Cherry Heaven [Paperback]

L J Adlington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 19, 2007

It is 10 years after the events in The Diary of Pelly D. A new life in The New Frontier overseas beckons Kat and Tanka, far from the terrible war in the cities, that took their parents. In a beautiful new home, Cherry Heaven, where people are building a young, liberal society, without focus on the genetic categorization and discrimination that led to the war. But all too soon Kat and Tanka find that Cherry Heaven carries haunting marks of the past. They cannot run from them, and must finally and turn and face them. Again, L. J Adlington weaves her narrative expertly from two voices, Kat, teenage, light, modern and knowing, the other a disturbed, fragmented narrative from another girl which peals away the surface of the New Frontier to expose a different and more disturbing truth. Exploring issues of postwar guilt and redemption, tension and reconciliation, framed in a fast-moving mystery, this has the same engrossing readability and accessibility as Pelly D.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'a convincingly told and gripping story' -- TES Original and beguiling. -- Love Reading This multifaceted novel's chilling portrayal of gene wars, slavery and prejudice will haunt readers long after the book is finished. But it is also a skilfully crafted mystery, slowly mounting up evidence towards a heart-stopping climax. -- Voya This is an exciting and convincing narrative which raises important questions about human rights and individual freedoms. -- School Librarian Part SF, part mystery, this is a compelling tale of life on another planet where intolerance still elads to discrimination and violence. -- Kliatt In this complex, absorbing, and sometimes disquieting novel, Adlington creates a world that is distinctly different from our own, yet chillingly familiar. -- Starred Review, Books for Youth PRAISE FOR THE DIARY OF PELLY D'... catches you by the throat and it doesn't let you go even when you have read the last paragraph. This is a brilliant example of storytelling at its most seductive ... a fastpaced, utterly absorbing novel that is hard to put down ...' -- Sunday Morning Post, John Millen 'L J Adlington's spare and concise voice brings Pelly D vividly to life ... will intrigue and grip from the first diary entry to the open-ended and chilling conclusion.' -- Pocklington Post 'Written in the breathless, racy style of a young teenager, Pelly's diaries just keep you reading ... It gives an old theme a fresh twist ...' -- York Evening Press '... a clever, unusual story that readers looking for something different will find captivating. The book reveals its secrets slowly with maximum impact.' -- South China Morning Post 'Adlington has crafted an original and disturbing dystopian fantasy told in a smart and sympathetic teen voice.' -- Booklist 'This book is one thing: amazing.' -- Voya 'In this powerful debut novel, Adlington deftly sketches in the background to Pelly D's increasingly totalitarian world, whilst allowing her sparky heroine centre stage.' -- Books for Keeps September 05

About the Author

After living & working in Japan, L J Adlington settled in York and now runs a company that provides lively 'hands-on' History sessions for schools, museums and heritage sites. She's also a very keen footballer. She has a fascination with historical diaries, particularly war diaries and was deeply affected by the Diary of Anne Frank. THE DIARY OF PELLY D was inspired by diaries found in the 1950s, buried in milk cans at the site of the Warsaw Ghetto.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Hodder Childrens (January 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 034088214X
• ISBN-13: 978-0340882146
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,084,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Compulsive Reader's Reviews, July 21, 2008

By 

The Compulsive Reader (Big Rapids, MI, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cherry Heaven (Hardcover)

Cherry Heaven, companion to The Diary of Pelly D., continues the tale of the war torn planet ten years after where Pelly left off. This time, it's in the New Frontier, home of the OHA, peace, and prosperity.

But to Kat J., something's just not right. No one will talk about her new home's previous owners, and who is this mysterious Oklear F, and what did he do that is so unspeakable, people still shudder about it ten years later? Is racism really as nonexistent as people would like to think? Is everything really as heavenly as it seems?

I had a little trouble getting into this one, but once I did, I had to keep reading. It just sucks you in. The ideas and customs are drastically different from what we're used to, so it was definitely fascinating. The prequel, The Diary of Pelly D isn't necessary to understand the plot, but it may be helpful. Readers will admire the strong protagainists and appreciate the little mysteries sprinkled throughout the course of the story.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting Futuristic Novel, June 10, 2008

By 

The Book Muncher (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cherry Heaven (Paperback)

The story is set in a futuristic society on a planet other than earth. People are grown in test tubes and have gills. Status is based on the color of the tattoo on your hand, which is based on a gene test. At the top, there are the Atsumisi with their red/silver tattoos. Then, there are the blue/sliver Mazzini. At the bottom are the green/silver Galrezi.

Kat and Tanka Jones moved from City Five to the New Frontier with their adoptive parents in the hopes of having a new beginning. Things start out perfectly, until they delve into the history behind the estate they just moved into, Cherry Heaven. They learn about the Papillon family, and their fate at the hands of Oklear Foster.

But not everything is as it seems. People have lied or failed to speak up with the truth.

The alternate narrations between the Jones sisters and Luka P eventually intertwine as their lives and stories do. Some themes in Cherry Heaven are honesty and the lengths people will go through to gain power.

I think the story idea and the characters are very original, and the setting too. And it's long too, almost 500 pages. It was such a great story that I read it in a few days and then immediately reread it.

I would definitely recommend this book. If you read this and like it, you also might want to check out The Diary of Pelly D, also by L.J. Adlington.

[...]

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pair this with unit on the Holocaust, February 9, 2009

By 

Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cherry Heaven (Hardcover)

This sequel to Pelly D is equally good at impressing on us why categorizing people by arbitrary genetic distinctions can lead to horrific results, and how important it is to stand up to those who would use such distinctions for their own political ends. This is great science fiction to be read on its own or in a class unit on World War II and the Holocaust.