Customer Reviews

Heartland

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is not an easy book to read. There are no quotation marks; it is comprehensive in its' use of Black Country dialect at all times; and it switches between four or five scenarios - often in the same paragraph. So don't expect a light and fluffy read.

Nonetheless, it has plenty of merits. The social insight is sharp and well-observed, with good details squirreled away and not signposted as if you are a moron. The description of failed footballers and their slow decline is well described, and Cartwright avoids crude stereotyping of `good' and `bad' characters; all the characters have their virtues and flaws, excuses and reasons. The politics carry the grubby amateurism that pervades local council life, and different cultures are sensitively and skilfully observed. As social commentary, it works very well.

It is intended as a `slice of life' with no distinct beginning or end, but for me this is a drawback to the book. As the story continues, it becomes clear that it lacks a coherent direction, and so lacks any momentum or pace. It moves at one speed, knowing it will never reach a conclusion. I think Cartwright could legitimately have taken the story somewhere, and created an arc to some of the characters, without sacrificing the social realism and authenticity he sought.

Provided you are prepared to work at physically reading this, you will get an excellent slice of Black Country life in 2002, without judgements or moralising. Next time, I would like to see Cartwright commit more to a plot, which needn't mean sacrificing the fundamentals he has developed so well here.

The cover quote from David Peace says simply: 'This is what fiction should be' - and that seems to me to say it all; I simply wanted to echo that sentiment. Afterglow was excellent, I think this is even better: if you believe fiction can be serious and provocative and entertaining and still reek of integrity on every page, read this and be inspired. Forget Beckham, this man should be a star.

The attack on the world trade centre in New York and a World Cup football match in Japan less than a year later are both real events central to this black country portrait skilfully written by Mr.Cartwright in only his second novel. And like his first, the dialogue is in rich locally accented dialect.
Not everyone will remember where they were when England took on Argentina in the World Cup in June 2002 but the tragic events 9 months earlier are surely etched on everyone's memory. And it's fresh in the aftermath of 9/11 that the story begins and we find Rob, the central character here, drinking in the middle of the day (because of the time difference in Japan)with several members of his family in a packed and rowdy clubhouse in Dudley,West Midlands,England.
Rob is a teacher's assistant at a local run down school and although still young was never able to emulate his famous father's success as a professional footballer. Indeed, although he still plays for his local Sunday League team, age has caught up with him and he's about to hang up his boots for good. But not before a crucial match against a rival muslim side featuring Zubair his missing best friend's brother.
Unbeknown to Rob, Adnan's whereabouts are secretly kept by Jasmine, another old school friend who's only recently come to teach at the school where Rob's now working.
Meanwhile Rob's Uncle Jim is a Labour councillor diplomatically opposing plans for a mosque to be built on the town's former steelworks site without appearing in cahoots with the growing popularity of the BNP.
This book is powerful and sometimes disturbing but can be enjoyed by everyone from teachers, pupils, footballers, political enthusiasts, gang members and people with an interest in contemporary England.
Compelling and engaging and above all beautifully interwoven. The stories carefully overlap into a haunting, memorable read.

It's been some time since a book has drawn me in as this one did but from the off the characters seize your imagination and challenge your stereotypes.This must be because Anthony Cartwright believes in them and their humanity, and paints them as conflicted individuals rather than black and white cardboard cut outs.
His sentence construction and use of dialect is unusual but only adds to the atmosphere. I would find myself re-reading sentences not because they were difficult to understand but rather to savour them. Cartwright has a way of communicating that which you innately knew but hadn't actully formed into coherent thought.
Itis a gripping read and typically the book ends somewhat enigmaticlly without providing any easy answers.
Read it - lose yourself for a few hours and maybe come out questioning your priorities just a little.

Heartland, Anthony Cartwright.

The Midlands, spring 2002. Racial tensions are rising due to the proposed building of a "Super Mosque" on the site of the old factory that supported many of the families of the area. The BNP are getting a hold on the voters as the local elections loom and a Sunday league football match becomes the unwelcome focal point for all parties.

The main character Rob is a failed professional footballer, now working as a teaching assistant in the local school, where he helps pupils with reading difficulties. Every week he meets Zubair, the brother of Rob's missing childhood friend Adnan, for a drink and now they face playing on the opposite sides on the football match that the media believe could ignite the racial tindersticks in the area.

Rob's uncle, Jim, is standing for the Labour party in the elections against Bailey, the BNP candidate who has sponsored Rob's football team. The team is managed by Glenn, Rob's childhood friend now an enthusiastic member of the BNP and it is through him and Bailey that the match against the local Mosque team has become to represent more than just the title clincher which it could have been.

At the same time, a young man that Rob teaches, is stabbed in a seemingly unprovoked attack, which could have deeper implications for the community.

This is an incredibly pertinent and sensitive book. It never shies from difficult issues and presents a balanced and honest portrayal of a community at breaking point. Cartwright builds up the relationships between families and friends with a real skill and there are some magnificent characterisations. It has the feeling of a Ken Loach or Mike Leigh film, but at no point allows itself to be weighed down by the seriousness of it's concerns. He creates a community which is believable and honest and one for which you genuinely fear for. There is a sense of danger bubbling under the surface of the novel, with so much potential to flare up into confrontation, but the fact that he never allows it to dip into sensationalism or soap opera makes the book all the more potent.

Stylistically this is a masterwork. There are a number of strands and timelines running through the text and he dips in and out of different characters point of views at various points; but it is done with such deftness that it is always possible to follow events. This structure allows him to build not just a story, and it is a masterful piece of storytelling, but also to sketch out an entire community, and by the time you have finished the book you feel that you know and care for all the characters.

The way in which he juxtaposes the Sunday league match with the England versus Argentina, including the Beckham/Simone tension, is particularly well-written.

But it is the subtleties of this book that make it special; the lack of judgement and the trust that he places in his readers, to allow them to draw their own conclusions and not try to hammer home polemic.

The vividly crafted characters came alive through their thoughts and dialogue and soon felt like 'old friends'. Needing to know how they would fair in this unfair world kept me reading. I had encountered Cartwright's phonetic speech in his first novel The Afterglow, so soon felt at ease with it. I know very little about football just what 'hits the headlines', but the detailed descriptions kept me involved.

Set in the midlands, this is a story of politics, football, family strife and love. Two football games are described throughout - the 2002 World Cup match between Argentina and England and an important Sunday-league match between a BNP funded team and the local mosque. The council elections loom and Jim worries that he will lose his seat to the BNP. Rob, his nephew, has problems of his own. Glenn, a family friend, is now committed to the BNP thus causing a rift in relationships. Adnan, an old school friend of Rob, has disappeared and rumour says he has gone to Pakistan to join the Mujahadeen.
The structure of the book is fairly complex - no separate chapters, just sections of First Half, Half Time, Second Half and Final Score. The accounts of the two football matches flow into each other - so you have to keep alert! I also found it difficult at first to keep track of all the characters and their relationship to one another - solved this by making a list.
However this book is well worth sticking with. It gives a good picture of a working class area in the present time. It is especially good on the lost dreams and fading ambitions of the two ex-footballers and on the secrets that are held by so many. And it would have been so easy to turn the whole story into a "racists versus good folk". He refuses to fall into this trap - the characters are nuanced rather than good and evil.
And you don't need to be a football fan to enjoy this book!

`Heartland' is a powerful and gripping novel. The real-life tensions of a community on the verge of crisis are echoed by the unfolding drama of two football matches: one when England met Argentina in the 2002 World Cup; the other is the local Sunday-league decider. Though football is an important feature of the story-telling, in no sense do you need to be a football `fan' to fully appreciate the book. Despite being pretty much football illiterate, I found myself caught up in the games, fascinated by the portrayal of what they really meant to individuals in the Cinderheath community.

The portrayal of the `Heartland' town is painfully real, and the picture is frequently ugly and uncomfortable. However, as with his first novel `The Afterglow', Anthony Cartwright succeeds in drawing you into his characters' realities through powerful, simply stated moments as they struggle to make sense of their lives. I was moved by the characters' situations and found myself willing them to succeed.

This book, was one of the most difficult & frustrating reads, i've ever experienced.
It's written in " Black Country " dialect. ( or i should say the author's interpretation & spelling of it. )
I'm a born & bred " Black Countrian " and i had to keep reading passages over & over again ! Very frustrating ! ( let's face it, how many books are written in dialect ? ) It seems to me that the author has written in this style for " gimmicky " effect, besides trying to convey the feel of the Black Country ( West Midlands )
The non use of quotations, adds to a " frustrating " read.

I gave up reading this book after a few pages because I was so irritated by the absence of quotation marks. At first I thought it was a printing error but then realised that it was done on purpose. Er ... why? It's like say leaving out the letter 'a'. If you make a real effort you could manage to work it out, but why bother? What stupid thing to do.