Its a brilliantly concise summation of her take on relationships, which she sees as a power game, an ultimately shallow emotional transaction in which the greatest potential benefit might be that you get to move into an apartment better than anything you can afford on your own. PDF Preview: PDF Title : Exciting Times : A Novel: Total Page : 200 Pages: Author: Naoise Dolan: PDF Size : 592 KB: Language : English: . "Echoes of Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends resound in this exacting debut novel about a young Irish woman living in Hong Kong who becomes embroiled in a love triangle with a wealthy man and woman." Don't the best books teach us something we don't know? It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added. Trouble signing in? So lucky us, really. Naoise Dolan: 'I'm not good at presenting myself as likable', 'The stakes were really high': the stars bringing Sally Rooney's Normal People to TV, 'My family are too frightened to read my book': meet Europe's most exciting authors, Sally Rooney: 'I want the next thing I do to be the best thing Ive ever done', Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan review a bracing, witty debut, 'All words are not equal': the debut novelist who's become a lockdown sensation, Tiger King and a bloody mary: Hilary Mantel, Simon Armitage and other writers on lockdown life, Introducing our 10 best debut novelists of 2020. Ava is positioned for a quarter life crisis. This is one of the hottest debut authors of 2020, described as the new Sally Rooney and perfect for fans ofAnimalsandTrick Mirror. Don't get me wrong, it's not the story itself, the story as a concept it totally up my alley (it has to be, because it sounds like a Sally Rooney novel): A 22 year old Irish expat living in Hong Kong who finds herself in a love triangle with a cold English banker who doesn't want to be her partner but will let her live in his expensive appartment for free, and a young woman from Hong Kong. New York, Naoise Dolan - Exciting Times: A Novel Audiobook. But Caitlin, whose own demons have been hinted at, will not be so lucky. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. Read an excerpt from the bookhere (opens in new tab). Her first novel. Search String: Summary | The novel is shot through with moments of such startling self-awareness as this. You liked the writing style ofNormal People. Your ultimate guide to the (arguably) best film genre: the romantic comedy. , RIYL: Sally Rooney. Also, his father had been ill. The young Irish writers first novel is dry and sharp in its observation of twentysomething expat lives. I liked Exciting Times a lot more than the average GR reviewer. I am a huge Sally Rooney fan, ergo, this book was such a treat for me. by Everyone should read it right now. - Kirkus Reviews Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. During an evening stroll, she thinks: I didn't need to know how other women went about being together. Ava makes it her mission to get him to admit some feelings for her, purely because it would give her the upper hand. The more I think about this novel the more it suffers in my estimations. A widowed painter and her teenaged . Exciting Timesis a smart and funny book that deals with class, money, bisexuality, and the uncertainties of modern love through the eyes of a narrator that is scared to be loved. D I S C L A I M E RThese are all just my own opinion on the book. Since the content is visually instructed, it creates excitement in learning by the users and improves the retention rate to a greater extent which . Categories: Sally Rooney-endorsed. Exciting Times PDF Details. She's a young Irish woman, after all, and she'd written a . Naoise is an author I know Ill follow throughout her writing career, and that excites me. Soon they are sleeping together, and Ava moves into Julians flat. (Ecco, 256 pp., $16.99.) As I started reading this novel, I realized I had to take my time with it. Julian, her posh banker boyfriend, has such an apartment which is just as well, since he also has an arrogance to match his salary. Founded in 2009, The Rumpus is one of the longest running independent online literary and culture magazines.Our mostly volunteer-run magazine strives to be a platform for risk-taking voices and writing that might not find a home elsewhere. My main problem was Ava. Noting that the school hires only white people, she remarks: "Like sharks' teeth, teachers dropped out and were replaced.". You have to understand that this is the kind of story I have very high standards for because the plot is an evergreen plot: young person at loose ends making her way in the world and deciding who to love. Dolan seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race, colonialism, and language, though the result does not always bring depth of flavour. Do you marvel at clever sentence structure when encountered in a book? I know its frustrating that any new young female writer must find themselves compared to Sally Rooney. NOTE: I am coming in here a little over a year after writing this because I have changed a bit as a reader and reviewer, and want this, which is still getting eyes on it pretty constantly, to reflect that. Exciting Times is a sad, yet hopeful coming of age story set in a Hong Kong immediately recognizable to the many expats like Julian, Ava and globalized locals like Edith who end up there. It also turned into a really beautiful queer love story, taking turns I hadnt anticipated at the outset of the novel. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. An intimate, bracingly intelligent debut novel about a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer. Naoise Dolan's debut novel Exciting Times is to be made into a television series in the United States by Black Bear Pictures, whose credits include the 2014 Alan Turing biopic The Imitation Game. But that's what I really enjoyed about thisthe characters felt real and the uncertainty and non-committal situations also felt very real. If you like this book that's totally up to you, I just wanted to share some of my own thoug. Current research indicates that autistic people have higher rates of LGBT identities and feelings than the general population. June 2, 2020. And then Julian writes to tell Ava he is coming back to Hong Kong Should Ava return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith? Thats good to know about me, she thinks. Julian, her posh banker boyfriend, has such an apartment which is just as well, since he also has an arrogance to match his salary. 6 min read. Regardless, I encourage you to seek outExciting Timesfor yourself because I know so many of you are hungry for reading experiences that capture the complexities of love, personal politics, and the precariousness that comes with being young and lost and in love. Dolan encapsulates this in a perfect image near the end of Exciting Times, when Ava is tensely watching the three little dots on her messaging app: Edith is typing reads her screen. Victoria, or more commonly Vix, lives in a small house; her brother has muscular dystrophy; her mother is unhappy, and money is scarce. @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. ROMANCE | "This debut novel about an Irish expat millennial teaching English and finding romance in Hong Kong is half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high livingand guaranteed to please." And others will find that not much happens and it's just meh. "Aimless Ava moves from Dublin to Hong Kong looking to find purpose for her life. Condition - Like New. It reads fairly quickly and isnt long, so would make a great summer poolside story!" The forthcoming book from 'We Are Not Like Them' authors Jo Piazza and Christine Pride asks the question: Who gets to make the choice to be a mom? 2019 Naoise Dolan (P)2019 Orion Publishing Group. I often had to re-read passages, as subtext also plays a huge part in the book. I think I may be experiencing a personal jadedness with these narratives that prevented me from fully enjoying my reading. When he leaves to go work in London again, Ava is left wondering what their exact relationship status is, caught between being a sugar baby or being Julians girlfriend. This gives the novel a strangely solipsistic feel, like a hall of mirrors, where every attempt to gaze outward is met only by your own face. Surely, Dolan has much in common with the immensely popular Rooney in terms of themes and style. In November we went for brunch on Aberdeen Street with Ralph, pronounced 'Rafe', who'd gone to Balliol with Julian, now worked at . 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. 3. Noting that the school hires only white people, she remarks: Like sharks teeth, teachers dropped out and were replaced. From the jump, Ava approaches the world with cleareyed humor. Some will find Ava absolutely intolerable and insufferable and won't be able to finish the first 25 pages. Do you re-read witty comebacks to try and bake them into your mind should you ever need them? Read an excerpt from Danielle Prescod's new memoir, here, then dive in with us throughout the month. This information about Exciting Times was first featured Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. As they fall into a quasi-relationship, Ava moves into his apartment, where Julian allows her to live rent-free. I 'm sorry. RELEASE DATE: May 8, 1998. Es un libro en el que la protagonista est tan bien retratada y es tan cruda y llena de aristas que, realmente, casi da igual lo que le pase a ella personalmente, porque lo que te interesa como lector es su voz, su forma de ver el mundo y su forma de verse a s misma. Ava is an accurately drawn emblem of the zeitgeist, but as such, she stands apart from it, isolated. Exciting Times is a fun, snappy read ordinarily, Id say its short chapters could be torn through on your commute, but itll brighten lockdown too. 1. Abbi Jacobson $28.00 in cart add to cart About Support / Help Become an Affiliate Gift Cards Careers - We're hiring! In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a life - and announces herself as a singular new voice. I really am. 1. Its good to know thats how I behave in this situation.. When Julian returns to London for six months for work, Ava meets Edith, a smart and beautiful Hong Kong lawyer. , Dry humor can be hard to execute on the page, but Naoise Dolan does so effortlessly and its evident from the very first pages. The book is perfect for those who wants to read contemporary, lgbt books. I have no love for a novel which only uses my home town as a colorful backdrop and doesn't give a shit about what is happening to the local people. 23 year old Ava moves to Hong Kong to escape Ireland. But Julians impending return means Ava must decide not so much between her lovers as between Edith and the expensive flat that she doesnt pay for. She's instructing the dispassionate topic of grammar to youngsters in Hong Kong. Exciting Timesfollows Ava, a young Irish woman living in Hong Kong and her relationship with Julian and Edith. Membership Advantages. Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend if you want to read something thats not the normal style." @kelseylovesbooks. There are intimate moments here, even if they do occur at one remove. Instead of just a romance or coming-of-age narrative, Dolan dives a bit deeper to probe what we carry into the relationships we form (like our personal politics and gendered expectations) and how those either weigh us down or perhaps end up setting us free., Exciting Timeslost me a bit in the second half with its pacing. Exciting Times is an acerbic tale of sex and love, set in the social media age.' - The Herald Scotland.