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patsypoo's review
4.0
"Enjoyed" doesn't seem to be the best way to describe how I feel about Thirst. It was a good book, an excellent read and wonderfully told. It was difficult to read at times, but only because of the issues it touches on.
The writing was exceptional. I felt like I was watching it all as it happened, I could feel the summer heat, smell the smells and hear the noises.
Yes, it's a love story but it is so much more than that, too.
The writing was exceptional. I felt like I was watching it all as it happened, I could feel the summer heat, smell the smells and hear the noises.
Yes, it's a love story but it is so much more than that, too.
snoakes7001's review
5.0
Kerry Hudson is fast becoming one of my favourite writers. I read Tony Hogan... earlier this year and loved it so Thirst was right at the top of my wish list and I was delighted when I won a copy in a competition on Twitter.
It's a fantastic read. Essentially it's a love story, but don't expect any soppy chick-lit style romance - it's raw and heartbreaking (and sometimes it's tender and funny too). I'm not a blubber at heart, but I couldn't get through it with totally dry eyes.
Kerry Hudson writes real books about real people and their real shitty, messy, wonderful lives. I can't wait for the next one...
It's a fantastic read. Essentially it's a love story, but don't expect any soppy chick-lit style romance - it's raw and heartbreaking (and sometimes it's tender and funny too). I'm not a blubber at heart, but I couldn't get through it with totally dry eyes.
Kerry Hudson writes real books about real people and their real shitty, messy, wonderful lives. I can't wait for the next one...
hisdarkmaterials's review
4.0
Completely unexpected excellence. We are dragged into the lives of two very real, very ordinary people. If you're looking for a classic romance look elsewhere. This book is raw emotion, real life with none of the usual cliches that are usually splashed all over the pages of 'unconventional' romance novels.
nothanksbabes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kerry Hudson captures the poor, British working class experience like no other author I've read.
irishred507's review
I couldn't finish this book for the life of me! I called it quits about a third of the way in because I can't stand this style of writing! It jumps back and forth between the past and present at a very choppy pace that keep my head spinning. Sometimes I couldn't even tell where I was in time because there would be a flashback within a flashback. I loved the premise, and the characters had potential, but what made for a very dramatic and moving story became BLAH though the storytelling technique the author used.
dreadymorticia's review
4.0
I sometimes randomly pick up books at the library and once in a while I come up with a real gem like this one. I loved it although it was a tough story.
an_cailin_corcaioch's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ljbentley27's review against another edition
4.0
Russian born Alena has decided to leave her country to come to the UK to find work. Like many migrants, Alena believes that the answer to hers and her family’s financial woes lies in the opportunity laden London. Having had her work placement set up by a family friend Alena travels to the UK full of optimism and dreams of a better life that includes financial stability, opportunity and designer clothes. What Alena isn’t prepared for is that her dream is a fallacy. Nor is she prepared for her dream to become a nightmare.
Someone well versed in the woes of everyday life in the UK is Dave. Dave is trying to get through each day under the radar; just do his job, get paid and go home. This is a rigmarole that suits the quiet life that he craves. He once had dreams of travel but all that has passed now. However, a chance encounter with Alena throws his world completely off kilter.
Can Dave’s peaceful nature quiet and calm the storm that is Alena’s life?
I won’t lie to you Thirst is a hard novel to read. Not because it is composed of difficult vernacular or in a different language but purely because Kerry Hudson gives the full nitty gritty on a dark and sinister topic; that topic being human trafficking and having immigrants being sold into the sex trade. At times I felt as if my heart was literally breaking for Alena. What made it worse is that she seemed to be unable to forgive herself for her situation; almost like she believed she deserved to be treated like a piece of meat on a market stall. It was truly harrowing.
But this is what makes Hudson such a good writer. She had my heart in my mouth with the desperation of Alena’s situation.
Dave’s story somewhat parallel’s Alena’s in the fact that they both get themselves into situations that they feel that they have no control over. Dave is trying to fulfil the wishes of his dying mother and gets himself trapped by a set of circumstances that were never part of his life plan. Both of the characters are trapped. Not only by what life puts in their way but how they both feel responsible for the way things are.
Their love story is lovely to follow. I think what makes it so enjoyable is the coy innocence of it all. You see them both giving the bare minimum of themselves away, slowly peeling away layers as their relationship grows. It was rather lovely to read.
Thirst is a quirky love story but be warned, if you read books for pure escapism then this book isn’t for you as it does deal with difficult subjects and has a very real insight into the sinister underbelly of the life that some immigrants face.
Someone well versed in the woes of everyday life in the UK is Dave. Dave is trying to get through each day under the radar; just do his job, get paid and go home. This is a rigmarole that suits the quiet life that he craves. He once had dreams of travel but all that has passed now. However, a chance encounter with Alena throws his world completely off kilter.
Can Dave’s peaceful nature quiet and calm the storm that is Alena’s life?
I won’t lie to you Thirst is a hard novel to read. Not because it is composed of difficult vernacular or in a different language but purely because Kerry Hudson gives the full nitty gritty on a dark and sinister topic; that topic being human trafficking and having immigrants being sold into the sex trade. At times I felt as if my heart was literally breaking for Alena. What made it worse is that she seemed to be unable to forgive herself for her situation; almost like she believed she deserved to be treated like a piece of meat on a market stall. It was truly harrowing.
But this is what makes Hudson such a good writer. She had my heart in my mouth with the desperation of Alena’s situation.
Dave’s story somewhat parallel’s Alena’s in the fact that they both get themselves into situations that they feel that they have no control over. Dave is trying to fulfil the wishes of his dying mother and gets himself trapped by a set of circumstances that were never part of his life plan. Both of the characters are trapped. Not only by what life puts in their way but how they both feel responsible for the way things are.
Their love story is lovely to follow. I think what makes it so enjoyable is the coy innocence of it all. You see them both giving the bare minimum of themselves away, slowly peeling away layers as their relationship grows. It was rather lovely to read.
Thirst is a quirky love story but be warned, if you read books for pure escapism then this book isn’t for you as it does deal with difficult subjects and has a very real insight into the sinister underbelly of the life that some immigrants face.