Meet the Radleys
Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in an English town. They are an everyday family, averagely dysfu...
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reviews
Dec 19, 2010
Cyna
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The Radleys is not exactly a paranormal romance. Both the back of the book and the introductory letter (in our ARC) by Free Press Senior Editor Amber Qureshi call it a 'domestic drama', or as Amber says, more of an American Beauty than a Twilight. This is an accurate description (I think - I barely remember American Beauty), and exactly the reason I fell in love with The Radleys by the end of the first chapter.
The writing here is solid. It flows, it's quick, light, and - oh God you hav More...
The writing here is solid. It flows, it's quick, light, and - oh God you hav More...
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Jan 29, 2011
Jackie
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Yes, it's true. It IS another vampire book. But with some interesting new ideas about "abstaining" vampires (they don't drink blood anymore--just eat a whole lot of rare meat) and mixing in with society that keep it fun and fresh and the pages flying by. It's a British novel, so there are some interesting quirks there, as well. The basic premise is that two abstaining vampires--one a born vampire, one converted--have become your basic suburban couple with two teenagers--two vampire
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Oct 01, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
"Twilight" eat your heart out : )
In this immensely satisfying read Matt Haig presents us with the Radleys- a typical middle class English family that just happens to want to drink your blood. But like good Britons they are fighting against their baser instincts and leading an upstanding existence in a quaint country town. Having recently read Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach" the portrait of the, yet again, typically repressed Brits was especially on point.
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In this immensely satisfying read Matt Haig presents us with the Radleys- a typical middle class English family that just happens to want to drink your blood. But like good Britons they are fighting against their baser instincts and leading an upstanding existence in a quaint country town. Having recently read Ian McEwan's "On Chesil Beach" the portrait of the, yet again, typically repressed Brits was especially on point.
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Apr 22, 2011
Nancy
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Fun addition to the vampires-among-us genre. The Radleys are a family of abstaining vampires who do not drink blood. They even have an "Abstainers Handbook." But it is a repressive lifestyle and they are not thriving. The daughter just tried to go Vegan--trouble is coming.
Jan 01, 2012
Bissfan
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In der englischen Kleinstadt Bishopthorpe würde niemand auf die Idee kommen, dass der Nachbar vielleicht kein Mensch ist. Man kennt sich, man passt sich an. Es gibt nur wenige Läden und die nächste größere Stadt ist meilenweit entfernt. Niemand schöpft Verdacht.
Doch was niemand weiß: Eine Familie aus ihrem Kreis ist nicht das, für das sie sich ausgibt.
Der leichte Schreibstil des Autors passt sehr gut zur Geschichte, dadurch kommt die richtige Stimmung auf und man findet s More...
Doch was niemand weiß: Eine Familie aus ihrem Kreis ist nicht das, für das sie sich ausgibt.
Der leichte Schreibstil des Autors passt sehr gut zur Geschichte, dadurch kommt die richtige Stimmung auf und man findet s More...
Dec 31, 2011
Jodi
rated it: 
I was not expecting to be impressed when I picked up yet another vampire book to read but this was not the typical vampire novel we’ve been bombarded with lately. I found myself enjoying the story line which is quirky and unexpected with refreshing touches of humour.
The Radleys live an idyllic life in a quaint little village in England. At least that is how they appear to the town’s people. You see the Radleys are different than most people they are actually a family of vampires. Peter is More...
The Radleys live an idyllic life in a quaint little village in England. At least that is how they appear to the town’s people. You see the Radleys are different than most people they are actually a family of vampires. Peter is More...
Dec 29, 2011
Sam
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The Radleys are a stereotypical, suburban, middle class British family. They listen to radio four, attend book clubs, discuss golf during dinner parties with their equally middle class neighbours and make lunch the evening before going to work. But they have some oddities - they can't go out in the sun without sunblock, a vegetarian diet makes them ill and son Rowan keeps getting a funny skin rash ...
This darkly humorous book from Matt Haig is a new take on vampire novels. There's n More...
This darkly humorous book from Matt Haig is a new take on vampire novels. There's n More...
Dec 29, 2011
Jake
rated it: 
I have mixed feeling about whether this was a good book. Basically its about vampire family +uncle, Haig wrote the story very well and times I could feel like I was in the story. However the plot just wasn't as good as I thought it could have been. I find vampires and zombies very fascinating but in my opinion they are being over exhaust by modern day people (such as twilight, true blood etc) and should create a new kind of myth.
The story about a family that the parents are hiding th More...
The story about a family that the parents are hiding th More...
Nov 30, 2011
Kiki
rated it:
This is NOT my usual reading. I seldom read paranormal/supernatural fiction. I read a few Anne Rice back over 20 years ago (love Interview With the Vampire AND The Mummy), and with the exception of a ghost story here and there, and Twilight, which I read because my girls were reading it (took one day, 4 hours of my life I will never get back--UGH!), this kind of book doesn't usually show up on my reading radar.
However, somewhere, somehow, I came across it in discussion somewhere on More...
However, somewhere, somehow, I came across it in discussion somewhere on More...
Nov 16, 2011
Aly (Fantasy4eva)
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The Radleys have always been seen as odd, no matter how hard parents Helen and Peter try to keep their lives normal as possible. They long agreed to abstain from blood, but when Peter's brother Will comes back into their lives, all the member's of the family find their resistance dwindling. Unaware that they are, in fact, vampires, Clara has become a vegan and has failed to realise after she finds herself throwing up and becoming weak, that this is the result of her denying the meat she so needs
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Nov 15, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Definitely the best vampire fiction I've read in a long time, and by far the best vamp read for adults I've EVER read. Why for adults? Not because of the gore, though there's a little. Because this is a book about family, about the sadness of marriages gone stale, the grinding bitterness of living the rest of your life with a decision you regret. Not exactly juicy stuff for teens. And the horror is much less the voluptuous horror of the sexy victim before the bloodsucker penetrates her...neck...
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Nov 04, 2011
Tim
rated it:
Supernatural creatures trying to blend in with “normal humans” is a fairly popular plot device in fiction these days. What makes it fresh in Matt Haig's The Radleys is that half the family doesn't know they're keeping a low profile. Actually, they aren't even aware of their supernatural nature.
Though parents Peter and Helen know what they are, they've deliberately kept their children in the dark. Claire and Rowan have always been weak and prone to sickness, due to their inadvertent a More...
Though parents Peter and Helen know what they are, they've deliberately kept their children in the dark. Claire and Rowan have always been weak and prone to sickness, due to their inadvertent a More...
Oct 12, 2011
Marquina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Oct 09, 2011
Христо
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За вампиризма и въздържането от него – “Кланът Радли” на Мат Хейг
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/10/blog...
Вампирски истории приемам само ако са много кървави и минимум (по възможност хич) любовни. Досега в Книголандия представих три такива заглавия – изключително якия “Заразата” на Гийермо дел Торо и Чък Хоган (ревюто за чиято втора част – “Падението” – отлежава вече над месец в очакване книгата да излезе), средната работа “Съншайн” и разочаровалият ме “Проходът”. А, и да не п More...
http://www.knigolandia.info/2011/10/blog...
Вампирски истории приемам само ако са много кървави и минимум (по възможност хич) любовни. Досега в Книголандия представих три такива заглавия – изключително якия “Заразата” на Гийермо дел Торо и Чък Хоган (ревюто за чиято втора част – “Падението” – отлежава вече над месец в очакване книгата да излезе), средната работа “Съншайн” и разочаровалият ме “Проходът”. А, и да не п More...
Sep 30, 2011
Lrclark83
rated it:
The Radleys are a family of abstaining vampires living in suburban England. All is well (or as well as can be) in Radleyland until one night when Clara, the Radley's daughter, unexpectedly reveals her true nature. The family is forced to stop and reevaluate their lifestyle and learn that it's not as easy to abstain as they once believed.
I received this book as a First Read and was excited about the story. I read a lot of teen vampire books and was looking forward to graduating More...
I received this book as a First Read and was excited about the story. I read a lot of teen vampire books and was looking forward to graduating More...
Sep 24, 2011
Anne
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The Radleys is the story of the Radley family. The father and mother, Peter and Helen, are abstaining vampires trying to blend into their normal English town. They have two teenage children, Rowan and Clara, who realize they are different from everyone else but do not know they are vampires. One night Clara is attacked at a party by a boy and that is when all of the family secrets begin to come out.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. I like reading books about vampires and this one More...
I really enjoyed this book a lot. I like reading books about vampires and this one More...
Sep 14, 2011
Elizabeth
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A small town family that does everything to fit in, the 2 Radley children (Clara and Rowan) don't even know they are vampires until Clara is attacked by a boy and bites him to avoid being raped. Sadly for her, then blood lust sets in and she eats most of his chest before calling her parents (Helen and Peter) to come and get her. So the Radley parents come and try to cover up the mess, something they haven't dealt with since the kids were born, and call in Peter's brother for help since he's st
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Aug 29, 2011
Fence
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17 Orchard Lane, in Bishopthorpe is a quiet, residential spot. Home to the respectable types; doctors and architects. You know that sort of *respectable* English street. But one of the families resident here is keeping a secret. A secret the parents are keeping even from their own teenage children. Clara and her older brother Rowan have always thought of themselves as different from the other kids. Pale, often sick, and often the victims of bullies. But the reason why is about to be revealed to
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Aug 26, 2011
Jackie
rated it:
On deciding to have a look at the books being reviewed on the TV Book Club, I saw this book and on reading the description, found I was intrigued.
This is a vampire story, but for a change not all about the angst of teenagers. The family, the Radleys, mum and dad with teenage son & daughter, are just living normal if somewhat boring lives in their small village. The kids having a hard time at school, the father a local GP and mum a housewife. However, the parents are actually vampires More...
This is a vampire story, but for a change not all about the angst of teenagers. The family, the Radleys, mum and dad with teenage son & daughter, are just living normal if somewhat boring lives in their small village. The kids having a hard time at school, the father a local GP and mum a housewife. However, the parents are actually vampires More...
Jul 29, 2011
Peri
rated it:
“. . . at three o’clock in the morning in the village of Bishopthorpe, it is easy to believe the lie indulged in by its residents–that it is a place for good and quiet people to live good and quiet lives. . . If you let yourself think this, you would be wrong. For 17 Orchard Lane is the home of the Radleys, and despite their very best efforts, they are anything but normal.”
My second book is “The Radleys” by Matt Haig. This isn’t your gentle, slow Boo Radley character. This is your “We’re trying More...
My second book is “The Radleys” by Matt Haig. This isn’t your gentle, slow Boo Radley character. This is your “We’re trying More...
Jul 26, 2011
Matti
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"Me olemme keskiluokkaa ja me olemme brittejä. Tukahduttaminen on meissä verenperintönä."
Englantilaisessa lähiössä elävää Radleyn perhettä pidetään naapurustossa hieman omalaatuisena, mutta kenelläkään ei ole aavistusta millaista salaisuutta väljähtämään päässeessä avioliitossa elävät vanhemmat Peter ja Helen kantavat harteillaan. Radleyt ovat nimittäin vampyyreja, jotka kuitenkin yrittävät keinolla millä hyvänsä pitäytyä erossa verestä. Katastrofi uhkaa ja tarkoin varjellut More...
Englantilaisessa lähiössä elävää Radleyn perhettä pidetään naapurustossa hieman omalaatuisena, mutta kenelläkään ei ole aavistusta millaista salaisuutta väljähtämään päässeessä avioliitossa elävät vanhemmat Peter ja Helen kantavat harteillaan. Radleyt ovat nimittäin vampyyreja, jotka kuitenkin yrittävät keinolla millä hyvänsä pitäytyä erossa verestä. Katastrofi uhkaa ja tarkoin varjellut More...
Jul 25, 2011
Reetta
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Radleyn perhe lupaa erilaista vampyyrimenoa, ja sitä se myös tarjoilee. Nykyisen "pararomantiikan" (joka ei kyllä ole sana, ainakaan yliluonnollismielessä) sijasta Haigin romaani on hyvinkin realistinen - päähenkilöt vain sattuvat olemaan vampyyreja. Vähän niin kuin Ruohometsän kansa ei ole fantasiakirja, vaan kuvaus jännittävien jänisten elämästä.
Oikeastaan Radleyn perhe on mikä tahansa keskiluokkainen brittisuku, jolla on kaapin täydeltä luurankoja ja valtava tarve sulaut More...
Oikeastaan Radleyn perhe on mikä tahansa keskiluokkainen brittisuku, jolla on kaapin täydeltä luurankoja ja valtava tarve sulaut More...
Jul 19, 2011
Alicia
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One of the other librarians gave this to me to read at work because it's part of the TV Book Club summer read promotion that we're doing. And because I want to keep up with our promotions, I took it home. Okay, and maybe because I was intrigued about the vampire angle. I might be known to have read a fair number of vamp books in my day, and I can say that this was much different. If anything, it's more a read about British repression than any of the daily knock-out paperbacks you get about va
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Jun 04, 2011
Vegantrav
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Okay, I'm not really into vampire books, or, at least, I thought I was not until I read The Radleys. I read Twilight, Stephanie Meyer's first vampire novel, and found it more suitable to the tastes of a 15-year-old girl and so was a bit skeptical as to whether I would actually like The Radleys.
Still, when I saw The Radleys in the display area at my local library, I did, as I am wont to do, judge the book by its cover, which I found rather intriguing, so I picked it up and read the dus More...
Still, when I saw The Radleys in the display area at my local library, I did, as I am wont to do, judge the book by its cover, which I found rather intriguing, so I picked it up and read the dus More...
Apr 27, 2011
Jennie
rated it:
Matt Haig is known for his dark takes on “ordinary” family life. The Radleys—literary fiction about the modern nuclear family with an oddly metaphoric vampiric twist—is Haig at his best. Peter—limping towards a midlife crisis—and Helen—plagued by secrets and regrets—have lied to their unpopular, awkward children Rowan and Clara since they were born. They’re all “abstainers”—vampires who refuse to drink blood. Their practiced lies and feigned suburban banality fall apart when shy Clara gives in t
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Apr 12, 2011
kari
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This was very different than the typical supernatural story which seems to be cropping up everywhere. Yes, there is a new girl in school and yes, the vampire boy is very aware of her, but she isn't obsessed with him and he doesn't hang out all night watching her sleep or run about scowling, smouldering and being mysterious.
In this book, the vampires are suffering to abstain, eating lots of red meat and raising their naturally born vampire children without the children's knowledge of what t More...
In this book, the vampires are suffering to abstain, eating lots of red meat and raising their naturally born vampire children without the children's knowledge of what t More...
Mar 20, 2011
Elizabeth
rated it:
When I initially picked up the book--based on its title and its picket fence on the cover, I was thinking of the To Kill a Mockingbird Radleys. And wondered if someone had chosen to tell the Radley version of the story. But I immediately thought about the copyright infringement, etc. and looked at the jacket description.
Oh, no--not another vampire book was my next thought. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there's a vampire family, but it's not the smug and icy Cullens of The More...
Oh, no--not another vampire book was my next thought. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, there's a vampire family, but it's not the smug and icy Cullens of The More...
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Jan 19, 2011
Eleanor
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This one caught my eye because of the immediate connection I made - erroneously - to the Radley family of Harper Lee's Maycomb, Alabama. (I have no idea if Haig meant for it to reference that. I am a lazy reader and find too much research makes me feel like I'm back in Norman McMillan's graduate level lit courses.)
If you care whether he meant it or not, I encourage you to Google your heart out.
I digress.
What starts out as a darkly comic social commentary slows whe More...
If you care whether he meant it or not, I encourage you to Google your heart out.
I digress.
What starts out as a darkly comic social commentary slows whe More...
Jan 17, 2011
Jessica
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“It is a quiet place, especially at night. Too quiet, you’d be entitled to think, for any kind of monster to live among its pretty, tree-shaded lanes. Indeed, at three o’clock in the morning in the village of Bishopthorpe, it is easy to believe the lie indulged by its residents--that it is a place for good and quiet people to live good and quiet lives” (Haig 5). This is the opening paragraph I read in The Radleys. This mysterious beginning gave me a sort of eerie feeling of what could possibly b
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Jan 15, 2011
Noémie
rated it:
En effet c'est bien barré mais du barré étudié et bien agréable!
Pour l'histoire on suit un famille de vampire qui se renie, mais ce serais pas juste si c'était trop facile non?
Nous somme en Angleterre à Orchade Lane (un certain wisteria lane?), on suit les personnages de la famille d'une part mais aussi l'apparition d'un oncle pas vraiment végétarien....
Ce qui est bien c'est que les chapitres sont petits mais tout s'enchaine vite et bien, de la bonne littérature, j'ai bien rig More...
Pour l'histoire on suit un famille de vampire qui se renie, mais ce serais pas juste si c'était trop facile non?
Nous somme en Angleterre à Orchade Lane (un certain wisteria lane?), on suit les personnages de la famille d'une part mais aussi l'apparition d'un oncle pas vraiment végétarien....
Ce qui est bien c'est que les chapitres sont petits mais tout s'enchaine vite et bien, de la bonne littérature, j'ai bien rig More...
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