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Title: Watermelon
Author: Kate Hanney
Narrator: Alistair Hoyle
Format: Unabridged
Length: 4 hrs and 53 mins
Language: English
Release date: 03-24-16
Publisher: Kate Hanney
Genres: Teens, Fiction & Literature
Publisher's Summary:
How far would you go to belong? Alone, rejected, and living in a kids' home, 15-year-old Mikey will do whatever it takes - even if it means running for a local drug-dealer. But as violent clashes with a rival gang escalate, loyalties get torn apart, and the cost of belonging spirals, what risks will Mikey be prepared to take? How will he live with the desperate and dangerous decisions he is forced into? And ultimately, can he survive the brutality and betrayal that surround him? A hard-hitting account of the alienation, conflict and power that rule the streets, Watermelon will drag its listeners along at a breakneck pace. Follow Mikey's authentic voice and compelling narrative as he leads you through his story, and right into its fatal, nail-biting conclusion.
Members Reviews:
Clear your schedule for this one
I started this book the night before Thanksgiving as a means to relax, as we were away visiting family. I ended up not sleeping all night because I couldn't put it down. There's not a single "slow" part. It grips you from the first sentence and takes you on a roller coaster ride through the life of a juvenile delinquent in foster care. It gives you a glimpse into the raw and overwhelming emotions of a kid who's just trying to find where he fits in the puzzle.
It's just the right amount of unpredictable and I found myself literally holding my breath several times.
I immediately purchased the sequel, Hearts and Arrows, which takes the intensity to a whole new level. I highly recommended this series!
Enjoyed the Honest Voice
Really enjoyed the honest voice of this narrator ~ a teenager let down by his mother and the foster care system, and almost-picked up through his involvement with a gang.
A Right Sound Novel
A modern-day "Outsiders" set in Britain with a touch of "Romeo and Juliet" thrown into the mix. That's my take on this dark yet riveting story.
Set in modern day Sheffield, England, author Kate Hanney brings vividly to life an underworld that mainstream society tries hard to ignore. Mikey - the narrator - tells his story in a vernacular with which I'm unfamiliar, but the slang only added to the story's setting and ambiance, making it all the more real. Hanney's characters are masterful creations.
The story doesn't slouch either. It ducks and dives and twists, and when the reader thinks he's got it figured out, the narrative takes another turn.
I would have given this four and a half stars, mainly because I wanted just a little bit more, but it definitely deserves closer to five than four. There were a couple missing words and a misspelling or two in the later stages of the book - but no more than I've seen in non-indie print books.
A truly amazing read and as I think Mikey would put it, "A right sound novel."
Real life. Great book. Thoroughly recommended.
I was absolutely gripped by this book from the word go.
It opens with a graphic description of what happens when you fire a bullet into a watermelon, and how the watermelon reacts to gun shot similar to the way human flesh reacts... So you know it's going to be gritty, hard hitting and about real life. But after that it's all about Mikey, a boy who's sent to a care home because there are no faster families left who will have him.
I'm not going to spoil it for you. Yes, there are gangs, drugs, gun crime and violence in this book, but it's Mikey who is important.
