Black Swan Green by David Mitchell. Who was it that had read it and wanted to speak about it....

[foxinsocks]

have no memory left at all...

I enjoyed it - a brilliant commuting book (and I've discovered it has to be a certain sort of book for commuting - one that you can dip in and out of quite easily).

I thought large bits of it were far too insightful. I think the joy of teenagedom is that you, for the most part, don't have that level of insight about your own behaviour and certainly not about anyone else's.

But enjoyable over all I thought.

Oooh it might have been me!

I really enjoyed it, it was very insightful, it reminded me so much of being at secondary school, very nostalgic. Certainly too insightful for a 13 year old, but felt just like being 13.

Some bits were so vividly 13, even tiny insignificant details of the square of colourless sky through the school gym window, and the smell of wet kids on the school bus. I liked it very much and it reminded me what a relief it is to grow up!

I loved his description of his first kiss.

hello

I liked the adult eye almost looking on and describing it all back as a 13 year old. I wondered if it was meant to be autobiographical to some extent as the boy was so good at writing and Mitchell's descriptions were so very simple but very beautiful at times. Gave it a more nostalgic feel, the adult/child eye

yes, all that running through the woods (and the description of the woods).

There were bits of it where I felt he was trying just a little too hard iykwim but his portrait of family life felt so accurate it was almost painful.

Loved every minute of it. Couldn't put it down.

He totally recaptures what it was like to be 13, and makes me very glad my teenage years are behind me.

I thought he got the tone spot-on for the period - and the teenage-boy obsession with trivia and minor details (makes of car, labels of clothes, bands etc. etc. etc.)

Lovely book, though agree about the "too insightful".

I'm sure that someone (probably the Grauniad, it seems to be all I ever read in terms of non-books nowadays) interviewed David Mitchell and he talked about the autobiographical origins of Hangman. Will see if I can find the link...

It was the Grauniad indeed.

I enjoyed it, though not as much as I enjoyed his other books.
Seemed a little too straight-forward, or dare I say it, pedestrian? I love the twists of ghostwritten for example

I adored this book. I was bought up in Worcester (about 10 miles away from Hanley Swan) at the same time this book was set. It bought back tonnes of memories for me as the locations are spot on. Oh to be 13 again!
Agree that it is straight forward which surprised me. I read Cloud Atlas and whilst I enjoyed it, I did lose the plot a couple of times and I thought I had it sussed until it was referred to in Black Swan Green. Now I am baffled!