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Review
"An exceptional novel, a tour-de-force from an outstanding writer." --Jake Hope, Lancashire Libraries
"No stranger to controversy, Melvin Burgess' latest novel is as hard-hitting as ever. It is a gutsy, powerful story... This is Burgess' homage to Dickens as he updates the themes and issues of Oliver Twist. Like Dickens, this is also a moral tale - there is a good dose of retribution and the central character comes through against the odds." --The Bookseller
"The contrast of Nicholas as powerless child and his adult self able to obtain some measure of retribution is powerfully done." --The Bookseller
"It's hard hitting, typically controversial." --The Bookseller
"If there was ever going to be someone brave enough to turn abuse in children's homes into a novel for teenagers, it was Melvin Burgess... Burgess remains unapologetic and it's with good cause."
--Yorkshire Post
"The material is disturbing and Burgess's writing style will, as usual, divide critics, but it's a brave exploration of how the brutalisation of children reverberates long after the violence has passed." --Daily Mail
"Without a doubt Burgess's most substantial, ambitious work to date, Nicholas Dane is harrowing and riveting... his psychological insights are rewardingly complex, and he doesn't shy away from the emotions felt by the boys who are exploited and damaged, yet still crave affection from their attacker... Nicholas Dane is certainly an important book that needed to be written." --Daily Telegraph
"A courageous novel." --INIS (Ireland)
"Burgess is able to show how the villain often starts as the victim." --Glasgow Herald
"This is an emotional and provocative book where old hatred surfaces and murders and revenge can lead to an unforgettable climax." --Irish Post
"I think Melvin Burgess is the only author of the three [Kevin Brooks, Jenny Valentine] who really understands teenagers." --The Sunday Express
"A book to be read and discussed at length with teenagers." --School Librarian
"No stranger to controversy, Melvin Burgess' latest novel is as hard-hitting as ever. It is a gutsy, powerful story... This is Burgess' homage to Dickens as he updates the themes and issues of Oliver Twist. Like Dickens, this is also a moral tale - there is a good dose of retribution and the central character comes through against the odds." --The Bookseller
"The contrast of Nicholas as powerless child and his adult self able to obtain some measure of retribution is powerfully done." --The Bookseller
"It's hard hitting, typically controversial." --The Bookseller
"If there was ever going to be someone brave enough to turn abuse in children's homes into a novel for teenagers, it was Melvin Burgess... Burgess remains unapologetic and it's with good cause."
--Yorkshire Post
"The material is disturbing and Burgess's writing style will, as usual, divide critics, but it's a brave exploration of how the brutalisation of children reverberates long after the violence has passed." --Daily Mail
"Without a doubt Burgess's most substantial, ambitious work to date, Nicholas Dane is harrowing and riveting... his psychological insights are rewardingly complex, and he doesn't shy away from the emotions felt by the boys who are exploited and damaged, yet still crave affection from their attacker... Nicholas Dane is certainly an important book that needed to be written." --Daily Telegraph
"A courageous novel." --INIS (Ireland)
"Burgess is able to show how the villain often starts as the victim." --Glasgow Herald
"This is an emotional and provocative book where old hatred surfaces and murders and revenge can lead to an unforgettable climax." --Irish Post
"I think Melvin Burgess is the only author of the three [Kevin Brooks, Jenny Valentine] who really understands teenagers." --The Sunday Express
"A book to be read and discussed at length with teenagers." --School Librarian
Book Description
Carnegie and Guardian-prize winning author, Melvin Burgess has written a long-awaited new story.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Melvin Burgess is our modern day Dickens. If anything, he drives the realities home even harder and replaces sentiment with real and powerful compassion. His writing style is easily accessible by any age and experience - lucid and clear storytelling that grips the reader and lets us live through the young Nick Danes experiences at close quarters. This is an emotional and provocative book that makes the reader shudder and sometimes rage - but it is totally authentic and should be read by teenagers, adults and especially anyone who has any connection with the care and upbringing of young people today. All the events in this book are quite obviously based on careful research but brilliantly threaded together by a great storyteller for the twenty first century.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Nicholas Dane
As an English teacher I always try to read new "children's" fiction. Melvin Burgess always delivers books which cut to the bone and challenge views of society or at least open our eyes to society and 'Nicholas Dane' does just that. This book is hard hitting - it features abuse, violence, rape and there is a lot of strong swearing - but don't let this put you off!
This book will compel you to ask questions - how did this ever happen and who was responsible for it happening!?! Burgess writes with a total honesty, without gratification.
For anyone that has ever experienced a life like the main protagonists, or for those that haven't, his experiences will resonate far longer than it will take you to read the book. Hard-hitting and controversial it may be, but this does happen, perhaps not to the extent that it did in the 80's amongst care homes, but abuse within domestic situations and within homes is still present and if only 1 person after reading this book commits to changing society then Burgess has succeeded in my eyes.
Be warned: not for younger readers. I would say possibly for 15/16 years +. Strong subject matter and language.
As an English teacher I always try to read new "children's" fiction. Melvin Burgess always delivers books which cut to the bone and challenge views of society or at least open our eyes to society and 'Nicholas Dane' does just that. This book is hard hitting - it features abuse, violence, rape and there is a lot of strong swearing - but don't let this put you off!
This book will compel you to ask questions - how did this ever happen and who was responsible for it happening!?! Burgess writes with a total honesty, without gratification.
For anyone that has ever experienced a life like the main protagonists, or for those that haven't, his experiences will resonate far longer than it will take you to read the book. Hard-hitting and controversial it may be, but this does happen, perhaps not to the extent that it did in the 80's amongst care homes, but abuse within domestic situations and within homes is still present and if only 1 person after reading this book commits to changing society then Burgess has succeeded in my eyes.
Be warned: not for younger readers. I would say possibly for 15/16 years +. Strong subject matter and language.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Nick is fourteen years old, bored with school and often plays truant with his friends. His Mum, who has discovered studying late in life and is now a mature student, does her best for him, but struggles with her own problems. When his Mum dies suddenly, Nick is left in the care of the social services and this is when his nightmare begins.
Burgess is well known for tackling controversial and challenging issues in an unflinching way and in Nicholas Dane he confronts child sexual abuse, one of his most difficult subjects yet. He deals with the issue sensitively and manages to portray the horror and the shame as well as the sheer mundane predictability of it. For those unfamiliar with the trajectory of lives damaged in this way, he maps a very clear path of shame, turning to self-hatred and self harm. When no-one believes you and those agencies, such as the police and social services, who are supposed to protect you, are complicit in your abuse, then crime is often the only option. Nick is again left vulnerable to exploitation and becomes drawn into a downward spiral of increasing criminal violence.
The book is clearly written in homage to Charles Dickens, specifically Oliver Twist. The story is set in the mid 80s but the style of writing makes it seem longer ago and does evoke a Victorian feel. This works well in some characterisations and descriptions. This is a minor detail but one I found quite distracting when reading. It almost feels as though the subject matter is so distressing that Burgess has used this literary device as a means of providing some distance for the reader. You do not need to be familiar with Dickens to engage with this book but the similarities could provide a useful opening for teachers to compare and contrast Dickens and Burgess. Overall this is a compelling story of how teenage lives can go so very wrong and is highly recommended for older readers.
Burgess is well known for tackling controversial and challenging issues in an unflinching way and in Nicholas Dane he confronts child sexual abuse, one of his most difficult subjects yet. He deals with the issue sensitively and manages to portray the horror and the shame as well as the sheer mundane predictability of it. For those unfamiliar with the trajectory of lives damaged in this way, he maps a very clear path of shame, turning to self-hatred and self harm. When no-one believes you and those agencies, such as the police and social services, who are supposed to protect you, are complicit in your abuse, then crime is often the only option. Nick is again left vulnerable to exploitation and becomes drawn into a downward spiral of increasing criminal violence.
The book is clearly written in homage to Charles Dickens, specifically Oliver Twist. The story is set in the mid 80s but the style of writing makes it seem longer ago and does evoke a Victorian feel. This works well in some characterisations and descriptions. This is a minor detail but one I found quite distracting when reading. It almost feels as though the subject matter is so distressing that Burgess has used this literary device as a means of providing some distance for the reader. You do not need to be familiar with Dickens to engage with this book but the similarities could provide a useful opening for teachers to compare and contrast Dickens and Burgess. Overall this is a compelling story of how teenage lives can go so very wrong and is highly recommended for older readers.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Deep Down (some spoilers)
I gave this book 5 stars inspite of the fact that I think there are a few weak passages (particularly the end), but as I would have liked to give it 10 stars in the first place, I... Read more
Published 6 months ago by S.T. Ealth
Honest, compassionate and heartbreaking - bravo, Melvin Burgess
I had this book on the shelf for a few months before I felt strong enough to read it. The blurbs I'd read about Nicholas Dane made it clear that this book goes to some painful... Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2010 by Candy Gourlay
Modern day reworking of Oliver Twist
I've heard alot about Melvin Burgess but this it the first of his I've read and wasn't disappointed. Read more
Published on 24 Jan 2010 by Book chatter
Not disappointed
Melvin Burgess is a legend - what more is there to say! He grabs you into the book by the scruff of the neck even if you only intend to flick through it. Awesome!
Published on 4 Jan 2010 by stillcrazy
Nicholas Dane plays Oliver
This is a gritty book written with real sensitivity in places. The violence is a bit unrelenting but true to what some teenagers want to read. Read more
Published on 31 July 2009 by Speechgirl
Uncomfortable but Necessary
Nicholas Dane is a compelling if uncomfortable read. It sensitively and resposibly conveys the appalling abuse that occured in some care homes in the not too distant past. Read more
Published on 7 Jun 2009 by i
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