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Bright Young Things (Paperback)

by Scarlett Thomas (Author)
3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 439 pages
  • Publisher: Flame; New edition edition (2 Aug 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340767820
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340767825
  • Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 483,078 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #17 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > T > Thomas, Scarlett

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review
"Bright Young Things wanted for big project. SAE to PO Box 2300 Edinburgh." From the 2,000 men and women who respond to this intriguing ad, six are chosen: Anne, Jamie, Thea, Bryn, Emily and Paul. All are pulled into a bewildering world arranged for them by a stranger of whom they--and we, the readers--know nothing.

Best-known for her "Lily Pascale" mysteries--Dead Clever and In Your Face--Scarlett Thomas's new novel takes the genre of suspense and twists it. Part I opens with a series of brief character sketches of the bright young things--all, in one way or another, are discontented, looking for the way out that the advertisement appears to promise. Part II begins with the shock: "Where the hell are we?" "Is this some kind of island?" "Please tell me I'm dreaming". Our heroes have woken up outside the front door of a deserted house. "They were all lying next to each other, like a row of dead bodies". To survive, they must solve the puzzle of why they are here and what the mysterious orchestrator has in store for them.

"Why us?"' asks Emily, proposing a (lengthy) game of Truth or Dare. The suspense of the plot turns on the answer to that question, but it's a suspense that the uneven pacing of this novel finds hard to sustain. Scarlett Thomas concocts a heady mix of sexuality and psychology but, like her characters, the narrative falls short of the ordeal it presents. Sharing the curious emptiness of its protagonists (the more we are told about them, the less convincing they seem), Bright Young Things reads more like a script than a novel--something's missing. --Vicky Lebeau --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'A generation defining masterpiece' Matt Thorne; 'A compulsive, edgy thriller' Loaded; 'Sassy and confident' Mike Ripley on Dead Clever; 'Lily Pascale is...a sassy character full of contemporary hipness and uncurbable curiosity... Classic investigation with the right dash of modernity' Time Out on In Your Face; 'An ingenious mystery' Scotsman on Seaside

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (5)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (4)
1 star:
 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.8 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Pretentious, too trying, ackward, 22 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Bright Young Things (Paperback)
I was disappointed with this book having enjoyed Thomas's previous books. I found many of the characters underdeveloped, the story didn't go anywhere and yet seemed to serve as just an opportunity for the author to demonstrate her knowledge of popular culture--but to do so cloaked in characters that we all see as being too pretentiously cool, therefore allowing Thomas that cover for her own trying coolness. The ending was terribly disappointing--felt like she didn't know how to end it. The book did keep my attention and I read it in one day--compelled to find out how it ended--but I was so disappointed...I will read more of Thomas's novels, but hope she returns to some of her early styles.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Great idea, but a bit disappointing, 1 May 2006
By Snapdragon (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
Having read Popco (and really loving it) I was a bit disappointed by Bright Young Things.
The basic idea is quite clever, six twenty-somethings apply for a job adverised in a newspaper and wake up on a desert island...
The book is packed with references to computer games, Kevin Smith films, Blur albums etc, which is why I think so many of the reviewers have raved about how 'contemporary' it is. I got the refernces but couldn't help feeling that they were meant to make me feel as if I was part of the 'gang'. It was all a little too self-conscious for me.
Sometimes it felt like a practice run for Popco, which is a far more developed novel and written much better.
It's OK for beach reading but if it's your first go at a Scarlett Thomas novel, I'd read POPco instead.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Far more subtle and complex than the cover would imply, 19 Jun 2002
By Matthew McIntyre (Leeds, UK.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Bright Young Things (Paperback)
I only bought this book because I'd stumbled across the website of the author (from the site of someone I know) and you might want to go there to see if you like her writing style or not (the Amazon review rules stop me putting the url in - for some reason - but it contains the words 'bookgirl' and 'org'). It was my enjoyment of the site that led me to the book. I don't think I'd have been interested otherwise - I am mistrustful of books with brightly coloured covers and the title and quotes about zeitgeist gave me the impression of an empty piece vaguely (and not interestingly) about 'contemporary relationships'.

I'm saying all this because I was very very wrong. Yes, it's about a group of young people in contemporary Britain; yes, there are lots of cultural references which may not age well (bad news if you're planning to read this book in twenty years time); and yes, there are (conveniently) 3 men and 3 women stranded on this island - but the result is subtle and moving, a cumulative effect belied by the simple progress of the story.

On some ways it's a fantasy work - the plot device of stranding the characters on an island is (just about) plausible, but plausibility isn't really that important. Much like in Sartre's Huis Clos (where 3 characters are in a room in hell that they cannot leave) it isolates the characters from society and forces them to think about what they want from life. As a result of this, the characters engage in some confessional/philosophising monologues that some readers may think are unlikely - but I was taken up in the freewheeling speculative nature of the story and had no problem with this (preferring it, in fact, to a reticent realism). Also, where other authors (such Ian Banks or Ian McEwan) might use a kidnapping scenario to dive into an abyss - I was impressed by the redemptive quality of the story.

I suppose the author (that I know of) that this has most in common with is Douglas Coupland - a similar tone and a desire to niggle away at what 20 and 30 somethings think they're doing with their lives.

All in all, I rattled through it, enjoyed reading it and was left satisfied.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars so boring
This book is called `Bright Young Things', and yet, the characters in the book don't show an ounce of brightness. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Hazel Cryostat

4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
Having just finished (and been very impressed with) `The End of Mr Y' I thought I'd try out Scarlett Thomas' other books. Read more
Published 19 months ago by SJSmith

4.0 out of 5 stars More! More! More!
What a fantastic read this was! There are six characters - all major - but well defined enough that you don't confuse this girl with that one, etc. Read more
Published on 26 Feb 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely fabulous
go and buy it, its probably THE book of the last century (and i should know it - working in a bookshop for 10 years now....)
Published on 14 Feb 2005 by thehammer

2.0 out of 5 stars Hmmm
The overall concept of this novel was interesting and you do find yourself wondering what you would do in a similar situation. Read more
Published on 12 Nov 2003 by islays

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing but readable
I found this a rather poorly written novel, which could have been so much better. I am therefore surprised to see co-reviewers rate it so highly. Read more
Published on 4 Nov 2002 by Tristán Harvey E. White

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing ending
It's hard to give this book a star rating. This is because the book itself is page turning, the idea is brilliant and I liked the characters. Read more
Published on 31 Aug 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars A FANTASTIC BOOK!!
This book was recommended to me by a friend and I had recently bought it for holiday reading.
I would like to recommend this book to everyone and anyone who loves a good read,... Read more
Published on 17 Jul 2002 by Lisa Ward

1.0 out of 5 stars Shallow and derivative
A shallow derivative book, full of cliches and unnecessary up-to-the-minute references. A designer book for a vapid readership. Definitely not worth the money. Give it a miss. Read more
Published on 28 Sep 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Definately the book for the 20-somethings!
I thought this book was so good! It echoed reality perfectly and the way the characters talked, as well as the contemporary issues they talked about makes this wonderfully written... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2001 by kevinsweetman@hotmail.com

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