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I Predict A Riot

Catherine Bruton

3.88 · Rating details · 76 Ratings · 18 Reviews

Explosive, emotional drama, perfect for fans of Meg Rosoff and Annabel Pitcher.

Welcome to Coronation Road - a kaleidoscope of clashing cultures and parallel lives. There's Maggie and her politician mum in their big house. There's Tokes and his mum in a tiny bedsit, running from trouble. And there's the ruthless Starfish gang, breeding fear through the neighbourhood.

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Paperback, 304 pages

Published June 5th 2014 by Egmont

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UKYA in 2014

141 books — 234 voters

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Mar 14, 2014 Michelle (Fluttering Butterflies) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: british-reading-challenge, books-read-in-2014, ya

I Predict A Riot by Catherine Bruton very quickly became one of my favourite reads of the year so far. It's a very emotional read, very thought-provoking and has some wonderful characters and relationships between them. I really loved reading this book and had tears in my eyes by the end of it.

First off, I loved the structure of the book which is told from the perspective of our main character, Maggie, as she is secretly filming the events of her neighbourhood. The chapters are all based around I Predict A Riot by Catherine Bruton very quickly became one of my favourite reads of the year so far. It's a very emotional read, very thought-provoking and has some wonderful characters and relationships between them. I really loved reading this book and had tears in my eyes by the end of it.

First off, I loved the structure of the book which is told from the perspective of our main character, Maggie, as she is secretly filming the events of her neighbourhood. The chapters are all based around specific scenes that Maggie has filmed in different locations around the main street, Coronation Road. I Predict A Riot was inspired by the London Riots in 2011 and there were quite a few similarities between this story and actual events.

And at first, I was reading this book and comparing this story and its characters with what I remembered happening three years ago. The area that Maggie and her friends are in is an area of London with a big class divide. There are families like Maggie's (whose mum is the local MP) who attends a boarding school and live in luxury alongside families like Tokes' whose mother works several jobs to pay the rent on a poky bedsit. There is also a large gang culture that is rampant, and our third main character, Little Pea is a 12 year old boy who has been caught up in the Starfish Gang and cannot see a future for himself outside of it. I Predict A Riot tells us this story of events that are leading up to the London riots including allegations of police brutality and protests but one of the things that I loved so much about it is that Catherine Bruton gives us this story without judgement. We witness characters saying and doing questionable things for their own reasons but each of those reasons are laid out and are true to Maggie, Tokes and to Little Pea. I loved that about this book.

Because while I started this book making the comparisons to the rioting, I finished this story knowing definitely that while the riots were the background for this story, I Predict A Riot is really a story about a hope for change and it is a story about friendship and about being true to yourself and making the decisions that you can live with. I loved the story arc for all three of the main characters. I loved how each of them are very different and have different sets of principles and beliefs in what is right and wrong but that these principles are tested in really difficult situations. Some characters surprised me by the mistakes they made, the strength of their convictions and about the ways in which they changed throughout the story.

I was really surprised by this book. I was surprised by the depth of my feelings for Maggie, Tokes and Little Pea. I thought Catherine Bruton did an amazing job of pulling me into the narrative of this book and really connecting me to that of these three characters. It was really interesting to see different sides to this story from three characters with such wildly different backgrounds and the way in which their stories overlapped. I really highly recommend this story! ...more

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Jun 16, 2014 Emma rated it really liked it

Shelves: guest-reviews

Review by Beth

I have had the pleasure of enjoying Bruton’s novels in the past so I Predict a Riot was a welcome surprise and one which I delved into, looking forward to seeing where she took her newest set of characters. It reminded immediately of Feral Youth by Polly Courtney although the characters felt younger and the style perhaps for a slightly younger audience.
I Predict a Riot is more serious than Bruton’s previous novels, although they dealt with pretty serious subject matter this novel Review by Beth

I have had the pleasure of enjoying Bruton’s novels in the past so I Predict a Riot was a welcome surprise and one which I delved into, looking forward to seeing where she took her newest set of characters. It reminded immediately of Feral Youth by Polly Courtney although the characters felt younger and the style perhaps for a slightly younger audience.
I Predict a Riot is more serious than Bruton’s previous novels, although they dealt with pretty serious subject matter this novel takes us to the periphery of gang culture. The scene though fictional is heavily inspired by the London Riots of 2011 and Coronation Road, the fictional location, is drawn to a tee.
Coronation Road reminded me a little of the Curry Mile in Manchester (maybe not the intention) but the vivid and rich descriptions brought me to the place that I could most closely relate to. The characters we’re introduced to are all fascinating in their own way, my only slight quibble was believing that Maggie, with the boarding school background and MP mother would have possibly spent her time in the places she did but as I got drawn into the story it didn’t seem to matter as much.
Bruton’s novel isn’t gritty but it is deep and the characters are meaningful. Each of the key players, Maggie, Tokes and Little Pea has their own set of morals which only seem to overlap at certain junctures. It is interesting to see the outcome for each and there is a climactic moment where the final action takes place and it’s almost unbelievable. Tragedy was cast from the outset but I wasn’t sure how it would come and when it did, I felt more dulled by the wastefulness of what happened rather than shocked and surprised. I hope that this is what Bruton was aiming for because the mindless violence and inexplicable actions of gangs and rioters often feels like that to me whether it’s written in fiction or in the news.
I love Catherine Bruton’s style and her characters are as genuine as ever. There is a touch of humour which further humanises her story
...more

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Aug 16, 2016 Amy Mckee rated it liked it

Shelves: book-club, goodreads-2016

The reason it took me over two weeks to read this book was because I just couldn't get into it. I ended up reading half of it in one sitting but it just took me so long to get to that point because I honestly just couldn't bring myself to care about the characters! There were so bland and although I liked the story once I'd gotten into it that took me an unusual amount of time because I just didn't like any of the characters. And also this is defiantly a book I would read some reviews of before ...more

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Jan 05, 2015 Lisa Friel rated it really liked it

A powerful story, showing how easy it is to be sucked into circumstances; although you are willing at least one character not to react in the way they do, it is completely believable that they don't follow your advice! Maggie at first hides behind her camera so as not to become involved in life, but learns that the camera is no protection against reality, the media and human nature.

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Dec 29, 2015 Heidi Coles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Best book of 2015

I'm literally sobbing uncontrollably at this book. It's brilliant. I genuinely hope it gets made into a film. The book I wish I had written.

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Mar 25, 2015 Esme rated it really liked it

It took a while to get into the book but then I started to really enjoy it. At the end I was in floods of tears but I don't quite know why because I didn't really like many of the characters.

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May 05, 2017 Hellomymedia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Der Klappentext von 'Drei Tage Wut' hat mich sehr angesprochen und ich habe mir hier eine schöne, mitreißende Freundschaftsgeschichte, vom brenzligen Umfeld geprägt. Der Roman konnte seine Versprechen voll einhalten und ist daher lesenswert geworden. Dennoch gab es einige Kritikpunkte, die ich vorzubringen habe, und wie mir das Buch letztendlich gefallen hat, seht ihr in der folgenden Rezension.
Mit der Protagonistin kam ich zurecht, wobei mich an einigen Stellen die Tatsache, dass die Figur sch Der Klappentext von 'Drei Tage Wut' hat mich sehr angesprochen und ich habe mir hier eine schöne, mitreißende Freundschaftsgeschichte, vom brenzligen Umfeld geprägt. Der Roman konnte seine Versprechen voll einhalten und ist daher lesenswert geworden. Dennoch gab es einige Kritikpunkte, die ich vorzubringen habe, und wie mir das Buch letztendlich gefallen hat, seht ihr in der folgenden Rezension.
Mit der Protagonistin kam ich zurecht, wobei mich an einigen Stellen die Tatsache, dass die Figur schon vierzehn Jahre alt ist, etwas irritiert hat, weil ich sie von dem Verhalten und der Denkweise eher auf elf bis zwölf geschätzt hätte. Auch verloren die Personen manchmal ihre Glaubwürdigkeit, denn ich als Leser hatte das Gefühl, die Protagonisten könnten die Meinung gegenüber einer anderen Figur nicht preisgeben, was mich hier sehr gestört hat, ich aber nicht näher vertiefen kann, ohne zu sehr zu spoilern. Jedenfalls ließ mich dieser spezielle Punkt doch stark an der Glaubwürdigkeit der Figuren zweifeln. Dennoch hat es mir Spaß gemacht, die Protagonisten durch dieses Buch zu begleiten.
Das Grundkonzept der Geschichte in 'Drei Tage Wut' kannte ich schon aus anderen Büchern, weswegen mir die Grundidee zwar durchweg lesenswert, aber nicht unbedingt originell vorgekommen ist. Auch kommt der Roman leider nicht klischeefrei aus, was mir negativ aufgefallen ist. Mich nervt dieses ewige Gutmensch-Getue, ganz nach der Divise "Ich muss das jetzt machen und es ist mir egal, ob ich lebend dabei wieder rauskomme". Hier fehlt es mir zu viel Tiefgang, als dass ich der Protagonistin dies abkaufen würde, da mir einfach keine Ansatzpunkte gegeben sind, an denen ich diese Meinung nachvollziehen könnte. In dem Kontext des Buches kommt mir auch diese Einstellung und die darauffolgenden Entscheidungen, die sie infolgedessen trifft, größtenteils unlogisch und nicht nachvollziehbar vor.
Das Buch ist spannend, aber nicht auf diese 'Thriller-Art', sondern die Autorin schafft es, eine gewisse Grundspannung aufzubauen, die den Leser durch das Buch begleitet. So wird der Roman zwar an keiner Stelle langweilig, ist aber über weite Strecken hinweg sehr vorhersehbar, ohne dabei langweilig zu werden. 'Drei Tage Wut' bietet genau das, was man nach dem Klappentext erwartet.
Die Höhepunkte in dem Buch haben mir wirklich gut gefallen, weil sie atmosphärisch dicht geschrieben sind und ich mir bildlich sehr gut das wilde Straßenleben vorstellen kann.
Folgenden Punkt habe ich obig kurz angesprochen, finde aber, dass ich ihn kurz vertiefen sollte. Auf dem Buchrücken wird ein 'mitreißender und brandaktueller' Roman angepriesen, wodurch ich in dem Glauben zurückgelassen wurde, es handele sich hier einen zumindest in Ansätzen sozialkritisches Buch. Dieser Punkt, dieses Element wurde meiner Meinung nach nicht stark genug umgesetzt. Es gab einige wenige Szenen, in denen die Autorin sich kritisch äußert, dieser Faktor hätte aber noch viel tiefgründiger besprochen werden müssen und können. Auch wird gesagt, dass Maggie, die Hauptfigur, nicht mehr unbeteiligt daneben stehen kann; so finde ich jedoch, dass die Hauptfigur im Laufe dieses Romans nicht viel Nennenswertes tut, um die brenzlige Situation zu entschärfen. Hier hätte ein wenig mehr Tiefgang und ein größerer sozialkritischer Anteil sicher nicht geschadet.
Der Schreibstil der Autorin ist angenehm flüssig und lebendig zu lesen, sodass ich mit Freude durch die Seiten geflogen bin. Sie schafft es, dem Leser ein gutes Leseerlebnis zu bieten, bei dem man genau das bekommt, was man erwartet.

Fazit:
'Drei Tage Wut' ist ein lesenswerter Roman, bei dem man genau das geliefert bekommt, was man nach dem Klappentext erwartet hat. Ein wenig mehr Tiefgang und mehr sozialkritische Aspekte hätten dem Buch sicherlich gut getan und würde dem Leser bestimmt länger in Erinnerung bleiben. So bleibt 'Drei Tage Wut' für mich bloß ein guter Roman, den man aber schon so ähnlich gelesen hat und der schnell wieder vergessen ist. ...more

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Sep 07, 2017 Selan rated it liked it

Shelves: teenage

Gangs! Gangs and more gangs! How many YA books have I read which are about gang violence now? Too many.

So it's interesting why I find this book to be nonetheless noteworthy. The characters are quite unique in my opinion and have very realistic backgrounds, there seem to be more ethnic minorities as far as I can tell (is the main character literally the only white person? it seems that way) and it relaly did paint a good picture of the London riots.

I really enjoyed this book and didn't think I wo ...more

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Jun 07, 2017 Bettina Müller rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3,5/5 Sternen

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Feb 26, 2017 Weinlachgummi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

Hier sprach mich vor allem der Klappentext an. Nachdem der Titel meine Aufmerksamkeit bei den Neuerscheinungen auf sich zog. Ich habe mir eine Gesellschaftskreistische Lektüre versprochen, doch dieser Aspekt kam mir etwas zu kurz.

Den Titel finde ich sehr aussagekräftig, so prangt er auch dominierend auf dem Cover. Welches ich nicht unbedingt schön finde, dafür aber sehr passend. Die beiden Personen schauen genauso aus, wie im Buch beschrieben. Außerdem kommt durch den typischen roten Doppeldecke Hier sprach mich vor allem der Klappentext an. Nachdem der Titel meine Aufmerksamkeit bei den Neuerscheinungen auf sich zog. Ich habe mir eine Gesellschaftskreistische Lektüre versprochen, doch dieser Aspekt kam mir etwas zu kurz.

Den Titel finde ich sehr aussagekräftig, so prangt er auch dominierend auf dem Cover. Welches ich nicht unbedingt schön finde, dafür aber sehr passend. Die beiden Personen schauen genauso aus, wie im Buch beschrieben. Außerdem kommt durch den typischen roten Doppeldecker Bus sofort der Handlungsort raus.

Zum Inhalt. Maggie fühlt sich alleine gelesen, der Vater hat die Familie verlassen und die einflussreiche Mutter arbeitet nur. So geht sie auf die Straße und versteckt sich hinter ihrer Kamera. Es ist fast, als wäre sie unsichtbar, wenn sie filmt. Die Geschehnisse dringen nicht richtig zu ihr durch. Deswegen merkt sie auch zunächst nicht, was sie da Film. Als der Anführer der berüchtigten Starfish Gang, den jungen Little Pea bedroht. Den dies und die Tatsache, dass sich ein fremder farbiger Junge in diesen Twist einmischt, könnten ihr zum Verhängnis werden. Den es gibt Dinge, die sollte man nicht filmen.

Catherine Bruton schreibt sehr flüssig. Die ganze Handlung ist sehr schnell. Langeweile kommt keine auf, aber mir fehlte dadurch auch manchmal die Tiefe. Das Buch umfasst gerade mal 270 Seiten, da sind große Charakterzeichnungen schwer. Sie erzählt die Geschichte aus der Ich-Perspektive von Maggie. Die Kapitel sind meist eher kurz und tragen die Überschrift als Szene mit dem Handlungsort. Da es um das Filmemachen in dem Buch geht, ein schönes Detail. Durch Szene 1 wissen wir sogleich, dass etwas Schlimmes passieren wird und nicht alle überleben werden. Dies war ein kluger Schachzug, da ich so sehr gespannt war, wenn es treffen wird und was genau passiert. Dies steigerte die Spannung.

Zu den Charakteren. Maggie wirkt etwas verloren. Weiß nicht recht etwas mit sich anzufangen. Leider gibt es wenig Hintergrundinfos zu ihrem Charakter, so wirkte sie auf mich sehr eindimensional. Manchmal habe ich mich über ihr Verhalten geärgert, da musste ich mir aber vor Augen führen, dass sie noch sehr jung ist, sodass ihre Beweggründe dann doch verständlich waren. Tokes ist etwas älter und gefestigter. Er weiß genau was richtig und was falsch ist und wie schwer es manchmal ist, das eine mit dem anderen zu vereinbaren. Little Pea ist wuselig, immer in Bewegung und er treibt die Geschichte sehr voran. Sein Charakter war für die Handlung zwar sehr wichtig, aber ich fand ihn sehr anstrengend und nervig.

Im Allgemeinen merkt man, dass es ein Jugendbuch ist. Da vieles sehr schnell geht. Die Freundschaft zwischen Tokes und Maggie entwickelte sich für mich viel zu schnell. So war die Handlung zwar dynamisch, aber nicht so tief wie erhofft. Auf den rassistischen Aspekt hätte man gerne noch mehr eingehen können, finde ich. Sowie auch auf das Banden Thema. Da gerade diese beiden das Buch für mich interessant machten. Spannend zu lesen war es definitiv. Besonders gegen Ende, als die Krawalle schlimmer wurden und es blutig wurde. Erschreckend, wie schnell sich ein Ereignis zu so etwas Großen zusammen brauchen kann. Dies hat die Autorin gut eingefangen, diesen Mob und wie er gewütet hat. Beim Lesen habe ich richtig gespürt, wie sich die Atmosphäre zu zog.

Fazit:
Dynamische und schnelllebige Geschichte,
von der ich mir mehr Tiefe versprochen habe.
Die Atmosphäre wurde von der Autorin toll eingefangen.
Spannend erzähltes Jugendbuch. ...more

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$Faye {Daydreaming_Star}$

Jun 05, 2014 Faye {Daydreaming_Star} rated it it was amazing

This review was originally published on my blog on 25th June 2014. You can find it here.

Even though Catherine Bruton has written books before, I have never read one, so when I was given the chance to read I Predict a Riot, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try one of Catherine’s books. I was also really excited about it as the synopsis really caught my attention. It is, then, with great happiness that I can report to you all that I truly loved this book. It blew me away and is a book I This review was originally published on my blog on 25th June 2014. You can find it here.

Even though Catherine Bruton has written books before, I have never read one, so when I was given the chance to read I Predict a Riot, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try one of Catherine’s books. I was also really excited about it as the synopsis really caught my attention. It is, then, with great happiness that I can report to you all that I truly loved this book. It blew me away and is a book I believe I will remember for a long time.

This book was set with the backdrop of the London Riots and follows the lives of three very distinct and unique characters. All of which I just loved! This backdrop really pulled me into the story because I couldn’t help but remember the riots, adding a further dimension to the story. I remembered where I was and what I felt, and I feel that this book captured the riots so well, really making the book that much better for me. But essentially it is the story that Catherine has written that kept me hooked on the page. It was the journey the characters took and how it finally concluded that made this book the masterpiece I felt it was.

I have so much love for every character in this book. Maggie was such an amazing character. I loved that she was someone with real flaws and seemingly no sense of danger; it made her so realistic and easy to read. It also showed how much she changed during this book, and how much, essentially, she grew up. Tokes was also an interesting character who I adored reading about. I loved the strength of his character and just how well he dealt with everything that life threw at him and how, despite that, he still made mistakes. Little Pea is also worth mentioning. I truly admired him and thought he was a wonderful character who just had so much life in him. I found myself laughing along with him and just loved reading about his parts in the story. Catherine really knows how to write characters you’ll love!

I Predict a Riot, as mentioned above, deals with very serious subject matter but one thing that Catherine does well is deal with it sensitively. This book doesn’t make a joke of the situation but also manages to look at both sides of the story. It is just really well done and I feel that it is a book that people should read. Catherine also manages to pull many emotions out of the reader with this book. There were times when I was laughing, times I felt tense and on edge, and then there were times when I felt tears on my cheeks. It is a book that is just written exceedingly well.

This book is exciting, emotional, fast-paced, and enthralling. It will keep you hooked, tug on your heart, and just cause you to think. It is a book that I devoured, and one that I would happily re-read. It also made me want to read more of Catherine’s books as well. This book also starts at the end, something which I love in books and just helped to make it more gripping and intense. I worry that this review may make this book seem better than it is but I’m struggling to think of anything I disliked about it. It’s a strong book that I just really enjoyed and would recommend over and over. So, if you haven’t read it yet, what are you waiting for? ...more

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Feb 15, 2017 Below rated it it was ok

Shelves: 5-no-longer-own, real-world-contemporary, ya

Mostly found it boring though the ending redeems it a bit.

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Apr 18, 2015 Gabrielle rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 06, 2016 Caitlin rated it it was amazing

This book was AMAZING!!! I thought it was a fabulous story voicing a lifestyle which I feel isn't voiced quite as much. I really like the characters as well! This book is probably my new favourite and almost made my cry 3 times and well as making me laugh. I 100% recommend you read this!

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May 19, 2016 Samara rated it it was amazing

This book is amazing.

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Nov 26, 2015 Little Annie2000 added it

Still can't decide what I think of it...

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About Catherine Bruton

Catherine Bruton

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I live just outside Bath with my husband, Jonny, and my two children (plus two toy monkeys, six goldfish and we’re hoping to get some chickens!). I teach English two days a week at a local secondary school. I also write articles for newspapers and magazines. Oh, and I write novels too!