Black Swan Green - David Mitchell
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I was already a fan of David Mitchell when this was released, but the title gave away little about the contents of the book. I bought this (fatefully) without reading a review or even the books blurb, but on the strength of the fact that i've loved mitchell and what he has written before.
Not to be dissapointed, this is a world away from the dreamy fiction he has laid down for us before. A vivid and real look at the life of teenage Jason, in the village of Black Swan Green during the falklands war, and the struggle with the horrors of the real world most of us experieced during our adolecent years. Divorce, bullying, war, money, and *gasp*...girls all seem to toch on the life of Jason, along with some beautiful moments alone or with his so called friends.
Im tempted to comapre it wth other stories of teen angst laid down in "secret diaries" or with "growing pains", but the absolute pleasure of reading this book is in a world of its own. Remember betamax? school discos? penny sweets? parkas? raleigh choppers? get a hold of this and breathe in every word.
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vivid
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David Mitchell is an outstanding author. This book captures brilliantly the early 1980s in a way that brings memories of that time flooding back. Anyone who was in their teens at that time will immediately connect with the main character and his account of the transition into adolescence is believable and devoid of sentiment.
If you have not yet discovered David Mitchell you are in for a treat as you have other great titles to look forward to as well. If you have read his stuff, then you will be waiting impatiently for his next book!
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Mitchelltastic!
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This David Mitchell guy is an artist. The stories he tells are so different from each other and yet obviously come from the same beautiful soul. I love all the work of this master storyteller, but I think Black Swan Green may be his masterpiece so far. It was one of those books that I didn't want to put down and yet I didn't want it to end, and when I finished it I just wanted to start over again. He captivated me, as usual, but this time the emotions he evoked were stronger than ever. I love love love this novel and can't recommend it highly enough.
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A lyrical writer with a wonderful eye for arresting detail
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This is a great story about growing up with a stammer in the Midlands. Mitchel is a lyrical writer with a wonderful eye for arresting detail. It's a poignant tale in parts but not as gloomy as some critics seem to feel. Unlike Cloud Atlas this novel didn't attract any significant literary awards, probably because it ostensibly lacks the ambition of his other books. But I liked it for the easy humour and the skilful way he recreates the political and cultural atmosphere of the early eighties. I also share his protagonist's belief in the pointlessness of Twiglits.
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Puberty and Poetry
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Take a trip into the mind of a twelve-to-thirteen year old boy who is experiencing the beginnings of puberty, love of poetry and 'what life means' in Thatcherite England. He draws metaphors from the everyday, the mundane and things you would never have thought of yourself, but which, upon reflection, appear so incredibly appropriate. 'She had knuckles like toblerone' is one I recall (probably inaccurately) offhand.
This book once again exemplifies why Mitchell is such a fantastic author. He is able to go from the incredible accomplishment of Cloud Atlas, to the more meditative and playful Black Swan Green. What makes the book doubly good, and why it is true Mitchell fare, is that he obviously takes such pleasure in language, he relishes words and finding wonderful metaphors for the mundane. If nothing else it makes you believe Jason, makes you want to have met him as an adolescent and to wonder at what kind of a man he would be now.
I also enjoyed the cute connection to Cloud Atlas. I'm a sucker for such things.
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