
Summary
A brilliantly poignant and street-wise first novel by a young rising star.
Fifteen-year-old Doria isn’t in a good place. Or to be precise—she’s in the sadly misnamed Paradise Estate on the outskirts of Paris. Her father has gone off back Morocco to find a wife who can give him a boy, and her illiterate, non French-speaking mother is having to fend for herself with a cleaning job in a grim motel. What’s more, her favourite soap star has turned out to be gay and it looks like the only s…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781862301580 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1862301581 |
| Author: | Sarah Adams, Faiza Guéne |
| Publisher: | Penguin Random House Children's UK |
| Imprint: | Definitions |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 192 |
| Release Date: | 1 June 2006 |
| Weight: | 138g |
| Dimensions: | 198mm x 129mm x 13mm |
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What They're Saying
Critics Review
Full of humanity and wry humour, stuffed with memorable characters, praised to the skies by Le Monde, Le Figaro, Elle and just about every other newspaper and magazine, the novel is a kind of French White Teeth. L’Expresse’s critic called Guene “a phenomenon filled with vital energy”’ – Jon Henley * Guardian *A slim, wry, slangy first novel … The mocking but surprisingly un-angry Doria makes some unexpected observations – Nicolette Jones * The Sunday Times *There’s humanity, humour, toughness and much more in this book – Wendy Cooling * The School Librarian *Written in sparkling form … A hit in France and deserves to be so here – Enid Stephenson * Carousel *Faiza Guene has produced in Doria a teenage heroine who speaks up for a new and previously unheard cast of dispossessed characters … Entertaining as well as searing, a sparky, engaging story … This is literature that needs to be read – Nick Tucker * Independent *
About The Author
Sarah Adams
Faiza Guene is now twenty years old and is currently a university student. Like her heroine, she is from an immigrant North African family living on a housing estate outside Paris. She has written a screenplay for and directed a short film which received funding from several prestigious cultural organisations.
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