- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Fourth Estate; New Ed edition (7 April 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1841157627
- ISBN-13: 978-1841157627
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.2 x 2.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 338,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Going Out
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
‘“Going Out” takes the most important human preoccupations and fashions a dazzling entertainment out of them. It is beautifully controlled, incredibly disciplined, and points the way to a new future for English fiction.’ Matt Thorne
‘Original, funny and full of insight. Scarlett Thomas’s voice is pitch-perfect and she has created a brilliant and assured novel with themes that resonate long after the book has been put down.’ Chrissie Glazebrook, author of ‘The Madolescents’
‘Full of love, honesty, humour and sadness, Scarlett Thomas once again defies classification. “Going Out” is a story which will remain with you long after you’ve come to its end and will show you that there is far more to fiction writing than you have believed before.’ Rebbecca Ray, author of ‘A Certain Age’
Douglas Coupland
Going Out is wonderful. It hits all the right nails with just the right amount of force.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The extremely well-written story of mid-twenty-year-old neighbours Julie and Luke- Luke with an affliction that means he can't go outside, Julie who failed her exams in order to look after him though they're not partners- and their bizarre array of friends who reach a turning point in their lives and decide to get Luke cured.
It's very easy to read, the characters are totally engaging, and every one of the supporting cast has a novel's worth of story in their own right. By the time they set out in the camper van you are with them every step of the way. The ending is the first real "I wasn't expecting that!" ending I've read in some time, yet it works and is very appropriate.
It is definitely a cut above a lot of the other twenty-somethings 'modern fiction' that's out there at the moment. It's the first Scarlett Thomas book I've read but it won't be the last.
It's very easy to read, the characters are totally engaging, and every one of the supporting cast has a novel's worth of story in their own right. By the time they set out in the camper van you are with them every step of the way. The ending is the first real "I wasn't expecting that!" ending I've read in some time, yet it works and is very appropriate.
It is definitely a cut above a lot of the other twenty-somethings 'modern fiction' that's out there at the moment. It's the first Scarlett Thomas book I've read but it won't be the last.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
To a hoary old bookworm like me, it's a beautiful feeling to pick up a book with no real prior knowledge, and be completely enamoured and enchanted as the last page is turned. It's an epiphany, a discovery, and almost like love.
My first experience with Scarlett Thomas was picking up 'The End of Mr. Y', which looked interesting enough, with its black-lined pages, recommendation by Philip Pullman, and the promise of philosophy, metaphysics, curses & supersitions, quantum physics, time-travel and sex (I mean, with promises like that, who could resist, right?), but when I finished the book, I was so impressed, amazed and enchanted, that I knew I must find more.
With "Going Out", however, while it may be a different subject, and an earlier work, I felt that Scarlett Thomas had written the book with me in mind. The locations, characters, and the situations that they find themselves in really struck a chord that I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe it is because in 2000, the year the book was set in, I was at roughly the same age as the characters. I live in South Essex, where the book was set, and know a lot of the locations (There is a pub called 'The Rising Sun' in Billericay, although I don't know if that's where Scarlett Thomas based her pub on...), and I could see various aspects of my own life, and the lives of my friends, reflected in the characters of the novel.
There is no doubt that Scarlett writes with a lot of heart. The plot may not be a 'Da Vinci Code' rollercoaster of thrills and excitement, but each character stands out so strongly that they were practically tangible. Luke, the main character, suffers with XP, a rare skin disease that causes a potentially fatal allergy if he is exposed to the sun. He is portrayed as having a slight American accent, and cannot read a story without having references from the TV to help him imagine scenarios. Everything outside his house, as far as he's concerned, looks like a Hollywood sit-com. Scarlett reinforces this several times in the book by displaying to the reader that Luke simply does not know any other lifestyle, and has no other point of reference.
Another thing that Scarlett Thomas does (and it is a great relief to say this), is to eschew the stereotype of the Essex Girl, and she does this vehemently. One of the lesser (but still important & relevant) characters, Chantal, is a Basildon girl who has won the lottery. - Chantal is shy, sweet, and caring. She has known poverty and embarassement, and is charming and likeable. (If she had been a brash outgoing promiscuous single mother, I probably would have put the book down), but it is a refreshing and perfect example of how Scarlett Thomas writes about characters for who they are, irrespective of whether the reader expects them to behave or speak in a certain way.
In short, a wonderful novel, with heavy & self-referencing nods to the Wizard of Oz, with real, believable and wonderul characters, a real dollop of humour, and a message that stays with the reader once the book is finished...
...I think I'm in love.
My first experience with Scarlett Thomas was picking up 'The End of Mr. Y', which looked interesting enough, with its black-lined pages, recommendation by Philip Pullman, and the promise of philosophy, metaphysics, curses & supersitions, quantum physics, time-travel and sex (I mean, with promises like that, who could resist, right?), but when I finished the book, I was so impressed, amazed and enchanted, that I knew I must find more.
With "Going Out", however, while it may be a different subject, and an earlier work, I felt that Scarlett Thomas had written the book with me in mind. The locations, characters, and the situations that they find themselves in really struck a chord that I haven't felt in a long time. Maybe it is because in 2000, the year the book was set in, I was at roughly the same age as the characters. I live in South Essex, where the book was set, and know a lot of the locations (There is a pub called 'The Rising Sun' in Billericay, although I don't know if that's where Scarlett Thomas based her pub on...), and I could see various aspects of my own life, and the lives of my friends, reflected in the characters of the novel.
There is no doubt that Scarlett writes with a lot of heart. The plot may not be a 'Da Vinci Code' rollercoaster of thrills and excitement, but each character stands out so strongly that they were practically tangible. Luke, the main character, suffers with XP, a rare skin disease that causes a potentially fatal allergy if he is exposed to the sun. He is portrayed as having a slight American accent, and cannot read a story without having references from the TV to help him imagine scenarios. Everything outside his house, as far as he's concerned, looks like a Hollywood sit-com. Scarlett reinforces this several times in the book by displaying to the reader that Luke simply does not know any other lifestyle, and has no other point of reference.
Another thing that Scarlett Thomas does (and it is a great relief to say this), is to eschew the stereotype of the Essex Girl, and she does this vehemently. One of the lesser (but still important & relevant) characters, Chantal, is a Basildon girl who has won the lottery. - Chantal is shy, sweet, and caring. She has known poverty and embarassement, and is charming and likeable. (If she had been a brash outgoing promiscuous single mother, I probably would have put the book down), but it is a refreshing and perfect example of how Scarlett Thomas writes about characters for who they are, irrespective of whether the reader expects them to behave or speak in a certain way.
In short, a wonderful novel, with heavy & self-referencing nods to the Wizard of Oz, with real, believable and wonderul characters, a real dollop of humour, and a message that stays with the reader once the book is finished...
...I think I'm in love.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although this book is an extremely easy read it does not insult the readers' intelligence. The story is a good one and logical to follow. The author describes the characters in amusing detail and the reader genuinely wants the focus of the story, Luke, to get better. The ending is unpredictable and the book makes a refreshing change from many of the conventional others that fill the shelves of numerous book shops. If made into a film, Scarlett Thomas' "Going Out" would be a box office hit.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good And Easy To Read But Slightly Flawed
This is a very entertaining and engaging read although I nearly gave up after the first few pages because there were too many 'just's' and 'like's' and I felt it could have done... Read more
Published 5 months ago by alimarcam
One of my favourite authors - I saved and saved this until I just...
`Going Out' is one of Scarlett Thomas's earlier novels and is about the friendship between Luke, who has a rare allergy to sunlight, and Julie, an outsider who waitresses and... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Sarah Durston
Fantastic
I am in two minds about Scarlett. Sometimes she is wonderful, and others, the stories seem to have slightly predictable observations.
"Going Out" however, is a great book. Read more
Published on 21 Oct 2005 by S. M. Blythe
Another Great Book from Scarlett Thomas
Although this was yet another fantastic book of Scarlett Thomas, something about it just doesn't reach the standards of Bright Young Things. Read more
Published on 24 July 2003 by Grace Hatton
Excellent read.
I really enjoyed "Going Out". Scarlett Thomas writes in very clear prose and the book moves at a fast pace. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2003
NO!!!
Oh dear... I have read the same book as the people above...?
It almost sounds like she's just got her friends to review it for her...! Read more
It almost sounds like she's just got her friends to review it for her...! Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2003 by book book
Going Out - Nah, Staying In
"Going Out" by Scarlett Thomas, who also wrote the excellent "Bright Young Things" and contributed the stand-out story to the collection "All Hail The New... Read more
Published on 22 Aug 2002 by Jessica
Where did this come from?
I'd never heard of Scarlett Thomas before I saw her on News Night talking about the monarchy (she's not a fan) - but she was pretty cool then so I thought I'd read her book. Read more
Published on 20 Aug 2002 by M. Owlish
Brilliant
I loved this book! If you enjoyed Thomas's last book, 'Bright Young Things' then you are in for a treat. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2002
Philosophical and gripping. Easy to read, but plenty deep.
I'll start this review talking about the author in general. In some quarters she seems to have developed a reputation as a 'chick lit' author, possibly because she is a woman... Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2002 by Matthew McIntyre
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
