A Hong Kongborn lawyer, striking and ambitious, Edith takes Ava to the theater and leaves her tulips in the hallway. EXCITING TIMES. Naoise Dolan captures perfectly the nauseating insecurity of growing up today. Related Post: Why You Should Buy a Kindle It reads fairly quickly and isnt long, so would make a great summer poolside story!" Dolan has a great eye and I was poised over my Kindle highlighting witty dialogue and observations more than a few times. Some will declare Ava sharp and wise and funny, a hyper-relatable protagonist. Like New Very Good Good. RELEASE DATE: May 8, 1998. Edith Zhang Mei LingEnglish name Edith, Chinese name Mei Ling . Sentences are short. Judy Blume, edited by The story follows Ava, a quick witted, self-loathing Irish 22-year-old teacher and Julian, an almost-30-year-old British banker, both living as expats in Hong Kong. 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. Because truly, if you love her books, dont sleep on this one. Exciting Timesfollows Ava, a young Irish woman living in Hong Kong and her relationship with Julian and Edith. Reviews: Trustpilot. GENERAL FICTION, by Exciting Times Naoise Dolan. 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. She studied at Trinity College, followed by a master's in Victorian literature at Oxford. LITERARY FICTION | That said, I did not always love this book. Julian is a banker. She's sharing an Airbnb with roomies that don't like her. Judy Blume. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for theMarie Clairenewsletter. Its not easy to sustain interest in someone so relentlessly floundering for self-knowledge, and the book flags once Ava and Edith are together. "If I had to describe this book to someone in two sentences it would be like this:Eleanor OliphantandNormal Peoplegot together and had a baby. This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers. - Book Riot Read more. Theres a certain dry, almost deadpan quality in her observation of the lives of her twentysomething characters the complications of attraction, and the gap between whats felt and whats spoken; calmly articulated self-loathing, and precise capturing of class differences that both authors nail down dead. Her debut novel, Exciting Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated, and optioned for television. In Naoise Dolan's 'Exciting Times,' an Irish ex-pat in Hong Kong lands in a love triangle. Which path does Ava end up taking? 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. The more I think about this novel the more it suffers in my estimations. 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. New RRP 14.99. I need to have a protagonist I can rally behindand Avas self-pitying rants just made me irritated and wanting her to find a good therapist. Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. The years pass by at a fast and steamy clip in Blumes latest adult novel (Wifey, not reviewed; Smart Women, 1984) as two friends find loyalties and affections tested as they grow into young women. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. m sorry. This is it. Get help and learn more about the design. ROMANCE | Exciting Times is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 3.5 out of 5 stars 3.7 out of 5.0 5 Stars . , 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 characters are refreshing, I think particularly for me because they are not American, thus allowing for some exploration of how differing cultures analyze and observe class, race, and politics. Both are well-educated and earning a good living. Button, water, Tuesdayanything with two syllables zipped up then down like a Gothic steeple. Julian, her posh banker boyfriend, has such an apartment which is just as well, since he also has an arrogance to match his salary. But on this occasion, its more than just a question of biography: Dolans writing does genuinely occupy similar territory. More Information | $15 at Amazon. Read an excerpt from the bookhere (opens in new tab). She has been short-listed and long-listed for several prizes, including the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize, and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award.She lives in Berlin. Im not sure how many of you will actually love this novel. Exciting Times By: Naoise Dolan. Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over. Every complaint you've ever read about "millenial fiction"? In my opinion,Exciting Timesreads very similar. Naoise Dolan is an Irish novelist. I really am. 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. exciting times naoise dolan ending explainedlivrer de la nourriture non halal. Exciting Times is the debut novel from Irish writer Naoise Dolan (and one of the Headstuff Picks of 2020 ). Retrieve credentials. @what_leah_reads. Buy Exciting Times: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2020 By Naoise Dolan. "Okay wow, what a great book! It seemed farcical that I even needed to explain to Edith . I would have liked for Dolan to explore the experiences of native Hong Kong residentsfor instance, she allude to coffin homes and student protests without going into detail. (How can you tell whether you like someone? "Exciting Timesfollows 22-year-old Ava as she leaves Ireland to teach in Hong Kong. Some will find Ava absolutely intolerable and insufferable and won't be able to finish the first 25 pages. Exciting Times. Now I know what the phrase razor sharp wit really means. Ahead, we're showcasing the best fashion and beauty looks you can recreate now. EXCITING TIMES is an acerbic tale of sex and love, set in the social media age * The Herald Scotland * Incredibly readable * Belfast Telegraph * With Naoise Dolan on the literary scene, there are EXCITING TIMES ahead * i-D * The Irish debut novel everyone is talking about * The Gloss * I savoured every shrewd line * Dazed * A sharp, witty and . Edith has much in common with Julian: an Oxbridge pedigree and a high-powered, high-paying job. The book is fast-paced, but with finely-wrought moments of stillness. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. In her first months as an expat, she meets Juliana 28-year-old English bankerwho seems aloof about everything except his job. Exciting Times is a wily, caustic story about young love.It is set in Hong Kong in 2016, where Ava, a recent graduate from Dublin, has moved to teach English, ostensibly until she works out what . Read an excerpt from Danielle Prescod's new memoir, here, then dive in with us throughout the month. A widowed painter and her teenaged . RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020. A literary and hilarious tour de force. in part two, we watch her coming into the light. Soon they are sleeping together, and Ava moves into Julians flat. $15 for 3 months. I cant believe it was written so geniously by someone so young. I also think the teaching English abroad aspect was well-researched and spot on. I know its frustrating that any new young female writer must find themselves compared to Sally Rooney. "The angst of your twentiestrying to figure out who you are can be exhaustingyoure trying on identities like outfits. Sally Rooney-endorsed. Dolan was born in Dublin, Ireland. Ava feels safer, more shielded from harm with Julian, but happier with Edith. Now 45% Off. 'There was something Shakespearean about imperious men going down on you: the mighty have fallen.'. That, or I wanted to be him., Ava is hyper-verbal and exacting, and Dolans writing excels when Ava turns her analytical eye on the intersections between English syntax, zeitgeist technology and interpersonal relationships: Because I lacked warmth, I was mainly assigned grammar classes, where children not liking you was a positive performance indicator. A banker who likes to spend money on Ava, to have sex and discuss fluctuating currencies with her. You liked the writing style ofNormal People. Ava makes it her mission to get him to admit some feelings for her, purely because it would give her the upper hand. I think I may be experiencing a personal jadedness with these narratives that prevented me from fully enjoying my reading. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. . Exciting Times was also nominated in the Best Newcomer Category at the An Post Irish Book Awards. Stories so good, you won't need a bookmark. @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. Naoise Dolan - Exciting Times: A Novel Audiobook. @suzylew_bookreview, "Love triangle. I wanted her life, Ava thinks. anyway i picked this novel up solely because of the sally rooney comparisons and in the second chapter itself a sentence begins like because i lacked warmth [] which reminded me of the quote in rooney's second novel that goes [..] marianne lacks warmth, by which she means the ability to beg for love from people who hate her. what i will say in my measured judgement is that rooney's writing, especially considering. Article Who said I liked you? he counters. by A sharp, witty and ultimately moving debut . 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: Ava eventually comes to recognise that her cynicism is the protective garb of youth, but it is something the book also struggles to shrug off. Unfortunately, I cant give this book the raving review I want to because not only is Ava aimless, but shes SO passive-aggressive within her relationships." 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 When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money . <style> body { -ms-overflow-style: scrollbar; overflow-y: scroll; overscroll-behavior-y: none; } .errorContainer { background-color: #FFF; color: #0F1419; max-width . Already drawing comparisons to Sally Rooney's work, "Exciting Times," by Naoise Dolan, has many of the familiar tropes of the "millennial . 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. Ava, a 22-year-old Dubliner living in Hong Kong, describes herself as good at men. Intermixed with some "politics" about late stage capitalism, marxism and the class systems. When Naoise Dolan 's debut novel Exciting Times was released last year, she was swiftly earmarked as the " next Sally Rooney ". So lucky us, really. The Irish debut novel everyone is talking about.' - The Gloss. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Available in used condition with free delivery in the UK. Dolan writes about some of the social and political changes happening on the island, and its really interesting to consider this novel a time capsule for some of the last, perhaps, 'golden years' of the Anglo-European expat life in Hong Kong. Multiple friends of mine whove read Sally Rooneys phenomenally popular novel. Her debut novel, Exciting Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated, and optioned for television. Dolan's debut novel, Exciting Times, is a smart, funny, . Naoise Dolan will be an auto-buy for me in the future." Noting that the school hires only white people, she remarks: "Like sharks' teeth, teachers dropped out and were replaced.". I found her style of writing very unusual and can see why people would compare her to Sally Rooney based on that. So while the storyline and characters didn't do it for me, I'm interested to see what Dolan puts out next. It read as slow-paced indecisiveness. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. It also turned into a really beautiful queer love story, taking turns I hadnt anticipated at the outset of the novel. Though this model of relationship-as-power-struggle is hardly new, Dolan brings a fresh 21st-century sensibility to it. Given my absolute adoration of Rooney, its no surprise I loved this debut by a writer who counts Rooney as an inspiration and mentor. Perhaps because Ava's first love interest, Julian, uncomfortably reminded me of someone from my past! - Booklist (starred review) I cant wait to read what Dolan writes next. East and West collide in a timely and bittersweet novel of loyalty, love, and the siren call of freedom. "Aimless Ava moves from Dublin to Hong Kong looking to find purpose for her life. June 3, 2020 7 AM PT. The novel is shot through with moments of such startling self-awareness as this. @kelseylovesbooks. They were playful, charged, strained. I know everyone says this, but there are so many similarities I saw between this andNormal People. Behind Ryles veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. "Hands down one of the most anticipated debuts of the yearA piercingly provocative look at modern love and power games." In November we went for brunch on Aberdeen Street with Ralph, pronounced 'Rafe', who'd gone to Balliol with Julian, now worked at . Naoise Dolan has been compared to Sally Rooney, and I definitely think fans ofConversations With Friendsmay like this one more than I did!" @bookish_molly. But boy, this novel feels so liveless and fake. Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books! 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. This book is very clever and very busy being very clever making it tiring to read but being a millennial seems pretty exhausting so perhaps its captured a lived experience. She has been shortlisted and longlisted for several prizes, including The Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize and The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year . Ill update in the comments if I ever figure it out. The dialog is brilliant throughout. BookBrowse LLC 1997-2023. Three-syllable words spread out like the spokes on an umbrella: "attaches" became "a-tach-iss.". On a sentence level the novel delivers one perfect zinger after another. Everyone should read it right now. influencers in the know since 1933. by Exciting Times is a beautiful novel written by the famous author Naoise Dolan. This book also brought back so many memories from my trip to Hong Kong with my friends after college graduation (swipe!). "Exciting Timesby Naoise Dolan follows a young 20-something as she flees Dublin for Hong Kong in search of a life that matches her desires. Naoise Dolan and her debut novel, "Exciting Times." (Maria Bianchi / Ecco) The title of Naoise Dolan's debut novel, "Exciting Times," is a clever trick an ambivalent phrase that reads one way in millennial deadpan, an additional way as an earnest expression. DAS APASIONANTES es una novela social (casi generacional) disfrazada de historia de amor. 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. Its a story about intimacy, vulnerability, being alone, and being different versions of yourself with different people. This month we are discussing. 4. If you love prose sprinkled with sarcasm, characters who could use some serious self-improvement, and complicated love stories, thenExciting Timeswill likely appeal to you. Exciting Times Naoise Dolan $27.99 $26.03 in cart add to cart I Might Regret This: Essays, Drawings, Vulnerabilities, and. - Vogue Search: 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. I am a huge Sally Rooney fan, ergo, this book was such a treat for me. Julian, her posh banker boyfriend, has such an apartment which is just as well, since he also has an arrogance to match his salary. Aperus are withering. Deadline reports that the actress will star in and produce Exciting Times, a "contemporary romance with a twist" adapted from Irish author Naoise Dolan's novel of the same name. A young Dubliner in Hong Kong struggles to connect in this fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge. None of them will be wrong, really, it's just one of those books. Her relationships are dysfunctional and we see her repeatedly make choices that we know (or think we know) are wrong for her. 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 There is just something I really appreciate about women writing about women making terrible choices and being honest about that while they are doing it. Categories: Its a great pick for everyone whos sensitive and introspective, but also cynical and scared of relationships." (Ecco, 256 pp., $16.99.) After high school, Caitlin travels the world and cant understand why Vix, by now at Harvard on a scholarship and determined to have a better life than her mother has had, wont drop out and join her. "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." CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | D I S C L A I M E RThese are all just my own opinion on the book. Don't the best books teach us something we don't know? Julian is a banker who likes spending time with Ava, but incapable (or simply unwilling) to express his feelings for her. HarperCollins. She is in a constant battle of inner conflicttotal social apathy, whilst silently scathing of her prejudiced workplace. 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. Dolan explores the uncertainty that can come with queer dating in Exciting Times, Ava spending hours analysing Edith's Instagram for clues about her sexuality when they first meet. You like an unreliable narrator (thinkEleanor Oliphant) as you read. Telling neither the full truth about the other, Ava finds herself falling in love with Edith. 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? I wasn't immediately sucked inI think when Edith entered the picture, I became a lot more engaged. 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. I don't do that often. I have a feeling this one is going to be popping up on lots of summer 2020 must read lists! All Rights Reserved. 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. Ava is an accurately drawn emblem of the zeitgeist, but as such, she stands apart from it, isolated. While there, Ava meets Julian, a rich banker from London, who invites her to move into his home. Thats good to know about me, she thinks. Find books by time period, setting & theme, Read-alike suggestions by book and author. But Im going to just get it out of the way, for Naoise Dolan is Irish, in her mid-20s, and her debut was previewed in literary magazine, Naoise Dolan: 'I'm not good at presenting myself as likable', Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan review a witty, deadpan debut, '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', '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. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. If you like this book that's totally up to you, I just wanted to share some of my own thoug. Just $45 for 12 months or Find out exactly what #ReadWithMC loved and didn't love aboutExciting Times, below. I also really loved how the author addresses the Irish English references in the novel and wondered if non-Irish readers understand them. Dolan seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race, colonialism, and language, though the result does not always bring depth of flavour. GENERAL FICTION, by However, as a TEFL teacher, Ava struggles with a myriad of contemplative problems and inner issues as she comes to terms with her feelings for both Julian and Edith. But that's what I really enjoyed about thisthe characters felt real and the uncertainty and non-committal situations also felt very real. "[A] wry, tender debutDolan's smart, brisk debut works as charming comedy of manners, though it packs less of a punch when it comes to class consciousness." Are they as insensitive and indifferent as they seem to the foreign city they call home? Blume knows the way kids and teens speak, but her two female leads are less credible as they reach adulthood. But real life is messy and people are messy, and this book dramatizes that in a way that rings profoundly true. Naoise Dolan: seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race and language. 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. June 2, 2020. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. That doesnt make for a worthy heroineor it might make me 'too old' to empathize. The story follows Ava through two loosely defined relationshipswith Julian, a wealthy British banker, and with Edith, a Hong Kong born, Cambridge-educated lawyer. Books that read fast, cut fluff, and get to the point are your jam. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. But Im going to just get it out of the way, for Naoise Dolan is Irish, in her mid-20s, and her debut was previewed in literary magazine The Stinging Fly while Rooney edited it. This book really does navigate the muddle of thought and inaction cleverly. Nolan does a brilliant job of harnessing technology to her story, specifically the phone. The fact that Naoise Dolan is being touted as "the new Sally Rooney" is nothing short of an insult to Rooney's work. By this I mean that Naise Dolan also focuses on love from a millennial point of view. [2] She experienced homophobic bullying in school. It all adds up to a bracing, refreshing first novel, with hints of greater things to come. Do put it on your TBR and let me know what you think." Genre: Literary Fiction I related to it immensely. But I didnt trust anyone.The richer I got, the harder it would be for anyone to force me to do anything. Dolans preoccupation with power is often couched in humor but always expertly observed. Similarly to her feelings about Julian, Ava becomes obsessed with Edith, to the point where she begins wondering if Edith will be her girlfriend. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022. They form a digital counterbalance to Avas aloof and guarded in-person presence, and through this duality Dolan captures perfectly the nauseating insecurity of growing up today. The book is perfect for those who wants to read contemporary, lgbt books. She said "completely" a lot and usually dropped the "t" in the middle. The young Irish writers first novel is dry and sharp in its observation of twentysomething expat lives. Rooney writes more stream of consciousness and this is more tightly bound, but the emotions and ways of being felt so similar." 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. She talks to Ava about Ava, and delivers the odd riff on her mother or Judy Garland, but we never delve deep into her own feelings or get to see her vulnerabilities exposed.
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