Sweet Sorrow, by David Nicholls is a book that seems to have split those willing to leave a review on Amazon. I am happy to report that I am on the side of those who LOVED it! Charlie is nearly 40 and on the verge of marriage, but finds himself thinking about his first love, back in the heady days of when he was 16 years old and failing at school following the break up of his parent's marriage. While living with his depressive, alcohol swigging father, Charlie escapes the house by heading out on his bicycle to a quiet spot and taking refuge in books. One day, while reading alone in a field, he comes across Fran, a self-assured, confident girl who, Charlie is sure, must be the most beautiful person he's ever seen. To try and get her phone number, he joins a drama group who are just starting rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet. His intention is to get her number and then duck out, but instead, he finds himself being drawn into this band of misfits and thespians and falls in love with both Fran and Shakespeare at the same time. This is a beautifully told, funny account of the awkwardness and wonder of first love and how it can stay with you for the rest of your life. It is not overly sweet, but does play with your emotions as you root for Charlie, who needs to find something positive in his otherwise tough life. It's also an exploration of friendship - and finding those life long friends who "get you" and with who you can just be yourself, something every one of us needs.I read the audio edition, which is narrated by Rory Kinnear who was totally brilliant at bring all the characters into fully fleshed out people. At the end of the book, I definitely felt that parting was such Sweet Sorrow indeed. Excellent!
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.98.
Formats available: print. unabridged audio, ebook.
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