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mollyss's review against another edition
3.0
Really wanted to love this but found it really really hard to read
Found the slang made it hard to follow at points and although in theory the story should have been gripping I found it quite dark and hard to get through. Really had to force myself to finish it
Found the slang made it hard to follow at points and although in theory the story should have been gripping I found it quite dark and hard to get through. Really had to force myself to finish it
pmrichard1's review against another edition
5.0
Wow really loved. Have had this on my want to read for so long wish I read it sooner!! Didn’t want to put it down, crazy and emotional and difficult to read at times, but extremely eye opening to a side of London I have no idea about and will stick with me.
revwebb's review
Couldn’t get into the story, wasn’t a fan of the writing style. Cool plot, just couldn’t really get into it.
dylansb's review against another edition
2.0
Thought I was going to love this book based on the description - having grown up in inner London myself there was plenty I recognised within the novel, moments, feelings and people and even laughed at in moments that I could relate to or drew out long forgotten memories of being a teenager. However as the book wore on it felt like a bit of a slog, very repetitive, both narratively and stylistically due to the use of MLE, the language wore a bit thin ie. Using batty 5 times in like 2 pages instead of just switching it up to ass or something similar.
Given the novel was based on Krauze’s own life I did not necessarily expect there to be character arcs as life is not a novel or film, however it felt like there was a lack of introspection that would have added a lot more value to the overall book.
There were definitely certainly pieces of writing that I thought were beautifully written and perfectly astute and that’s when this novel shines through, however there just weren’t enough of those and I found this book tough to finish. I’d be interested to see what else krauze produces given this is his first novel
Given the novel was based on Krauze’s own life I did not necessarily expect there to be character arcs as life is not a novel or film, however it felt like there was a lack of introspection that would have added a lot more value to the overall book.
There were definitely certainly pieces of writing that I thought were beautifully written and perfectly astute and that’s when this novel shines through, however there just weren’t enough of those and I found this book tough to finish. I’d be interested to see what else krauze produces given this is his first novel
wintrovia's review against another edition
4.0
How much of this story is fiction and how much is autobiography isn't clear to me but it was an interesting insight into London's criminal underbelly. Traditional story structure and morality are not present but that makes it less predictable even if the main character never shows remorse or receives any consequences for their worst actions.
zosia123's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
naomilena's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
t4bi's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
repeatbeatpoet's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
Bildungsroman in the ends. Excellent balance of tone between the hard-edged realities of road life and the emotionality of the inner lives of the people, as deep as anyone else. It’s real-street-politik meets coming-of-age meets Kafka; the unflinching depiction of urban gang life mixing with the journey from boy 2 man, played against the absurdist background of North West London estate blocks named for lauded Victorian writers while its inhabitants are forgotten by the world at large.
Loved it, not for the faint hearted, but this is how people be living outchea
Loved it, not for the faint hearted, but this is how people be living outchea
bigd1711's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25