Babies and Book Reviews...
...is the story of the week, or at least there is one baby, Morgan, born Saturday afternoon and looking good so far! Thanks for all the kind messages!
By my reckoning Asboville has been reviewed about seven times in recent weeks, enough to get an overall picture of its reception. Here is the upshot of all that:
The Guardian - Rhodes dramatises their (the youths) sense of exclusion with freshness and insight.
The Observer - This is really a teen novel and despite Rhodes' sure sense of pace and keen evocation of life in a seaside town, grown readers are likely to tire of Sal's intense dairy excerpts and JB's wise words.
The Independent Online - While its teen protagonists are believeable, the adults never really come into focus and its ideal audience is probably around JB's age.
The New Statesman - Rhodes asks important questions about social justice, but also tells a compellingly human story. An impressive debut.
The First Post - Rhodes has come up with a powerful coming-of-age story with a difference.
The London Paper - This is Rhodes' first novel, and his relatively unmannered voice alongside his deft combination of social issues and teen angst suggests that there may be even better to come from him.
The Book Bag - This is a great debut novel, utterly unpretentious, very sympathetic and also very honest. Do read it.
The Independent - Loach-like bleakness... JB, with his great but baffled expectations, shakes hands across time with Dickens' Pip. Let's have a sequel soonish.
It's not my business to critique the critics and overall I'm pleased just to get the reviews. Most of them are pretty good and those that point out that the book is suited to teenagers are perhaps right because I was trying to write for both audiences (and particularly teenage boys). My only frustration is the Independent Online review which suggests the book would have been more interesting if JB had been a real anti-hero. Forgive me, but wouldn't that mean writing a completely different book altogether?
By my reckoning Asboville has been reviewed about seven times in recent weeks, enough to get an overall picture of its reception. Here is the upshot of all that:
The Guardian - Rhodes dramatises their (the youths) sense of exclusion with freshness and insight.
The Observer - This is really a teen novel and despite Rhodes' sure sense of pace and keen evocation of life in a seaside town, grown readers are likely to tire of Sal's intense dairy excerpts and JB's wise words.
The Independent Online - While its teen protagonists are believeable, the adults never really come into focus and its ideal audience is probably around JB's age.
The New Statesman - Rhodes asks important questions about social justice, but also tells a compellingly human story. An impressive debut.
The First Post - Rhodes has come up with a powerful coming-of-age story with a difference.
The London Paper - This is Rhodes' first novel, and his relatively unmannered voice alongside his deft combination of social issues and teen angst suggests that there may be even better to come from him.
The Book Bag - This is a great debut novel, utterly unpretentious, very sympathetic and also very honest. Do read it.
The Independent - Loach-like bleakness... JB, with his great but baffled expectations, shakes hands across time with Dickens' Pip. Let's have a sequel soonish.
It's not my business to critique the critics and overall I'm pleased just to get the reviews. Most of them are pretty good and those that point out that the book is suited to teenagers are perhaps right because I was trying to write for both audiences (and particularly teenage boys). My only frustration is the Independent Online review which suggests the book would have been more interesting if JB had been a real anti-hero. Forgive me, but wouldn't that mean writing a completely different book altogether?
posted by Danny Rhodes at 12:52 PM
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