I really am. The more I think about this novel the more it suffers in my estimations. Are they as insensitive and indifferent as they seem to the foreign city they call home? Enter Edith. I often had to re-read passages, as subtext also plays a huge part in the book. Its unusual and contemplative and just very different. Thats good to know about me, she thinks. NY 10036. When the two begin a romance, Ava pretends Julian is only a roommate. Susan Blumberg-Kason is the author of . If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. The dialog is brilliant throughout. Ava is a 21-year-old who leaves Ireland, where shes convinced everyone hates her, to become a teacher of English as a foreign language in Hong Kong. All rights reserved.Information at BookBrowse.com is published with the permission of the copyright holder or their agent. I loved Exciting Times and could see within the first few chapters why it's on lots of best books 2020 lists. Its the closest well ever come to telepathy: she realises Edith is thinking about her at that moment, and it changes everything. Read an excerpt from Danielle Prescod's new memoir, here, then dive in with us throughout the month. Written in a Woolf-esque internal monologue from Ava's perspective, we are met with an inner conflict that struggles to reconcile her disapproval of capitalism and a hyper-sensitivity to class structures . The book centres on Ava (Dynevor), an Irish woman who moves to Hong Kong . I have no love for a novel which only uses my home town as a colorful backdrop and doesn't give a shit about what is happening to the local people. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. @brigittesbookshelf, "Lovers of Sally Rooney will absolutely devour this book. With a similar rhythm of detachment and sparsity found in Rooney and Ottessas writing, I can see why comparisons are being drawn, and I dont think this comparison does Dolan any disservice. None of them will be wrong, really, it's just one of those books. Naoise Dolan: 'I'm not good at presenting myself as likable', 'The stakes were really high': the stars bringing Sally Rooney's Normal People to TV, 'My family are too frightened to read my book': meet Europe's most exciting authors, Sally Rooney: 'I want the next thing I do to be the best thing Ive ever done', Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan review a bracing, witty debut, 'All words are not equal': the debut novelist who's become a lockdown sensation, Tiger King and a bloody mary: Hilary Mantel, Simon Armitage and other writers on lockdown life, Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2020. D I S C L A I M E RThese are all just my own opinion on the book. You liked the writing style ofNormal People. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. Exciting Times is very funny in its cool observation and the way it takes us inside Avas spirals of overthinking. Membership Advantages. The dark and light sides of friendship breathlessly explored in a novel best saved for summer beachside reading. When Julian leaves for London on an extended work project, Ava meets Edith, a Hong Kong local and ambitious lawyer. Were glad you found a book that interests you! , Dry humor can be hard to execute on the page, but Naoise Dolan does so effortlessly and its evident from the very first pages. Aperus are withering. Exciting Times Naoise Dolan. She has been short-listed and long-listed for several prizes, including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Categories: And also coming out: Ava slowly falls for Edith, a Hong Kong lawyer. Judy Blume Exciting Times is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. "If I had to describe this book to someone in two sentences it would be like this:Eleanor OliphantandNormal Peoplegot together and had a baby. Dolan encapsulates this in a perfect image near the end of Exciting Times, when Ava is tensely watching the three little dots on her messaging app: Edith is typing reads her screen. When you purchase an independently reviewed book through our site, we earn an affiliate commission. ISBN-10: 1474613446 . Nordstrom has been the go-to destination for fashion editors alike, and this season is no different. "Hands down one of the most anticipated debuts of the yearA piercingly provocative look at modern love and power games." Find out exactly what #ReadWithMC loved and didn't love aboutExciting Times, below. Get help and learn more about the design. This can be really interesting territory for a novel, but it didn't completely work for me here. And others will find that not much happens and it's just meh. They trip her up and get in the way. If you, like me, answered yes to all three of those questions, then you're in for a treat. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the sites day-to-day editorial operations. Now I know what the phrase razor sharp wit really means. This book is incredibly fine. @what_leah_reads. Caitlin, determined never to be ordinary, is always testing the limits, and in adolescence falls hard for Von, an older construction worker, while Vix falls for his friend Bru. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. Why do you like me? Ava asks him. Let the BookTokking Begin, New Colleen Hoover Book Sells 800K Copies, Colleen Hoover Dominated Book Sales in 2022. Here, she grapples with her feelings towards Julian, a rich, witty but largely emotionless banker, and Edith, an ambitious and striking lawyer. And no squeamishness about asking for it, discussing it, hoarding it. Ava doesnt flinch. Julian is a banker. This book also brought back so many memories from my trip to Hong Kong with my friends after college graduation (swipe!). Characters who bottle up and wont say how they feel drive me crazy, and Ava was no exception here. When Julian returns to London for six months for work, Ava meets Edith, a smart and beautiful Hong Kong lawyer. The fact that Naoise Dolan is being touted as the new Sally Rooney is nothing short of an insult to Rooneys work. I wasn't immediately sucked inI think when Edith entered the picture, I became a lot more engaged. Es un libro en el que la protagonista est tan bien retratada y es tan cruda y llena de aristas que, realmente, casi da igual lo que le pase a ella personalmente, porque lo que te interesa como lector es su voz, su forma de ver el mundo y su forma de verse a s misma. The characters are refreshing, I think particularly for me because they are not American, thus allowing for some exploration of how differing cultures analyze and observe class, race, and politics. She obtained an English degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2016 and later a Master's Degree in Victorian Literature from Oxford University. New York, - Publishers Weekly She creates her own isolation, whilst being envious of those who are not lonely. Always fun reading the #readwithmc selection!" But now theyre co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. After a local waiter replies to her English greeting in Cantonese, an irritated Edith points out one of Avas blind spots: Youre not noticing because youre white, she says, people see me and assume Im from here. Edith might let Ava off the hook, but why should todays reader do the same? Judy Blume. But the intellectual aura inserted across the novel felt taut and occasionally reaching. Its a brilliantly concise summation of her take on relationships, which she sees as a power game, an ultimately shallow emotional transaction in which the greatest potential benefit might be that you get to move into an apartment better than anything you can afford on your own. Reviews: Trustpilot. Dolan seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race, colonialism, and language, though the result does not always bring depth of flavour. An intimate, bracingly intelligent debut novel about a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer. It also turned into a really beautiful queer love story, taking turns I hadnt anticipated at the outset of the novel. As they fall into a quasi-relationship, Ava moves into his apartment, where Julian allows her to live rent-free. Only 2 left. LITERARY FICTION | The literary rumor mill portrays Naoise Dolan as the new Sally Rooney, and that suggestion alone might push a writer onto the bestseller list these days. Article (How can you tell whether you like someone? Like Rooney, Dolan writes in a deadpan style. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. 3.79. The following is excerpted from Naoise Dolan's debut novel, Exciting Times, an excerpt of which was published in The Stinging Fly by Sally Rooney. The answer Exciting Times seems to offer is yes, in this case they are just as shallow and myopic as one would assume. Reviews | Summary. Stories that focus on social issues such as class and LGBTQ+ are of interest to you. Get ready to turn that frown upside down. When he leaves to go work in London again, Ava is left wondering what their exact relationship status is, caught between being a sugar baby or being Julians girlfriend. Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over. While there, Ava meets Julian, a rich banker from London, who invites her to move into his home. 3.5 out of 5 stars 3.7 out of 5.0 5 Stars . Him needing me was strange and new. Margaret Verble is the author of several previous novels, including. Available in used condition with free delivery in the UK. Dolan was born in Dublin, Ireland. Buy Exciting Times: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER By Naoise Dolan. Colleen Hoover. Victoria, or more commonly Vix, lives in a small house; her brother has muscular dystrophy; her mother is unhappy, and money is scarce. An intimate, bracingly intelligent debut novel about a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer.
