I'm a marine biology student, a waitress, and a nutty 21-year-old girl. I have a mild obsession wi...
I'm a marine biology student, a waitress, and a nutty 21-year-old girl. I have a mild obsession with sparkly things, country music and the colour pink. I also have a considerable addiction to caffeine. And that's me in a nutshell... :)
Member since:08.04.2007
Reviews:11
Members who trust:4
This is one of the most unusual - and brilliant - books I read last year. It's aimed at the young adult market, but I think it would probably appeal to a wider audience too.
The story centres around Daisy, a young (and reasonably troubled) American teen, who arrives in London on the brink of a modern-day war. She finds herself living in the middle of rural England with family she's never met; her Aunt Penn and her cousins Osbert, Edmond, Isaac and Piper. Without giving too much of the plot away, the war ultimately breaks out and due to Aunt Penn being trapped out of the country, the children are left to fend for themselves. At first the war is more excitement for them than anything else, as it impinges little on their seemingly idyllic lives free from adults in the countryside - but as the story progresses the children have to deal with separation and face the harsh realities of the atrocities of war.
This story is written in the first person, and as such you very quickly begin to relate to Daisy, who is an excellent - if wry - narrator. The characters are extremely well-written and highly quirky but yet believable. Meg Rosoff's writing style flows amazingly well, and this book is incredibly easy to get into. I absolutely couldn't put it down!
The only negatives - without giving away any of the plot - is that as a central plotline to the book is war, there are some graphic descriptions of blood, gore and some fairly unpleasant things. I'd say anyone around fourteen or fifteen years old or above could probably cope with the themes (hey, it's no worse than the news), but it's something to bear in mind. Also, Daisy does conduct a relationship with one of her cousins - however it's well-written and not overly graphic, more how their love is the one thing to keep them going - but you might want to be wary if this is likely to offend you.
In conclusion, there's a reason this book won Publisher's Weekly Book Of The Year award last year, it's an amazing read. I've already recommended it to all my friends as not-too-challenging but very entertaining and gripping reading, and I hope this inspires you to give it a go too!
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Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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