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clairewilsonleeds's review against another edition
2.0
Didn't rate this. On a really basic level, I felt it was badly written/edited (basic sentence structure etc), but there was nothing there to make up for that. Didn't believe in the characters (it was a pain to read Charlie's inner monologue, jumping from one extreme emotion to the next with very little warning/explanation), the dialogue was quite cringey, and the plot followed a very worn, tired path that I am incredibly bored of. If it was done well, fair enough. But, unfortunately, it wasn't.
catriona90's review against another edition
5.0
Utterly absorbing. Thought-provoking, challenging, sad and hopeful. Loved it.
adamskiboy528491's review against another edition
4.0
Did you ever have a friend who made you see the world differently? [b:Common Ground|55854046|Common Ground|Naomi Ishiguro|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1604695472l/55854046._SY75_.jpg|87067036] by [a:Naomi Ishiguro|19590232|Naomi Ishiguro|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1578592829p2/19590232.jpg] is a poignant coming-of-age story. Not only is this novel a beautiful depiction of an unlikely friendship of two boys, turned young men, learning who they are & their places in the world there is a political narrative that runs alongside, slowly building & building until the climax of the novel.
The two main characters are Stan, an outcast at school & Charlie, from the traveller community & an outsider. The book starts in 2003 during their schooldays, & then we move to 2012, where the two unexpectedly meet again, & roles have been somewhat reversed. In essence, it’s a coming of age story but focuses on social injustice/discrimination in the traveller community. It was good to see this being highlighted in fiction as usually skin colour/ethnicity is always a subject matter, & talking about other discrimination issues makes such a change.
The book raises interesting questions & certainly made me think about the difficulties faced by Traveller families & how the whole structure of modern society is constructed to make their lifestyle very difficult to carry on. I don’t know much about the Traveller community, & they are not very well represented in contemporary fiction, so it was great to learn a bit more about this group. I particularly loved the overarching theme of this book.
kazza27's review against another edition
5.0
Common Ground – Naomi Ishiguro
An sensitive and moving story of two young boys who have an unlikely friendship. Stan, 13, who has recently lost his Dad and moved to a new home with his Mum. Charlie is 16 and lives on a traveller site with his family. The two meet when Stan has an issue with his bike and they begin their friendship.
Stan has had a very sheltered life in contrast to Charlie who is a very street wise 16 year old. The story explores how they help each other but also looks at the prejudice that Charlie and his family have to endure.
It is a very detailed look at two characters who have had very different backgrounds but still have a strong and loyal friendship.
The book is in three parts and Part one is told from Stan’s perspective when he meets Charlie in 2003.
Part 2 is in 2012 year’s later when they are both living in London. Stan doing his MA at University and Charlie is married. Stan has very idealistic views and wants to help Charlie but he finds out that this is not as straightforward as he thinks.
This is a wonderful book which is very hard to read in places with the bigotry and hate that Charlie endures, but a really moving and hopeful debut novel from Naomi Ishiguro,which left me thinking about what can be done to help this intolerance that many communities see today. You can find out more about Common Ground by Naomi herself below.
https://www.facebook.com/ExeterLibrary/videos/452577079190853/
An sensitive and moving story of two young boys who have an unlikely friendship. Stan, 13, who has recently lost his Dad and moved to a new home with his Mum. Charlie is 16 and lives on a traveller site with his family. The two meet when Stan has an issue with his bike and they begin their friendship.
Stan has had a very sheltered life in contrast to Charlie who is a very street wise 16 year old. The story explores how they help each other but also looks at the prejudice that Charlie and his family have to endure.
It is a very detailed look at two characters who have had very different backgrounds but still have a strong and loyal friendship.
The book is in three parts and Part one is told from Stan’s perspective when he meets Charlie in 2003.
Part 2 is in 2012 year’s later when they are both living in London. Stan doing his MA at University and Charlie is married. Stan has very idealistic views and wants to help Charlie but he finds out that this is not as straightforward as he thinks.
This is a wonderful book which is very hard to read in places with the bigotry and hate that Charlie endures, but a really moving and hopeful debut novel from Naomi Ishiguro,which left me thinking about what can be done to help this intolerance that many communities see today. You can find out more about Common Ground by Naomi herself below.
https://www.facebook.com/ExeterLibrary/videos/452577079190853/
xin_jiang's review against another edition
3.0
based on the description i was more hoping this book taking on a homosexual aspect but i guess i was just too biased. this book takes you on a journey of a prevailing friendship evolving over time, solidarity and the fight against xenophobia. very heartwarming read, although it didnt move me as much as i thought it would.
mjliveandletdye's review against another edition
Lost interest. Part one was too long
alicemc25's review against another edition
2.0
Found it a bit Meh. I love a good coming-of-age, unlikely friendship story (even one that's a bit sickly sweet if it's told well), but this one and it's characters felt a bit flat and unrealistic.
jojopatel99's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
thedandybrambler's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful. Really bloody beautiful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol