In her stunning debut, Nicola Monaghan lays bare the gritty underbelly of life in Nottingham, England.
Very early on, Kerrie-Ann begins to dr... read full description
reviews
Feb 09, 2008
Marsha
rated it: 
This book is not for everyone-it is very compelling but a very tough subject. The main character, Kez, tells her story of growing up the un-cared for daughter of a heroin junkie in London. She is smart and dreams of escaping from her awful situation, but just gets deeper and deeper into it. She grows up way too fast, dealing and using drugs while still in elementary school. You keep rooting for her, hoping that the spark of humanity within her isn't completely snuffed. This particular story is f
More...
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 30, 2009
Ilze
rated it: 
Once you've read far enough into this book not to notice that it's written "Irish like", you won't be able to put it down. In fact, I was even wondering whether Kerrie-Ann (or Kez) actually lived and had this extremely tragic life. Fortunately the cover insert tells you that Monaghan is a college graduate, i.e. not someone that's high on "E" and living with a junkie for a boyfriend ... which in a "pupae" is what this book is about. Because of the symbolism of a kill
More...
Jun 01, 2010
Jodie
rated it: 
Even though the subject is certainly very bleak there were moments, but only moments, of good writing for me. It is a difficult read and lagged in the middle, I certainly didn't find it fast paced at all like some of the reviewers. It is heavily based on the drug culture and it is so so sad the way some of these kids grow up. The protagonist, Kez, is a clever but very undervalued girl - her mum is a heroin addict and a prostitute and Kez has to live with several "uncles" in her house w
More...
Feb 23, 2009
Sarah
rated it: 
Absolutely brilliant - bleak as hell but worth it. At last an English female writer with a real edge.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
May 13, 2010
Liz
rated it:
I had such mixed feelings about this book. It's a quick read and it definitely sucks you in, but it sometimes seems so over-the-top. Set in a British housing estate, it tells the story of a young girl who's born into a life of drugs and crime. I found it hard to believe that some of these events could really take place. But the narrative voice was so strong I was hooked and kept reading.
I also had mixed feelings about the ending. I felt like it was heading in one direction, but then i More...
I also had mixed feelings about the ending. I felt like it was heading in one direction, but then i More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 20, 2010
Joy
rated it:
This story takes place in a part of England that I am not familiar with and is written in a dialect also unfamiliar. However I did enjoy it. Set in a government housing project we meet Kerri-Ann when she is only 5 years old and living with her junkie mum and her new baby brother, and an assortment of "uncles". You know from the beginning that this little girl doesn't have a chance, but she never gives up on her dream to escape this life. I found this a gripping story very well writt
More...
Nov 26, 2007
Eileen
rated it:
Kerrie-Anne Hill lived a full life before the age of 18. Raised in Nottingham estates by a junkie mother who ran out when Kez was 16, a series of "uncles" in and out of the house, and a little brother left to raise...all Kez could do was find ways to fend for herself. Her junkie boyfriend moved in shortly after her mom left. Living the drug life, of dealing, using and a series of murders, Kerrie-Anne fights to be set free reguardless of the price.
I picked this book up simp More...
I picked this book up simp More...
Aug 09, 2009
Laura
rated it:
This book was recommended on the Austin Public Library librarian's list of best books. I will never look at librarians the same again! Kidding. But it is so intense. I loved it, couldn't put it down, but in a sick-feeling-in-my-stomach kind of way. Caution- if you dislike heavy use of dialect, you will not enjoy it- the story takes place in Nottingham housing project and it's a little tricky to read at first, but worth it.
Mar 26, 2008
Lauren
rated it:
Liked this alot. The dialect takes a bit of getting used to but once you get into it, it begins to flow. The author jumps right into the disturbing details of life in a very tough neighborhood and introduces death right away. It's about destruction, and how difficult it is not to self-destruct in a world that basically pushes you in that direction. Doing what you have to do to survive no matter how wrong it is, how hurt you get, what horrible things you need to do. But also shows a glimmer of
More...
Nov 15, 2009
Tania
rated it:
This stunning, darkly disturbing novel gripped me from the opening page, with its strong voice and its fully-realised world. I was changed by reading it, I can't stop thinking about it, and if this is not the mark of a great book, I don't know what is.
Sep 13, 2010
Bbora
rated it:
An initially interesting (if not particularly original) premise of young girl surrounded by poverty, abuse, and drugs, but unfortunately the pacing and completely unsympathetic protagonist made me lose all interest halfway through the book.
Jun 07, 2011
Xina
rated it:
UGH, most of the reviews of this book say that in real life, if this girl were in this situation, it would not be that bad, and that the author has exaggerated the effects of this type of life on a person. This is a grave misconception. Not only would the life of someone in this situation be "that bad" it would likely be much, much worse.
If Kerrie Anne were in the same situation she is in this book, there would have been similar events. She would likely to have been raped mul More...
If Kerrie Anne were in the same situation she is in this book, there would have been similar events. She would likely to have been raped mul More...
Dec 16, 2009
Abbie
rated it:
I loved the book it is tough and gritty and not a feel good story. I ached for Kez the young girl at the center of the story but as much as her horrible life made me sad her resilience, courage and strength are also inspiring. Good read.
May 06, 2009
AAAAAHHHHH It's scary and will make you want to puke but it's addictive and you read on even though it shocks you to the core... so I'm not sure how to rate it.
Feb 02, 2009
I just finished it and was sad to see it go. What a damn good book! Excellent from page one on. I got it at the library, in the 'new fiction' section.
Mar 23, 2011
Kerrie
rated it:
This novel is excellent. The characters are really well coloured-in and it's well paced. You really should read it.
Jul 10, 2009
Setting this one aside, for now. Just not enjoying it enough to keep going.
Oct 22, 2010
Alwa
rated it:
Quick read, fine for what it was. The characterization is sort of clumsy--our murdering young miscreant narrator's favorite color is arterial-blood red? Get outta town!--and the whole symbolic pairing of butterflies and personal metamorphosis is beyond cliched, but just when you start rolling your eyes, Monaghan brings it back with a well-observed moment or two. Also weird: all the passages about how delightful and perfect a drug Ecstasy is in what's otherwise a grim, realist portrayal of drug u
More...
Jun 20, 2007
MM
rated it:
Oh, I dunno, this is a fast read, perfect for nights of insomnia, I suppose. And it’s gripping, if only for the heavy dialect and grisly context. The story is soaked in Nottingham drug culture, in all its class problems, grisly detail, and seemingly inevitable moral relativity. Our narrator is a girl who is thrust into the role of drug dealer at an early age. She has simultaneous impulses for manipulation, survival, vulnerability, innocence, and redemption, and we're supposed to root for her.
More...
Feb 16, 2011
Christina
rated it: 
Try as I might, I just could not get into The Killing Jar. It wasn’t that the subject matter turned me off the novel, although it was somewhat difficult to swallow. I just couldn’t do it.
I can’t even really pinpoint why I didn’t like it — maybe the distracting accent interjected into the narrative or the lack of fluidity from paragraph to paragraph. All I know is that The Killing Jar just wasn’t for me.
I can’t even really pinpoint why I didn’t like it — maybe the distracting accent interjected into the narrative or the lack of fluidity from paragraph to paragraph. All I know is that The Killing Jar just wasn’t for me.
Dec 17, 2009
Alicia
rated it:
The Killing Jar is the story of a young girl, who grows up in house filled with drugs, violence and addiction. Her slow transformation from young girl who still believes in a different life, into the life of a psychotic addict is mesmerizing and disturbing. Perhaps the most effective element of this novel is her utter likability, even as she commits a series of increasingly violent crimes as she tries to escape the lifestyle.
Jul 21, 2008
Malinda
rated it:
This work of fiction is about some junkies living in rural England during the rise of the rave culture. The main character, Kez, is abandoned by her junkie/hooker mother and has to support her younger brother. She deals with teen pregnancy, abusive relationships, learning how to deal drugs, and being hooked on them herself. I got into this story and would most likely read another book by this author.
Aug 06, 2008
Lori
rated it:
This book really wasn't bad, but the subject matter is grim. The social worker in me likes subjects like these sometimes, but with so many other good books to read I put this down about half way to read something else. I have been so busy lately and exhausted at the end of the day that I have had difficulty finding time to read.
Feb 01, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
I only read half of this debut novel that was on the Top Ten Debut 2007 novels list in BookList. The drug use was just too heavy for me. I can handle the occasional drugs in my books, but that's all this book seems to be about. I know, I know, I'm sure it changes in the end, but I don't want to wait that long!
Mar 15, 2010
Gael
rated it:
Gritty realism kind of describes this book about a girl growing up in Nottingham, England in one of the roughest areas. It will definitely leave an impression of how others live their lives and you will care about these characters.
Oct 08, 2011
If you're into this book then join my page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Nicola-... or follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/nikimon
Jul 15, 2008
Alan
rated it:
My 18 year old daughter passed this on to me, and I enjoyed it, if 'enjoyed' is the right word. Powerful, gritty, as other reviewers have said. A good read!
Mar 01, 2008
Mary
rated it:
Powerful story of a girl growing up in the ghetto estates in England. Shocking and riveting emotional story of love and violence.
