The Ant Colony

I ett och samma hyreshus på Georgia Street 33 i Camden Town bor Sam som rymt från sina föräldrar och landsbygden för att få vara ifred, Bohemia som är här på ett kort stopp mellan mammans olika pojkvänner och Isabel, en gammal dam som ser det som sin uppgift att lägga sig i.

Den här boken är så mycket bättre än vad som skulle kunna sammanfattas som handlingen. Det skulle lätt kunna bli blödigt, sentimental eller kliche med en grupp väldigt olika människor vars liv korsar varandra och förändras på grund av detta möte, men Valentin falller inte i den fällan. Istället blir det fängslande, roligt, spännande och framför allt svårt att lägga boken ifrån sig. Detta trots att den berör problem som alkohol, show more droger, mobbing och barn som far illa. En mycket läsvärd bok, helt enkelt. show less

PLUS -
* A lovely simple idea, intertwining the lives of several people living in one set of flats in London.
* Superbly written characters - even the minor ones are rounded and interesting.
* Raises lots of interesting questions about the nature of family and friendship, taking responsibility for our own actions and taking care of other people.

MINUS -
* Perhaps a bit slow paced in places, but on the whole I think that's a good thing in this case. Nothing is over dramatised despite some of the difficult issues dealt with.

OVERALL -
* A lovely simple story with some serious underlying messages. I read it in under two hours!

A compelling, satisfying and touching story, easily devoured in a few hours. The ending was just a little too pat for me to give it a full five stars, but that doesn't mean I wasn't happy for a happy ending after all.

Jenny Valentine for me is fast becoming the new (better?) Jacqueline Wilson. She deals with difficult issues for children in the same simple and poignant but never patronising way. I really enjoyed reading the Ant colony, and Sam and Bohemia are both likeable, realistic characters with real emotions and motives. Recommended for anyone over 10.

It was a pleasant afternoon spent yesterday reading this book. I was taken by surprise at how grown up it was. When I selected this book via Amazon Vine I wasn’t aware of the target age group and I would suggest slightly older readers, maybe 12 or 13 upwards, simply because of the writing style. Even though the book cover is neutral unisex colours, I do think it might appeal more to girls than boys because even though the book has two narrators, it is Bohemia (our 10 year old female narrator) who tells most of the story.

The story is narrated using the first person, which in this case works well as both narrators are distinctive in style. Bohemia is a 10 year old girl struggling (without realising it to begin with) with her mum’s show more boyfriends and Sam who I don’t know if we find out how old he is, but he’s a teenager at school so I’m going to guess at 14 or 15. With it being first person, the chapter headings are the name of the narrator, although you can tell from reading who it is narrating.

Both Sam and Bohemia have experienced some form of trauma in their young lives and although there are many children who won’t have experienced their lives; equally there are hundreds of children we will all know who have. I didn’t think the reference to ant colonies was particularly relevant to be honest unless, on reflection, the ending of the novel is designed to show the significance of ant colonies. Either way, it is still a highly readable novel that has you hoping for something positive for both Sam and Bohemia. show less

In der Georgina Street 33 leben auf jedem Stockwerk etwas eigenartige Mieter. Sam ist einer von ihnen, gerade 17 Jahre alt und heimlich von Zuhause ausgerissen. Er kann sich mit seinem Ersparten und einem lausigen Supermarkt-Regale-Einräum-Job über Wasser halten. Mit seiner verschlossenen Art macht er sich nicht nur Freunde. Bo(-hemia) ist erst 10 Jahre alt und praktisch Selbstversorgerin. Ihre Mutter ist entweder zu müde, zu betrunken oder zu sehr auf Drogen, um für das Mädchen zu sorgen. Zur Schule geht sie nicht . Im Erdgeschoss lebt Isabel, eine alte Dame mit Hund, die geschickt die Mieter einlädt und hinter so manches Geheimnis kommt. Als Bo eines Abends von Zuhause ausreißt, wird der Zusammenhalt der Mietgemeinschaft auf show more eine schwere Probe gestellt. Bo reist zu Sams altem Freund und dessen Eltern und erfährt eine tragische Geschichte. - J. Valentine liebt die schrägen Charaktere und die bittersüßen Geschichten. Wieder sprachlich überzeugend in Szene gesetzt, ist der Titel auch als diskussionswürdige Schullektüre zu empfehlen. show less

Jenny Valentine weet mij steeds te ontroeren, in enkel zinnen brengt ze al haar personags tot leven en ook na het lezen blijven ze rond dolen in je hoofd.