Dolan's debut novel, Exciting Times, is a smart, funny, . 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. I definitely feltand enjoyedthat similar sparseness of language employed by both authors to cut to the crux of an emotion. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. - Library Journal What listeners say about Exciting Times Average Customer Ratings. However, they did enjoy the political and historical references throughout the novel, albeit having to do a bit of research on the topics themselves. Some will find Ava absolutely intolerable and insufferable and won't be able to finish the first 25 pages. Him needing me was strange and new. An exquisitely rendered portrait of a unique father-daughter relationship and a moving memoir of family and identity. 6 min read. This is the kind of book that people are going to have vastly different opinions on. This is it. 4. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. Her elegantly simple writing allows her ideas and musings to shine. If youre looking for likable and well-rounded characters, a happy love story, and everything packaged up in a neat box, this isnt it. Book Club | Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan | April 2021 'There was something Shakespearean about imperious men going down on you: the mighty have fallen.'. By Naoise Dolan. EXCITING TIMES is an acerbic tale of sex and love, set in the social media age * The Herald Scotland * Incredibly readable * Belfast Telegraph * With Naoise Dolan on the literary scene, there are EXCITING TIMES ahead * i-D * The Irish debut novel everyone is talking about * The Gloss * I savoured every shrewd line * Dazed * A sharp, witty and . @brigittesbookshelf, "Lovers of Sally Rooney will absolutely devour this book. Eileen was six years older than me. But Im going to just get it out of the way, for Naoise Dolan is Irish, in her mid-20s, and her debut was previewed in literary magazine The Stinging Fly while Rooney edited it. Aperus are withering. Identity Politics and the English Language: Naoise Dolan's Exciting Times I often had to re-read passages, as subtext also plays a huge part in the book. But did I like Exciting Times? Those whove spent time in Hong Kong cant help wondering what its like to be among the Anglophone transplants who work and party there. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan | Waterstones "Dolan's preoccupation with power is often couched in humor but always expertly observed. It all adds up to a bracing, refreshing first novel, with hints of greater things to come. Though the wedding briefly revives Vixs old feelings for Bru, whom Caitlin is marrying, Vix is soon in love with Gus, another old summer friend, and a more compatible match. RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020. Exciting Times - HarperCollins Author Exciting Times is the debut novel from Irish writer Naoise Dolan (and one of the Headstuff Picks of 2020 ). This model of relationship-as-power-struggle is hardly new, but Dolan brings a fresh 21st-century sensibility to it. Debut novelist Naoise Dolan is no Sally Rooney, for better and worse Politics, class, and race anxiously hover over the entire novel. 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. 1. Article She is known for her debut novel Exciting Times . Exciting Times was also nominated in the Best Newcomer Category at the An Post Irish Book Awards. I love the unconventional, the interpersonal, the relatable *but not talked about,* and this book had all of that and more. Have I compared this book to Sally Rooney enough times yet?? Shortly after, she meets native Hong Kong-turned-boarding-school-broad, Edith. va, a 22-year-old Dubliner living in Hong Kong, describes herself as good at men. Add to cart. Missed out on our June book club pick? Often when I read a queer novel some of it feels forced; this was seamless. Though the novel had mixed reviews, one thing readers did agree on is that Dolan is a unique and smart writer who they'll continue to support throughout her career. She has been shortlisted and longlisted for several prizes, including The Women's Prize for Fiction, the Dylan Thomas Prize and The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year . Read an excerpt from the bookhere (opens in new tab). @readtotheend. Exciting Times is an acerbic tale of sex and love, set in the social media age.' - The Herald Scotland. 256 pages Its not plot-driven and Ava as a character distances herself from people in the book, so shes not intrinsically likeable. A young Dubliner in Hong Kong struggles to connect in this fresh and funny debut about love and self-knowledge. Eek! Feelings for Edith but, confusingly, also for Julian. Naoise Dolan: seasons the novel with insights about class, gender, race and language. Politically alert, heartbreakingly raw, and dryly funny, Exciting Times is thrillingly attuned to the great freedoms and greater uncertainties of modern love. Naoise Dolan. She is highly attuned both to the power dynamics at play (do you want me to depend on you? she asks him) and to her moral predicament, as she adds up how much money she is saving on rent, as well as on the clothes and meals Julian pays for with the funds he doesnt know what to do with. Sigh. In sixth grade, when Victoria Weaver is asked by new girl Caitlin Somers to spend the summer with her on Marthas Vineyard, her life changes forever. Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. I laughed out loud at so many parts, especially in conversations with her parents! Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the sites day-to-day editorial operations. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan was published April 16th with Weidenfeld & Nicolson and is described as 'accessible, acerbic, smart and fun' Skip to content. Naoise Dolan is a queer and autistic Irish writer born in Dublin. (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. However, I soon grew to really like this, as I became used to her inner thoughts. Categories: , Dry humor can be hard to execute on the page, but Naoise Dolan does so effortlessly and its evident from the very first pages. An intimate, bracingly intelligent debut novel about a millennial Irish expat who becomes entangled in a love triangle with a male banker and a female lawyer. "I have to say I really liked this debut novel by Naoise Dolan. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan | W&N - Ground-breaking, award-winning Pre-publication book reviews and features keeping readers and industry Overall. The most insightful and raw of these are the caustic observations about Irelands repressive attitudes to homosexuality and abortionand how they damage individual lives. Welcome to Hong Kong, where Julian (English) is a banker and Ava (Irish) is a leech. Ava is an accurately drawn emblem of the zeitgeist, but as such, she stands apart from it, isolated. Again, this recalls Rooney, who uses emails both sent and unsent as a potent fictional technique, and writes in Normal People that the network is a form of intelligence in itself, containing them both, and containing their feelings for each other. Exciting Times Naoise Dolan. Copyright 2023 Kirkus Media LLC. Dolan is particularly good at capturing the way men talk to women whom they mistakenly think are not as smart as they are. . More Books, Published Jun 2020 "This debut novel about an Irish expat millennial teaching English and finding romance in Hong Kong is half Sally Rooney love triangle, half glitzy Crazy Rich Asians high livingand guaranteed to please." She's a young Irish woman, after all, and she'd written a . In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a lifeand announces herself as a singular new voice. Read an excerpt from Emiko Jean's new novel, here, then dive in with us throughout the month. Naoise Dolan. But I didnt trust anyone.The richer I got, the harder it would be for anyone to force me to do anything. Dolans preoccupation with power is often couched in humor but always expertly observed. Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info and giveaways by email. CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan - Ebook | Scribd June 2, 2020. The story follows Ava through two loosely defined relationshipswith Julian, a wealthy British banker, and with Edith, a Hong Kong born, Cambridge-educated lawyer. Ava is pulled into the orbit of wealthy, privileged banker Julian who comes from London. The comparison was mentioned repeatedly in the book's marketing materials, in reviews, in interviews, and in the 28-year-old's author biographies. Judy Blume, edited by It felt authentic, less an added 'interesting' point, but a way of being that felt effortless. Despite the chip on her shoulder, she falls in with Julian, an Eton-educated English banker who she enjoys being with because they (supposedly) arent that interested in each other: It wasnt like normal friendships where I worried if the other person still liked me. She moves into his swanky apartment, rent-free, and they have sex. Already drawing comparisons to Sally Rooney's work, "Exciting Times," by Naoise Dolan, has many of the familiar tropes of the "millennial . Ava wants to be herand wants her. 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. Incredibly readable.' - Belfast Telegraph. Edith is a local, sophisticated, and enthusiastic lawyer who falls in love with Ava and isnt afraid to say so. The dialog is brilliant throughout. ROMANCE | The book was first published in April 1st 2020 and the latest edition of the book was published in April 16th . She is in a constant battle of inner conflicttotal social apathy, whilst silently scathing of her prejudiced workplace. 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? And others will find that not much happens and it's just meh. Exciting Times PDF Details. 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. In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a life - and announces herself as a singular new voice. The project, based on Irish writer Naoise Dolan's debut novel, hails from U.S. financier-producer Black Bear Pictures, which optioned rights to the book ahead of its June 2020 U.S. release to . I rolled my eyes a few times. The novel is shot through with moments of such startling self-awareness as this. Exciting Times By: Naoise Dolan. "If I had to describe this book to someone in two sentences it would be like this:Eleanor OliphantandNormal Peoplegot together and had a baby. Are they as insensitive and indifferent as they seem to the foreign city they call home? 1. Julian, her posh banker boyfriend, has such an apartment which is just as well, since he also has an arrogance to match his salary. Im sorry. Summary. That said, I did not always love this book. Intermixed with some "politics" about late stage capitalism, marxism and the class systems. Search: Her relationships are dysfunctional and we see her repeatedly make choices that we know (or think we know) are wrong for her. Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan. Edith is curious and enthusiastic, and Ava can no longer maintain her detached, ironical approach to life feelings flower all over the place. "Okay wow, what a great book! In November we went for brunch on Aberdeen Street with Ralph, pronounced 'Rafe', who'd gone to Balliol with Julian, now worked at . (Ecco, 256 pp., $16.99.) Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Unfortunately, Dolans superficial evocation of the island is conjured mostly through Instagram latte art geotagged on fashionable streets. Its a brilliantly concise summation of her take on relationships, which she sees as a power game, an ultimately shallow emotional transaction in which the greatest potential benefit might be that you get to move into an apartment better than anything you can afford on your own. influencers in the know since 1933. by Its a story about intimacy, vulnerability, being alone, and being different versions of yourself with different people. Naoise Dolan - Wikiwand Fiction Friday: An Excerpt From Naoise Dolan's 'Exciting Times' Exciting Times' By Naoise Dolan Book Review | Marie Claire In stylish, uncluttered prose, Naoise Dolan dissects the personal and financial transactions that make up a life--and announces herself as a singular new voice. In Exciting Times, Echoes of Sally Rooney, but With a Queer Twist, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/02/books/review/exciting-times-naoise-dolan.html. Exciting Times | Naoise Dolan | Granta Do you re-read witty comebacks to try and bake them into your mind should you ever need them? All rights reserved.Information at BookBrowse.com is published with the permission of the copyright holder or their agent. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. - Booklist (starred review) Do put it on your TBR and let me know what you think." Exciting Times : A Novel [PDF] PDF Under: Categories eBooks & Readings. Its something I appreciate in memoirs and also in literary fiction. DAS APASIONANTES es una novela social (casi generacional) disfrazada de historia de amor. An entire novel in this vein might become wearing, but Dolan takes her narrative to a new level when she brings in a character Ava actually likes: Edith, a local who went to boarding school in England. Because truly, if you love her books, dont sleep on this one. Publisher: Ecco, 256 pages, $27.99. Join BookBrowse today to start discovering exceptional books! About a third into the story, when I was starting to wonder where everything was going, were introduced to Edith, a lawyer from Hong Kong who starts to capture Avas attention away from Julian. Exciting Times is a beautiful novel written by the famous author Naoise Dolan. Youre not a fan of unreliable narrators (hiit me), 3. Already drawing comparisons to Sally Rooneys work, Exciting Times, by Naoise Dolan, has many of the familiar tropes of the millennial novel covered: Jealousy and obsession, love and late capitalism, sex and the internet all come whirling together in a wry and bracing tale of class and privilege. Review: 'Exciting Times,' by Naoise Dolan - Star Tribune