Once you start it, you won't be able to switch it off!
How does it compare to similar audio books?
Excellent
How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Not applicable
Advantages:
funny, cool heroine, easy - to - read
Disadvantages:
tries a little too hard at times
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Apparently Viva Cohen would hate anyone who did not think Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" was a good song. Phew, I'm glad I do because Viva is the kinda fictional heroine I wish I'd been when I was sixteen, and I wouldn't want someone that cool to hate me!
Viva is the main character in "Namedropper", the debut novel by journalist Emma Forrest. A sixteen year old Jewish Londoner, she is an old soul in many ways - wise beyond her years, she worships Elizabeth Taylor, and most of the men on her "best looking" list have been dead for years!
Apart from the hassles of having to go to school, she has a pretty good life. Her gorgeous best friend Treena, a real character and a half, always has some mad idea to make their lives more interesting. Her other best friend Ray just happens to be a famous pop star (they met at a screening of "Splendour in the Grass). Yep, as you may have guessed, this is no normal sixteen year old!
Viva's friendship with Ray causes her to meet struggling musician Drew at a gig and that's when things start to really pick up. Viva falls head over heels for alcoholic, anorexic Drew, sensing some kind of kindred soul, and when he goes missing, she sets out to search for him, encountering superband Skyline's lead singer and a trip to LA along the way.
That brief overview probably makes the story sound supremely unrealistic but I promise you this is not the case. I think that the fact we are let into Viva's world so completely makes everything seem so much more believable. For example, her friendship with Ray seems like an unrealistic concept - but when you see their relationship close up, Ray likes having Viva around because her complete nonchalance about who he is keeps him grounded, not getting carried away by all the trappings of fame. Her friendship with Treena seems extremely real, and we hear about that right from the start - the first chapter of the novel is devoted entirely to her best female friend, making it clear she has something of a "crush" on her, some form of hero worship. I think most people have had a friendship like that in their lives - that they need the friend more than the friend seems to need them.
There's a certain randomness to the novel that genuinely seems to reflect Viva's eccentric character. Each chapter seems initially to not be related to the last, as Viva highlights friendship, a childhood incidence of separation trauma set off by Bambi's mother's death, and thoughts of men and sex among other subjects - but there is a method to the madness and these little stories generally have a point which is relevant to the ongoing storyline. The randomness of Viva's character is also shown in her life philosophy, which is based on one line of the aforementioned "Boys of Summer" - or so she thinks, anyway. I think the idea of living your life according to the words of a song is a fabulous idea . . . but I doubt I would do it myself. Yet another reason to admire Viva!
I have read this book numerous times since it was first published in the late nineties, and I feel like every time I read it, I get something new from it. It's not a hugely literary novel (although I feel that perhaps Forrest wanted it to be at times) but its really interesting and really well-written, and I think the author has probably to some extent based Viva on either her younger self, or the girl she would have LIKED to have been, as the character is so well developed and has so many opinions, that it seems that she MUST be based on someone real! As the book is written in the first person, it makes it even easier to get inside Viva's head and you feel like you know her inside out virtually from the first few chapters!
VIVA ON:
EXAMS "Today I have my final mocks: mock History and mock English. Mock History is where the Germans go to the gas chambers instead of the Jews and mock English is where you get to talk like Robin Williams all day. I hope."
HER UNCLE: "Because he's gay, we never had that icky part when I developed breasts and he freaked out and didn't want to hug me anymore. Instead he points them out at every occasion. 'Stand back, Viva, you're going to poke my eyes out.'"
BEING GENUINE: "I don't see what's so good about being genuine. Clog dancing is genuine. Isn't being fake more of an achievement? At least it takes some inspiration."
RELIGION: "I really, really want Paul Newman to be Jewish, just like Manny really, really wants people he likes to be gay. I'm always pretending Bruce Springsteen's real name is 'Springsteyn'. There just aren't that many Jewish sex-symbols and I'm trying to help out."
I would definitely recommend this novel because in a lot of ways it will remind you of growing up - except its so much more interesting than the REALITY of growing up. On the back of the novel edition I own, the trade magazine Bookseller refers to Viva as a "fabulous comic creation" and is convinced she'll soon be as notorious as Bridget Jones herself. Since I bet my review is probably the first time most of you have ever heard of Viva Cohen, I'm guessing that Bookseller's prediction didn't come true - but it should have. Viva is a far more three-dimensional character, with other problems apart from losing weight and finding a man, and this makes her all the more interesting and entertaining to read about! So go on, give her a try. Just don't take her life philosophy too seriously!
NAMEDROPPER IS AVAILABLE FOR £5.59 ON AMAZON, OR FROM 1P USED AND NEW!!!
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
