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New Brighton
WHAT IF THE TRUTH ISN'T OUT THERE? WHAT IF IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND? During a vicious storm, a battered ship runs aground on Brighton beach. While the city on the sea comes to a ghostly standstill, the unusual event triggers an epic journey for young waitress, Robyn Lockhart. First, Robyn needs to find the ship’s mysterious cargo, but in doing so she discovers the truth about herself, her family, and the place she’s always called home. Nothing is as it seems. Robyn begins to question not only who she is, but what she is truly capable of. Will the uncomfortable answers bring her closer to seeing the truth? As she starts to understand her true purpose, her power increases, but where will it take her? The truth lies within her, she has to learn to trust it to save herself, and those she loves.
- GenresFiction
342 pages, Paperback
Published March 14, 2022
11 people are currently reading
65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 14, 2022
Wow. I was thoroughly swept away in this eery re-imagined Brighton! Great characters, action and a believable but scary near-future. I am left with so many questions that I want a sequel!!!
June 12, 2022
New Brighton by Helen Trevorrow is a dystopian novel set in the near future.
Robyn is a typical young adult living in Brighton. She loves her little sister, who has complex health needs, and her on and off boyfriend. On a night out, she falls out with her boyfriend and meets a mysterious stranger who seems all too familiar. When a shipwreck arrives during the night, Robyn’s future and past will change forever.
This was a very unusual read. I spent the first sixty percent of the story as confused and lost as our main character. It does all become clear, but do not expect the author to hand it all out in a neat package. The author presents us with a colourful and diverse cast and each character is well thought out. The storyline enfolds at a steady rather than a hurtling pace, which adds to the atmosphere of the book. If you like dystopian fiction with a smattering if sci-fi, this makes a good read.
Robyn is a typical young adult living in Brighton. She loves her little sister, who has complex health needs, and her on and off boyfriend. On a night out, she falls out with her boyfriend and meets a mysterious stranger who seems all too familiar. When a shipwreck arrives during the night, Robyn’s future and past will change forever.
This was a very unusual read. I spent the first sixty percent of the story as confused and lost as our main character. It does all become clear, but do not expect the author to hand it all out in a neat package. The author presents us with a colourful and diverse cast and each character is well thought out. The storyline enfolds at a steady rather than a hurtling pace, which adds to the atmosphere of the book. If you like dystopian fiction with a smattering if sci-fi, this makes a good read.
September 25, 2022
3.5 rounded up
For the most part, I had no idea what was going on but I did enjoy the vibe.
For the most part, I had no idea what was going on but I did enjoy the vibe.
June 20, 2022
I must admit I found this novel challenging as I really didn't anticipate its direction so needed to frequently review my ideas about earlier sections. This included characters, motivations, locations and chronology so, yes, fundamental upheavals more than once! The hard work was worth it: the story played out very satisfactorily and fragments of it have even turned up in my dreams.
April 7, 2022
Robyn is a bored waitress just going about her life in a seaside cafe, when after falling out with her boyfriend on a night out she wakes up to his early morning call to meet up at the pier where a boat has just run ashore amidst all the excitement of the army rocking up and cordoning off the area she is knocked out by gas from a low flying plane, the next day she is determined to discover what happened to the boat and in doing so will unlock some long hidden secrets..
Really enjoyed this book, set in the not too distant future it had me turning the pages to find out what happens.
Really enjoyed this book, set in the not too distant future it had me turning the pages to find out what happens.
April 11, 2022
There’s more to New Brighton than meets the eye. That’s certainly true for Robyn Lockhart, the feisty young waitress at the centre of this gripping adventure about one woman’s search for the truth about herself, her family, and as the title suggests, the place she calls home. As someone who lives in Brighton I knew well the streets in which the story begins. But like having a rug pulled from under you, following the shipwreck of a battered boat after a terrible storm, the Brighton in Helen’s book soon becomes disorientating and alien. It is a credit to Helen’s writing that we are able to feel Robyn’s fear and heart-ache as she works out what is real and what isn’t. Through the fast paced narrative we are inside her head as she navigates her journey though time and space. A perfect balance of science and fiction with strong characters and imaginative plot twists and turns.
June 30, 2025
På overfladen er New Brighton en forholdsvis enkel historie om den rastløse Robyn Lockheart. Hun arbejder som servitrice, er kæreste med den gudesmukke Vincent, har en kronisk syg søster, der render ind og ud af hospitaler og en temmelig fraværende mor.
Men da en gammel rustbunke af et skib går på grund i Brighton, søsteren Alice indlægges på et hospital i London og Robyns lille verden er ved at gå op i sømmene, beslutter hun sig for at drage til hovedstaden – hvis ellers hun kunne rejse dertil. Alle tog til London er nemlig aflyst – og kun ganske få kilometer uden for kystbyen ser landskabet markant anderledes ud end det burde.
New Brighton er en af de bøger, hvor det at løfte bare en smule for sløret ødelægger det underlige og uberegnelige ridt, som forfatter Helen Trevorrow så nøjsomt har tilrettelagt. For selvfølgelig foregår der mere i New Brighton end bare en kærlighedstrekant mellem Robyn, Vincent og bartenderen Tiffany. Præcis hvad, vil jeg dog lade op til dig at finde ud af.
Hvad jeg kan sige er, at New Brighton bekender slægtskab med high concept-film som Dark City og The Signal, men hvor begge film lader læseren glide uhindret ind i en verden, der stille og rolig bliver mere og mere uforudsigelig og ugennemsigtig, banker New Brighton direkte ind i den ene overraskelse efter den anden, ofte uden at forklare bare det mindste, hvilket gør historien svær at blive investeret i. Ikke mindst fordi Robyn er en temmelig utilregnelig fortæller.
Når New Brighton er bedst, er den overrumplende og skæv på den fede måde, men der er alt for ofte hele kapitler, hvor sceneskiftene er så markante, at man læser de samme tre sætninger igen og igen for ikke helt at miste fodfæstet. Det er helt sikkert tiltænkt, men det gør romanen til lidt af en prøvelse visse steder. Ikke mindst i bogens flashbacks.
Når det er sagt, så kan jeg smaddergodt lide New Brighton. Den er uden for genrer, uden for konventionel tænkning og fortællerstruktur. Helen Trevorrow skriver lækkert. Der er kælet for detaljerne og beskrivelserne, men det var ikke før bogens sidste 30-40 sider, at jeg for alvor fik et greb om, hvad jeg havde læst de foregående 300 – og det er nok lidt for langt at trække sit publikum, uanset hvor meget tålmodighed de har.
Vil du læse en bog med samme koncept, men hvor det eksekveres til perfektion, så ville jeg i stedet sætte tænderne i The Ferryman, som jeg læste og anmeldte sidste år.
Men da en gammel rustbunke af et skib går på grund i Brighton, søsteren Alice indlægges på et hospital i London og Robyns lille verden er ved at gå op i sømmene, beslutter hun sig for at drage til hovedstaden – hvis ellers hun kunne rejse dertil. Alle tog til London er nemlig aflyst – og kun ganske få kilometer uden for kystbyen ser landskabet markant anderledes ud end det burde.
New Brighton er en af de bøger, hvor det at løfte bare en smule for sløret ødelægger det underlige og uberegnelige ridt, som forfatter Helen Trevorrow så nøjsomt har tilrettelagt. For selvfølgelig foregår der mere i New Brighton end bare en kærlighedstrekant mellem Robyn, Vincent og bartenderen Tiffany. Præcis hvad, vil jeg dog lade op til dig at finde ud af.
Hvad jeg kan sige er, at New Brighton bekender slægtskab med high concept-film som Dark City og The Signal, men hvor begge film lader læseren glide uhindret ind i en verden, der stille og rolig bliver mere og mere uforudsigelig og ugennemsigtig, banker New Brighton direkte ind i den ene overraskelse efter den anden, ofte uden at forklare bare det mindste, hvilket gør historien svær at blive investeret i. Ikke mindst fordi Robyn er en temmelig utilregnelig fortæller.
Når New Brighton er bedst, er den overrumplende og skæv på den fede måde, men der er alt for ofte hele kapitler, hvor sceneskiftene er så markante, at man læser de samme tre sætninger igen og igen for ikke helt at miste fodfæstet. Det er helt sikkert tiltænkt, men det gør romanen til lidt af en prøvelse visse steder. Ikke mindst i bogens flashbacks.
Når det er sagt, så kan jeg smaddergodt lide New Brighton. Den er uden for genrer, uden for konventionel tænkning og fortællerstruktur. Helen Trevorrow skriver lækkert. Der er kælet for detaljerne og beskrivelserne, men det var ikke før bogens sidste 30-40 sider, at jeg for alvor fik et greb om, hvad jeg havde læst de foregående 300 – og det er nok lidt for langt at trække sit publikum, uanset hvor meget tålmodighed de har.
Vil du læse en bog med samme koncept, men hvor det eksekveres til perfektion, så ville jeg i stedet sætte tænderne i The Ferryman, som jeg læste og anmeldte sidste år.
June 6, 2022
What an interesting read! This book wasn't what I expected initially, and I confess to having mild confusion at the start as the Brighton it talked about was slightly off, and I like to understand the world a book is set in quickly - but then that is the whole point of the book! I don't want to give spoilers so all I'll say is the plot was good, I liked the range of characters although sometimes I couldn't always empathise with them (again, I felt this was deliberate) and I enjoyed the twists the book took. Great imagination & I found it interesting, I wanted to keep reading.
I feel this is a very vague review but I really don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will say it's well worth a read and got me thinking about a potential future for our world; and one not that far away.
I feel this is a very vague review but I really don't want to ruin it for anyone so I will say it's well worth a read and got me thinking about a potential future for our world; and one not that far away.
May 16, 2022
found this a very strange book which did keep me engrossed to the end. It is actually a good story with an interesting concept however I felt the writing style did not grab me and it felt all over the place. The first half of the book felt like a scrambled and random psychedelic dream. It started to come together better in the second half and actually had a good back story to why things had happened. Definitely worth a read.
June 12, 2022
New Brighton by Helen Tevorrow's.
WHAT IF THE TRUTH ISN'T OUT THERE? WHAT IF IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND?
Omg. This was different. A good different. I did find it slow at first. I did like Tiffany Eleanor and Robyn characters. I do hope there is more to come. 4*.
WHAT IF THE TRUTH ISN'T OUT THERE? WHAT IF IT'S ALL IN YOUR MIND?
Omg. This was different. A good different. I did find it slow at first. I did like Tiffany Eleanor and Robyn characters. I do hope there is more to come. 4*.
September 13, 2023
Unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. It had a promising start but quickly turned into trippy nonsense that went on for far too long. By the time I reached the end of the book, I just didn’t care about the plot.
June 6, 2022
A genuinely fresh look at a possible future! Well written with an engaging storyline, easy to accept and like characters
A good read
A good read
July 18, 2022
The plot was interesting, but something about it just didn't work for me
October 1, 2023
https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/new-brighton-by-helen-trevorrow-brief-note/
Really failed to grab me.
Really failed to grab me.
March 1, 2025
Utopia is hard to achieve especially when people’s characters come into force.
August 16, 2025
Amazing idea. What a wonderful plot, and characters.
There were a few frustrating errors that should’ve been caught in edit, continuity and so forth. Fun read though. Refreshing.
There were a few frustrating errors that should’ve been caught in edit, continuity and so forth. Fun read though. Refreshing.
September 15, 2025
Got two pages in, started talking about alleyway sex. Not interested in going any further.
October 24, 2025
This book is so weird in the best way. Just when I made peace with the fact that I felt like I was skipping chapters and missing something, the answers were laid out.
April 7, 2022
A fresh look at possible futures! A real page-turner, which raises all sorts of questions about how we live now and how the human race might survive. Great characters - especially Gloria!
Really worth reading. I enjoy Trevorrow's writing in this and in her first novel, 'In the Wake' - a very different sort of story!She is playful with the way words work and her voice draws you in. Looking forward to number three already!
Really worth reading. I enjoy Trevorrow's writing in this and in her first novel, 'In the Wake' - a very different sort of story!She is playful with the way words work and her voice draws you in. Looking forward to number three already!
September 16, 2022
Didn’t really enjoy this dystopian novel. Not my usual game but fancied a change. Have enjoyed previous dystopian novels but sadly this one was not for me. About a young female adult who gradually discovers that the Brighton she is living in isn’t the one she believed it to be. Was quite interested in the concept of false implanted memories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews