The Outcast

by Sadie Jones
The Outcast  
published 2008 by Chatto and Windus
binding Hardcover
isbn 0701181753   (isbn13: 9780701181758)
pages 352
description Set in post-WWII suburban London, this superb debut novel charts the downward spiral and tortured redemption of a young man shattered by loss. The war...more
date added
10-18-07



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Soooo depressing!! 1 03/21/2008 04:12PM

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 115)



Chloe
Chloe rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
10/31/07

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in October, 2007
One of the things I was not keen on was the fact that the book is set in the 1950's, I am not normally a fan of books set in the past so this made me feel a bit apprehensive. It follows the life of Lewis Alridge in several parts, which is what made the novel so enjoyable to me. We find out all the things about Lewis that you would want to know, find out why he is like he is, and also find out a bit about the neighbours who live near him.

We join the book to find out that Lewis has been in pri...more
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Jeanne
Jeanne rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/16/08

Read in April, 2008
Lewis Aldridge has been released after 2 years in prison. It is 1957, and he is coming home. But for some reason, nobody's really keen on seeing Lewis again. Why?

Rewind to 1945. His father has just returned from the war and somewhat dismayed to see that young Lewis has become quite attached to his mother. For his part, Lewis barely remembers his father. A few years later, in a tragic accident, Lewis's drunken mother drowns in the river, and nothing is ever the same again. For anyone. ...more
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Betsy
Betsy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/03/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: jill's bookclub, my sisters, emma
"Atonement" meets "We Need to Talk about Kevin" meets "Rebel Without a Cause," (sort of) this first novel about a troubled teen-ager trying to survive and grow up in a stuffy, repressed village full of upper-class (no doubt Tory) twits outside London in post-WWII England is a total page-turner. Since suspense is a big part of the book's lure, I'm reluctant to provide plot details. There's tragedy, romance, violence and the last few chapters, in particular, had me tu...more
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Preeta
Preeta rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/29/08

Read in April, 2008
recommends it for: people with beating hearts
It took me a few chapters to warm to the prose, which felt a bit clumsy at first -- like big grey blocks the writer kept dropping on my foot -- but as I grew to love the protagonist, I came to see the prose as an essential part of him, an expression of his tortured thought patterns. Which is interesting because the narrative is in shifting close 3rd-person points of view, but Lewis's voice -- or what I came to see as Lewis's voice, angry and raw and intense, colours the whole thing. In the end...more
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Jenny
Jenny rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/24/08

Read in April, 2008
This was an interesting book for me...I quickly got into it and devoured the first 100 pages and then all of a sudden the narrative just seemed to come to a halt for me. I put the book down and didn't really have any motivation to pick it up again for several days. Then I found out the book was due back to the library and I couldn't renew it because it was on hold for someone else. So I decided I was going to keep it and try to finish as quickly as possible. After another 10 or 15 slow pages...more
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Mark
Mark marked it as to-read
04/03/08

bookshelves: to-read
From the publisher:

It’s 1957 and Lewis Aldridge is travelling back to his home in the South of England. He is straight out of jail and nineteen years old. His return will trigger the implosion not just of his family, but of a whole community.
A decade earlier, his father’s homecoming casts a different shape. The war is over and Gilbert reverts easily to suburban life — cocktails at six-thirty, church on Sundays — but his wife and young son resist the stuffy routine. Lewis and his mo...more
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Stephanie
Stephanie rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/01/08

Okay. This is grim. But having read to the end now, I can say that the writing is sufficiently beautiful and the author is in such tight and absolute control of her material, that it's worth it. It's a pleasure to read and the ending redeems much of the grimness. The young man we root for finds his way. A young girl we fear for is terribly brave. Together, they provide an uplifting and very believable resolution. It's really a lovely book.
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Carol Ann
Carol Ann rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/05/08

Read in May, 2008
The development of all the characters was written with lovely attention, even the unlovely characters. This story follows the life of Lewis Aldridge from early boyhood to young adulthood. There is something terribly wrong about this boy, that just the right gesture or sign, could save him. You will have to read the book to find out if that gesture was ever made.
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Dora
Dora rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
04/09/08

Read in March, 2008
My rating has less to do with the literary quality of this book and far more to do with the fact that reading a book so skillfully crafted to express pain, regret and brokenness is unwise during the gray and bleak Minnesota springs.
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Abby
Abby rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/30/08

Read in April, 2008
Like the reviews I read about this book, I found it hard to believe this was a new author. Sadie Jones is definitely talented, I especially appreciated her character building skills, I seemed to know what a character was going to do before they did it. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will wait anxiously for her next one.
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Debbie
Debbie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
04/01/08

Read in April, 2008
This book had beautifully drawn characters especially kit. the book looked like it was going to be predictable but the ending was unexpected and beautiful. lewis' character would have been on medication in our day and age, if he was willing, and would have been a different kid.












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eb
eb rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/26/07

A little purple, a touch melodramatic, and slightly repetitive, but who cares? I burst into tears *twice* during the final 40 pages. If you like Gothic novels and have a thing for Heathcliff types, don't miss this one.
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Kelly
Kelly rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
04/13/08

Read in April, 2008
This was a litany of very uninteresting dysfunction. I guess I was hoping for some post WWII stylish, suburban claustrophobia (Far From Heaven), but these characters were so unlikable and very predictable.
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Mindy
Mindy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/25/08

Read in March, 2008
Very well written, hard to put down but also hard to finish. Very depressing, would be a real wrist slitter if it was set in modern times. Sort of like something Cormac McCarthy would write.
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Jim
Jim rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/03/08

Read in May, 2008
about the English middle class after WW II
very quick read and emotionally very intense about fitting in for young people then
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Stephanie
Stephanie marked it as to-read
03/17/08

bookshelves: to-read
I saw this in a bookstore at Heathrow Airport. I don't even know if it's published in the U.S. yet. But it seemed good.
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Jess
Jess rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/26/07

Read in November, 2007
A little bit Atonement, a little bit Wuthering Heights. Jones knows pacing: Someday it'll make a great movie.
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Shannon
Shannon rated it: 2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars2 of 5 stars
03/29/08

Read in March, 2008
Well written but depressing- 1950s families NOT dealing with alcohol abuse,wife beating, etc. Bleh.
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Beth
05/12/08

Read in May, 2008
After the first 50 pages, the rest of the book is quite melancholy.
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Judy
Judy rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/13/08

Read in May, 2008
It was a little dark but a good read.
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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.68 (41 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.76 (38 ratings)
number of reviews: 23






other editions

The Outcast (Hardcover)
The Outcast (Hardcover)