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bethrb's review
4.0
I picked up Hating Alison Ashley again to write about for uni, and I wasn't expecting to love it so much again. I used to read it all the time from primary school to, like, year 9 because it's such a good story.
Erica is terrible, and I love her for it. Alison Ashley learns to be terrible, and I love her for that too.
The last scene made me so so happy too I can't even place why. It was just Very Good.
Erica is terrible, and I love her for it. Alison Ashley learns to be terrible, and I love her for that too.
The last scene made me so so happy too I can't even place why. It was just Very Good.
madamdun's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sharnibee's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overdramatic, compulsive liar Erica Yurken considers herself the cream of the crop at the socially disadvantaged primary school of Barringa East until Alison Ashley arrives - with her nice clothes, dainty earrings & perfect hair. It’s HATE at first sight for Erica.
Everything is from Erica’s POV & she’s not having a great time for the majority of the book - - she’s friendless at school, she’s a snob, she’s embarrassed by her family & the area she lives in & the arrival of Alison Ashley really tips her over the edge. Their bumpy road to friendship and Erica’s slow road to finding herself is just a delight.
Absolutely loved rereading one of my childhood faves - can’t say I felt as sympathetic for Erica as I once did. This was a genuinely funny book that’s held up pretty well for something published in 1984.
littleelfman's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this, but was completely creeped out by mum's boyfriend, Lenny. The rest of the story was good, and it's probably a comment on the times/socioeconomic group, but the fact that it went unchallenged at all, particularly by mum, left me a little uncomfortable. I mean, he turned out to be supportive in the end, but you can be supportive and still be a creep.
Anyway, don't let that stop you from reading it, but just something to be aware of.
Anyway, don't let that stop you from reading it, but just something to be aware of.
_pickle_'s review against another edition
3.0
That Alison Ashley! To this day I still think about a scene from the book where the main character bemoans the perfection of AA's celery, made curly by skilful knife work and ice water. We had to read this in high school, as I imagine many other students have, and it was not an awful book, so far as it goes.
zohal99's review against another edition
2.0
I did not enjoy this book, but I give it two stars because it wasn't horrible but I didn't like it either.
alexkay's review against another edition
3.0
Far better than the movie. Not the most amazing read ever but great to spend a lazy afternoon reading. A nice, light read.
m_lof's review against another edition
3.0
When I was younger, I read this book almost every year because it was the only one I could find that sounded interesting at my grandparents house. Now I've forgotten most of the story, but I liked it. It did skew my expectations of the upper years of primary school, but maybe that was a good thing.
babyleo's review against another edition
2.0
Hating Alison Ashley is about a new girl arriving at school and Erica Yurkan instantly hating her because she looks out of place and a better class of person. That's it. So we sit through Erica assuming the worst, convinced Alison is out to get her and finding more things to hate no matter how small and shallow.
The first thought when I started reading this was that we finally got a story from someone other than the middle class. Granted it was less eloquent in my mind but that isn't important. This book was so surprising and a very odd read. It was interesting to see Erica's family and social point of view but by golly she was an annoying child. You forget she's only supposed to be 12 years old or something if she's only in year six. And the stories she comes up with were so unrealistic they just became annoying as every time she opened her mouth it was a lie. And not even a decent one.
There is a great line in this book that was put in there at just the right moment when my patience of putting up with Erica was getting thin. It is a great observation - "Erica Yurkan you have an exaggerated sense of your own importance". This is so true and for some one coming from her family she is the most judging and snobbish person.
Even if you try and justify it, because of her family life etc etc she acts out etc etc. But she doesn't even act out properly. What she does is she thinks she is superior to everyone when she isn't, she hates those different than her and looks down on those she thinks are stupid and less deserving, she isn't shy about openly criticising everyone and she can't accept any one else might be having their own issues. She really is a horrible person, but again, we can justify it and say well look at what she comes from and how she is hiding up her shame, but that is no excuse.
By the end there is hope for Erica as she starts to realise that she isn't fooling anyone, and that perhaps her life isn't so bad after all. But you do have to put up with a lot to get her to that point. Again she is only supposed to be 12 years old so it is just weird most of the time. I guess it is supposed to shows you can't judge anyone cause you don't know their life but I think this took it too far. Erica's family wasn't what shocked me the most, that I could easily picture, it was this 12 year old hating someone so much and letting it consume her life just because she was ashamed or jealous or some stupid reason like that. Luckily she attempted some form of redemption in the end because Erica is a lot of personality to deal with in one book.
This review is also posted on my blog http://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/hating-alison-ashley-by-robin-klein/
The first thought when I started reading this was that we finally got a story from someone other than the middle class. Granted it was less eloquent in my mind but that isn't important. This book was so surprising and a very odd read. It was interesting to see Erica's family and social point of view but by golly she was an annoying child. You forget she's only supposed to be 12 years old or something if she's only in year six. And the stories she comes up with were so unrealistic they just became annoying as every time she opened her mouth it was a lie. And not even a decent one.
There is a great line in this book that was put in there at just the right moment when my patience of putting up with Erica was getting thin. It is a great observation - "Erica Yurkan you have an exaggerated sense of your own importance". This is so true and for some one coming from her family she is the most judging and snobbish person.
Even if you try and justify it, because of her family life etc etc she acts out etc etc. But she doesn't even act out properly. What she does is she thinks she is superior to everyone when she isn't, she hates those different than her and looks down on those she thinks are stupid and less deserving, she isn't shy about openly criticising everyone and she can't accept any one else might be having their own issues. She really is a horrible person, but again, we can justify it and say well look at what she comes from and how she is hiding up her shame, but that is no excuse.
By the end there is hope for Erica as she starts to realise that she isn't fooling anyone, and that perhaps her life isn't so bad after all. But you do have to put up with a lot to get her to that point. Again she is only supposed to be 12 years old so it is just weird most of the time. I guess it is supposed to shows you can't judge anyone cause you don't know their life but I think this took it too far. Erica's family wasn't what shocked me the most, that I could easily picture, it was this 12 year old hating someone so much and letting it consume her life just because she was ashamed or jealous or some stupid reason like that. Luckily she attempted some form of redemption in the end because Erica is a lot of personality to deal with in one book.
This review is also posted on my blog http://lostinagoodbk.wordpress.com/2013/03/20/hating-alison-ashley-by-robin-klein/
ash1989's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a great read and even though the characters were very young it didn't feel like it was a book for little kids. As I had watched the movie before reading the book and love the movie I thought it would be hard to connect with the book but the plot is similiar and the characters are more suitable at a younger age for their personality. The characters in the book are written consistantly and feel that they don't deviate from their personality. The first person account means we see Allison in Erica's point of view so she does seem Mary Sueish but her character development is good and she feels more real in this book than in the movie. Erica is a standout in this book as she is written magnificently and a character that I really got behind. Overall this book was a good read and another great Australian novel.