Playing with Grown-ups
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More About the Author
Product Description
Justine Picardie
`A lyrical coming-of-age classic ... A marvellous evocation of what it means to be a teenage girl, and the journey to womanhood'
Review
Praise for The Man With The Dancing Eyes: 'I am enchanted by everything - its spirit, Sophie's voice, which is pitched for perfection somewhere in the midst of The Dud Avocado, I Capture the Castle and Eloise at the Plaza. ' Raffaella Barker 'A poetic love story accompanied by Annie Morris' evocative drawings ... part Love in a Cold Climate, part Edith Sitwell and part Roald Dahl.' Vogue 'A wonderfully romantic modern-day fairytale.' Heat 'A modern-day romance for grown-ups.' Cosmopolitan
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I received this book as a gift and have to admit it is probably not something I would have ended up buying for myself.
Firstly I am not a huge Roald Dahl fanatic - I read one of his novels as a child and found it entertaining enough but never felt a great urge to read any more after that; secondly the fact that Sophie Dahl is his granddaughter kind of smacked of nepotism to me - just because he was a writer then she should be able to string words together? She is an ex-model and we all know about their dubious ability for writing (anyone remember Naomi Campbell's Swan for instance?).
Well I have to say that I am so glad I WAS bought this novel and that I was completely WRONG about the talents of Ms Dahl as a writer. When I started reading 'Playing with the Grown-ups' I did not want to put it down or indeed for it to end.
Telling the story of Kitty, whose idyllic childhood living with her grandparents is torn apart when her bohemian mother Marina becomes fixated with a questionable religious guru, the story follows Kitty from her muddled pre-adolescence through to her teens as she is pulled from pillar to post by her mother's various wacky life choices.
Beautifully told, Dahl's novel reminded me in places of the sharp observatory wit of Augusten Burroughs, with a style similar to Martha O'Connor's The Bitch Goddess Notebook and in places the heartbreakingly good White Oleander by Janet Fitch. This is one book by an ex-model which you certainly should make time to read.
Firstly I am not a huge Roald Dahl fanatic - I read one of his novels as a child and found it entertaining enough but never felt a great urge to read any more after that; secondly the fact that Sophie Dahl is his granddaughter kind of smacked of nepotism to me - just because he was a writer then she should be able to string words together? She is an ex-model and we all know about their dubious ability for writing (anyone remember Naomi Campbell's Swan for instance?).
Well I have to say that I am so glad I WAS bought this novel and that I was completely WRONG about the talents of Ms Dahl as a writer. When I started reading 'Playing with the Grown-ups' I did not want to put it down or indeed for it to end.
Telling the story of Kitty, whose idyllic childhood living with her grandparents is torn apart when her bohemian mother Marina becomes fixated with a questionable religious guru, the story follows Kitty from her muddled pre-adolescence through to her teens as she is pulled from pillar to post by her mother's various wacky life choices.
Beautifully told, Dahl's novel reminded me in places of the sharp observatory wit of Augusten Burroughs, with a style similar to Martha O'Connor's The Bitch Goddess Notebook and in places the heartbreakingly good White Oleander by Janet Fitch. This is one book by an ex-model which you certainly should make time to read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Because I didn't honestly expect too much from this novel, I actually found myself being pleasantly surprised. Dahl is a much better writer than I expected her to be and her sentences flow elegantly and concisely, matching the tone of the novel itself. It's pretty clear that she has striven for a grown-up novel here, but it straddles the border of chicklit which is a nice balance.
The story itself moves from the English countryside to bustling New York and the pace is witty and fluid, alternating between flashbacks of the protagonist, Kitty, as a child and present day Kitty- which could appear confusing but is actually pulled off very well.
A very brief synopsis: Kitty grows up in the country with her grandparents, aunts, younger siblings and rather eccentric mother. It's her mother who is actually the root of the story and the cause of a lot of Kitty's problems...
A genuinely well written coming of age story encapsulating families, romance and growing up in a not-so-conventional British household. I'm giving it 3.5 stars because whilst the story itself was written well, the ending seemed rather abrupt and I would have liked a little more to have been made of it. Nevertheless, a good book to curl up and escape with. Bravo Miss Dahl.
The story itself moves from the English countryside to bustling New York and the pace is witty and fluid, alternating between flashbacks of the protagonist, Kitty, as a child and present day Kitty- which could appear confusing but is actually pulled off very well.
A very brief synopsis: Kitty grows up in the country with her grandparents, aunts, younger siblings and rather eccentric mother. It's her mother who is actually the root of the story and the cause of a lot of Kitty's problems...
A genuinely well written coming of age story encapsulating families, romance and growing up in a not-so-conventional British household. I'm giving it 3.5 stars because whilst the story itself was written well, the ending seemed rather abrupt and I would have liked a little more to have been made of it. Nevertheless, a good book to curl up and escape with. Bravo Miss Dahl.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Like many others I wasn't really expecting much, but I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read, good for my daily commute. It has likable characters and sends you back to the early 90s. Good read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Delightful
Having seen Sophie Dahl's TV series, and bought the cookbook I was interested in this novel. It's really as delightful as Sophie herself.... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Doodlebug
A very prompt delivery
I ordered this book on Amazon and received it so promptly that I was very pleased with the service. Thank you!
Published 23 months ago by Mme Camille Marsella
'A book? What do you want a book for?'
At some point in my early teenage years I stopped reading, I'm not sure why. However I saw this book advertised on the tube on the way to college and thought it sounded quite... Read more
Published on 27 May 2009 by Louise
Trying too hard to be grown-up
This novel is prettily inoffensive but has the feeling of a child slopping around in a pair of too-big high heels. Read more
Published on 26 July 2008 by S.M. Gidley
Slightly wacky but enjoyable
I didn't quite know what to expect from this book, but it turned out to be a very enjoyable read. Difficult to define what exactly caught my imagination as the story was quite... Read more
Published on 27 Mar 2008 by V. Mccloy
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