June 2, 2020. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. She studied English literature at Trinity College Dublin and Oxford University. this book is insane because not only does the protagonist have the same birthday as me but also the male love interest has the same birthday as the man i didn't shut up about all of last year. Do you marvel at clever sentence structure when encountered in a book? Now I know what the phrase razor sharp wit really means. , I think it's easy to dislike this and dismiss it; on the surface, it's a young woman who can't make up her mind while living for free in someone's flat. EXCITING TIMES. Its something I appreciate in memoirs and also in literary fiction. In this, shes reminiscent of Sally Rooneys precarious young women, whose struggle for self-affirmation is so snarled up with the power dynamics of sex. Stories so good, you won't need a bookmark. 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 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. I found this an invigorating respite from how people usually assessed women.. [3] A college debater, she co-convened the Irish Mace competition in 2015/16. Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times drew instant comparisons to Sally Rooney's Conversations with Friends (2017) and Normal People (2019)perhaps because Dolan and Rooney are both brilliant Irish . In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. 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? Only 2 left. Ava is positioned for a quarter life crisis. @what_leah_reads. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Enter Edith. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the sites day-to-day editorial operations. Its a story about intimacy, vulnerability, being alone, and being different versions of yourself with different people. 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. 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 . [4] She identifies as queer. Naoise Dolan, 2020. She's lost as well as lonely. Aleksandar Hemon's characters are romantics. . - Library Journal <style> body { -ms-overflow-style: scrollbar; overflow-y: scroll; overscroll-behavior-y: none; } .errorContainer { background-color: #FFF; color: #0F1419; max-width . Like Rooney, Dolan writes in a deadpan style. Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. They trip her up and get in the way. Naoise Dolan - Exciting Times: A Novel Audiobook. I don't do that often. 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. A young Dubliner in Hong Kong struggles to connect in this fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge. Eek! Until she got pregnant at fifteen, she'd . 5.79. In Irish author Dolan's debut novel, 22-year-old narrator Ava relocates from Dublin to Hong Kong to teach grammar at a school for English-language learners. Ava, a 22-year-old Dubliner living in Hong Kong, describes herself as good at men. @kelseylovesbooks. Rushed in some places, dragged out in others. So lucky us, really. While Julian is back in London for six months, Ava meets Mei Ling Edith Zhang, a corporate lawyer from a well-off Hong Kong family. But real life is messy and people are messy, and this book dramatizes that in a way that rings profoundly true. When Julian returns to London for six months for work, Ava meets Edith, a smart and beautiful Hong Kong lawyer. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. Categories: Search String: Summary | If youre looking for likable and well-rounded characters, a happy love story, and everything packaged up in a neat box, this isnt it. More from Star Tribune. 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. 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. Its a great pick for everyone whos sensitive and introspective, but also cynical and scared of relationships." The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. Reviews: Trustpilot. It also turned into a really beautiful queer love story, taking turns I hadnt anticipated at the outset of the novel. She dissects language and her humor is so deadpan I sometimes read sentences twice. Membership Advantages. Naoise's debut novel EXCITING TIMES was published by W&N in the UK and by Ecco in the US in 2020, and became a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated and optioned for TV. Im not sure how many of you will actually love this novel. June 2, 2020. Fiercely intelligent, brutally funny and written with such heart, Exciting Times announces an impressive new voice in literature. By Naoise Dolan. Though this model of relationship-as-power-struggle is hardly new, Dolan brings a fresh 21st-century sensibility to it. 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 . Let the BookTokking Begin, New Colleen Hoover Book Sells 800K Copies, Colleen Hoover Dominated Book Sales in 2022. Dolan seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race, colonialism, and language, though the result does not always bring depth of flavour. But Caitlin, whose own demons have been hinted at, will not be so lucky. EXCITING TIMES, by Naoise Dolan. 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. 2 junio, 2022; couples challenge tiktok; dome structure examples . . - Kirkus Reviews Naoise Dolan. Ava feels safer, more shielded from harm with Julian, but happier with Edith. Not long after her arrival, she finds herself on a lunch date with Julian, an Oxford-educated British banker in his late 20s. Her sentences are sharp and confident, especially for a debut. Everyone should read it right now. She said "completely" a lot and usually dropped the "t" in the middle. Her debut novel, Exciting Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated, and optioned for television. GENERAL FICTION, by 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. Just $45 for 12 months or Ava makes it her mission to get him to admit some feelings for her, purely because it would give her the upper hand. Its not plot-driven and Ava as a character distances herself from people in the book, so shes not intrinsically likeable. I am a huge Sally Rooney fan, ergo, this book was such a treat for me. None of them will be wrong, really, it's just one of those books. Available in used condition with free delivery in the UK. The literary rumor mill portrays Naoise Dolan as the new Sally Rooney, and that suggestion alone might push a writer onto the bestseller list these days. The protagonist, Ava, is an intelligent, 22-year-old loner who moves from her native Dublin to Hong Kong to teach English, with no discernible qualifications other than being white. Search: This book may be short, but it packs a huge punch. - Book Riot She hopes hell be as impressed by her youth and attractiveness as she is by his salary, which she has Googled, thoroughly. "Overall, this surprising novel is believable and piercingly written, with many hilarious linesFor fans of Rachel Khong's Goodbye, Vitamin." I wasnt good at most things but I was good at men, Ava confides in the reader, and Julian was the richest man Id ever been good at.. Ava is 22 years old and teaches English to rich kids in Hong Kong. Youre not a fan of unreliable narrators (hiit me), 3. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022. Sentences are short. I really am. With a similar rhythm of detachment and sparsity found in Rooney and Ottessas writing, I can see why comparisons are being drawn, and I dont think this comparison does Dolan any disservice. She writes fiction, essays, criticism and features for publications including The London Review of Books, The Guardian and Vogue.Her debut novel Exciting Times was published by W&N in the UK and by Ecco in the US in 2020, and became a Sunday Times . 2. Article I loved the IG stalking references, so current and fun to read. Eileen was six years older than me. Buy Exciting Times: THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER and shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards 2020 By Naoise Dolan. Were glad you found a book that interests you! In June, we're reading author Naoise Dolan's debut book, Exciting Times a novel about an Irish millennial expat in Hong Kong who finds herself in a love triangle with a male banker and a female . However, they did enjoy the political and historical references throughout the novel, albeit having to do a bit of research on the topics themselves. - Exciting Times [ Book Description ] When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents' money, it's called a gap year. 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. His privilege is the invisible third party in the relationship. Like New Very Good Good. I really enjoyed this novel and would recommend if you want to read something thats not the normal style." ), On a personal level, I found Avas character very insular and detached, but the moments that worked their way under my skin were those where she drafted text messages which she didnt send. GENERAL ROMANCE | Surely, Dolan has much in common with the immensely popular Rooney in terms of themes and style. Edith is a local, sophisticated, and enthusiastic lawyer who falls in love with Ava and isnt afraid to say so. Do you take delight in words like "gormless"? When Naoise Dolan 's debut novel Exciting Times was released last year, she was swiftly earmarked as the " next Sally Rooney ". Exciting Times Naoise Dolan. I know everyone says this, but there are so many similarities I saw between this andNormal People. "Droll, shrewd and unafraida winning debut." Find out exactly what #ReadWithMC loved and didn't love aboutExciting Times, below. A widowed painter and her teenaged . The novel goes on to discuss the history of colonialism by the British of the Irish and Hong Kong. (Image credit: Design By Morgan McMullen), (Image credit: Design by Morgan McMullen), We're InspiredCrisp Suiting and Bold Beauty is All We Can Currently Think About, Revolve Is Having a Huge One-Day-Only Saleand You Can Get $100 Off These Legendary Gucci Sunglasses, Jo Piazza and Christine Pride Tackle the Complicated Topic of Motherhood in 'You Were Always Mine', 'Token Black Girl' Is Our October Book Club Pick, 25 Books by Latinx Authors You Should Read Immediately, Join #ReadWithMC: Marie Claire's Virtual Monthly Book Club, 'Mika In Real Life' Is Our September Book Club Pick. 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. The novel takes place a few years after the 2014 Umbrella Movement, peaceful demonstrations that galvanized Hong Kongs youth, who were demanding open elections, in a renewed spirit of protest. I laughed out loud at so many parts, especially in conversations with her parents! @thereaderignites. Nenia I yeet my books back and forth Campbell, review of Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan on LonesomeReader. Omnipresent yet subtle, Hong Kong doesn't overshadow the characters and their struggles in trying to figure out life. 1. I know its frustrating that any new young female writer must find themselves compared to Sally Rooney. I could see it forever, for us: walking through cities, laughing at things that werent that funny. When Julian tells her hes returning to Hong Kong, she must navigate the precarious situation shes inadvertently created. Naoise Dolan is in her late 20s and has often been compared to Sally Rooney. About the author (2020) Naoise Dolan is an Irish writer born in Dublin. Get help and learn more about the design. , Something small I enjoyed was the depiction of Ava's queerness. I wanted her life, Ava thinks. The comparison was mentioned repeatedly in the book's marketing materials, in reviews, in interviews, and in the 28-year-old's author biographies. On a sentence level the novel delivers one perfect zinger after another. Naoise Dolan: seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race and language. 1. In Irish author Dolan's debut novel, 22-year-old narrator Ava relocates from Dublin to Hong Kong to teach grammar at a school for English-language learners. New RRP 8.99. Julian is a banker who likes spending time with Ava, but incapable (or simply unwilling) to express his feelings for her. Edith has much in common with Julian: an Oxbridge pedigree and a high-powered, high-paying job. Her debut novel, Exciting Times, was a Sunday Times bestseller, widely translated, and optioned for television.