#non pratt

[radedneko]

Some people had skeletons in their metaphorical closets; Susan had accrued a plague pit of human remains.

Giant Days ~by Non Pratt

[thereadingchallengechallenge]

Review: Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson and Eleanor Wood Rating: 2/5

"Because it’s not about the big gestures. It’s about little, everyday ones. The ones that look like nothing. They’re the ones that really count. Being a friend, every day."

One day, a trip in an elevator drew six teenagers together in the most unusual of ways. Dawson, Kaitlyn, Sasha, Velvet, Joe and Hugo come from very different backgrounds but they form an unlikely friendship that becomes the undercurrent to their everyday lives. Over six years, they grow and change and learn that no matter what, they will always be there for each other.

Ever since I heard about this book, I knew it was going to be hit or miss. Seven authors writing about six characters over the course of six years into a 400-page book was always going to be a risky move. And while I think they did what they set out to do, I don't think they did it particularly well.

The big problem I had with this book was that we didn't have enough time with any of the characters to actually get to know them. We only got six short chapters with each of them and that wasn’t enough to show any real character development. I liked the diversity amongst the cast of characters but it felt like a wasted opportunity because we didn't get to know them well enough. And the relationship between them all never felt genuine enough for me to be emotionally invested.

I won't talk too much about the plot because there isn't much of one to begin with. But I think I'll talk about each of the characters individually.

Dawson - It was an interesting idea following a child actor growing up and fading from the limelight. I would’ve liked to read more about his transition from identifying as gay to identifying as bi though.

Kaitlyn - When her first chapter was full of self-loathing about her Stargardt’s disease and losing her sight, I was terrified her part in the story was just going to be painful and ableist. But in her later chapters, Kaitlyn’s quite comfortable about her disability and talks a lot about the ableist behaviour she encounters from friends and strangers alike. I especially liked her comments about nobody expecting her to have post-school plans despite her being the only one with clear goals. And I loved how her chapter illustrations changed as she adopted a cane and a guide dog.

Sasha - I found it hard to read Sasha’s chapters because I just couldn’t stand how rude her “friend” Michela was to her. But it was interesting to see a child of Albanian immigrants dealing with xenophobia and isolation from her family still living in Albania. And it was good to explore a bit of England’s classism through her clashes with the others not considering the cost of different activities. But the end of her part in the story came out of nowhere and I was quite confused by it.

Velvet - I felt sorry for Velvet. She was obviously so trapped in her situation and didn’t know how to stand up for herself and do what was best for her. But she eventually learned how to take care of herself and I really liked the way her having an abortion was portrayed.

Joe - It was interesting seeing him cope with his mother having early-onset Alzheimer’s. I couldn’t keep track of his relationships with the other POV characters though, he really faded into the background for me.

Hugo - A spoiled little rich boy. I skimmed his chapters and felt no empathy whatsoever after what he did to Velvet.

Except for Kaitlyn's parts, I really didn't enjoy this. Collaborative novels are fun but not when there are so many perspectives that you don't know which way's up.

An interesting idea that achieved what it set out to do but not particularly well.

Warnings: Drug references, ableism, homophobia.

[prettybooks]

I reviewed Fierce Fragile Hearts, Giant Days & The Night Olivia Fell over on Pretty Books!

[mooncactus]

giant days novel is officially out so time for a minorly spoiler posts saved in my drafts:

I can’t decide what my favorite part of Susan/McGraw Actual Canon is now. there is. SO MUCH.

1) he helped her steal shit in their youth, to the point of all of her friends know he was her partner in crime

(1b) said friends literally are like SO Y’ALL BANGING which leads me to believe no one bought that the Kylie thing would last for a SECOND, GRAHAM.

2) they accidentally wore matching costumes on Halloween

3) I never would have dreamed all of Susan’s grumping about his appearance in the first 4 issues translated to her losing her fucking mind with horniness every time he like. brushed her sleeve. bless

4) when they’re negotiating their contract and McGraw IMMEDIATELY pounces on the “romantic alliances” clause to ask if she’s dating anyone (I WONDER WHY) to which Susan doesn’t even try to lie and immediately is like NO. ARE YOU? and he deadass is like no, it’s “spoiled things before” and literally the entire book goes by without Susan realizing he meant losing her. SUSAN.

5) when she puts her hands on his mouth, and he is turned on, and she flips out and proceeds to just file away how good his arms feel and how good he smells. honestly shocked y’all lasted til the dance. good god

6) she kept the torque wrench he made her ;o;

[ntlibrary]

Read the novel, and catch up on the graphic novel series on Hoopla!

Looking for a book to read after school today?  Giant Days by Non Pratt is available on Hoopla!  Download the ebook from home, school, or the library (free wi-fi, yes!).  Don’t forget to catch up on Allison’s graphic novel series, where the college shenanigans never end. 

[yabookers]

Floored by Sara Barnard, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury, Lisa Williamson, Eleanor Wood

When they got in the lift, they were strangers (though didn't that guy used to be on TV?): Sasha, who is desperately trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo, who knows he's the best-looking guy in the lift and is eyeing up Velvet, who knows what that look means when you hear her name and it doesn't match the way she looks, or the way she talks; Dawson, who was on TV, but isn't as good-looking as he was a few years ago and is desperately hoping no one recognizes him; Kaitlyn, who's losing her sight but won't admit it, and who used to have a poster of Dawson on her bedroom wall, and Joe, who shouldn't be here at all, but who wants to be here the most. And one more person, who will bring them together again on the same day every year.

Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When the six of them got into the elevator they were strangers: Sasha is trying to deliver a parcel; Hugo who knows he is the best looking guy there; Velvet who knows that look she gets when her name doesn’t match how she looks; Dawson who used to be a star but isn’t deemed ‘good looking’ enough anymore; Kaitlyn who is losing her sight but won’t admit it, and finally, Joe, who shouldn’t be in that elevator at all but who wants it the most.  

Floored is a unique novel. It is a collaborative novel by seven different authors and the skill and craft that went into this to actually pull it off effectively was impressive. I was looking forward to Floored for a while. It really intrigued me to read a book with SEVEN different authors and I was really wondering whether they could really pull it off and yeah, they managed it pretty damn well. It was very smooth and cohesive and I wouldn’t even begin to guess which author wrote which character.

When I first started Floored I wasn’t gripped. I wasn’t keen on how Dawson’s storyline started – the child actor who lost his acting career because he became ‘ugly’ and how he had gained weight so it definitely came across as a bit fatphobic, but the emphasis definitely shifted later on and there was no expectation he needed to change how he looked. I also really disliked Hugo, so much so that it really did impact my enjoyment of the book and no matter how much he ‘changed’ I can’t help but dislike him. So yeah, I was a bit ooh-ing and ahh-ing but later on it actually really gripped me as I really did love the rest of the characters.

I loved how their friendship changed over time and how their dynamics changed. I loved how we saw them together for only one day a year over six years and we really saw that friendship blossom but we also saw how each character grew as a person.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend Floored for fans of contemporary fiction looking for a book with little to no emphasis on romance but are really looking for a good character-driven book full of great friendships.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Buy now from Book Depository

[patheticphallacy]

Book Review│Giant Days #UKYA

Book Review│Giant Days #UKYA

nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnGiant Days by Non Pratt

Harry N Abrams, August 2018

288 pages

ISBN13: 9781419731266

Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads, Amazon, Wordery

    Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen.

While the girls seem very…

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[fraisesausucre]

Book review no. 1

Floored // Sara Barnard / Holly Bourne / Tanya Byrne / Non Pratt / Melinda Salisbury / Lisa Williamson / Eleanor Wood

Spoiler-free:

Overall, I really loved this book. It’s quite a quick read but it’s fast pace and interesting. I read a few reviews saying that because it’s split between six different perspectives, they felt as though you didn’t get to know the characters enough so if you enjoy in depth books that include a lot of laid out information, this book probably isn’t for you. I thought that the story line itself was easy to understand, realistic and engaging. Basically, six 15-year-olds get in a lift as strangers and then meet again on the same day every year.

SPOILERS:

I loved the way the authors brought the six teenagers together by all of them witnessing the death of the delivery guy. I didn’t expect it at all and I liked how the teens didn’t know what to do when he collapsed (heart attack) because not many 15-year-olds would handle the situation well. I loved the character development, especially Hugo and his change from egotistical-rich kid to overall-nice-rich kid.

It is a young adult book so don't expect extremely sophisticated but I felt, as a 15-year-old myself, that the authors managed to captured the thoughts of teenagers really well.