Five out of Five Stars:
Couldn't put this book down once I got started. Loved the style of writing and this gave the story a real life feel. Strongly recommended!
by Skye Mob - On iTunes
Four out of five stars!
by Annie Fann via NetGalley
Five out of Five stars:
In this, his debut novel, Taylor shows all the hallmarks (or should I say finger prints?) of his former career as a criminal barrister. This, however, is no Dickens, nor Rumpole, still less The Firm. The story is pieced together with a forensic attention to detail but never gets bogged down by this. Instead, the reader is served up various bite sized slices of the characters' lives from cradle to grave. The seriousness of the the themes (relationships, religion, sexuality, careers - in fact life in general) is counter balanced by the deft injections of humour blended with elements of nostalgia. All of which left me wondering "What is life all about?" and were the good old days really that bad?
by Amazon Customer
Five star!
A story you have to finish when you have started.
This story of the two brothers pulls you into their lives growing up with a catholic faith. It felt like a unique window into their lives where all the deep, unspoken feelings suddenly eat into your own soul. I simply could not put it down until I had finished it.
by Amazon customer
Five Star!
The tension builds from a vague, diffuse unease to a harrowing, eminently believable finale. For those brought up in the immediate post Vatican II world (when its changes hadn't percolated through to the nuns and priests on the ground) a spine-shivering reminder of how that absolutist world felt when you were on the receiving end as a small, impressionable child.
by Amazon Customer
Five star!
This is a powerful book that weaves together a number of challenging themes around religion, suicide, loss, belief, and child abuse. If that sounds like an overly dark read, then be assured it’s not. The story centres around two brothers Tom and Paul growing up in 70s and 80s Britain,and the life changing events that befall them in their family and school lives. Subsequently, in adulthood Tom tries to make sense of it all and sets out to discover the truth of past events. This journey takes him back to old school friends, and teachers and an underlying web of betrayal and deceit. It is the second half of the book, where those in their later years are confronted with their long covered-up actions, that draws an uncannny parallel to some of the events that have come out in the courts and the press in recent years. This may be the author’s first novel but the story is told with an excellent precision of plot and language. A compelling read.
by Amazon customer
Four out of five stars!
Harrowing and topical. Great evocation of life in a sixties / seventies oppressive school and of growing up at that time with interesting plot twists. A promising debut.
by Andrew P via Goodreads
Four out of five stars!
A gripping novel.
When we know a little about the content, we start reading about 70s schoolboys at a Catholic school, and wonder how bad things will get. Taylor plays this subtly: through the narrator looking back to his childhood, he lets us know some of what happens and simply guess the implications and meanings. The tension builds and we have to continue reading. I wondered about the ending, and am still wondering a few days later...
Thanks, James - here's to more of your novels!
by Amazon Customer
Five out of Five Stars!
An intelligent examination of hugely important and personal issues.
Thought provoking and intelligent.
Filled with real life reactions and restraint.
A really interesting examination of human reaction to personal tragedy and embedded ideology.
by Amazon Customer
Five Stars:
I found this story so engaging and realistic. I felt as if I really knew the characters - they came so alive on the pages. Very thought provoking and poignant.
by Rachelle S. NetGalley reviewer
A simple, useful guide. J an a writer and have more than the basic level of understanding but this book still had helpful and insightful tips that I have picked up and used. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for an entry level text on the subject.
by NetGalley review
I am a former criminal barrister and commercial lawyer, who has practised both in the UK and Australia. I greatly admire - and am inspired by - a range of authors from Anne Enright to Cormac McCarthy.
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