Bright Young Things [Hardcover]

Scarlett Thomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

When six young, clever people, all of whom are disaffected with their lives and looking for an escape, respond to a newspaper advert requesting "bright young things" for a "big project", they find themselves prisoners on an island. They must work out why they are there, and how to get away.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A generation defining masterpiece' Matt Thorne; 'A compulsive, edgy thriller' Loaded; 'Sassy and confident' Mike Ripley on Dead Clever; 'Lily Pascale is...a sassy character full of contemporary hipness and uncurbable curiosity... Classic investigation with the right dash of modernity' Time Out on In Your Face; 'An ingenious mystery' Scotsman on Seaside --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Scarlett Thomas is twenty-six and lives in Devon. She is a journalist and writer. She is the author of a series of crime mysteries starring detective Lily Pascale: Dead Clever. In Your Face and Seaside, are available from Hodder & Stoughton. Her website can be visited at www.tfmedia.com/scarlett-thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 342 pages
• Publisher: Flame (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340767812
• ISBN-13: 978-0340767818
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,822,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Scarlett Thomas was born in London in 1972. Her other novels include Bright Young Things, Going Out, PopCo and The End of Mr.Y, which was longlisted for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction 2007. She teaches creative writing at the University of Kent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flawless and frightening..., December 18, 2010

By 

Amanda Aikman "bibliophile" (Somewhere Very Cold) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bright Young Things (Paperback)

I read this book on a plane and it was honestly so brilliantly frightening that I had to put it down once and just regroup. This and Mr. Y are tied as my favorite Scarlett Thomas books.

I realize that one reviewer did not like the way this book ended. Just FYI, if you continue to read Scarlett Thomas' other works, you will find a reference to the fate of the characters in Going Out. It won't give you all of the answers you want, but it hints at the author's intended direction after the book ends.

The way this book was written (open-ended) makes me think of it often - long after I finished reading it. Frustrating? Yes. But for me that was a great tension.

Scarlett Thomas lets us know in this book that the darkest places in our minds can become frighteningly real. So why would she give us a hard and fast ending? This whole book is about the danger of our imaginations. She gives us a gift with the ending - the gift to let the imagination loose and see where it goes. A little sadistic, a LOT brilliant!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent character-driven thriller, February 18, 2011

By 

rantboi (Dayton, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bright Young Things (Hardcover)

This is my fifth novel by the author, and I must say I'm impressed. This book and The End of Mr. Y are my favorites, although all her novels are pretty good. I thought this novel was perfect from beginning to end, and it kept me turning pages in the early morning hours. I'd tell myself "just one more chapter" several times while staying up late reading this engrossing novel.

It has it all: well-drawn characters, great observations about our culture, and an interesting set-up. I loved reading all the different conversations that the characters had, which could range from talking about soap operas to the meaning of life. If you like character and idea-driven novels, with some scary elements thrown in for good measure, you'll probably love Bright Young Things.

Highly recommended!

Here is how I would rate the five novels I've read by this author (from favorite to least favorite):

The End of Mr. Y (5 stars) - My favorite. If you've never read Ms. Thomas, start here or with BYT.
Bright Young Things (5 stars)
Our Tragic Universe (4 stars)
Going Out (4 stars)
PopCo (3 and a 1/2 stars)

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bright Young Things, October 26, 2009

By 

Jocelyn Crowd - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bright Young Things (Paperback)

A great book - my third Scarlett Thomas, and I intend to read everything she's written. Clever plot, and great characters... once again. She's a genius! Book arrived in good condition and didn't take too long to arrive.