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Shortly after, she meets native Hong Kong-turned-boarding-school-broad, Edith. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan was published April 16th with Weidenfeld & Nicolson and is described as 'accessible, acerbic, smart and fun' Skip to content. I found her style of writing very unusual and can see why people would compare her to Sally Rooney based on that. Already drawing comparisons to Sally Rooneys work, Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan, has many of the familiar tropes of the millennial novel covered: Jealousy and obsession, love and late capitalism, sex and the internet all come whirling together in a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege. 6 min read. I worried this might endanger our friendship, but so far it seemed to be facilitating it., Their friendship eventually moves through phases of awkward flirtation into a romantic affair, taking place mostly in Julians apartment, and in secret, as Edith is not out to her parents. In Exciting Times, Echoes of Sally Rooney, but With a Queer Twist, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/books/review/exciting-times-naoise-dolan.html. Let the BookTokking Begin, New Colleen Hoover Book Sells 800K Copies, Colleen Hoover Dominated Book Sales in 2022. Straight romance. Emotions are dealt with baldly, dryly: Anyway, I hated her, says Ava about Victoria, a moneyed friend of Julians. Visit our corporate site. Intermixed with some "politics" about late stage capitalism, marxism and the class systems. I personally found that to be utterly fascinating. But there are nuances that made me literally stop reading and think about what Dolan had wrote. DAS APASIONANTES es una novela social (casi generacional) disfrazada de historia de amor. Youre not easily pleased with how other people put sentences together, Julian accuses, but when it comes to money, youve got no taste. Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry She's a young Irish woman, after all, and she'd written a . Ava, newly arrived in Hong Kong from Dublin, spends her days teaching English to rich children. "Okay wow, what a great book! In Irish author Dolan's debut novel, 22-year-old narrator Ava relocates from Dublin to Hong Kong to teach grammar at a school for English-language learners. Find books by time period, setting & theme, Read-alike suggestions by book and author. It read as slow-paced indecisiveness. You like an unreliable narrator (thinkEleanor Oliphant) as you read. Edith has much in common with Julian: an Oxbridge pedigree and a high-powered, high-paying job. East and West collide in a timely and bittersweet novel of loyalty, love, and the siren call of freedom. - O, the Oprah Magazine Unfortunately, Dolans superficial evocation of the island is conjured mostly through Instagram latte art geotagged on fashionable streets. GENERAL ROMANCE | Article Every complaint you've ever read about "millenial fiction"? "When you are craving a loveable story with depth and true character developmentthis should be your next read.". This debut novel tells the story of a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. @cc_bookclub, "There is definitely some exciting fiction coming out of Ireland and it's hard not to compare this book to Sally Rooney's work. A variety of explanations for this have been proposed; The Lancet's "Commission on the future of care and clinical research in autism" commented that it "might be part of a different concept of self, less reliance on or reference to social norms, or part of a . Those whove spent time in Hong Kong cant help wondering what its like to be among the Anglophone transplants who work and party there. 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. Just $45 for 12 months or , I think it's easy to dislike this and dismiss it; on the surface, it's a young woman who can't make up her mind while living for free in someone's flat. - Kirkus Reviews Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. I dove right in and read from beginning to end, and now Im giving thanks that such a book exists in the worldlight, sweet, sad, true. @kelseylovesbooks. With Ava still living in Julians apartment, she and Edith fall into a quick friendship that evolves into a relationship. 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. She obtained an English degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2016 and later a Master's Degree in Victorian Literature from Oxford University. Both intonations feel native to its 22 . Perhaps because Ava's first love interest, Julian, uncomfortably reminded me of someone from my past! I often had to re-read passages, as subtext also plays a huge part in the book. Naoise Dolan: seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race and language. Summary. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022. When Naoise Dolan 's debut novel Exciting Times was released last year, she was swiftly earmarked as the " next Sally Rooney ". m sorry. Queer romance. ), On a personal level, I found Avas character very insular and detached, but the moments that worked their way under my skin were those where she drafted text messages which she didnt send. Sigh. evenings that often end in drunken blackouts or in bed with her sort-of boyfriend Julian, who . Characters who bottle up and wont say how they feel drive me crazy, and Ava was no exception here. - Publishers Weekly I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend if you want to read something thats not the normal style." Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Her elegantly simple writing allows her ideas and musings to shine. She's sharing an Airbnb with roomies that don't like her. And others will find that not much happens and it's just meh. You get annoyed when a book includes references to politics/political issues/cultural references and you have NO IDEA what they mean (lots of info on politics in Ireland and Hong Kong, neither of which I knew OR cared to Google), While this style is definitely not for me, if you were a fan ofNormal PeopleandEleanor Oliphant,I can see you really enjoying this read and encourage you to try. Do you take delight in words like "gormless"? Ava makes it her mission to get him to admit some feelings for her, purely because it would give her the upper hand. Were glad you found a book that interests you! 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. Missed out on our June book club pick? If in part one, Ava feels held at a frustrating distance why is she so hard on herself? The fact that Naoise Dolan is being touted as the new Sally Rooney is nothing short of an insult to Rooneys work. On a sentence level the novel delivers one perfect zinger after another. Its not easy to sustain interest in someone so relentlessly floundering for self-knowledge, and the book flags once Ava and Edith are together. audible mp3, ePUB (Android), kindle, and audiobook. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan, review: a wily, caustic debut novel about young love Soon Ava falls for sternly witty British banker Julian - for his mind in a way, and certainly for his wallet. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. My main problem was Ava. Everyone should read it right now. I like cool detached styling, I like complex unlikeable protagonists, I like dissections of class, I like explorations of sexuality. Yet like many millennials, Ava exhausts the bulk of her mental energy on her bank account. Por supuesto que la historia de esta joven irlandesa buscndose la vida como profesora de ingls en Hong Kong y tratando de sobrevivir a dos amores casi opuestos (aunque no tan diferentes) es maravillosa, sexy, extica y fascinante, pero es que ese personaje protagonista est tan bien construido que el libro sera igual de interesante si no le pasase nada de todo lo extraordinario que le sucede. Colleen Hoover. Already drawing comparisons to Sally Rooney's work, "Exciting Times," by Naoise Dolan, has many of the familiar tropes of the "millennial . Marie Claire is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. @bookcrazyblogger. It felt authentic, less an added 'interesting' point, but a way of being that felt effortless. Stories so good, you won't need a bookmark. With Julian away, the women bond and Ava must interrogate herself over a whole new range of feelings. [2] She experienced homophobic bullying in school. Ava is positioned for a quarter life crisis. Aleksandar Hemon's characters are romantics. I found this an invigorating respite from how people usually assessed women.. Naoise Dolan is a queer and autistic Irish writer born in Dublin. Are they as insensitive and indifferent as they seem to the foreign city they call home? I know its frustrating that any new young female writer must find themselves compared to Sally Rooney. ), She and Edith are a love story, but also a fear story. As for Julian, he is a closed book he wouldnt fulfil his function in the storyline otherwise and the rest of the characters, barring Avas hilariously frank Mam on the phone from Ireland, are similarly unforthcoming. Overall. Here, she grapples with her feelings towards Julian, a rich, witty but largely emotionless banker, and Edith, an ambitious and striking lawyer. Until she got pregnant at fifteen, she'd . "Gaydars . Enter Edith. Julian is a banker who likes spending time with Ava, but incapable (or simply unwilling) to express his feelings for her. Similarly to her feelings about Julian, Ava becomes obsessed with Edith, to the point where she begins wondering if Edith will be her girlfriend. Her debut novel, Exciting Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated, and optioned for television. Categories: A heartbroken scientist searching for a cure finds a second chance at fatherhood when one of his test subjectsa pigdevelops the capacity for human speech. Politics, class, and race anxiously hover over the entire novel. , Dry humor can be hard to execute on the page, but Naoise Dolan does so effortlessly and its evident from the very first pages. Eileen was six years older than me. While there, Ava meets Julian, a rich banker from London, who invites her to move into his home. This novel is a tedious account of one girls romantic flings during a year of living abroad in Hong Kong.