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The Sleepwalker's Introduction to Flight
'Funny and filled with heart . . . a sparky debut' - Alexandra Heminsley, The London Paper Dreaming of joining the brotherhood of Acapulcan cliff-divers, young Mikey Hough rigs a diving platform in the garden of his suburban Berkshire home. Two years later, when he awakes from his coma, Mikey befriends Roger, an elderly ex-pilot hospitalised when his precious Distinguished Flying Cross was violently stolen from him. Mikey soon learns that his own disastrous attempt at flight has damaged his Suprachiasmatic Nucleus, destroying his ability to sleep. The medical profession can do nothing for him. He is sent home from hospital to die. One night, a despondent Mikey stumbles across Livia, the cynical teenage ward of a neighbouring councilman. Together they decide to track down Roger's stolen medal. So begins a remarkable, picaresque journey into the dark heart of suburban England, during which the fearless Mikey and Livia confront a sprawling cast of pensioners, policemen and criminals - including the profoundly sinister man-child 'The Fat Controller'. As they hurtle towards daybreak, they persuade Roger to undertake one last, gut-wrenching sortie into the night skies. The Sleepwalker's Introduction to Flight is a heart-rending and riotous mini-epic, a brilliantly subversive coming-of-age tale about what happens when dark and light collide, and society's marginalised find their voice. 'A humorous, moving and eloquent debut' Bookseller
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2008
1 person is currently reading
38 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 23, 2008
If you want a book that will make you laugh and cry, then this is the one for you. I loved this book. It’s my fave of 2008 so far. I’d never heard of the author before so I bought it mainly because I liked the cover and was quite intrigued by the blurb. I’m glad I did. The main characters are great, especially the feisty Livia whose cynical comments often had me nodding and laughing in agreement.
There is also an underlying message in this book that life is short and that we should make the most of it whilst we have it. I would love to read this book again. It has the makings of a modern classic.
There is also an underlying message in this book that life is short and that we should make the most of it whilst we have it. I would love to read this book again. It has the makings of a modern classic.
May 19, 2009
Extraordinary. An intelligent book with a point and a plot. The writing puts most contemporary fiction to shame - 'Are we happy? That depends on how you classify happiness. Some people think it's a state. Nevada is a state. Happy is a moment. It's a kiss. A desert dawn; a line of grade-A coke. It's three aces; eight squares of English chocolate; a novel with a plot...' QED.
October 5, 2020
Questo libro è una perla e non posso che consigliarlo con tutto il cuore ❤
"It's amber. If you look closely you can see a tiny creature inside, a mayfly. They don't... They don't live for very long."
Aggie holds the lump up to the dawn light. "Ah, but I reckon they live a beautiful life, Mikey. They gets to fly".
"It's amber. If you look closely you can see a tiny creature inside, a mayfly. They don't... They don't live for very long."
Aggie holds the lump up to the dawn light. "Ah, but I reckon they live a beautiful life, Mikey. They gets to fly".
June 18, 2009
Agree with Roberto and Millie. This is just amazing. As Roberto says it puts a lot of contemporary fiction to shame and yet there's no hype around this at all. It's one of those little gems you have to stumble across yourself.
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June 4, 2010
Look, if you're going to write a book for adults from a teenager's point of view then try to do it well.
Mark Haddon managed to write 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' and it was utterly believable, unlike this dreary novel. I gave up after 43 pages, pah!
Mark Haddon managed to write 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time' and it was utterly believable, unlike this dreary novel. I gave up after 43 pages, pah!
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July 27, 2011I have had this book sitting around for a while, and it came on holiday with me at the last moment mainly based on size. However, I was pleasantly surprised - good writing, humorous (with some laugh out loud moments), interesting (though somewhat surreal plot). An English comic novel in the classic tradition, with elements of farce. And I learnt a new word, which is always a bonus (Clavadista - I knew who they were, but not their name!).
"You cannot begin to live until you take yourself to the edge".
"You cannot begin to live until you take yourself to the edge".
February 16, 2011
Una bizzarra favola notturna in cui non mancano le risate ma neanche i momenti in cui riflettere, dalla scoperta della vita nella consapevolezza della morte alla grande forza dell'amicizia.
Se da un lato Mikey ha la sfortuna di avere due genitori che lo ignorano totalmente nonostante il grave trauma che subisce, dall'altro incontrerà delle persone stupende che gli insegneranno più di quanto i suoi genitori abbiano mai fatto.
Se da un lato Mikey ha la sfortuna di avere due genitori che lo ignorano totalmente nonostante il grave trauma che subisce, dall'altro incontrerà delle persone stupende che gli insegneranno più di quanto i suoi genitori abbiano mai fatto.
March 19, 2013
Piacevole, divertente e intelligente.
Una lettura che scorre via liscia e che tiene compagnia strappando molti sorrisi e lasciando un po' riflettere sulle occasioni e sul senso della vita.
Perché quanti rimpianti ci rimarranno il giorno che scopriremo di non avere più tempo?
Una lettura che scorre via liscia e che tiene compagnia strappando molti sorrisi e lasciando un po' riflettere sulle occasioni e sul senso della vita.
Perché quanti rimpianti ci rimarranno il giorno che scopriremo di non avere più tempo?
December 21, 2013
If you like your stories quirky and with a British flavour then this will be really satisfying. Funny, laugh out loud funny at times, this is a cute story of young love, lying cheating elderly folk, fiercely loyal friends, sinister neighbours, a stolen medal and a boy with only two weeks to live.
August 10, 2010
Like a Carl Hiassan novel set in suburban England. A fun, madcap story; gets a bit goofy in the end, but still worth the read.
October 28, 2011
va assolutamente letto!
April 8, 2014
My librarian recommended this. It got me started on a journey away from series and into single novels. I have never looked back.
May 3, 2020
I liked the plot overall but I found the overuse of similes annoying
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August 30, 2012I think I have had comedy books ruined for me by the likes of Terry Pratchett, David Lodge, Douglas Adams.
This book seemed really bland and its humour wasn't incisive or witty. I didn't laugh at all during this book, which is a shame because I wanted to like it, because it was recommended by a friend.
Instead, I was at once bored and irked by its inconsistencies in the passing of time and that Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings described as a Celine Dione (sic) song. These are little things but something good editing should pick up, and if the character of Mikey hadn't been as flat as his face, I may not have noticed.
The one stand out was the way Sion wrote the vernacular of Nurse Aggie; it immediately painted a picture of her character and I could almost hear the tone and expression. However, the epilogue should have been cut, it was like a post-it ending. With some critical editing this book might have hit the mark, but I was left dissatisfied.
This book seemed really bland and its humour wasn't incisive or witty. I didn't laugh at all during this book, which is a shame because I wanted to like it, because it was recommended by a friend.
Instead, I was at once bored and irked by its inconsistencies in the passing of time and that Bette Midler's Wind Beneath My Wings described as a Celine Dione (sic) song. These are little things but something good editing should pick up, and if the character of Mikey hadn't been as flat as his face, I may not have noticed.
The one stand out was the way Sion wrote the vernacular of Nurse Aggie; it immediately painted a picture of her character and I could almost hear the tone and expression. However, the epilogue should have been cut, it was like a post-it ending. With some critical editing this book might have hit the mark, but I was left dissatisfied.
November 4, 2012
I bought this book for $1 from a book store; I came across it whilst I was looking through the bargain bin. This is a shame since the book deserves a wide readership.
'The Sleepwalker's Introduction to Flight' is a surprisingly good book; it is written well and is very funny with quite a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The story is just a great bit of fun!
The characters are a refreshing and eclectic bunch; the main character Michael Hough is brave, fearless, irreverent, and just awkward enough to make him likeable whilst Livia, one of the supporting characters, is a fantastically rebellious and independent companion.
Overall, this is a good book; the story doesn't end on a particularly strong note which is disappointing given the strength of the plot during the first half of the novel, however, for a story which doesn't take itself too seriously, this won't be too much of a problem since the journey itself is an entertaining one.
'The Sleepwalker's Introduction to Flight' is a surprisingly good book; it is written well and is very funny with quite a few genuine laugh-out-loud moments. The story is just a great bit of fun!
The characters are a refreshing and eclectic bunch; the main character Michael Hough is brave, fearless, irreverent, and just awkward enough to make him likeable whilst Livia, one of the supporting characters, is a fantastically rebellious and independent companion.
Overall, this is a good book; the story doesn't end on a particularly strong note which is disappointing given the strength of the plot during the first half of the novel, however, for a story which doesn't take itself too seriously, this won't be too much of a problem since the journey itself is an entertaining one.
September 25, 2011
Michael ha quindici anni e una vita solitaria. Il suo amore per i clavadistas, una specie di "setta" di tuffatori lo induce a farsi costruire in giardino una pedana da cui si lancia in una piscina per bambini. Stile perfetto, mira un po' meno, tant'è che il nostro protagonista si sfracella la faccia sul terreno. Dopo un coma di due anni si sveglia con dei lineamenti discutibili e un particolare danno cerebrale che di fatto gli impedirà per sempre di dormire, portandolo alla morte nel giro di quindici giorni. A questo punto Michael decide di vivere come se non ci fosse un domani (cosa piuttosto vera nel suo caso) e, insieme alla disturbata e drogata vicina di casa Livia, si lancia alla ricerca di una medaglia rubata a un veterano della seconda guerra mondiale conosciuto in ospedale.
Trama grottesca e assurda che non decolla. Manca decisamente qualcosa.
Trama grottesca e assurda che non decolla. Manca decisamente qualcosa.
June 9, 2011
A hugely promising start, some hilarious pages at the start, but fizzled out about half-way through for me.
October 12, 2012
A bit random. Not as exciting as I thought it would be. lol. But still a good read!! :)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews