Joan Taylor (1)Recensioni

3.5 stars

The premise of Conversations with Mr. Prain is very intriguing, and Taylor's verbal wordplay is wonderfully executed here—one would hardly think that this was her first novel as one begins reading. However, this soon devolves and the very witty verbal banter between Stella, a bookseller and writer, and Mr. Prain, a publisher, becomes laden with ejaculatory statements that are somewhat juvenile, especially when considered amid the very fascinating debates about aesthetics, the artist as prophet, the culture of commodity, etc.

About three-quarters of the way through, I felt that Conversations was taking a dangerous route; I even thought I would be reviewing this briefly and calling it some Fifty Shades of Grey for bibliophiles (not that I've read that, but just going on what I've heard). With that said, and without giving anything away, I think that Taylor was wise to end the novel in the way that she did: although I can see how some people might feel differently, I think this was a wise choice on her part. The only thing I wish she had done was to tighten the middle of the novel slightly and make its pace less brooding and more in tune with the very quick and alluringly seductive beginning, complete with its ars poetica. It is when Taylor turns to actual seduction that the seduced reader—at least this one—felt an original work become contrived and fall back into the constraints and perils of genre conventions.

I wanted to really like this book. I was a teenager in the 80s, and with its 1980s setting, I expected this to be a book I could really relate too. Sadly, I was disappointed.

Kissing Bowie opens with Melbourne-based, New Zealand-born photographer Sam attending the opening of a retrospective of her work at a London art gallery, where she meets a young fan, who reminds Sam of her own younger self, taking her back to her first, and only previous, stay in London.

And so we are taken back to 1980, as modern-day Sam writes down, with the help of her old diary, the story of that previous trip to London, where Sam is torn between her growing feelings for student Stuart, and her loyalty to her Bowie-obsessed best friend Laura, who is showing worrying signs of possible mental health issues.

The underlying story is a good one, and in the right hands could be a good, taut, tense exploration of friendships, love and consequences in the face of coping with one's own history. In Joan Taylor's hand, though, it's a good 300-page novel hidden within a 480-page book. I felt that the book was trying to be too many things. As well as mystery/thriller of Laura's story, and the chick-lit story of Sam's first love, there is commentary on press intrusion - applying the principles of the Leveson to a 1980 setting - and a party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party. Taylor is just trying to cram too many elements into this work, and it ends up being less than the sum of its parts.

Added to this was my increasing annoyance at Taylor's constant referencing of the date. We know the story is being told with reference to a diary, but it is not written in a diary style, so constantly seeing "Monday the 20th of October" or whatever date, grated. I first highlighted this tendency when that date was mentioned. By the time we got to "Wednesday the 10th of December" had had enough. Taylor frequently mentions other events that happened on those dates; it feels like she wants to show how clever she is, how much she knows about the year 1980. A little period detail gives a story context, but most of the detail in this book is unnecessary.

I'm not sure who this book is aimed at. In some ways, I felt too young for it - my memories of the 80s differ greatly from Sam's memoirs, probably because I was not yet in my teens in 1980, while Sam is 20. But perhaps I am, in fact, too old for it. Perhaps the historical references gives context to younger readers who remember nothing of the 1980s. I can't see it being of any significance to such an audience, though.

All in all, this book does not deliver on its promise.

Famous photographer, Samantha Newell, returns to London in 2013 after a thirty year absence. She is there because her work is being shown at a gallery. She is asked a question about her work which leads to her documenting her life in London during the 1980's and why she left. In the form of a diary and using vivid detail, the author places the reader in the London of the 1980's. Samantha has come to London to reunite with her friend, Laura. Laura is charismatic and men are easily attracted to her, but she is obsessed with David Bowie. Joan Taylor's novel, kissing Bowie, follows the effect of the obsession on all those involved in Laura's life. Samantha recognizes Laura is not well. However, Samantha is not well, either, and is conflicted as to how to help her friend. She begins to question if she even wants to. Her decisions haunt her.
This is a well written story that takes the reader into minds of the characters. The novel examines the depths of friendship and all that comes with it. I found the book to be engrossing and interesting.
I received this book free of charge through LibraryThing Early Reviewers and I give this review of my own free will.

kissing Bowie is a strong effort with a unique structure and pacing. The lives of two young women intersect as they travel to the UK from New Zealand and attempt to find themselves. Samantha, the narrator tells their story through memories and reflections in a diary. It makes use of her adult-self's photographs to set the tone of the action and express her feelings in the past. Laura, Sam's friend, has an obsession with David Bowie that controls both girls' lives. The book tracks where that obsession takes the young women as they forge friendships, relationships, and identities. An abrupt but fitting ending wraps the book up nicely.

The writing is fun though I agree with another reviewer that the memories are incredibly lucid for one recalling the events of 30 years prior. I did enjoy the photograph journal format of the book. While the book is based on Samantha's point of view there are multiple story arcs and developments, some of which dead-end and others that distract from the main story. There are, however, so arcs that essential to understanding the ending and Taylor does a good job of weaving all of them together considering. The ending will not be for everyone as the degree of closure is not to all readers' tastes.

This was an entertaining book that hints at good things to come from Joan Taylor.

In the style of a memoir, kissing Bowie is a tale through the recorded memories of internationally famous New Zealand photographer Samantha Newel, He artistic thing is placing holes in strategic spots on her photos, and the book begins with a young fan asking her about this at a London exposition. What follows is a long confessional that takes us back more than 30 years, to a London where David Bowie was at the height of his musical popularity. Samantha follows her friend Laura to London where they live a rather austere life. Laura, however, has a problem -- her obsession with all things Bowie has become delusional, and it is affecting her life and happiness.

The obsession is preventing Laura from having normal relations with friends or potential mates. Stuart, a graduate student, wants to help but is shut out -- he tries to get to her via Samantha, who has a fatal attraction for Stuart herself. This leads to bad decisions by all as Laura's psychosis deepens, and mysterious notes by a stalker add to the mystery. Other guys involved in her life become suspects -- Chris, the paparazzo stalking Lady Di, Mike, the American acquaintance from a hostel they shared; Billy, a creepy dude who allegedly went to Paris at just the same time Laura went to New York on a expense-paid trip to see Bowie perform in Elephant Man; and finally Rupert, Sam and Laura's landlord and husband of their boss at a coffee shop. As the plot develops, a strong case is made against each one of these. Sam, meanwhile, is torn between loyalty toward her friend and pursuing her love, Stuart (who Laura believes is the culprit).

Samantha's memoir ends when Laura goes to New York and simply vanishes. The rest of the book happens occurs in 2013, where Sam unexpectedly gets closure that eluded her all these years. The ending makes perfect sense, and is yet unexpected.

Samantha's recollections, even with her detailed diary from the day, are little too lucid for being 30 years old. But as it hearkens back to my "coming of age" time -- in fact, a reference was made to Bowie performing Elephant Man in Chicago -- I saw one of those performances. The musical references were all familiar, and my own recollections of the time fit well with this story.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I didn't. I liked it quite a bit. The story is of two roommates with their own psychological issues to deal with, but one commanding all of the other's time and mental power. Laura is obsessed with David Bowie and her life revolves around a fantasy she has created. This leaves her roommate Sam constantly walking on eggshells. The story takes a really long time to develop and meanders about. When Sam has finally had enough, Laura comes between her and a guys she loves. If the first half of the book moved as quickly as the last half, it would have been more interesting. During the whole book I thought the main plotline was Laura's obsession with David Bowie. About 3/4 of the way through Sam just takes off. End of everything. The book ends with her and Stuart reuniting. What happened to Laura? She was found dead? There needs to be a better wrap up. By the end of the book it was just a love story between Stuart and Sam. There needed to be more.

Her use of language and first person cynicism is great fun. This story has narrative drive. I enjoy that there are lots of multi-syllable words and references to art appreciation.

I received this e-book for free from LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Kissing Bowie by Joan Taylor was one of those books…you know the kind that as you are reading it you get sent off in six different directions trying to figure out who was doing what and why. But the author was very up front, she gave you enough information to figure out what was going on if you didn’t get distracted like the main character Samantha. And if you remembered how the characters acted in the book you understood the ending. Would I read this book again? No. Would I read something else by Joan Taylor? Yes, I would and will.

I received this from Library Thing to read and review. This is the story of two girls who arrive in London in the 1980’s. Laura is an over-the-top David Bowie fan. She goes so far as to fantasize a relationship with him. The other, Sam, is working through some problems herself, and really doesn’t know quite how to deal with this or how to help her friend Laura. The story is told by Sam, who, after a return to London, in retrospect, asks herself whether was something she could have done to help Laura. The descriptions of the city were quite good and interesting. I have not been to London, but many of them have made me look at this locale as my next big destination. The story delves into the meaning of friendship, emotional/mental health issues and self-identity. I found the way the author dealt with these issues quite good and realistic. This is a book for a reader looking for something deeper, with more intensity than the average chick lit novel.

This is an interesting and well written book set in London during the 1980s. Sam, a New Zealander escaping a recent traumatic past, lands in London to meet up with her best friend Laura. At first sight Laura is a lively, carefree, party girl who everyone is instantly attracted to. Laura is obsessed with David Bowie and constantly fantasizes about him, telling everyone that she has a secret relationship with him. Sam doesn't believe Laura has ever met David Bowie and worries that Laura is becoming psychotic and fractures start to appear in their relationship at a time when Sam also needs support to get over her recent problems.
The story is set against a backdrop of 1980s Britain when Maggie Thatcher was Prime Minister and Prince Charles was dating a girl who worked in the kindergarten across the road from Sam and Laura's flat. Sam's fledgling career as a photographer starts in London as she roams the streets looking for interesting images and the book ends with Sam, again visiting London to attend a retrospective of her work, reflecting back on the events of her youth and whether she could have acted any differently to prevent the events that irrevocably changed hers and Laura lives.

I received this ebook free through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.½

This was an unexpectedly enjoyable read! A very intriguing story with an unexpected outcome right at the end. And if you have ever visited London, you will love the evocative descriptions of that amazing city. Explores some pretty deep issues around identity, mental health, friendship. Throughout the whole book there was a sense of something not quite right and the way the author unfolds the events was excellent.

Samantha is a young adult living in New Zealand whose life was going nowhere. She had finally gotten clean from heroin and had a secret abortion when she decided she needed a fresh start and escaped her situation to visit her friend Laura, who had moved to London. When she arrived, Laura was living in a run-down hostel and telling strangers she was in a relationship with David Bowie. Samantha knew this could not be true, as she had been with Laura when her affair with Bowie allegedly happened, but upon confrontation, Laura was adamant and defensive that it had occurred. When Samantha's friend Stuart, clues her in that Laura might be having a psychotic break, Samantha becomes determined to protect Laura as best she can, even if it means Samantha has to avoid having contact with Stuart. When Laura goes missing, however, Stuart and Samantha are left trying to figure out what happened to her and if Laura was truely psychotic or had been a victim of foul play. In a novel set in both the 1980's and the present time, this story includes historical and cultural details from the 80's, including sightings of Lady Diana when she had just started dating Prince Charles, which were particularly interesting. I found this story interesting, though long in some parts, as Samantha's internal struggles over her relationship with Stuart tended to get repetitive. However, the characters in the story were interesting (I particularly loved the gay male roomates!) and the storyline was unpredictable, which made the unraveling of the plot enjoyable. In all, a fun read and one I would recommend to those interested in British pop culture in the 80's.

I received this book through Library Thing Early Reviewers.
I enjoyed reading the book as I found it well written with a fairly engrossing storyline. There were points at which the book dragged and I didn't find Samantha, the narrator, especially likeable. However, I was compelled to keep reading due to my interest in finding out what happened to Samantha's friend, Laura.

I recieved this book from Library Thing Early Reviewers - the synopsis had sounded interesting enough for me to overcome my dislike of the electronic format.
As a small town Colonial the same age as Sam [although not a New Zealander] and sharing Laura's delight in David Bowie [although not as obsessed as she] there is a lot about this book I relate to; the excellent and polished writing was an unexpected bonus.
It is 1980 and after an episode with drugs and an abortion, narrator Samantha leaves New Zealand to join her best friend, the lovely and luminous Laura, in London: although the city is a revelation, the reunion is less than Sam hoped for because her friend has changed in subtle but unsettling ways.
What is not so subtle is Laura telling everyone she is in a clandestine relationship with David Bowie, having met up with him after a concert held in New Zealand: Sam was also at the concert and knows no such meeting occured. Stuart, a sexy Scottish post-graduate student, shares her concern about Laura's fantasy relationship which he finds worrying while Sam is more irritated and perplexed.
Laura's stories are increasingly more bizarre: in addition to the Bowie delusion, she claims she starred in a noir film, that she was date raped, that she's being stalked in London and that Stuart - with whom Sam has fallen in love - is following her around, searching her room and sending her anonymous letters.
Played against the background of the early eighties, that much maligned decade which seemed so event-filled at the time but in retrospect just seems full of itself, the story is told by a 2013 Sam, now a world-famous photographic artist. She achieved renown but lost Laura, Stuart and anything resembling personal or emotional fullfilment along the way: returning to London for a retrospective exhibition after a 33 year absence, she begins to think about a past she has resolutely ignored, and to reconsider her role in the minor tragedy of long ago.
An excellently written and interesting book with reference to the major events - like the death of Lennon and Maggie Thatcher taking on the unions - as well as the minor ones such as the first appearance of a certain 19-year-old blonde called Lady Diana Spenser in the royal circle, Kissing Bowie is a poignant and satisfying read.

I received this ebook free for an honest review - The memoirs of a famous photographer of 1980 London (England) as 2 girls arrive from New Zealand - one an aspiring photographer, the other a Bowie fanatic. Its their story and the story of the 1980's. I found the book interesting as it was about a time that I lived in London

This is the story of Samantha. She moves to London to escape New Zealand and be with her best friend Laura. But things with Laura are not as they were before. Laura distrusts her and does not tell her everything that is going on. Laura says things that Samantha knows are not true. Samantha struggles to be there for her friend and still have a life of her own.

I enjoyed this story as the story line kept coming up with little surprises. The characters, especially Samantha, could have been better developed. It was sometimes hard to keep reading the book as descriptions were long and often did not keep my attention.

Note: I received an electronic ARC of this title from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer giveaways.

I requested a review copy of this book for two reasons: 1) The description, tying the narrator's past history to an unsolved disappearance, reminded me of other mysteries/thrillers I'd been reading recently, such as Tana French's "In the Woods," and, 2) while I was in London in June, I had the opportunity to see the great Bowie exhibit at the V&A Museum, which this book refers to several times.

What I found was a book that didn't really match the description; it wasn't "A psychological mystery novel set in London in 1980 and the present day." The book was really set in 1980; only the frame story and a bit of resolution were set today. Furthermore, while the book was a psychological exploration of the characters, especially Samantha, the narrator, it wasn't, in any standard way, a mystery novel. There were a few unexplained events, and the narrator's confusion over them might be seen as red herrings, but the only real "mystery," what happened to Laura, didn't come into play until three quarters of the way through the novel and then was resolved rather quickly from the narrator's perspective, and then again from the perspective of the frame story.

What I didn't like so much: First off, the second-person frame narrative justifying the telling of the story felt contrived. And the modern ending felt far too easy. Second, while I liked the idea of organizing the chapters according to photos in Samantha's London exhibition, the dating of those photos was distracting because the stories related to them were all still part of the 1980 narrative, whether those photos dated from 1980, 1992, or some other year. I think these titles tell you something about the narrator and her life between 1980 and 2013, but they don't tell you anything about the narrative. I also thought Taylor spent too much time grounding her narrative in specific places and events of 1980 -- too often, it felt more like a history of the year than a narrative about the characters. Context is important, but it isn't the story. Finally, I was a little disappointed in the clue that helped Samantha figure out the origin of the mysterious notes; her realization hinges on seeing a "worked" cryptic crossword from The New York Times, and the Times, like most other US papers, doesn't actually publish many cryptic crosswords -- they are much more a British phenomenon.

What I liked about this book: I thought that much of the story set in 1980 worked very well. I liked that you never quite got what you expected; there's a lot of bait and switch in this novel. The focus on fame for instance, sounded like it would center on David Bowie, but most of the actual exposition of celebrity and fame was centered on Princess Diana's first days in the public eye. I also liked that Taylor engaged her themes on many levels: the idea of stalking, for instance, is explored from the perspective of victims - Laura, Xavier, and Don; from the perspective of a potential stalker (Laura, again); and then from the very public stalking and killing of John Lennon. Few of the sequences involving the characters play out exactly as you expect.

Overall, I felt that this novel was really meant as an exploration of the psychology of the narrator, and how the workings of her mind influenced not only her life but her and, thus, our understanding of the lives of those around her. In that respect, the book was a success.

I received this book free for an honest review

This book was well written and I liked the idea behind it and 'Laura's story.

It was quite difficult to get into, I gave up early on but thought I should give it a chance since I was supposed to do a review. It did get interesting in the middle but it was really boring to read and the only reason I continued with it was to find out what happened to Laura.

I felt as if I was reading a memoir of a person I didnt really know or like. The main character is unlikeable though she explains her actions or inaction at the end I dont find it a suitable reason.

I'm surs some people will enjoy it, set in London with the background of news stories of late 70s and 80s and of course David Bowie.

This was an interesting read but not one that gripped me. I found it a great book for just dipping into now and then. The storyline is absorbing but moves at a slow place and at times is quite plodding. Worth sticking with to the end but not one of my favourite metafiction reads.½