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Group Read - Read Along and Q&A with Heather Burnside - Slur - from November 1st
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"Heck" for "Hell" used to be extremely common in North America, as in "What the heck does it matter?" These days you more often hear a much stronger but similar sounding monosyllable instead.
Bill wrote: ""Heck" for "Hell" used to be extremely common in North America, as in "What the heck does it matter?" These days you more often hear a much stronger but similar sounding monosyllable instead."I didn't know 'heck' was used in North America. It's not as common in the UK as it used to be either. I think I know which monosyllable you're referring to, which is widely used in the UK too.
In the north of England it's often accompanied by another word. Flipping heck - and I suspect that flipping is another euphemism!
I finished chapter 32 and onto chapter 33. Did I miss something. I am not saying anything because I am hoping that it is explained. Still don't like the inspector. He will not admit when he is wrong. Reminds me of someone in the States.
Kath wrote: "In the north of England it's often accompanied by another word. Flipping heck - and I suspect that flipping is another euphemism!"Yes, definitely. :)
Bill wrote: "These days you more often hear a much stronger but similar sounding monosyllable instead."That makes me wonder if at some point even that monosyllable will not be strong enough...
Many people just repeat it excessively because once is never enough :)
Chris wrote: "I finished chapter 32 and onto chapter 33. Did I miss something. I am not saying anything because I am hoping that it is explained. Still don't like the inspector. He will not admit when he is wron..."Hi Chris, I see you're making good progress with the book. (view spoiler)
Hi Heather, thanks for the copy. I am about 5 chapters in and I like it so far. I like a story that starts up short without an back story and then runs in flashbacks. Has me paying more attention while I look for little clues here and there. The writing is very simple which is a really good thing :)
Making good progress Sean.I'm glad you're enjoying the book Ishita. :)
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After snooker for a few hours.
3.5 book to me
An easy read, nice writing style, understood all the slang, did not use reference of the slang at the back at all.
Sean wrote: "I have finished, review to follow.After snooker for a few hours.
3.5 book to me
An easy read, nice writing style, understood all the slang, did not use reference of the slang at the back at all."
Thank you Sean, much appreciated. :)
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Slur was my 55th book read this year my target.
https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...
Sean wrote: "Finished and my review is up in Just Finished and Share My Review and Amazon.Slur was my 55th book read this year my target.
https://www.goodreads.com/user_challe...#..."
Thanks Sean, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)
Sean wrote: "I have finished, review to follow.After snooker for a few hours.
3.5 book to me
An easy read, nice writing style, understood all the slang, did not use reference of the slang at the back at all."
I didn't either. Guess I've been reading too long or I have been reading too many English authors.
I finished the book and thought it was rather good. The book is tied up nicely and I am glad that they all live happily ever after or maybe not.
Chris wrote: "I finished the book and thought it was rather good. The book is tied up nicely and I am glad that they all live happily ever after or maybe not."Thanks Chris and thanks for your review. :)
Just read read the very first chapter and now starting the second. I am not sure what to think as of yet. The language is killing me though lol.
Christine wrote: "Just read read the very first chapter and now starting the second. I am not sure what to think as of yet. The language is killing me though lol."Thanks for your feedback Christine. I'll be interested to see what you think. :)
If anyone hasn't already got a copy of 'Slur', it will be free to download to the Kindle from tomorrow until Sunday 22nd November at: http://viewbook.at/Slur.
Finished, enjoyed, and posted a review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm interested to know if you based the characters or events on people you've known personally, Heather?
I've talked about the issues in the book to a few people, in particular the catalyst event, and it's surprising how many people know someone who has had alcohol given to them in this way, supposedly as a laugh. A young man my daughter knows almost died as a result of having vodka slipped into his drinks, and the police were at the hospital along with his friends ready to prosecute had he not recovered.
David wrote: "Finished, enjoyed, and posted a review:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm interested to know if you based the characters or events on people you've known..."
Thank you for your review David, and for your feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the book.
Regarding the characters, I have drawn on characteristics from several people I have known over the years. For Rita I have taken the characteristics of feistiness and strength of character from certain people, and the flirtatiousness and outrageousness from others. I've also tried to bear in mind how her upbringing would have shaped her behaviour.
For Julie I have also drawn on characteristics from several people. I have to confess that there is a little of myself in Julie, not that I'm a snob, but in terms of striving for a better life and being caught between two worlds. I think a blog article that I wrote will explain what I mean: http://heatherburnside.com/2015/07/01.... Of course, spending my teenage years on such an estate also gave me plenty of material that I could draw on for characters such as Ged, Joan, Les and many of the characters in my second book. (I now regard it as seven years of intensive primary research lol). However, not everyone on such estates is a bad person so I've also met plenty of Betty and Vinny type characters over the years as well.
Regarding events, I don't have first hand knowledge of the event you refer to, but I recall reference to it when I was younger. Perhaps it was through a discussion with one of my brothers. It's amazing what foolish things some people will do when they're under the influence.
You're welcome, Heather.And yes, there are good and bad in all walks of life.
I am 49% into this book and am still awaiting the action. I just can not get with it, am I the only person feeling as though this book is dragging?? Please tell me if it picks up eventually. Why the hell is Julie so weak???? she allows herself to be pushed around and it is pathetic! also, I am now becoming suspicious of Rita...her behavior is questionable. Is Debby really as dizzy as she comes off to be?
Christine wrote: "I am 49% into this book and am still awaiting the action. I just can not get with it, am I the only person feeling as though this book is dragging?? Please tell me if it picks up eventually. Why th..."I agree about Julie. It's like she's got no will of her, wallowing in her guilt when she knows there isn't anything to feel guilt about and ultimately falling into depression. There've been times when I just wanted to shake her up! Also she seems very shallow to me. You'll read that on further, since you're only 49% in, I don't wanna spill anything.
(view spoiler)
Some people are like Julie, though: week, shallow, and self pitying. I don't think the blurb sells the book as action/adventure or even thrills; I went into the read expecting more of a character study, and I say that is what the book delivers.
While I was reading the book I kept on thinking that these are regular people so for me to enjoy the read I went back to the time when I was a party girl (you know going out on weekends getting snookered) and damn just thinking we were a boring group if it wasn't for the alcohol we would of killed each other. Because if you you think about it most people are just average. You have the life of the party, the wallflower, etc. in your group.
Finished SLUR and enjoyed it overall --- but not as much as I expected to. Loved the Glossary of British slang which reminded me of the first time I read A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.Had a difficult time getting into the characters and found it hard to like Julie. Was it intentional for the purpose of the plot to keep the characters distant so that readers could make up their own mind about them or was it a reflection of the apathy of today's youth that made many of them appear shallow?
Hi everyone. Apologies for the delay in responding to all your feedback but I have been away for much of the weekend visiting my son. I see that there has been a flurry of activity while I have been away. Thank you to David and Chris for your kind words. I will try to respond to each of the comments in turn.
Christine wrote: "I am 49% into this book and am still awaiting the action. I just can not get with it, am I the only person feeling as though this book is dragging?? Please tell me if it picks up eventually. Why th..."Hi Christine, I'm not sure what stage you have reached with the book now but, yes, the book does speed up from around 60-65% in.
I have chosen three distinct characters for the girls. Julie could be perceived as weak at this stage but bear in mind that she feels as though her whole world has fallen apart, and she thinks that almost everybody has turned against her. The majority of us have never met with such challenges and I think it's impossible to predict how we would react under the circumstances. However, I think that it poses an interesting scenario.
Regarding Debby, yes she really is that dizzy. She's the sort of person who is often an object of amusement for many people but is actually quite sad in many ways.
Ishita wrote: "Christine wrote: "I am 49% into this book and am still awaiting the action. I just can not get with it, am I the only person feeling as though this book is dragging?? Please tell me if it picks up ..."Ishita, while I'm happy to respond to constructive criticism I'm not really sure that's what you're looking for. (view spoiler) However, I don't think this would make any difference to your view of 'Slur'. My guess is that this just isn't your type of book, which is fine as I appreciate that we all have different tastes.
I note that you have listed 'Slur' as 'sort of irritating' along with Hardy's masterpiece 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' so it's good to know that 'Slur' is in good company. Incidentally, 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' is one of my top two favourite books of all time. I think Hardy makes excellent use of symbolism and imagery.
I suppose it just goes to show how we all have different tastes and different levels of appreciation when it comes to literature.
David wrote: "Some people are like Julie, though: week, shallow, and self pitying. I don't think the blurb sells the book as action/adventure or even thrills; I went into the read expecting more of a character s..."Thank you for your comments, David, which are much appreciated. Yes, you're correct, the book places a heavy emphasis on characterisation. I think that one of the advantages of being an Indie author is the ability to write something that is both different and thought challenging rather than something formulaic, which I find is often the case with the big publishers nowadays.
Chris wrote: "While I was reading the book I kept on thinking that these are regular people so for me to enjoy the read I went back to the time when I was a party girl (you know going out on weekends getting sno..."Thank you for your comments Chris, which are much appreciated. Yes, you hit the nail on the head. These are real people who are very familiar to those of us with experience of the nightclubbing scene.
Ray wrote: "Finished SLUR and enjoyed it overall --- but not as much as I expected to. Loved the Glossary of British slang which reminded me of the first time I read A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.Had a difficult time g..."
Thank you for your feedback Ray and for rating Slur, which is much appreciated. I am pleased that you enjoyed Slur.
With reference to your comments about the characters, my intention wasn't so much to keep the characters distant but to portray real characters based on the types of people I have encountered. I get your point about them seeming shallow and I'm assuming that you're referring to their party lifestyles. The girls are only young and their characters develop in the second part of the trilogy, which moves on five years. Two points worth mentioning are:
1) Their party lifestyles are a form of escapism, certainly for Rita and Debby who have tough home lives.
2) Their experiences in the first book are character building, and in the second book they are more mature and responsible.
I note your comments regarding Julie, which echo those of a few other readers. Although I have tried to portray real characters, I realise that it is also important for the reader to connect with the characters. This is something which I have taken on board for future novels. Rita is the lead character in the second book and, now that she has put aside the foolishness of youth, she is much more likeable.
Hi all, finished the book a while ago but been too busy to comment here unfortunately! Huge thanks to Heather for responding to everyone's comments, including mine, it's been really interesting. I've written a review of the book and a post about how good I've found the read-along experience here: http://thebookonmydesk.uk/post/Heathe...
Sophia wrote: "Hi all, finished the book a while ago but been too busy to comment here unfortunately! Huge thanks to Heather for responding to everyone's comments, including mine, it's been really interesting. I'..."You're welcome Sophia. Thank you for taking part and for leaving a review of the book.
If anyone wants to visit Sophia's blog, she publishes some excellent and very detailed book reviews so it's well worth checking out. :)
I finally finished slur and really enjoyed the ending. I get now that this book has been written in three stages. It is a great beginner book and I am now downloading the second part. Julie toughened up eventually and thankfully lol. Rita is a SPIT-FIRE and I now can not wait to read the second book from her point of view. In order to enjoy this book in it is entirety, I had to really change my perspective, thanks to my fellow readers I did.
Thank you for your feedback Christine. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending.
Now that the readalong is coming to an end I would like to say a big thank you to the moderators Sean, Janet and Autumn for inviting me to the readalong. It has been a valuable experience, enabling me to connect with readers and see my work through their eyes. I hope that readers have also gained a lot from the readalong. :)
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You're welcome, and thank you for the opportunity. :)
I'll echo Janet's echo. Well done, Heather, and thank you for an interesting discussion.
Thanks David, much appreciated. I tried to follow your shining example. :)
I thought that Kath but wasn't 100% sure. It's something that we've picked up from the older generation, and one of those words that a lot of people from Manchester tend to say without really thinking about its real meaning. Have you any idea whether it's just a northern expression?