Ok. First of all, this is going to be a shorter review than usual because there is not much that can be said about the plot or themes without spoilery spoilers and they are worth discovering yourself. But then this is a short book yet it has made me cry, like sobbing tears and has instantly secured itself in my ‘favourites of all time’ vault.
The back of the book says ‘A Timeless novel for anyone who’s ever felt lost’ and you need to hand a prize to whoever wrote that because that is such an intensely, sharply clever summation.
Charlie’s family has left London for the rural home a grandfather has left in his will but the same anger thuds through the house whilst Charlie hides under the covers lost in the world of spy novels and Scouting guides.
One afternoon Charlie follows Dizzy into the woods in search of spies with Johnny following and the trio find themselves impossibly lost as night suddenly descends and Time starts to play tricks.
This can’t be right. We’ve only been in the woods for a couple of hours or so.The sun doesn’t set until nine o’clock and it can’t be near that time yet. Can it?
This book will make you question the concepts of time, Duty, intelligence, friendship, bravery, courage and what you have internalised along with what are your contributions and footsteps upon this earth.
Such a beautiful deeply atmospheric ode to woodlands, to those who feel lost and to everyday people who find themselves doing acts of extraordinary heroism but also making the reader feel we are capable too.
And there I go getting emotional again….READ it!!
The Longest Night Of Charlie Noon by Christopher Edge is published by Nosy Crow. Thank you so much to Nosy Crow for sending me a copy of this wonderful book, this has not affected my opinion.
A fab review! It’s such a fantastic read! I’m settling down this evening to write my reviews for it and Where the River Runs Gold. I’m not allowing myself to read another book until I get them finished! And I’m off to London tomorrow so I have to bring a book for the train! Work has been hectic this week – so looking forward to being able to slow down in the summer holiday!
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Thank you I look forward to reading your thoughts!! I’ve been sketching out thoughts today in between starting The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart
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I hope you love The Dragon with a Chocolate Heart!
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This is such a cleverly constructed story and I agree with you, very difficult to review. I think it’s a book that warrants a reread too but I’ve so many others waiting to be read for the first time that it will have to wait for a while. Christopher Edge’s recent books are very different to his first one that I read, Twelve Minutes to Midnight, I find it intriguing.
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I definitely agree with you on the reread! I’m now inspired to read more by Christopher Edge- the Jamie Drake equation is piquing my interest!!
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I read The Infinite Lives of Maisie Day last year and though it wasn’t my usual sort of thing, I thought it was really, really clever, very unusual and a brilliant addition to the kids market. I suspect this will be similar (though different in content) and it’s one I’ll gladly recommend and would read if my tbr shelf wasn’t threatening to collapse but will probably end up bypassing on favour of others that I really want/need to read!
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Its a super quick read!!
192 pages and the typeface is a bit larger text is spaced wider and the pages have a larger margin than usual.
It’s considerably shorter than we won an Island.
It’s super clever and mythological meets science meets history – the temporal placing is ambiguous I guessed but it still made me cry when I realised what it was all leading to and then when it did. Incredibly clever incredibly fitting on several levels. Oh and it’s gritty 😏
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Oh, if it’s a really short one I might try and squeeze it in then. I do think his writing is very good and you know me and a bit of grit!!
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It looks like an early chapter but the content is much older and grittier and bittersweet. Certainly a quick one I read it in a couple of hours with PLENTY of pauses as the children were playing and wanting to find a toy, then disagreeing then wanting to eat then I looked at Twitter! etc. Snappy concise read yet it will stay with me.
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I should squeeze it in then! I’m doing the same with Return to Wonderland at the moment as that’s only short too and because its lots of short stories even easier to fit in amongst life/twitter/other books!
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