Divided City
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Product Description
Book Description
A gripping tale of two boys - one a Catholic, one a Protestant - whose attempt to help an outsider is set against the sectarian prejudices around them in Glasgow when the annual Orange Walks begin
Product Description
A young man lies bleeding in the street.
It could be any street, in any city. But it's not. It's Glasgow. And it's May - the marching season. The Orange Walks have begun.
Graham doesn't want to be involved. He just wants to play football with his new mate, Joe. But when he witnesses a shocking moment of violence, suddenly he and Joe are involved. With Catholics, and with Protestants. With a young Muslim asylum-seeker, and his girlfriend. With all the old rivalries - and fears...
A gripping tale about two boys who must find their own answers - and their own way forward - in a world divided by differences.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book tells the story of two teenage boys - one Catholic, one Protestant - who become friends when they play on the same football team, even though they support opposing teams themselves. The author has given a good insight into how sectarianism and its accompanying bias is often passed down through generations - unfortunately it remains a significant problem in Glasgow.
My major problem with this book was the language attributed to the two teenage boys. The author couldn't seem to decide whether they should use phonetic slang or proper English, and the resulting mixture of both did not help the credibility of the characters. One had a parent with a PhD and the other had a lawyer and a dentist for parents - not sure that either child would speak in Scottish slang, or that they would use words like lavatory.
The thread about Kyoul, the asylum seeker that both boys try to help, could have been developed more I think. He was little more than a plot device. And while the overall sentiment of the book is admirable (one city, many cultures or whatever), it does seem a bit trite at the end. My own feeling is that the characters just didn't ring true, though many other parts of the book did. All in all, a worthy subject, and the story is fairly well-written, though I expected the role of the asylum-seeker to be more significant.
This book is an important first, and I hope that the topic continues to be explored - but it needs to be in a way that is credible to teenagers.
My major problem with this book was the language attributed to the two teenage boys. The author couldn't seem to decide whether they should use phonetic slang or proper English, and the resulting mixture of both did not help the credibility of the characters. One had a parent with a PhD and the other had a lawyer and a dentist for parents - not sure that either child would speak in Scottish slang, or that they would use words like lavatory.
The thread about Kyoul, the asylum seeker that both boys try to help, could have been developed more I think. He was little more than a plot device. And while the overall sentiment of the book is admirable (one city, many cultures or whatever), it does seem a bit trite at the end. My own feeling is that the characters just didn't ring true, though many other parts of the book did. All in all, a worthy subject, and the story is fairly well-written, though I expected the role of the asylum-seeker to be more significant.
This book is an important first, and I hope that the topic continues to be explored - but it needs to be in a way that is credible to teenagers.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As intense as an Old Firm match and as gripping as an episode of Taggart, this Glasgow-set exploration of prejudice and bigotry had me entralled and I'm pretty sure the same would be true of its intended teenage audience.
That the two principal characters are lads obsessed with football, one Catholic and one Protestant, is probably all you need to know to start with. It sounds like the stuff of cliche, but it is executed so well that this would be an unfair accusation.
Occasionally the dialogue doesn't quite ring true, but this is true of most teenage fiction (there is rarely enough swearing, for a start). The characterisation, however is spot-on and cleverly economical which allows the reader to imagine the key characters as similar to people they know.
It builds to a climax which looks as though it's going to be inevitably tragic but...well, no clues. If certain threads seem unresolved, that is inevitable, given the subject matter. It is, nevertheless, a story written with hope and enthusiasm.
That the two principal characters are lads obsessed with football, one Catholic and one Protestant, is probably all you need to know to start with. It sounds like the stuff of cliche, but it is executed so well that this would be an unfair accusation.
Occasionally the dialogue doesn't quite ring true, but this is true of most teenage fiction (there is rarely enough swearing, for a start). The characterisation, however is spot-on and cleverly economical which allows the reader to imagine the key characters as similar to people they know.
It builds to a climax which looks as though it's going to be inevitably tragic but...well, no clues. If certain threads seem unresolved, that is inevitable, given the subject matter. It is, nevertheless, a story written with hope and enthusiasm.
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book immensely. I am not an avid reader but as I have just purchased some new glasses I thought I would have a go. I enjoy stories about culture and politics and this book hit the mark playing out issues of prejudice and bigotry through the eyes of teenage boys with a love for football. It was only after reading the book I realised the target audience was perhaps 30 years or so younger than me (teenagers). But the poignant story could teach old timers like me a thing or two also.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
divided city
great books to get boys of a certain age to read a book great for local knowledge would recommend this book
Published 5 months ago by mastermum1967
Divided City
Class 2.3 have just finished reading this novel and below are a selection of reviews from the class. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Miss Kearney
Brilliant read which makes the reader think.
The Divided City by Theresa Breslin
Mrs Davidson, my English Teacher gave me this book to read as part of a group project. Read more
Mrs Davidson, my English Teacher gave me this book to read as part of a group project. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Jacqueline Davidson
good and bad
Divided city is a book witch you have to be thinking of every day Britain. It is not a bad or good book; I wouldn't read it again because it can get very boring at some points. Read more
Published on 17 May 2009 by Allen J. Earl
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