I loved this book. I didn't want it to end and I really believed in the character. Simple things, but they make for a good read and a truly brilliant book. ( )

Ehhh. This one is difficult. On one hand, Donovan is great at drawing realistic characters and especially at putting realistic Glaswegian dialogue into their mouths (she does equally well here as in the more well-known Buddha Da). However, once she puts the characters in motion things tend to get a bit more complicated and I find her writing harder to like. I wasn't crazy about the choice that she made to include the four years before part as it felt like a waste of space - if she'd left that out and beefed up the main section of the book I feel like it would have been improved. The main section itself is good, but moves too quickly, which makes it difficult to fully believe the characters' motivations. For example, I just didn't believe Fiona's fascination/relationship with Amrik. It arrived far too quickly - I understand that she was trying to convey the sudden nature of the lustful relationships that can come upon you in your teens but it didn't really work for me. I didn't feel that jumping off the page - it came across as unreal. I think overall I did enjoy this, and I love love love seeing my home city depicted "properly" in literature, but I feel like a few small changes could have made this a really excellent read.

I did love Jas, though. ( )

Ehhh. This one is difficult. On one hand, Donovan is great at drawing realistic characters and especially at putting realistic Glaswegian dialogue into their mouths (she does equally well here as in the more well-known Buddha Da). However, once she puts the characters in motion things tend to get a bit more complicated and I find her writing harder to like. I wasn't crazy about the choice that she made to include the four years before part as it felt like a waste of space - if she'd left that out and beefed up the main section of the book I feel like it would have been improved. The main section itself is good, but moves too quickly, which makes it difficult to fully believe the characters' motivations. For example, I just didn't believe Fiona's fascination/relationship with Amrik. It arrived far too quickly - I understand that she was trying to convey the sudden nature of the lustful relationships that can come upon you in your teens but it didn't really work for me. I didn't feel that jumping off the page - it came across as unreal. I think overall I did enjoy this, and I love love love seeing my home city depicted "properly" in literature, but I feel like a few small changes could have made this a really excellent read.

I did love Jas, though.

Ehhh. This one is difficult. On one hand, Donovan is great at drawing realistic characters and especially at putting realistic Glaswegian dialogue into their mouths (she does equally well here as in the more well-known Buddha Da). However, once she puts the characters in motion things tend to get a bit more complicated and I find her writing harder to like. I wasn't crazy about the choice that she made to include the four years before part as it felt like a waste of space - if she'd left that out and beefed up the main section of the book I feel like it would have been improved. The main section itself is good, but moves too quickly, which makes it difficult to fully believe the characters' motivations. For example, I just didn't believe Fiona's fascination/relationship with Amrik. It arrived far too quickly - I understand that she was trying to convey the sudden nature of the lustful relationships that can come upon you in your teens but it didn't really work for me. I didn't feel that jumping off the page - it came across as unreal. I think overall I did enjoy this, and I love love love seeing my home city depicted "properly" in literature, but I feel like a few small changes could have made this a really excellent read.

I did love Jas, though.

Was a little disappointed by the book. The title I feel is misleading, nothing to do with "Being Emily", just life for a teenage girl with a mild love of an author.
The writing style, in Glaswegian dialect, is both endearing and jarring. Certain terms required googling; greeting to mean crying for example. It's a book I felt I needed to invest time into reading in long sittings, taking time to get back into the flow of it.
The actual story is nice, not much in the way of actual plot, it's just a story about people and life and carrying on. Didn't really like the protagonist.
Despite the negatives, it's a thoughtful read which I did mostly enjoy. The tragedy of Fiona's life feels very real and raw, and really pushes the novel through to its conclusion.
Three stars ( )