christiek's review against another edition
5.0
Hooray! I am happy to have finally discovered David Mitchell. This is subtle and real and rich and beautifully written.
geekcliche's review against another edition
3.0
I'd like to be able to say that I really enjoyed this book. I'm an admirer of Mitchell's writing and have loved his other books. The same distinctive voice is present here and the main characters are all well defined. As in the other books, there's elements that may be Jason's imagination, mis-remembered memories or naïve interpretation.
For any child of the 80's there's unending depths of nostalgia; name any aspect of your childhood and there's a very good chance you'll find a memory triggering reference somewhere from throwaway mentions to Jason's interpretations of events of the Falklands War and its impact an the small community of Black Swan Green.
All of the above are huge plus points, but where I, personally, couldn't fully enjoy it is that Jason's most difficult and painful moments are far too close to my own childhood and sour my appreciation of the story. Where others may be able to say "yes, I remember how hard being a teenager was" or "I remember when that happened to x", it's just too many bad memories for me.
Perhaps a case of 'great book, wrong reader'
For any child of the 80's there's unending depths of nostalgia; name any aspect of your childhood and there's a very good chance you'll find a memory triggering reference somewhere from throwaway mentions to Jason's interpretations of events of the Falklands War and its impact an the small community of Black Swan Green.
All of the above are huge plus points, but where I, personally, couldn't fully enjoy it is that Jason's most difficult and painful moments are far too close to my own childhood and sour my appreciation of the story. Where others may be able to say "yes, I remember how hard being a teenager was" or "I remember when that happened to x", it's just too many bad memories for me.
Perhaps a case of 'great book, wrong reader'
kjboldon's review against another edition
5.0
Love this coming-of-age book by David Mitchell. Love how the chapter mesh with each other and how this book meshes into the Mitchell-verse.
mazza57's review against another edition
1.0
this is the most depressing book I have ever read. I think the author is going for bucolic childhood as Ray Bradbury does in [b:Dandelion Wine|50033|Dandelion Wine (Green Town, #1)|Ray Bradbury|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1374049845l/50033._SY75_.jpg|1627774] but he misses the mark dreadfully. Bullying, violence, divorce - just awful. Just about 300 pages according to GR 609 mind numbing pages on my e reader and not at large font. I feel like i have lost a life i will never get back
clellman's review against another edition
5.0
a little knausgaard, a little edouard louis, quite great
ingalls1969's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I could not get enough of this book. It was a slow start for me, but eventually, I was flying through it and did not want it to end.
My first David Mitchell book (he’s the guy who wrote “Cloud Atlas,” among others) and not my last. I love the fact that the book was about a 13-year-old boy in 1982, since I myself was a 13-year-old boy in 1982. But I spent that year in New Hampshire, and Mitchell’s protagonist (named Jason Taylor) lives in rural England.
The book goes through an entire year and chronicles the usual 13-year old boy stuff: peer pressure, puberty, “fitting in,” music, trying cigarettes, trying to avoid getting the crap beaten out of you by schoolyard bullies…all delivered in a nearly incomprehensible (for us Yanks, anyway) British slang that almost sounds like characters from “A Clockwork Orange.” It’s like Judy Blume decided to write as a British kid with an “R” rating.
There’s so much more I want to write about this book, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. A terrific coming-of-age story and the best novel I read all year.
My first David Mitchell book (he’s the guy who wrote “Cloud Atlas,” among others) and not my last. I love the fact that the book was about a 13-year-old boy in 1982, since I myself was a 13-year-old boy in 1982. But I spent that year in New Hampshire, and Mitchell’s protagonist (named Jason Taylor) lives in rural England.
The book goes through an entire year and chronicles the usual 13-year old boy stuff: peer pressure, puberty, “fitting in,” music, trying cigarettes, trying to avoid getting the crap beaten out of you by schoolyard bullies…all delivered in a nearly incomprehensible (for us Yanks, anyway) British slang that almost sounds like characters from “A Clockwork Orange.” It’s like Judy Blume decided to write as a British kid with an “R” rating.
There’s so much more I want to write about this book, I feel like I’m only scratching the surface. A terrific coming-of-age story and the best novel I read all year.
shadestate's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A slow burn at first. Couldn't stop reading after the first third, as character development and the story so far start tying into new moments and imagery. Hesitated between rating it 4.5-5 stars but went with five, for the feelings that stayed with me after I finished the last page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Infidelity, Mental illness, Bullying, Homophobia, Violence, Cursing, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Xenophobia, War, Alcoholism, Addiction, Domestic abuse, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Death, Pedophilia, Animal death, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, Body shaming, Classism, Alcoholism, and Dementia