Retrato do autor

Laura Wilkinson

Autor(a) de Public Battles, Private Wars

6 Works 22 Membros 2 Críticas

Obras por Laura Wilkinson

Public Battles, Private Wars (2014) 6 exemplares
Skin Deep (2017) 6 exemplares
BloodMining (2011) 5 exemplares
Redemption Song (2016) 3 exemplares

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

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Membros

Críticas

‘Skin Deep’ by Laura Wilkinson is a thoughtful, difficult book to read about modern-day notions of beauty, ugliness and society’s fascination with appearance. At times it made me feel uncomfortable. It is the sort of book which you find yourself thinking about long after you have finished reading it. It will make you think about your own attitudes to others, do you unconsciously leap to judgement based on their outward appearance, and how much do you worry about your own looks?
Hulme, Manchester, 1984. Students Diana and Linda start university, Diana is studying art, Linda art history. Diana is keen to make her mark for something she can do with her hands, rather than how she looks. A former child model, people stare at her in the street such is her beauty. Via Jim, Linda’s boyfriend, Diana meets Cal, a four-year old boy neglected by his drug addict parents. He has a severe facial disfigurement and is kept from sight. He does not know a normal life. ‘Normal’ is a word which crops up often. In the child, Diana finds someone dealing with a mirror image of her own challenge: as Cal hides his face from strangers, Claire tried to avoid people ogling her beauty. I found the beginning a little slow and the story takes off once Diana is inspired by Cal to create a different kind of art.
Throughout time, artists have had muses. Cal becomes Diana’s muse, unwittingly at first when he is a child. The book treads a difficult, uncomfortable line. Diana loves Cal and tries to do the best, but what if her best is wrong? Of course, that is the thought process the author wants the reader to explore. As Diana’s success as an artist grows and Cal becomes a teenager, he starts to resent being ‘used’. Is she ultimately any different from her mother, Bunny, who forced her to enter beauty competitions, to refuse biscuits because they would make her fat?
The viewpoint switches between Diana and Cal and jumps around in time, particularly in the second half, which was disorientating. The main voice is Diana’s. I found her exploitative and unlikeable and would have liked to hear more from the adult Cal and the child Diana. Nonetheless this is a powerful, difficult read with underlying imagery of decay hidden by beauty.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Sandradan1 | Jan 3, 2018 |
I was offered a review copy of the book by the author, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It’s published by a very small publisher, but it very much deserves a larger publisher who can get it on the high street shelves.

The heart of this story is about the relationships between mother and daughter, questioning what it means to be a parent. Megan and Elizabeth provide the central characters, and as we find out more about them, we also watch their relationship grow and evolve. It’s a story any mother or daughter will take something from.

The timing and setting of the story adds a fascinating layer. The story starts in 2048, where things are recognisable, whilst slightly different. It’s not the technological driven future of sci-fi books, nor is it instantly recognisable as a dystopia. There are, however, hints of something which has happened to change life completely for many people.

The second part of the story brings us back to 2015, where these events are explored in more detail. Whereas the first part tells us Megan’s story, with her journey into parenthood, and the pain of having an ill child, this second part belongs to Elizabeth, her mother. It allows us to explore her character more, set to the background of the events which changed her life.

Finally we return to Megan’s story, as she continues the fight for her son, and her own personal struggle to understand her past.

This is an interesting and emotional début, and is highly recommended.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
michelle_bcf | Nov 13, 2011 |

Estatísticas

Obras
6
Membros
22
Popularidade
#553,378
Avaliação
½ 3.3
Críticas
2
ISBN
8