Wednesday 30 July 2014

Review: A Song for Ella Grey

A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond
 
Title: A Song for Ella Grey
Series: none
Author: David Almond
 
Published: Hachette Children's Books; 2014*
272 pages, kindle edition
 
Source: Netgalley
 
Rating: 0.5 stars
 
 Description (from Goodreads):

Claire is Ella Grey's best friend. She's there when the whirlwind arrives on the scene: catapulted into a North East landscape of gutted shipyards; of high arched bridges and ancient collapsed mines. She witnesses a love so dramatic it is as if her best friend has been captured and taken from her. But the loss of her friend to the arms of Orpheus is nothing compared to the loss she feels when Ella is taken from the world. This is her story - as she bears witness to a love so complete; so sure, that not even death can prove final.

My Thoughts:

 DNF 30%

I don't know why I picked this up. Honestly, why!? The only other experience I have had with
David Almond was too horrible to account. His book The Fire Eaters was one of the worst books I have ever had the displeasure of reading - possibly even the worse... I was going to give him another chance. Can you blame me? Look at the beautiful cover and the mysterious description... I was powerless to stop myself clicking on that little read now button. Damn me!

Maybe its just me but I loathe book that are written with a poetic style that is so abstract that it renders the entire book unreadable - you cannot follow the plotline so you can barely connect to the characters. No characters = automatic bad read. A Song for Ella Grey has one of the worse writing styles (like this) that I have ever read. I could barely decipher what the characters were doing and saying and if I cannot not tell what is happening what is the point of reading really?

Speaking of the characters, what was up with them? I understand that they're little wild because they are some sort of gypsy folk but this sort of crazy was a little over the top. Want to read a good book about gypsies? Pick up
Dizzy or Infinite Sky. Those books mastered those aspects - this certainly didn't.

The character of Claire was a mysterious. Did anyone understand her thoughts? Was she with Ella? Or Sam? Her inner dialogue was a stream of constant crazy babble about being young and how she and her friends are going mad because of their youth. I could barely keep it all straight... and I only made it 30% in.

I don't know what I expected from this but it wasn't what I got. I gave
David Almond his second chance and he blew it. I won't be going near another one his books - ever. My advice? Stay clear, it isn't worth wasting your time on this rubbish.

Note: a copy was provided courtesy of David Almond and Hachette Children's Books, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.

 *Release: 2nd of October, 2014 
 

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