it was. Can it really be the same author who wrote the beautiful, original and imaginative "Wind and Fire" YA trilogy? I read them in parallel with my son several years ago, so thought I'd try one of his adult novels that had rave reviews in the newspapers. Unlike the others I read, it's not fantasy-ish, and I realised only after I bought it that although it's a standalone story, it is, to some extent, the end of a trilogy.

I hate giving up on a book, but life's too short to waste on such tripe. show less

I pulled this book off the library shelf after my mother recommended a book by the name "Motherland" not knowing the author of suggested book, I grabbed all the available titles at my local library. I am glad I read this random (not the book my mother meant) copy. The story starts out slowly, we get to know the background characters and feel unfamiliar with who they are, suddenly going into a whole 'nother story; this- a true love story mixed with all the disappointment felt disappointing at show more times.

Nell, makes the book more lighthearted than Kitty and that is huge. Kitty, the beautiful one, the happy one, becomes drained and not so happy. Life is like this, we fall in love with the wrong man and yet, give our hearts fully to them.

The characters became more fleshed out over time but it took a very long time, all the while you are frustrated with Larry's choice for a wife. How in the world can she be that hollow, that resigned to do as she thinks he wants? She never could be his because she never was alive enough!!!

Over all this book was good, I loved the way it ended. show less