Something Like Breathing

Posted on 14 November 2019 by Angela Readman

It s the fifties, and Lorrie is unimpressed when her family moves to the remote Scottish island where her grandad runs a whisky distillery She befriends Sylvie, the shy girl next door The slightest smile from Sylvie was a fluffy elephant at the fayre It had to be won with a clear aim, writes Lorrie in her diary Yet fun loving Lorrie isn t sure Sylvie s is the friendship she wants to win But as the adults around them struggle to keep their lives on an even keel, the two young women are drawn into a series of events that leave the small town wondering who exactly Sylvie is and what strange gift she is hiding.Readman s feel for emotional nuance and her natural flair for mixing strangeness with poignant everyday detail make this long awaited debut a novel to savour. Read Something Like Breathing by Angela Readman – kino-fada.fr Originally posted on A Frolic Through Fiction Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free copy of this book This in no way affects my opinion of the bookRated 4.5 starsA story of friendship, teenage years and a town thats probably too small for its own good, this book follows Lorrie, unimpressed as her family move to a remote Scottish island Thround choice or through happenstance, she becomes friends with the girl next door, Sylvie But it doesnt take long for her to wonder who Sylvie Originally posted on A Frolic Through Fiction Thank you to the publisher for sending me a free copy of this book This in no way affects my opinion of the bookRated 4.5 starsA story of friendship, teenage years and a town that s probably too small for its own good, this book follows Lorrie, unimpressed as her family move to a remote Scottish island Thround choice or through happenstance, she becomes friends with the girl next door, Sylvie But it doesn t take long for her to wonder who Sylvie really is, what gift she s hiding and if she wants to be friends with her after all This book captured my attention from the very fi...DNF around 30%While I loved Readmans short story collection this didnt work for me at all as I found the pace to be incredibly slow and the characters didnt grab me DNF around 30%While I loved Readman s short story collection this didn t work for me at all a...I embarked on this knowing I would be out of my favoured genres, and not expecting a huge amount, but anything with a Scottish Island tag gets my attention theses days. I spent most of the novel trying to identify the island, eventually coming to the opinion that its probably doesnt actually exist Its the story of two teenage friends growing up on the island Sylvie and her family move to live there in the early 1950s and her friendship with Lorie develops Not a whole lot happens, but Readman I embarked on this knowing I would be out of my favoured genres, and not expecting a huge amount, but anything with a Scottish Island tag gets my attention theses days. I spent most of the novel trying to identify the island, eventually coming to the opinion that it s probably doesn t actually exist It s the story of two teenage friends growing up on the island Sylvie and her family move to live there in the early 1950s a...3.5 5This was one of those quietly, brilliant coming of age novels that just snuck up on me and completely enamoured me Set in a remote Scottish island, the novel follows two young girls, socially adept Lorrie and painfully shy Sylvie as they navigate the pressures of growing up in this intimately small town where everyone knows everyone Angela Readman creates a beautifully nuanced portrait of girlhood and friendship, the pitfalls and highs, in alternating points of view, between Lorrie and 3.5 5This was one of those quietly, brilliant coming of age novels that just snuck up on me ...Coming of age novel set on a remote Scottish island in the 1950 s.A quirky and intriguing debut novel focused on two teenage girls and their friendship over a few years, from 1957 to 1960 Lorrie Wilson and her family father, mother, younger brother move from the UK to the remote Scottish island where her mother was raised and Lorrie s grandfather runs a whiskey distillery Bunny Tyler and her daughter, Sylvie, a strange and shy girl, are their next door neighbors Lorrie, the new...I really liked this novel It was unusual and well written Theres a bit of the supernatural in it, so you have to be ok with that I really liked this novel It was unusual and well written There s a bit of the supernatural in it, so you have to be ok with that This is a coming of age story with a difference which is so well written that it flows effortlessly with sharp, clich free imagery The story is told in the first person from the viewpoints of the two main characters, Lorrie and Sylvie, who share alternating chapters in the book, Sylvies being in diary form It begins in 1957 when thirteen year old Lorrie moves with her family from England to a Scottish island from where her mother originates Lorrie is a happy teenager and her outgoing This is a comi...An impressive debut novel that sees reality and fantasy entwine, Something Like Breathing proves that Readman has what it takes to produce a distinctive, full length piece of work However, her background as a short story writer features prominently throughout the book each word, each image, each scene and minor character, has a heartfelt purpose No space is wasted in this novel, and as the reader flits between viewpoints and learnsabout each young woman, we also gain a beautiful insight An impressive debut novel that sees reality and fantasy entwine, Something Like Breathing proves that Readman has what it takes to produce a distinctive, full length piece of work However, her background as a short story writer features prominently throughout the book each word, each image, each scene and minor character, has a heartfelt purpose No space is wasted in this novel, and as the reader flits between viewpoints and learnsabout each young woman, we also gain a beautiful insight into the complicated dyn...I ve enjoyed reading the author s poetry and short stories since I first stumbled across her work four or five years ago Something Like Breathing combines Readman s trademark sense of humour, uncanny eye for detail, ear for dialogue and ability to spot things in everyday life that verge on the surreal or ridiculous I found the book absolutely riveting from beginning to end, thanks in no small part to the way that the narrative is told alternately from the two main characters points of view I ve enjoyed reading the author s poetry and short stories since I first stumbled across her work four or five years ago Something Like Breathing combines Readman s trademark sense of humour, uncanny eye for detail, ear for dialogue and ability to spot things in everyday life that verge on the surreal or ridiculous I found the book absolutely riveting from beginni...

English
14 November 2019

Angela Readman