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Frances Kay

Författare till Micka

23+ verk 91 medlemmar 5 recensioner

Om författaren

Frances Kay consults and advises on all aspects of business, career and personal development with particular emphasis on corporate relationship building. An experienced author, she has written a number of successful business books and is editor of The Good Non Retirement Guide (also published by visa mer Kogan Page). visa färre

Verk av Frances Kay

Micka (2010) 14 exemplar
Starting Fabric Collage (1969) 11 exemplar
Understanding NLP (2011) 6 exemplar
Making Management Simple (2003) 4 exemplar
Presentations (2011) 3 exemplar
This--is Grenada 2 exemplar

Associerade verk

Infinite Dysmorphia (2018) — Bidragsgivare — 2 exemplar

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female

Medlemmar

Recensioner

It starts as a good book, but as it drags it along just gets boring. I would say they should have kept the first 5 chapters... I mean the new kid will be senior before he is done with all the steps.
 
Flaggad
soontobefree | May 1, 2017 |
Micka is a 10 year old boy, who has a hard life to say the least. His mother can’t be bothered with looking after him, and takes no interest in his education, his father is nowhere to be seen, and at least one of his two older brothers is frequently in prison and physically abuses Micka when he’s at home.

He soon becomes friends with Laurie, a new boy at his school. Laurie may come from a better background, but his parents are splitting up, and while his mother behaves irrationally, his father is emotionally distant.

Laurie has a vivid imagination, and dreams of cruelty and magic, and as Micka is pulled into his world, the lines between fact and fiction become blurred until both boys find themselves on a seemingly inevitable course towards a horrifying conclusion…

This book was amazingly well written. It is narrated by Micka and Laurie in turn; in the proof copy I read, each narrator is distinguished by a different font. However, the difference between the language which the two boys used also distinguished them from each other.

It is certainly a disturbing book to read, which was expected as the book was apparently informed by the Mary Bell and Jamie Bulger cases. Before we even get to the troubling ending of the story, there are descriptions of physical abuse in the home and cruelty to animals. However, one of the hardest parts to stomach was the reasoning behind the boys’ actions.

I thought the characterisation of the two boys was excellent. Micka seemed like an innocent child stranded in a violent world, whereas Laurie was by far the colder and more calculating of the two.

Overall, this is a quick read, but certainly one that will linger in the memory. Highly recommended – but perhaps not for readers of a nervous disposition.
… (mer)
½
 
Flaggad
Ruth72 | 3 andra recensioner | Oct 31, 2010 |
Micka is a ten year old boy, living in squalor with his mother and two older brothers, one of whom is a nasty thug who beats Micka. Micka meets Laurie at school, an emotionally damaged boy who has a strong imagination and a broken home. They lead each other on and get involved in a dangerous game which descends into death.

I found this to be a very disturbing book to read. Micka's life is so unpleasant, and Laurie is so messed up, that I knew it wasn't going to be an easy read. It certainly brings to mind the question of whether we are a product of our upbringing or is evil genetic, or maybe both combine to lead to horrific events.

Despite its nature, this book is a really excellent read. It flows very well, and doesn't take long to get through. Micka and Laurie narrate the book, and their sections are differentiated by the use of different fonts, a device that works very well. Frances Kay has really captured the thoughts and dialogue of the two boys and has also managed to get inside their heads to bring the story to life for the reader.

Highly recommended, but bear in mind that it won't be an easy read.
… (mer)
½
 
Flaggad
nicx27 | 3 andra recensioner | Sep 4, 2010 |
It is a long time since a book touched me so much. I genuinely do not know how to put into words the impact this book has had on me. From the blurb you know you aren’t going to get an easy ride when it tells you that it is informed by real-life crimes such as the Mary Bell and the Bulger cases but it is such compelling reading that I can’t recommend it highly enough.

There are two narrators in the story – Micka (10) and Laurie (11). They have both become friends but their friendship is based at times on control and power, they seem to have drifted towards each other. Neither of their lives is easy, for many different reasons and well done to Frances Kay for portraying their lives so realistically. By no means are their lives an excuse but it does make it even more understandable why Micka and Laurie function in the way they do.
I read an advance reading copy of the novel so I can’t comment on the structure of the final copy. However, in my copy, the two narrators are distinguishable by a change in font, which is good. There were still occasions where I had to remind myself who was “talking” but that was fine. The length of the novel is just right; I’m pleased there wasn’t too much detail beyond what there was, as I prefer to be left with lots to play out in my head in this case.

It felt knowledgeable, well researched and informative yet at the same time I felt repulsed and disturbed by the “fiction” I was reading. I couldn’t put the book down. I read it in one sitting and could easily have started reading it again almost immediately. Driven by characters and plot this book is definitely the unforgettable story it promises.
… (mer)
 
Flaggad
SmithSJ01 | 3 andra recensioner | Aug 5, 2010 |

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Statistik

Verk
23
Även av
1
Medlemmar
91
Popularitet
#204,136
Betyg
4.1
Recensioner
5
ISBN
72
Språk
1

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