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The Illumination of Merton Browne
 
 

The Illumination of Merton Browne (Hardcover)

by JM Shaw (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £12.99
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Product details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre (9 Aug 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0340933631
  • ISBN-13: 978-0340933633
  • Product Dimensions: 22 x 13.6 x 3.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 288,612 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Product Description

Review

'As soon as you read the first page you're gripped by the voice...a state-of-the-nation novel...a very tough, unflinching look at what life is like today...but there's also an incredible amount of hope'

(Boyd Hilton, Simon Mayo Show, Radio 5 )

'Merton has a distinctive voice - edgy, sharp and avid for adventure...His inner struggle to abandon his self-destructive path and become responsible for his own life makes for a gripping read.'

(Daily Mail )

'A vivid, sometimes shocking novel...which combines a fast-moving narrative with an incisive, satirical critique of comprehensive education.'

(Piers Paul Read, Spectator , Books of the Year )

'A truly insightful and thought-provoking read.'

(Big Issue )

'Explosive...disturbingly realistic'

(Guardian )

'Visceral, tough and original'

(Tim Lott )

Product Description
When he wants to get away from things, away from his mum and Uncle Tuck, away from the shouting and the sound of the TV, Merton Browne hides in his cupboard with a torch and a Tintin book and pretends he’s going to space.

As he gets older things don’t change much. He thinks secondary school will be about learning, but mainly it’s about staying out of trouble. Disenchanted and desperate to avoid the attentions of Savage and his posse, Merton finds refuge among the forgotten history books in a dusty basement, remnants of another regime.

Inspired by what he reads he comes up with a plan to earn protection for him and his friend, and soon finds himself appointed consigliere by Savage’s increasingly ambitious gang. Fifteen and fired up by the discovery of sex, drugs and power, Merton is convinced he’s on the brink of causing a revolution. But the repercussions of one night present Merton with a choice. He needs to decide who he is, who he wants to be and where his loyalties lie.

See all Product Description

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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (8)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (2)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A gripping tale of disenchantment and redemption through knowledge, 11 Aug 2007
By H. Jolliffe (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
An excellent book about a boy (Merton Browne) from a tough and deprived estate, who enters his secondary comp subconsciously hoping that education might lead him away from his disfunctional family and sink estate. Merton is a very clever boy whose energies are syphoned off into both learning on his own in a secret place under the school and being the brains behind the local gang on the estate....

There are moments in the book of huge suspense and drama. There are wonderful cameos of his headteacher, his friend's evangelical Caribbean mum, Merton's tutor and his mother.

I could not put it down; Merton as a character is superb and you immediately ( and I obsessively) get drawn into his world from the start.

As well as being a great story it has strong social message: ranging from the importance of thorough education, of well disciplined schools, of the need for fathers in the lives of their children etc...

I urge you to buy it ..you will not be disappointed.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, 30 Aug 2007
By Emma (London) - See all my reviews
This is a terrific story, speedily told, which takes you into a murky world from a lateral point of view. It is a revelation, turning assumptions on their head and leading to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. If only all essential messages of truth for our society could be told so entertainingly. Read and enjoy! I am already looking forward to his next book.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fresh and Exciting Novel , 24 Aug 2007
By Kurrer Bell (New York City) - See all my reviews
This book really surprised me. It's a coming of age story about a boy from desperate familial and socioeconomic circumstances, and a bit reminiscent of tales told by authors from C. Dickens to S. E. Hinton--but the author's understanding of Merton's situation avoids both sentimentality and knee-jerk sociology. It's a page-turner full of memorable action scenes, but it makes you rethink some of the ideological "givens" of our time about the importance of family (not very great, perhaps, if your family is hurting you) and education (kind of totalitarian, actually, if your school won't let you choose your own books and ask critical questions). Merton is pretty much an autodidact, but all of his reading doesn't prevent him from making the mistakes that tragically bedevil so many kids in his circumstances, so he's never too good or bad, and he knows you need to find good teachers. But he's not that ordinary, either. He's a new kind of juvenile hero, neither Oliver Twist nor Holden Caulfield. Grittier and more truthful than Harry Potter, and Merton's wizardry is available to humans--adolescents and grown-ups--willing to read and think.
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