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Number 33 Georgiana Street houses many people and yet seems home to none. To runaway Sam it is a place to disappear. To Bohemia, it's just another blip between crises, as her mum ricochets off the latest boyfriend. Old Isobel acts like she owns the place, even though it actually belongs to Steve in the basement, who is always looking to squeeze in yet another tenant. Life there is a kind of ordered chaos. Like ants, they scurry about their business, crossing paths, following their own tracks, no questions asked.But it doesn't take much to upset the balance. Dig deep enough and you'll find that everyone has something to hide…
205 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
15 people are currently reading
355 people want to read
About the author
Jenny Valentine
38 books181 followersJenny Valentine moved house every two years when she was growing up. She has just moved house again, probably not for the last time. She worked in a wholefood shop in Primrose Hill for fifteen years where she met many extraordinary people and sold more organic loaves than there are words in her first novel. She has also worked as a teaching assistant and a jewellery maker. She studied English Literature at Goldsmiths College, which almost put her off reading but not quite.
Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children.
In 2007, Jenny won the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction with her debut novel FINDING VIOLET PARK.
Jenny is married to a singer/songwriter and has two children.
In 2007, Jenny won the Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction with her debut novel FINDING VIOLET PARK.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 8, 2019
Listened to the audiobook. Must say that Bohemia is a very naive girl. She thinks that she's old enough to look after herself while she's only 10, doesn't go to school and doesn't have clothes that fit her properly either... Anyway, this was an enjoyable story after all.
February 13, 2013
I've read a couple of Jenny Valentine's books in the past (Finding Violet Park and The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight) and a few things have struck me...
1) She is very good at plot. I'm always a bit sceptical when picking up a book labelled as a 'mystery' because I am invariably disappointed. Having been brought up on a rigorous diet of Agatha Christie, I have very high mystery standards and quite like my mysteries to be very mysterious. Jenny Valentine has won me over before by being successfully mysterious on two previous occasions.
2) The covers of her books are very misleading. They seem to be either very light-hearted comic-strippy things or pastelly with lots of swirls. If I was the sort of person who used the word 'fluffy' them I might call them that. But her writing is not. A lot of the subject matter is very dark indeed. Yes, maybe in a slightly wry and humorous way, but dark nevertheless. Which means I end up looking at her covers with a scrunched up forehead most of the time.
So,The Ant Colony...well, the dark stuff is still here. It quickly becomes apparent that one of our narrator's, ten year old Bohemia, has a pretty grim existence, but manages to put her own optimistic take on it. And the mystery is here to, with the background of runaway Sam shrouded in MYSTERY until the very end. So yes, I did keep staring at the bizarre cover and thinking WTF?? quite a bit. This wasn't as plot-heavy as some of her other books, but felt more focused on how these characters interact. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Quite a good thing in fact.
And her writing is just so bloody good. Just the most gorgeous turns of phrase that made me dog-ear so many pages of my copy.
"A little boy at the window of another train, crammed in, surrounded my arms, the sleeve of a quilted jacket squashed flat against the glass like someone pulling a face."
See?
And I think my favourite thing about this book is how she writes London. How she makes it feel like a living, breathing whole, in equal parts exasperating and exhilarating.
"Mum and Dad moved away from London before I was born. They always said that city people who move to the country are never at home. Wherever they are, they miss they love about wherever they're not. You fall in love with the spaces and the air, while you pine for the crowds and the movement. You learn four hundred and fifty new shades of green but everyone's skin is the same colour. You crave the lights and the speed and the noise that when you get there are too bright and too fast and too loud."
I found this video on the Guardian website where Jenny Valentine talks about London and books and London books. Watching it makes me feel very proud and lucky to live here (although some days, not so much). Anyway, it might give you an idea about how important the city is to this book, how it works as one of the main characters.
So, back to the point I made at the start concerning the covers. Well, I loved this book. Up to a point. And I shall explain why, or try to without littering this review with too many spoilers. Although there is a bit of a spoiler, sorry...
Light-hearted cover = dark subject matter. So why, when I got to the ending, did I end up wishing that the cover didn't match the book at this point? Does this make sense? For a book that seems to spend 90% of it's time wallowing in the complexities of life, why does it choose to have a very cut and dried conclusion? I love a happy ending as much as the next person, but this just did not feel right and put a bit of an ironic dampner on proceedings for me, I'm afraid.
But I heartily recommend this one. I can see adults enjoying it just as much as younger readers and it has so much to say about so many things - community, why people choose to disappear, the things that go on under our noses that we choose to ignore. I just wish real-life endings were as happy as this one.
( I just had a look at the US edition of Cassiel Roadnight. It's called Double and they've made it look like a typical YA thriller, although this doesn't feel right either. I KNOW. THERE'S NO PLEASING ME)
(BUT, I do like the cover and title of US Finding Violet Park)
(Sorry, I'll shut up now)
1) She is very good at plot. I'm always a bit sceptical when picking up a book labelled as a 'mystery' because I am invariably disappointed. Having been brought up on a rigorous diet of Agatha Christie, I have very high mystery standards and quite like my mysteries to be very mysterious. Jenny Valentine has won me over before by being successfully mysterious on two previous occasions.
2) The covers of her books are very misleading. They seem to be either very light-hearted comic-strippy things or pastelly with lots of swirls. If I was the sort of person who used the word 'fluffy' them I might call them that. But her writing is not. A lot of the subject matter is very dark indeed. Yes, maybe in a slightly wry and humorous way, but dark nevertheless. Which means I end up looking at her covers with a scrunched up forehead most of the time.
So,The Ant Colony...well, the dark stuff is still here. It quickly becomes apparent that one of our narrator's, ten year old Bohemia, has a pretty grim existence, but manages to put her own optimistic take on it. And the mystery is here to, with the background of runaway Sam shrouded in MYSTERY until the very end. So yes, I did keep staring at the bizarre cover and thinking WTF?? quite a bit. This wasn't as plot-heavy as some of her other books, but felt more focused on how these characters interact. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Quite a good thing in fact.
And her writing is just so bloody good. Just the most gorgeous turns of phrase that made me dog-ear so many pages of my copy.
"A little boy at the window of another train, crammed in, surrounded my arms, the sleeve of a quilted jacket squashed flat against the glass like someone pulling a face."
See?
And I think my favourite thing about this book is how she writes London. How she makes it feel like a living, breathing whole, in equal parts exasperating and exhilarating.
"Mum and Dad moved away from London before I was born. They always said that city people who move to the country are never at home. Wherever they are, they miss they love about wherever they're not. You fall in love with the spaces and the air, while you pine for the crowds and the movement. You learn four hundred and fifty new shades of green but everyone's skin is the same colour. You crave the lights and the speed and the noise that when you get there are too bright and too fast and too loud."
I found this video on the Guardian website where Jenny Valentine talks about London and books and London books. Watching it makes me feel very proud and lucky to live here (although some days, not so much). Anyway, it might give you an idea about how important the city is to this book, how it works as one of the main characters.
So, back to the point I made at the start concerning the covers. Well, I loved this book. Up to a point. And I shall explain why, or try to without littering this review with too many spoilers. Although there is a bit of a spoiler, sorry...
Light-hearted cover = dark subject matter. So why, when I got to the ending, did I end up wishing that the cover didn't match the book at this point? Does this make sense? For a book that seems to spend 90% of it's time wallowing in the complexities of life, why does it choose to have a very cut and dried conclusion? I love a happy ending as much as the next person, but this just did not feel right and put a bit of an ironic dampner on proceedings for me, I'm afraid.
But I heartily recommend this one. I can see adults enjoying it just as much as younger readers and it has so much to say about so many things - community, why people choose to disappear, the things that go on under our noses that we choose to ignore. I just wish real-life endings were as happy as this one.
( I just had a look at the US edition of Cassiel Roadnight. It's called Double and they've made it look like a typical YA thriller, although this doesn't feel right either. I KNOW. THERE'S NO PLEASING ME)
(BUT, I do like the cover and title of US Finding Violet Park)
(Sorry, I'll shut up now)
January 3, 2018
This book found me! You know the feeling when you're browsing a bookshop, looking for something to read, although you already have loads of unread books at home, because none of them seems like quite the 'right' read at the time? And suddenly, there it is, staring you in the face, a yellow-green cover with an interesting title and an unusual author's name! So, I bought it of course! And read it from cover to cover in just over two hours. It's that kind of book!
An easy read, simple yet powerful style and language, a wonderful coming of age story that will stay with me always. I know this is high praise, but after I read it, it made me think of To Kill a Mockingbird, although the latter is far more layered and is a classic, this one is like it's sweet echo...simpler and easier. It has a small set of characters that are wonderfully written, so I felt like I knew them instantly. Bohemia and Sam, Cherry and Isabel, all unforgettable in their own unique ways. This is a feel good book, it offers hope and presumes goodness in people without being presumptuous or concealing human flaws. It's comforting to read that humans are still capable of forgiving and loving and listening, even when Life seems hopeless and dark. And the analogy to ants...brilliant!
An easy read, simple yet powerful style and language, a wonderful coming of age story that will stay with me always. I know this is high praise, but after I read it, it made me think of To Kill a Mockingbird, although the latter is far more layered and is a classic, this one is like it's sweet echo...simpler and easier. It has a small set of characters that are wonderfully written, so I felt like I knew them instantly. Bohemia and Sam, Cherry and Isabel, all unforgettable in their own unique ways. This is a feel good book, it offers hope and presumes goodness in people without being presumptuous or concealing human flaws. It's comforting to read that humans are still capable of forgiving and loving and listening, even when Life seems hopeless and dark. And the analogy to ants...brilliant!
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July 17, 2017Wat een boek! Benieuwd naar mijn recensie?
Check deze link naar mijn blog: http://allgreatleadersarereaders.jouw...
Check deze link naar mijn blog: http://allgreatleadersarereaders.jouw...
October 18, 2011
Mediochre, and the kind of plot line that's been done to death. And this particular book isn't anything amazing within the genre. I suppose it's all right for younger readers, and maybe to make bullies think about what they're doing, or teach readers that they can't run away from their problems.
Well, it's set in London in a little house of flats. The two main characters are Bohemia, a 10 year old daughter of a druggie-alchi-bimbo blonde mother and a 17 year old country lad who has turned up and doesn't want to talk about his past or what he's running away from. And in a nice neat way the little girl ends up running away, and in this action gives EVERYONE a reality call so they all change their spots overnight and become great people and she reunites all the estranged families and friends. And it turns out Sam was a bully, even though he's supposed to be a sympathetic character. So I didn't particularly like him.
Well, it's set in London in a little house of flats. The two main characters are Bohemia, a 10 year old daughter of a druggie-alchi-bimbo blonde mother and a 17 year old country lad who has turned up and doesn't want to talk about his past or what he's running away from. And in a nice neat way the little girl ends up running away, and in this action gives EVERYONE a reality call so they all change their spots overnight and become great people and she reunites all the estranged families and friends. And it turns out Sam was a bully, even though he's supposed to be a sympathetic character. So I didn't particularly like him.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 16, 2017
I just kept reading it until I had finished! It's one of those books that makes you smile and cry and wonder.
I read one with a different cover illustration, and loved the design of the book too, with ants crawling randomly (or perhaps not so randomly, if Max is to be believed) on pages all over the book.
It was a book that made me feel for the characters after a long time. So many books that I've read recently have concentrated on complexity of plot at the cost of fullness of character. This one had a simple plot with eclectic characters that I loved.
http://www.varshaseshan.com/blog/the-...
I read one with a different cover illustration, and loved the design of the book too, with ants crawling randomly (or perhaps not so randomly, if Max is to be believed) on pages all over the book.
It was a book that made me feel for the characters after a long time. So many books that I've read recently have concentrated on complexity of plot at the cost of fullness of character. This one had a simple plot with eclectic characters that I loved.
http://www.varshaseshan.com/blog/the-...
February 4, 2023
Lecture facile et sans prise de tête
November 28, 2020
ילדותי ופחות מעניין משציפיתי.
January 21, 2017
i got this through my usual run in booksale where i spent about an hour with my friend scouring through books upon books and get something cheap and good and I must say, this was totally worth it. I'm a person who judges books by cover a lot since i'm an artist and i get enchanted by good first paragraphs and synopsis and this is exactly the style of writing that got me hooked.
It's a story about a runaway boy trying to leave his past and a girl who seems to have grown up to quickly and they all live in one building with other tenants (that i assure you will also love... hopefully).
Note: Opinions, etc. you get the idea.
First of all, i wouldn't say this book was a page turner. I read it through a week and that's really slow considering books this thick i can go through in just a day or three and still love said book. This was a light read and it's hard to get loss. I know it's probably not meant for my age but it's still a good book. It was a slow build up but none of it was really boring where sometimes you just want to get the chapter over with and move on like some other books I've read. It hooks you in with it's characters and the small tiny details Valentine narrates out in the story as it slowly builds up and uncover the two protagonist's stories and past.
Second of all, I was not expecting that ending-er, atleast the climax. I teared up and was horrified. Though, I do have a habit of just not anticipating anything so you can't really trust me on that part. It did slightly break my heart but it still managed to pull through a good ending (i do not like sad endings) and overaall ended with a resolution I was content with.
It's an overall good book, and It's a solid 4/5 for me.
It's a story about a runaway boy trying to leave his past and a girl who seems to have grown up to quickly and they all live in one building with other tenants (that i assure you will also love... hopefully).
Note: Opinions, etc. you get the idea.
First of all, i wouldn't say this book was a page turner. I read it through a week and that's really slow considering books this thick i can go through in just a day or three and still love said book. This was a light read and it's hard to get loss. I know it's probably not meant for my age but it's still a good book. It was a slow build up but none of it was really boring where sometimes you just want to get the chapter over with and move on like some other books I've read. It hooks you in with it's characters and the small tiny details Valentine narrates out in the story as it slowly builds up and uncover the two protagonist's stories and past.
Second of all, I was not expecting that ending-er, atleast the climax. I teared up and was horrified. Though, I do have a habit of just not anticipating anything so you can't really trust me on that part. It did slightly break my heart but it still managed to pull through a good ending (i do not like sad endings) and overaall ended with a resolution I was content with.
It's an overall good book, and It's a solid 4/5 for me.
September 30, 2011
The narrative of this book is split between two characters - seventeen year old Sam and ten year old Bohemia. The story is set in London, in a block of flats that house an unusual collection of people. While the language in this book is beautiful and vivid, it does take a little bit to get into. That being said, it keeps the reader guessing the whole way through - I was constantly wondering what it was that Sam did that made him just pack up and leave for London without telling anyone for example.
The characters are great though! As I mentioned before, they're a rather odd collection, but they're all completely unique, believable and interesting. Although Sam just wants to be alone, ancient Isabel forces him to socialise with the other members of the house and as the story progresses he forms friendships with unlikely people.
A great read - A little tragic at the end, but that's what makes a good story in my opinion! Give it a go :)
The characters are great though! As I mentioned before, they're a rather odd collection, but they're all completely unique, believable and interesting. Although Sam just wants to be alone, ancient Isabel forces him to socialise with the other members of the house and as the story progresses he forms friendships with unlikely people.
A great read - A little tragic at the end, but that's what makes a good story in my opinion! Give it a go :)
March 6, 2016
I really enjoyed this book and it is a short quick read at only 216 pages. The book focuses on a 17 year old boy called Sam and a 10 year old girl called Bohemia, with them narrating alternate chapters. There lives are brought together when they are both living at number 33 Georgiana Street. They have both had difficult lives. Bo’s mum barely looks after her, going from man to man and leaving her regularly to survive on her own. Sam is running away from what has happened back at home. We meet the other people who live in the house and, like ants, they just go about their day to day lives on their own until nearer the end of the book when they all need to work together!
June 6, 2011
Was hoping for really good things here, but found the characters very one dimensional and kind of boring. The voice of the little girl was cute, but the main character Sam was nothing. I didn't like this book, but i still wanted to finish it, strange. Anyway, I might read her other books but only from the library.
May 2, 2017
This book has an amazing personality that captivates the reader's instinct. Like what it did to me.
This is the second book I own of Jenny Valentine. First is The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight. Both books are worth reading!
I really recommend The Ant Colony to those who loves reading books with three-dimensional characters!
This is the second book I own of Jenny Valentine. First is The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight. Both books are worth reading!
I really recommend The Ant Colony to those who loves reading books with three-dimensional characters!
December 11, 2012
The Ant Colony was a book I really enjoyed.
Narrated by both 17-year-old Sam and 10-year-old Bohemia, they both share their unique stories. The entire situation is what makes this book so interesting and captivating. I highly reccomend it.
Nicely done, Valentine.
Narrated by both 17-year-old Sam and 10-year-old Bohemia, they both share their unique stories. The entire situation is what makes this book so interesting and captivating. I highly reccomend it.
Nicely done, Valentine.
December 15, 2013
Goed geschreven jeugdroman vanuit het perspectief van verschillende personages waarin de thema's verwaarlozing, drankmisbruik en en weglopen aan de kaak worden gesteld. De vraag die centraal staat is:
'Kun je weglopen uit je leven en opnieuw beginnen'?
'Kun je weglopen uit je leven en opnieuw beginnen'?
January 25, 2019
This was not really my type of book, i thought very boring jn the beginning but WOW, the end gave me goosebumps, and not in a good way. What a horrible story. Too bad you never get to find out if Cherry keeps her promises..
June 27, 2017
A compelling, satisfying and touching story, easily devoured in a few hours. The ending was just a little too pat for me to give it a full five stars, but that doesn't mean I wasn't happy for a happy ending after all.
Rating: 4.5, rounded up.
Rating: 4.5, rounded up.
April 6, 2016
This book was something I'd not heard of before but I have really enjoyed it and will definitely read more by Jenny Valentine in the future. It's quite a light, easy read and I would recommend it. It was deeper than I thought it would be and I like that in a book. :)
November 19, 2009
I liked the characters and how the story unfolds. I like how the author described London and Camden Town, and how she compared the city to the country life. Good read!
July 16, 2011
A sad story but an involving one about Sam's chaotic life with her mum.
Like Jacqueline Wilson but better!
Like Jacqueline Wilson but better!
November 15, 2011
J'ai ressenti trop de tristesse et d'agacement au cours de ma lecture, j'espérais y trouver autre chose. Je suis un peu déçue.
August 28, 2014
Pretty good but the ending seemed unresolved. Were Sam's parents happy to have him home? Did he make it up with Max? Did Cherry stop drinking and start looking after Bohemia properly?
June 18, 2015
Simply splendid .
October 7, 2014
Its not the book for someone who has 50 first-pages rule, BUT if you spare your patience enough you'd get rewarded by the surprise at the end.
January 19, 2017
terrible!
January 31, 2017
very good.bohemia is very strong
August 20, 2017
4.5 stars
July 29, 2021
I love this book so much.
June 4, 2019
Ik heb dit boek in het Nederlands gelezen.
Wauw, wat een mooi boek. Dit (kinder/jongerenboeken) is niet mijn standaard genre, maar misschien wil ik er vaker iets van lezen.
Het boek draait om de twee hoofdpersonen Sam (17) en Bohemia (10). Sam is weggelopen van huis, en je krijgt steeds iets meer informatie over zijn verleden. Bohemia heeft een aan drank en drugs verslaafde moeder van 27 en gaat niet naar school. Ze worden boven- en onderburen van elkaar en Bohemia sluit een vriendschap met (de lichtelijk tegenstribbelende) Sam.
Het boek is het erg mooi gebouwd rondom de bewoners van het huis, het verleden van Bohemia en het mysterie van Sam. Het einde was zowel verdrietiger als gelukkiger dan ik had verwacht.
Wauw, wat een mooi boek. Dit (kinder/jongerenboeken) is niet mijn standaard genre, maar misschien wil ik er vaker iets van lezen.
Het boek draait om de twee hoofdpersonen Sam (17) en Bohemia (10). Sam is weggelopen van huis, en je krijgt steeds iets meer informatie over zijn verleden. Bohemia heeft een aan drank en drugs verslaafde moeder van 27 en gaat niet naar school. Ze worden boven- en onderburen van elkaar en Bohemia sluit een vriendschap met (de lichtelijk tegenstribbelende) Sam.
Het boek is het erg mooi gebouwd rondom de bewoners van het huis, het verleden van Bohemia en het mysterie van Sam. Het einde was zowel verdrietiger als gelukkiger dan ik had verwacht.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews