- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Jonathan Cape
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0224071270
- ISBN-13: 978-0224071277
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 5,794,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In 1999, Alan Warner introduced us to a wonderful set of characters in "The Sopranos" when a school choir from a backwater town in Scotland went on a trip to the big city. Much debauchery ensued. "The Stars in the Bright Sky" once again reunites most of the original gang and there is no need to have read the first book to pick up on the diverse characters. Now though, they've grown up (or at least got older!) and are gathered at Gatwick Airport to set off on a girls' holiday.
The epigraph is from Kafka and Warner pitch perfectly uses the socially equalising, Kafkaesque effect of passengers in transit to bring his disparate group together. The biggest character is the supreme chav, Manda whose toxicity is awe inspiring. Think your average "Big Brother" wannabe. In fact, that's her dream. She has stayed in the town where she grew up, along with Kylah and Chell, while Kay and Finn have escaped to university, to study architecture and philosophy respectively, and are here again reunited along with Finn's mysteriously beautiful and rich English friend, Ava. Manda in particular though is genuinely very funny, albeit in a way that you wouldn't want to encounter very often.
The girls' initial plans for a cheap European holiday are quashed when Manda (who else?) loses her passport and so, with a day to kill, the girls set off for a day in the country at Hever Castle before plans are re-scheduled. Much of the time is spent in the soulless confines of the airport bars.
I have slightly mixed views about the book though. On the one hand, it is very, very funny in places and it kept me reading wanting to know what was going to happen. It's certainly entertaining and a great deal of fun. It would make a good holiday reading choice.
However, I have reservations about it. Much of the word-count is made up of the entertaining conversation, which Warner has a strong ear for, particularly the Scottish mannerisms. But the more descriptive passages are what I would term literary in style - full of some strange and not always successful metaphors and similes, and the clash of the two styles jarred a little for me.
There was also a distinct arc of a story in "The Sopranos". Events changed the characters and our perceptions of them. This isn't the case with "The Stars in the Bright Sky". It felt to me like a set of great characters in search of a story. I can understand Warner's keenness to return to the gang, but while it does effectively send up the drinking youth culture, that's quite an easy target and I was left frustrated that the story didn't develop the characters. It felt to me like one of those endless film sequels where the characters that we've grown to love struggle to live up to the story that made them. Personally, I'm surprised it made it onto the Booker long list.
Without giving too much away, there's also a passage towards the end when things get stronger than alcohol and cigarettes that seemed not to fit particularly well. Perhaps the consequences of this event will see these girls re-united by Warner again, which wouldn't altogether be a bad thing.
Yet for all this, it is a very funny book and it is an interesting view on female friendship that is, sadly, probably quite accurate.
The epigraph is from Kafka and Warner pitch perfectly uses the socially equalising, Kafkaesque effect of passengers in transit to bring his disparate group together. The biggest character is the supreme chav, Manda whose toxicity is awe inspiring. Think your average "Big Brother" wannabe. In fact, that's her dream. She has stayed in the town where she grew up, along with Kylah and Chell, while Kay and Finn have escaped to university, to study architecture and philosophy respectively, and are here again reunited along with Finn's mysteriously beautiful and rich English friend, Ava. Manda in particular though is genuinely very funny, albeit in a way that you wouldn't want to encounter very often.
The girls' initial plans for a cheap European holiday are quashed when Manda (who else?) loses her passport and so, with a day to kill, the girls set off for a day in the country at Hever Castle before plans are re-scheduled. Much of the time is spent in the soulless confines of the airport bars.
I have slightly mixed views about the book though. On the one hand, it is very, very funny in places and it kept me reading wanting to know what was going to happen. It's certainly entertaining and a great deal of fun. It would make a good holiday reading choice.
However, I have reservations about it. Much of the word-count is made up of the entertaining conversation, which Warner has a strong ear for, particularly the Scottish mannerisms. But the more descriptive passages are what I would term literary in style - full of some strange and not always successful metaphors and similes, and the clash of the two styles jarred a little for me.
There was also a distinct arc of a story in "The Sopranos". Events changed the characters and our perceptions of them. This isn't the case with "The Stars in the Bright Sky". It felt to me like a set of great characters in search of a story. I can understand Warner's keenness to return to the gang, but while it does effectively send up the drinking youth culture, that's quite an easy target and I was left frustrated that the story didn't develop the characters. It felt to me like one of those endless film sequels where the characters that we've grown to love struggle to live up to the story that made them. Personally, I'm surprised it made it onto the Booker long list.
Without giving too much away, there's also a passage towards the end when things get stronger than alcohol and cigarettes that seemed not to fit particularly well. Perhaps the consequences of this event will see these girls re-united by Warner again, which wouldn't altogether be a bad thing.
Yet for all this, it is a very funny book and it is an interesting view on female friendship that is, sadly, probably quite accurate.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I absolutely loved this book. It is a rare treat to find a writer so able at bringing real dialogue to life. And these girls were full of life. Young, 20 year old life. Their expectations were moulded by their various occupations and there was a separation between those who had gone to college and those who had stayed at home to work. But their need for friendship and a good laugh pulled them all together. Warner's ability to show the tensions between a group of friends was wonderfully subtle in its telling and for a story that spent most of it's time stuck in an airport it is of true credit to the author that I found I was constantly pulled back to the pick up the book to find out what was happening next. As has been mentioned by other reviewers the characterisations are superb. I still find it hard to accept that Mandy is not a real person. This book is FUN and touching and wonderfully written.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
As a long standing admirer of Alan Warner's writing, starting with Morvern Caller and peaking with the wonderful "The worms can carry me to heaven" I was looking forward to this one, especially as there are fond memories of the Sopranos. It is, however, a dreadful book; poorly written, appalling dialogue and no plot to speak of. I kept checking to see if the narrative voice used by Warner was supposed to be that of the girls, thereby excusing some of the terrible, clunky writing, but no, I dont think that can be an excuse - i think it was written in a rush and if there was any editing in the process it doesn't show.
Although the characters could be interesting Warner completely fails to develop any sympathy for any of them, and I was thinking of "accidentally" leaving the book on the train long before it was halfway through.
Although the characters could be interesting Warner completely fails to develop any sympathy for any of them, and I was thinking of "accidentally" leaving the book on the train long before it was halfway through.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Warners best since The Man
I loved this novel and feel a lot of reviewers here are totally missing the point. For all it's bawdiness and hilarity this is essentially a book about half a dozen girls beginning... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Now Zoltan
Your nightmare trip...
This is one of those books that is intended to be cleverly satirical, and yet ends up creating its own problems. Read more
Published 16 months ago by bloodsimple
beautiful and funny
I found this book hugely enjoyable and laughed out-loud at several points. I like that fact it is set over a short amount of time at an aeroport. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Lucinda Stern
Brilliant follow up to Sopranos
I read the Sopranos years ago, and when I heard about a sequel being written I had to buy it.
This book is funny, emotional, and surprising. Read more
This book is funny, emotional, and surprising. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Carla O L
A Disappointment
Alan Warner's The Stars in the Bright Sky is his sixth novel and the sequel to 'The Sopranos'. This was my first taste of the author and to be truthful, I am not a fan. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Lincs Reader
What went wrong?
I used to love Alan Warner's writing, particularly "Morvern Callar" and "The Sopranos", but over his last few books things seem to have gone a little awry. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Peter Lee
Waste of paper and ink
I give any book fifty pages to prove itself worthy of my attention right to the end.
The most noteworthy thing about the first fifty pages of this dreadful mess of a... Read more
The most noteworthy thing about the first fifty pages of this dreadful mess of a... Read more
Published 21 months ago by A thinking reader
Shining a little dimly
Girls on tour romp, with some slightly resonant, slightly deeper stuff in the background. the characters seem to have flattened off since the Sopranos. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Roman Totale
Metal Machine Music , in print
Oh dear - having read several Alan Warner books before (including The Sopranos) I was so looking forward to this "follow-up" - where previously he wrote with energy and humour ,... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Mr. Paul Woodgett
Possibly Warner's Best Yet
Is there a better contemporary writer than Alan Warner? I think not. The Stars in the Bright Sky, his latest novel, simply confirms this. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Macbeth
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