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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Five big, fat, emphatic starts! I LOVED My Name Is Leon.
Leon is 9 when we first meet him and he has a newborn brother called Jake. His mum starts to struggle and the boys end up in the 1980's British foster care system. That's the premise.
The narrative is told in the 3rd person present, as Leon sees it. It is so effective. [a:Kit de Waal|14108556|Kit de Waal|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] does a marvellous job of taking the reader inside the head of this boy and showing how his thought process works. He's a proper little boy. He's naïve, he doesn't understand a lot of what goes on around him, he cares about his toys more than most other things, he doesn't see the world the way grown ups do, he puts 2 and 2 together and comes up with 7.
Leon reminded me a lot of Jake in [b:Room|7937843|Room|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344265419s/7937843.jpg|9585076], who also seemed as a real life boy to me. [b:My Name is Leon|25743752|My Name is Leon|Kit de Waal|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438878241s/25743752.jpg|45584286] is just as sad. A heartbreaking story, incredibly poignant but filled with hope as well. One of those books that will stay with me forever and I'll tell everyone to read.
Leon is 9 when we first meet him and he has a newborn brother called Jake. His mum starts to struggle and the boys end up in the 1980's British foster care system. That's the premise.
The narrative is told in the 3rd person present, as Leon sees it. It is so effective. [a:Kit de Waal|14108556|Kit de Waal|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/f_50x66-6a03a5c12233c941481992b82eea8d23.png] does a marvellous job of taking the reader inside the head of this boy and showing how his thought process works. He's a proper little boy. He's naïve, he doesn't understand a lot of what goes on around him, he cares about his toys more than most other things, he doesn't see the world the way grown ups do, he puts 2 and 2 together and comes up with 7.
Leon reminded me a lot of Jake in [b:Room|7937843|Room|Emma Donoghue|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1344265419s/7937843.jpg|9585076], who also seemed as a real life boy to me. [b:My Name is Leon|25743752|My Name is Leon|Kit de Waal|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1438878241s/25743752.jpg|45584286] is just as sad. A heartbreaking story, incredibly poignant but filled with hope as well. One of those books that will stay with me forever and I'll tell everyone to read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For WI Bookclub.
A real roller coaster of emotions.
Brilliant.
Brought back lots of memories.
A real roller coaster of emotions.
Brilliant.
Brought back lots of memories.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I first heard about My Name is Leon when it was featured on the Radio 2 Book Club at the beginning of June, just after it was released. Since then, I have read so many wonderful reviews of the book that I had to find out for myself if it was a good as everyone was was saying. And it is! Leon is a character who I am sure most readers can't help but take to their heart.
Leon is only nine and has a new baby brother, Jake, who he loves. His mother Carol though seems unable to look after either of them, quite possibly suffering from post natal depression, though she clearly has many difficulties in her life. Leon has to look after both himself and the baby, often missing school as he struggles to keep them fed and clean. When, thankfully, one of Carol's friends discovers the situation she calls social services and both boys and given into the care of foster carer Maureen. After some time with her, the brothers are separated as baby Jake is adopted. You see, as a white baby Jake is highly sought after, if I can put it that way, whereas Leon had a different father and is black and older so isn't wanted by that family.
My heart just went out to Leon. I would have taken him home myself! His grief at losing his baby brother was palpable and his bewilderment at being rejected was heart-breaking. I felt that Kit De Waal captured Leon's young voice, thoughts and emotions completely convincingly. I was quite angry with social services for separating the boys but perhaps in the 80s this wouldn't have been unusual. I'd like to think that it wouldn't happen today, that they would try to keep a family together but I just don't know. Thank goodness for foster carer Maureen who was so compassionate and down-to-earth and not afraid to tell Leon that she wasn't happy with the decision either, while trying to reassure him that he was safe with her. But Maureen takes ill and Leon's story goes in a different direction again.
My Name is Leon is a really emotional story about a very endearing character. It's sad but it's funny too. A heartwarming story about finding your place in the world when everything you held dear has been taken from you. A compelling read.
4.5*
My thanks to the publishers for the review copy via Netgalley.
Leon is only nine and has a new baby brother, Jake, who he loves. His mother Carol though seems unable to look after either of them, quite possibly suffering from post natal depression, though she clearly has many difficulties in her life. Leon has to look after both himself and the baby, often missing school as he struggles to keep them fed and clean. When, thankfully, one of Carol's friends discovers the situation she calls social services and both boys and given into the care of foster carer Maureen. After some time with her, the brothers are separated as baby Jake is adopted. You see, as a white baby Jake is highly sought after, if I can put it that way, whereas Leon had a different father and is black and older so isn't wanted by that family.
My heart just went out to Leon. I would have taken him home myself! His grief at losing his baby brother was palpable and his bewilderment at being rejected was heart-breaking. I felt that Kit De Waal captured Leon's young voice, thoughts and emotions completely convincingly. I was quite angry with social services for separating the boys but perhaps in the 80s this wouldn't have been unusual. I'd like to think that it wouldn't happen today, that they would try to keep a family together but I just don't know. Thank goodness for foster carer Maureen who was so compassionate and down-to-earth and not afraid to tell Leon that she wasn't happy with the decision either, while trying to reassure him that he was safe with her. But Maureen takes ill and Leon's story goes in a different direction again.
My Name is Leon is a really emotional story about a very endearing character. It's sad but it's funny too. A heartwarming story about finding your place in the world when everything you held dear has been taken from you. A compelling read.
4.5*
My thanks to the publishers for the review copy via Netgalley.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Brilliantly portrayed insight into childhood, young carers, adoption, loss and identity. I loved this book.
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
I actually upped my stars from 3 to 4 after discussion during my book club meeting. I originally put 3 stars as to be honest after the first 30% I thought it was quite slow. However after talking about it a bit more, I now appreciate just how good the writing was and how clever some of the themes that carried throughout.
I’ve known mums like Leon’s mum and it was heartbreaking hearing the impact from his point of view, when they gave the contents of his bag at the end and you realised he hadn’t just been stealing, but instead he was saving stuff for his trip to get Jake
I’ve known mums like Leon’s mum and it was heartbreaking hearing the impact from his point of view, when they gave the contents of his bag at the end and you realised he hadn’t just been stealing, but instead he was saving stuff for his trip to get Jake