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sadiereadsagain's review against another edition
5.0
Iām going to try really hard not to gush here, but Iām obsessed with this book. I couldn't put it down. The writing is flawless, the story is intriguing, the characters are palpableā¦lovelovelove.
karenjanee's review
4.0
maybe 3.5 stars but I will round up. The writing was beautiful but it was a slow read (for me at least).
kiwisnyds's review
5.0
I read this quite a few years ago - I'm a sucker for good cover art and this one drew me in. In competition with only one other, this is the best stand-alone novel I have ever read. When it's over I just want to read it again, hoping the story will continue. ALK is one of my favorite authors, and I am so glad I found her.
smcleish's review against another edition
3.0
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
Everything in this long, complicated novel really boils down to two themes: the relationship between parent and child, and what it is like to be a writer. It is mostly set on a remote island off the coast of Wales which is home to a community of writers. One of them, horror novelist Nathan Staples, has not seen his daughter Mary for about twenty years, since his wife Maura walked out taking the child with her. He has now tracked Mary down and discovered that she too has ambitions to write (no indication is given as to how he has managed to do this). Maura had not wanted to raise Mary herself, and so she has been brought up by her "uncles", a gay couple one of whom is related to Maura. Nathan arranges for Mary to be offered a scholarship, a change to live on the island for a year and learn from the experienced writers in the community.
Mary doesn't know who her father is - and Maura has in fact told her that he is dead - so that she doesn't connect Nathan with herself at all, accepting the scholarship at its face value. (Presumably their surnames are different, though Kennedy doesn't say so.) Nathan intends to tell her, but naturally finds it difficult to do so, particularly as he finds her sexually attractive (mainly because of her resemblance to her mother). His agonising is the main way in which Kennedy explores her themes.
Everything You Need is well written, though distinctly repulsive in places. (The very first page is an example of this.) It is a bit on the slow side, and much of what Kennedy has to say (both about relationships and about writing) is rather obvious. The characters are interesting, though as they are mainly viewed through Nathan's self obsession they are not profoundly three dimensional. A good novel, not a great one.
Everything in this long, complicated novel really boils down to two themes: the relationship between parent and child, and what it is like to be a writer. It is mostly set on a remote island off the coast of Wales which is home to a community of writers. One of them, horror novelist Nathan Staples, has not seen his daughter Mary for about twenty years, since his wife Maura walked out taking the child with her. He has now tracked Mary down and discovered that she too has ambitions to write (no indication is given as to how he has managed to do this). Maura had not wanted to raise Mary herself, and so she has been brought up by her "uncles", a gay couple one of whom is related to Maura. Nathan arranges for Mary to be offered a scholarship, a change to live on the island for a year and learn from the experienced writers in the community.
Mary doesn't know who her father is - and Maura has in fact told her that he is dead - so that she doesn't connect Nathan with herself at all, accepting the scholarship at its face value. (Presumably their surnames are different, though Kennedy doesn't say so.) Nathan intends to tell her, but naturally finds it difficult to do so, particularly as he finds her sexually attractive (mainly because of her resemblance to her mother). His agonising is the main way in which Kennedy explores her themes.
Everything You Need is well written, though distinctly repulsive in places. (The very first page is an example of this.) It is a bit on the slow side, and much of what Kennedy has to say (both about relationships and about writing) is rather obvious. The characters are interesting, though as they are mainly viewed through Nathan's self obsession they are not profoundly three dimensional. A good novel, not a great one.
lnatal's review against another edition
3.0
BBC Radio 4 Extra:
Nicky is a new minicab driver, learning The Knowledge in his spare time. His relationship is on the rocks and his life seems out of control.
Charlie is his passenger, a garrulous old man who wears an ill-fitting sergeant's battledress jacket and wants to talk about the war.
There's a Tube strike, the traffic isn't moving and the two unlikely companions are forced to spend time together. But as Nicky finds out, Charlie isn't crazy - he's in love.
Charlie .... Freddie Jones
Nicky .... Sean Hughes
Young Charlie .... David Birrell
Young Millie .... Clare Corbett
Millie ... June Barrie
Benny .... Ric Jerrom
Vendor..... Tom Lawrence
Newsreader .... Peter Jefferson
Director: Kate McAll.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003dqz
Nicky is a new minicab driver, learning The Knowledge in his spare time. His relationship is on the rocks and his life seems out of control.
Charlie is his passenger, a garrulous old man who wears an ill-fitting sergeant's battledress jacket and wants to talk about the war.
There's a Tube strike, the traffic isn't moving and the two unlikely companions are forced to spend time together. But as Nicky finds out, Charlie isn't crazy - he's in love.
Charlie .... Freddie Jones
Nicky .... Sean Hughes
Young Charlie .... David Birrell
Young Millie .... Clare Corbett
Millie ... June Barrie
Benny .... Ric Jerrom
Vendor..... Tom Lawrence
Newsreader .... Peter Jefferson
Director: Kate McAll.
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0003dqz
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