[4] She identifies as queer. Ava is pulled into the orbit of wealthy, privileged banker Julian who comes from London. Honestly. . Offline, shes likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop. In sixth grade, when Victoria Weaver is asked by new girl Caitlin Somers to spend the summer with her on Marthas Vineyard, her life changes forever. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. Another month has whizzed by, seriously where is 2021 going so fast, and it is time for the latest #BookClub with Melanie and I. Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Do you marvel at clever sentence structure when encountered in a book? Omnipresent yet subtle, Hong Kong doesn't overshadow the characters and their struggles in trying to figure out life. Exciting Times is a fun, snappy read ordinarily, Id say its short chapters could be torn through on your commute, but itll brighten lockdown too. Never feel guilty about skipping book club again. "When you are craving a loveable story with depth and true character developmentthis should be your next read.". - Booklist (starred review) Exciting Times. , Dry humor can be hard to execute on the page, but Naoise Dolan does so effortlessly and its evident from the very first pages. Exciting Times Naoise Dolan. She is highly attuned both to the power dynamics at play (do you want me to depend on you? she asks him) and to her moral predicament, as she adds up how much money she is saving on rent, as well as on the clothes and meals Julian pays for with the funds he doesnt know what to do with. Bookshop For Authors Bookshop . "This debut novel about an Irish expat millennial teaching English and finding romance in Hong Kong is half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high livingand guaranteed to please." Don't the best books teach us something we don't know? Spam Free: Your email is never shared with anyone; opt out any time. Telling neither the full truth about the other, Ava finds herself falling in love with Edith. Overall. I hope youll give her debut a tryit was exceedingly worth it!" This book is very clever and very busy being very clever making it tiring to read but being a millennial seems pretty exhausting so perhaps its captured a lived experience. Ava is an accurately drawn emblem of the zeitgeist, but as such, she stands apart from it, isolated. She is also obsessive and over-analytical in her thoughts about both Julian and Edith. She, a . In fact, Now longlisted for the 2021 Desmond Elliott Prize for debut fiction and for the 2021 Women's Prize. The more I think about this novel the more it suffers in my estimations. Given my absolute adoration of Rooney, its no surprise I loved this debut by a writer who counts Rooney as an inspiration and mentor. Not long after her arrival, she finds herself on a lunch date with Julian, an Oxford-educated British banker in his late 20s. Do put it on your TBR and let me know what you think." In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, spends her days teaching English to rich children. An entire novel in this vein might become wearing, but Dolan takes her narrative to a new level when she brings in a character Ava actually likes: Edith, a local who went to boarding school in England. Politics, grammar, and morality are explored with quick jabs and sharp wording. It felt authentic, less an added 'interesting' point, but a way of being that felt effortless. GENERAL ROMANCE | A young Dubliner in Hong Kong struggles to connect in this fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge. Incredibly readable.' - Belfast Telegraph. Absent the textures of a real city that is sharply divided along generational, ideological and class lines, Dolans novel could have taken place in any other major Asian metropolis. Condition - Very Good. Now I know what the phrase razor sharp wit really means. Search String: Summary | GENERAL FICTION, by influencers in the know since 1933. by Her sentences are sharp and confident, especially for a debut. I personally see the appeal for Sally Rooneys fans (and thats why I chose it as my next rec), but I also think that Dolan deserves praise of her own. She obtained an English degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2016 and later a Master's Degree in Victorian Literature from Oxford University. I took some time getting used to the narrators voice, but once I did, I became completely absorbed in Avas story. The book is fast-paced, but with finely-wrought moments of stillness. Avawho has struggled throughout the novel to be vulnerable in often maddening waysmust make a decision: live comfortably or live truthfully. @bookcrazyblogger. I don't do that often. Lily wont send Emerson to her fathers house overnight until shes old enough to talkSo she can tell me if something happensbut she doesnt want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. And also coming out: Ava slowly falls for Edith, a Hong Kong lawyer. This book also brought back so many memories from my trip to Hong Kong with my friends after college graduation (swipe!). Thats partly because Edith herself is only lightly sketched in. But Im going to just get it out of the way, for Naoise Dolan is Irish, in her mid-20s, and her debut was previewed in literary magazine, Naoise Dolan: 'I'm not good at presenting myself as likable', Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan review a witty, deadpan debut, 'The stakes were really high': the stars bringing Sally Rooney's Normal People to TV, 'My family are too frightened to read my book': meet Europe's most exciting authors, Sally Rooney: 'I want the next thing I do to be the best thing Ive ever done', 'All words are not equal': the debut novelist who's become a lockdown sensation, Tiger King and a bloody mary: Hilary Mantel, Simon Armitage and other writers on lockdown life, Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2020. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself. Exciting Times is her first novel, an excerpt from which was published in The Stinging Fly by Sally Rooney. The years pass by at a fast and steamy clip in Blumes latest adult novel (Wifey, not reviewed; Smart Women, 1984) as two friends find loyalties and affections tested as they grow into young women. The story centers on conflict within Ava, the main character. I love books about disaster women and unlike many of my bookish friends do not seem to tire of them at all. If youre looking for likable and well-rounded characters, a happy love story, and everything packaged up in a neat box, this isnt it. [3] A college debater, she co-convened the Irish Mace competition in 2015/16. 40+ in stock. She studied at Trinity College, followed by a master's in Victorian literature at Oxford. She dissects language and her humor is so deadpan I sometimes read sentences twice. Politics, class, and race anxiously hover over the entire novel. A literary and hilarious tour de force. The answer Exciting Times seems to offer is yes, in this case they are just as shallow and myopic as one would assume. In Naoise Dolan's 'Exciting Times,' an Irish ex-pat in Hong Kong lands in a love triangle. Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, spends her days teaching English to rich children. EXCITING TIMES is an acerbic tale of sex and love, set in the social media age * The Herald Scotland * Incredibly readable * Belfast Telegraph * With Naoise Dolan on the literary scene, there are EXCITING TIMES ahead * i-D * The Irish debut novel everyone is talking about * The Gloss * I savoured every shrewd line * Dazed * A sharp, witty and . And no squeamishness about asking for it, discussing it, hoarding it. Ava doesnt flinch. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a life--and announces herself as a singular new voice. Throughout the book, Ava makes incisive observations about the legacy of colonialism in both HK and Ireland, in addition to funny musings about the rules of English grammar she teaches her students, but can hardly explain, let alone justify, herself. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. Reviews | Nordstrom has been the go-to destination for fashion editors alike, and this season is no different. But on this occasion, its more than just a question of biography: Dolans writing does genuinely occupy similar territory. Millennials floundering in the realms of the heart. Click here and be the first to review this book! I really am. Only 2 left. This is it. Author I know it's frustrating that any new young female writer must find themselves compared to Sally Rooney. Add to cart. She's lost as well as lonely. Ava eventually comes to recognise that her cynicism is the protective garb of youth, but it is something the book also struggles to shrug off. After a local waiter replies to her English greeting in Cantonese, an irritated Edith points out one of Avas blind spots: Youre not noticing because youre white, she says, people see me and assume Im from here. Edith might let Ava off the hook, but why should todays reader do the same? I found her style of writing very unusual and can see why people would compare her to Sally Rooney based on that.

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