Scan barcode
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
Well-written insight into the life of a youth in care.
You care for Billy and are led to understand why he behaves the way he does. His brotherly love for the twins is moving, the way he changes his opinion of his key worker Ronnie realistic and heart-warming.
Very good YA book.
You care for Billy and are led to understand why he behaves the way he does. His brotherly love for the twins is moving, the way he changes his opinion of his key worker Ronnie realistic and heart-warming.
Very good YA book.
elleneam's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing book about a boy called Billy, who lives in a children's home. Billy's narrative is great, it's brutally honest and so easy to relate to. It's an absolute page turner, and you'll be so sad when it's finished. Honestly one of the best books I've ever read.
dewirijks's review against another edition
5.0
Read in Dutch. Ben er nog steeds een beetje stil van. Prachtig boek. Subtiel maar zeer indringend inkijkje in het leven maar vooral ook de gevoelswereld van het tehuiskind Billy. Aanrader!
nicky_bsn's review against another edition
5.0
Let's say 4.5 stars, because some parts were a bit Mwaaah. But overall this book was pretty good. Completely different from the things I usually read, but still interesting.
We follow Billy Finn, a 14 year old boy who has been in care for the past 8 years. He ended up being a 'lifer' after his stephdad beat him up and his mother was drowned in booze. Together with the twins he has lived and ruled over their new home. But Billy has one problem: he's angry. Not just one-moment-angry, but lifetime angry. He picks a fight with everybody, he vandalizes cars and he doesn't know what to do with it all. Then he meets Daisy, a mysterious girl who he thinks might be a lifer too, but she isn't very willing to share. Meanwhile progress is made in the bringing home of the twins. When things are finally going well with Billy: he accepts the twins fade, he feels safe around Daisy and he starts to like the Colonel, everything goes haywire after visiting his former foster family. They have a new foster child, a very familiar girl and after rampaging through the house he flees in their car and ends up at his old place, because Shaun, his stephdad, is back.
I read this book in English, and it's going to be published in Dutch in the fall. And I was asked to read this and give one quote that summarized all my feelings of this book. And that particular quote might be used on commercial material or the back of the Dutch book itself. I didn't really need to think about what I should write for the review, but I honestly have no idea what to write as one simply one sentenced quote, because it's impossible to tell my feelings about this book in a one sentence quote. I think I should just wait some hours, maybe even a day and see what I can come up with tomorrow.
We follow Billy Finn, a 14 year old boy who has been in care for the past 8 years. He ended up being a 'lifer' after his stephdad beat him up and his mother was drowned in booze. Together with the twins he has lived and ruled over their new home. But Billy has one problem: he's angry. Not just one-moment-angry, but lifetime angry. He picks a fight with everybody, he vandalizes cars and he doesn't know what to do with it all. Then he meets Daisy, a mysterious girl who he thinks might be a lifer too, but she isn't very willing to share. Meanwhile progress is made in the bringing home of the twins. When things are finally going well with Billy: he accepts the twins fade, he feels safe around Daisy and he starts to like the Colonel, everything goes haywire after visiting his former foster family. They have a new foster child, a very familiar girl and after rampaging through the house he flees in their car and ends up at his old place, because Shaun, his stephdad, is back.
I read this book in English, and it's going to be published in Dutch in the fall. And I was asked to read this and give one quote that summarized all my feelings of this book. And that particular quote might be used on commercial material or the back of the Dutch book itself. I didn't really need to think about what I should write for the review, but I honestly have no idea what to write as one simply one sentenced quote, because it's impossible to tell my feelings about this book in a one sentence quote. I think I should just wait some hours, maybe even a day and see what I can come up with tomorrow.
jowillread's review against another edition
4.0
Woosh.
This book was fantastic. I think my heart is still pounding from those last couple of chapters.
I don’t mind admitting that the majority of my knowledge of children in care is from reading Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson. And I know that might sound odd because Ms Wilson doesn’t really write young adult books, but if you’ve ever read a Jacqueline Wilson you will know that she is not one to shy away from the truth or darker aspects of life because they’re uncomfortable to read. Tracey Beaker is my second favourite of Ms Wilson’s books (First one, if you’re interested, is The Lottie Project) because it’s so realistic and isn’t afraid to delve into the nitty-gritty of what it’s like for a child in care.
And Being Billy? It was like Tracey Beaker… amplified.
There were two scenes in particular (the bowling alley and the house at the end, if you’ve read this) that I’m sure will stick with me for a long time. They were so powerful and it was often difficult to read it because they felt so raw. But it never felt gratuitous. As the events unfolded I could always tell that Mr Earle knew what he was talking about. I knew that he wasn’t just thinking “Right, OK, I’m writing a book about a SERIOUS SUBJECT and it has to be horrendously sad and my readers have to be in floods of tears”. He was telling Billy’s story as it was, with no extra trimmings.
So did I cry? I hear you ask.
Maybe.
And when I say maybe I really mean yes. Multiple times.
Anyway enough about me, let’s talk about Billy. He was such a colourful character even if he wasn’t always likeable. But sometimes they’re the best ones, aren’t they? There were so many times I wanted to reach into the pages and throttle him. Was he frustrated, angry, unreasonable? Our Billy was all of the above. But I still loved him.
He had an extremely British self-deprecating and dry humour that was hilarious but also ridiculously sad. No fourteen year old should have the material to master a self-deprecating sense of humour. But unfortunately Billy does. I don’t want to go into the specifics because of spoilers, but when the events of his past are finally revealed it isn’t surprising that he is the way he is. He’s disillusioned with life. He doesn’t trust people when they say they want to help. He feels that he has been given up on by every single ‘responsible’ adult that was supposed to be taking care of him. And he has anger that he can’t control without being restrained by The Colonel.
I’m 99% sure that Mr Earle didn’t have an agenda in mind when he wrote this book but regardless, he has written an extremely affective book that wasn’t only compelling but also incredibly harrowing.
My favourite relationships in young adult books are between siblings. Wait… I’m not talking about in a creepy and illegal Forbidden way, but I mean the connections between siblings. I always think that, when done right, a relationship between siblings can be more powerful than a love interest and it makes me sad that siblings hardly get a look in in fiction. Luckily, Mr Earle knows how to do it right. Billy’s relationship with Lizzie and Louie was one of the most touching aspects of this book and every time the three of them were together I just wanted to gather them into my arms and cuddle them and pray that everything was going to be OK for them.
Also, make muffins made in orange skins. Because they sound DELICIOUS if you ignore the slight possibility of getting salmonella. I would like that recipe.
For… um… research. Blogging research…
And also snaffling them.
I want to say it was a happy ending, but it wasn’t. Normally I hate happy endings because, to me, there is nothing worse than an overly saccharine ending that would never happen in real life. But I wanted there to be a happy ending with this book because I wanted to know that Billy was definitely going to OK. I wanted to know that all his flaws and insecurities would be eliminated by a glorious ending where all the characters get together and sing or do an interpretative dance or something. But no. I got a realistic ending and it’s one that’s almost hopeful. I have faith in Billy. Not sure how much that means for I am just a lowly book reviewer but I believe he’ll be OK when he gets to the end of his story. This book is just the first chapter in his story, though. That’s what I reckon, anyway.
He’s a tough nut, our Billy is, and he’s a fighter.
Before I wrap this review up, I just want to say how much I want to go on and on about how much I loved Daisy and how much of a fantastic character she is… but I’ve just discovered that Mr Earle has given her her own book. So I’ll just wait, because there is 100% chance that I will be reading Saving Daisy within the next few weeks.
Read this book.
Go on.
Have I ever steered you wrong?
*flutters eyelashes*
This review and lots of other exciting things can be found on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.
This book was fantastic. I think my heart is still pounding from those last couple of chapters.
I don’t mind admitting that the majority of my knowledge of children in care is from reading Tracey Beaker by Jacqueline Wilson. And I know that might sound odd because Ms Wilson doesn’t really write young adult books, but if you’ve ever read a Jacqueline Wilson you will know that she is not one to shy away from the truth or darker aspects of life because they’re uncomfortable to read. Tracey Beaker is my second favourite of Ms Wilson’s books (First one, if you’re interested, is The Lottie Project) because it’s so realistic and isn’t afraid to delve into the nitty-gritty of what it’s like for a child in care.
And Being Billy? It was like Tracey Beaker… amplified.
There were two scenes in particular (the bowling alley and the house at the end, if you’ve read this) that I’m sure will stick with me for a long time. They were so powerful and it was often difficult to read it because they felt so raw. But it never felt gratuitous. As the events unfolded I could always tell that Mr Earle knew what he was talking about. I knew that he wasn’t just thinking “Right, OK, I’m writing a book about a SERIOUS SUBJECT and it has to be horrendously sad and my readers have to be in floods of tears”. He was telling Billy’s story as it was, with no extra trimmings.
So did I cry? I hear you ask.
Maybe.
And when I say maybe I really mean yes. Multiple times.
Anyway enough about me, let’s talk about Billy. He was such a colourful character even if he wasn’t always likeable. But sometimes they’re the best ones, aren’t they? There were so many times I wanted to reach into the pages and throttle him. Was he frustrated, angry, unreasonable? Our Billy was all of the above. But I still loved him.
He had an extremely British self-deprecating and dry humour that was hilarious but also ridiculously sad. No fourteen year old should have the material to master a self-deprecating sense of humour. But unfortunately Billy does. I don’t want to go into the specifics because of spoilers, but when the events of his past are finally revealed it isn’t surprising that he is the way he is. He’s disillusioned with life. He doesn’t trust people when they say they want to help. He feels that he has been given up on by every single ‘responsible’ adult that was supposed to be taking care of him. And he has anger that he can’t control without being restrained by The Colonel.
I’m 99% sure that Mr Earle didn’t have an agenda in mind when he wrote this book but regardless, he has written an extremely affective book that wasn’t only compelling but also incredibly harrowing.
My favourite relationships in young adult books are between siblings. Wait… I’m not talking about in a creepy and illegal Forbidden way, but I mean the connections between siblings. I always think that, when done right, a relationship between siblings can be more powerful than a love interest and it makes me sad that siblings hardly get a look in in fiction. Luckily, Mr Earle knows how to do it right. Billy’s relationship with Lizzie and Louie was one of the most touching aspects of this book and every time the three of them were together I just wanted to gather them into my arms and cuddle them and pray that everything was going to be OK for them.
Also, make muffins made in orange skins. Because they sound DELICIOUS if you ignore the slight possibility of getting salmonella. I would like that recipe.
For… um… research. Blogging research…
And also snaffling them.
I want to say it was a happy ending, but it wasn’t. Normally I hate happy endings because, to me, there is nothing worse than an overly saccharine ending that would never happen in real life. But I wanted there to be a happy ending with this book because I wanted to know that Billy was definitely going to OK. I wanted to know that all his flaws and insecurities would be eliminated by a glorious ending where all the characters get together and sing or do an interpretative dance or something. But no. I got a realistic ending and it’s one that’s almost hopeful. I have faith in Billy. Not sure how much that means for I am just a lowly book reviewer but I believe he’ll be OK when he gets to the end of his story. This book is just the first chapter in his story, though. That’s what I reckon, anyway.
He’s a tough nut, our Billy is, and he’s a fighter.
Before I wrap this review up, I just want to say how much I want to go on and on about how much I loved Daisy and how much of a fantastic character she is… but I’ve just discovered that Mr Earle has given her her own book. So I’ll just wait, because there is 100% chance that I will be reading Saving Daisy within the next few weeks.
Read this book.
Go on.
Have I ever steered you wrong?
*flutters eyelashes*
This review and lots of other exciting things can be found on my blog, Wear the Old Coat.
serendipity_viv's review against another edition
5.0
Being Billy is one of the reasons I love Twitter. If I hadn't been on there, this book would have definitely passed under my radar. Thankfully, I heard the whispers about how good the book was and the more I heard about it the more I wanted to read it. This book did not disappoint!
This book is a gritty, hard hitting contemporary novel that makes Tracy Beaker look quite innocent. If you ever wanted to read about what living in a children's home is really like, then this is the book for you. The main character Billy, has issues and lots of them, but you can't blame him as his life before the children's home was just terrible. He wasn't a bad kid, he was just angry and rightly so. He has spent the last ten years in care and that is a long time to feel unloved and alone. He is very protective of his younger siblings who are twins and you can easily relate to this. He is a mother and father figure to them and wants them to experience the love that he never felt. He feels totally responsible for them. So even though others seem to have a poor view of Billy, he really is rather mature in the way he deals with his brother and sister. Billy is definitely one of my favourite characters for 2011, his complexities draw me to him.
I wasn't expecting this book to affect my emotions but it did. I found myself feeling quite protective over Billy and wanting to stand up for him and shout in his corner. He needed love, real family love and the only one who seemed to be able to see it was Ronnie, his carer. Ronnie had known the family since they first came into care and you could see he felt strongly for them, just in the way he did for his own kids. At the beginning of the book you really dislike him, but as you move through the story you realise his true intentions and see that he is only trying to do what is right for the family.
Daisy is a rather complex character, who has suffered in life too. Instantly she brightens Billy's life, because he can see a kindred spirit in her. She has suffered just like he has, so she understands, even if she doesn't reveal a lot about her own life. He has found a friend to make each day a little easier.
The twist at the end of the book was surprising. I really didn't see that coming at all and yet I felt that I should have.
This book is just fantastic. For a debut, I thought it was extremely well written with strong characters that tug at your heart strings. It is an emotional read, that stays with you long after you turn the last page.
This book is a gritty, hard hitting contemporary novel that makes Tracy Beaker look quite innocent. If you ever wanted to read about what living in a children's home is really like, then this is the book for you. The main character Billy, has issues and lots of them, but you can't blame him as his life before the children's home was just terrible. He wasn't a bad kid, he was just angry and rightly so. He has spent the last ten years in care and that is a long time to feel unloved and alone. He is very protective of his younger siblings who are twins and you can easily relate to this. He is a mother and father figure to them and wants them to experience the love that he never felt. He feels totally responsible for them. So even though others seem to have a poor view of Billy, he really is rather mature in the way he deals with his brother and sister. Billy is definitely one of my favourite characters for 2011, his complexities draw me to him.
I wasn't expecting this book to affect my emotions but it did. I found myself feeling quite protective over Billy and wanting to stand up for him and shout in his corner. He needed love, real family love and the only one who seemed to be able to see it was Ronnie, his carer. Ronnie had known the family since they first came into care and you could see he felt strongly for them, just in the way he did for his own kids. At the beginning of the book you really dislike him, but as you move through the story you realise his true intentions and see that he is only trying to do what is right for the family.
Daisy is a rather complex character, who has suffered in life too. Instantly she brightens Billy's life, because he can see a kindred spirit in her. She has suffered just like he has, so she understands, even if she doesn't reveal a lot about her own life. He has found a friend to make each day a little easier.
The twist at the end of the book was surprising. I really didn't see that coming at all and yet I felt that I should have.
This book is just fantastic. For a debut, I thought it was extremely well written with strong characters that tug at your heart strings. It is an emotional read, that stays with you long after you turn the last page.
coni_pacheco's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
Really good
bookswithbethany's review
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
aliceperspeculum's review against another edition
4.0
I don't remember where or when I acquired my copy of Being Billy. It was one of those books I picked up on a whim from my overflowing second bookcase (I have three), seemingly magically deposited there. Presumably I've had it for so long I had forgotten all about it. I have quite a few books like that and, being practical, I thought I should either read it now or give it away because I was never going to get around to it. It's a short book and so, even though the blurb gives no indication of what its pages hold, I decided to give it a go. Thank goodness I did because it was a wonderfully moving and profound piece of work, primarily focusing on the development of its main character.
Billy is a 'lifer', a child who is in care for the long haul with little to no prospects of being fostered, adopted or taken back home. He is by no stretch of the imagination an easy kid to take care of. He vandalises property, shoplifts alcohol, lashes out violently at his carers and other kids, refuses to do school work and is generally just constantly rude and angry. Doesn't sound the easiest character to like either, right? But this changes when we are first shown how he acts around his twin siblings, who are young enough not to remember a time before they were in care. Billy does everything for them (getting their breakfast, sitting outside the bathroom as they bathe, reading them their bedtime stories, waiting in their doorway for them to fall asleep), barely letting the carers do anything.
From the start Billy operates under the assumption that no one really cares about him - or any of the other kids for that matter - and lashes out constantly at the 'scummers', the care workers at his home. The book focuses on Billy over a period of several months as he makes a real friend for seemingly the first time (with, gratifyingly, no romantic tension whatsoever), deals with the terrifying prospect of losing the twins, processes past trauma and slowly learns to control his anger. Mostly this is achieved through his changing relationship with carer Ronnie, as Billy begins to trust that he does really care. It’s true that I’m an easy crier, but I don’t think that devalues the tears I shed at this and at Billy’s growth in general.
There's little plot to be seen, but I often find that that’s for the best with a book focused as much on character as this one is. Don’t worry, though, the denouement is satisfying in its closure, bringing together plot points from throughout in one climactic evening which mostly serves to showcase how much our protagonist has changed. He is still a deeply troubled young man, but the way he deals with his emotions and his attitude towards others have transformed him into someone you can't help but love.
Billy is a 'lifer', a child who is in care for the long haul with little to no prospects of being fostered, adopted or taken back home. He is by no stretch of the imagination an easy kid to take care of. He vandalises property, shoplifts alcohol, lashes out violently at his carers and other kids, refuses to do school work and is generally just constantly rude and angry. Doesn't sound the easiest character to like either, right? But this changes when we are first shown how he acts around his twin siblings, who are young enough not to remember a time before they were in care. Billy does everything for them (getting their breakfast, sitting outside the bathroom as they bathe, reading them their bedtime stories, waiting in their doorway for them to fall asleep), barely letting the carers do anything.
From the start Billy operates under the assumption that no one really cares about him - or any of the other kids for that matter - and lashes out constantly at the 'scummers', the care workers at his home. The book focuses on Billy over a period of several months as he makes a real friend for seemingly the first time (with, gratifyingly, no romantic tension whatsoever), deals with the terrifying prospect of losing the twins, processes past trauma and slowly learns to control his anger. Mostly this is achieved through his changing relationship with carer Ronnie, as Billy begins to trust that he does really care. It’s true that I’m an easy crier, but I don’t think that devalues the tears I shed at this and at Billy’s growth in general.
There's little plot to be seen, but I often find that that’s for the best with a book focused as much on character as this one is. Don’t worry, though, the denouement is satisfying in its closure, bringing together plot points from throughout in one climactic evening which mostly serves to showcase how much our protagonist has changed. He is still a deeply troubled young man, but the way he deals with his emotions and his attitude towards others have transformed him into someone you can't help but love.