*Shortlisted for the Orange Prize 2003*

Nabbed this book from (7 for £1) Barons Court Library book sale shelf. I hadn't been in a while and there were so many good choices to make today that I couldn't stop myself.

I might add also that the Librarian commented that she'd been meaning to read this one for a while as well.

The characters all had my sympathy in this book as they struggled to find their place in the world around the time o the new millenium. Facing personal, spiritual and relationship changes and challenges, they all progressed as best they knew how.

I liked the idea of the melange of cultures the young girls develop as their competition CD entry and the naive dedication of the Glaswegian painter and decorator as he embraced Buddhism was utterly charming. If I had to quibble with the book, it was that there were many plot areas left undeveloped and that the dialect nearly drove me insane.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

Left in the Vibe Live venue during a London Word Festival event I'd scored free tickets to. I'm very glad I didn't pay to get in as I thought the whole thing was a little shambollic and didn't live up to the potential it had. Staging an event based on technology without checking any of it worked was pretty much a cardinal sin in my books. Anyway, the two or three acts I did see over the almost four hours I spent at the venue were okay. Not brilliant, just okay.

I hope whoever finds this book enjoyed the event more than I did. If not, then hey at least they got a free book :)