21st Century Literature discussion

Hi everyone - thanks for voting in My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal. This discussion thread is for general comments without spoilers. I'll be back to post some links to articles about the author and the book.

Thanks Suzy

Looking forward to the discussion!

Hugh wrote: "Thanks Suzy"

Please work on getting links for book description and author up front -- for those of us who haven't been following but click in for what's going on when we see something interesting?

My Name is Leon by Kit de Waal

Preferably even in the headings, if that is possible? I haven't tried it today and don't remember....

Lily wrote: "Hugh wrote: "Thanks Suzy"

Please work on getting links for book description and author up front -- for those of us who haven't been following but click in for what's going on when we see something..."

Updated. Also all the details about the monthly group reads are on the home page.

I read the book over the weekend and quite enjoyed it without feeling it was anything special. The setting in early 80s Britain is familiar to me, though Leon would have been a few years younger than me.

I finished the book and am a bit mixed on it. The story definitely kept me interested and I enjoyed reading it, but in the end it lacked something that I can't put into words just yet.

Non-spoilery I think, but I'd love to get an insider's perspective on the early 80s in Britain. What parts resonated with you?

Also curious to hear more about the public interest in the royal wedding and more about the race protests at the time.

My father was very anti-royalist so we were largely able to ignore the wedding. I didn't see any obvious anachronisms.

Hugh wrote: "My father was very anti-royalist so we were largely able to ignore the wedding. I didn't see any obvious anachronisms."

I've always been fascinated by people's fascinations with the royal family. And the anti-royalists. And the role of royalty in the modern day. Sorry for the side-track since this isn't at all what the book is about.

I liked that the author located this story by putting the race protests and the royal wedding in the background. Made the characters and the issues they were experiencing seem more true to their times.
(also not relevant to this book, but it reminds me of how Kate and William's wedding was used effectively in the backdrop of the 3rd book in the Cormoran Strike series, Career of Evil.)

One thing I loved about this book is how the author really nailed the skewed logic of a 9-year-old in a precarious, vulnerable and uncertain situation. The story feels authentic to me - to the people, the situation and the times. One contributing factor, I think, is that DeWaal spent 15 years in family and criminal law and so had first hand knowledge of cases like Leon and Jake's. She says in this review/interview: "I wanted to be true to what Leon’s life would really be like. And, also, I wanted to be fair to all the other people who appear in the book. . . . The real-life care system, de Waal insists, is not made up of cartoon goodies and baddies. “They’re just people. People who are trying their best, usually.”

I did this as an audio book and Have to say the narrator did a great job for me.

Beverly wrote: "I did this as an audio book and Have to say the narrator did a great job for me."

I did too and was impressed with the narrator!

I'm rereading in print, but did a sample of the audiobook and was also impressed. I didn't want to spend an Audible credit (wasn't available from my library in audio) or I would have also listened. Glad to hear you enjoyed it.