Peerless Flats [Paperback]

Esther Freud (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 1998

Sixteen-year-old Lisa has high hopes of imitating her older sister Ruby during her first years in London. Ruby's shady past and rockabilly boyfriend indicate to Lisa a life lived to the fullest. But as her family's prospects start to look bleak, Lisa must reinvent herself as the only sane and sensible member of her family. Spare, elegant, and often funny, Peerless Flats is an unblinking and moving portrait of a pained adolescence in 1970s London.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Freud's second novel is a powerfully unconventional portrait of a London teenager struggling to build a life in a broken family plagued by poverty and drugs. Sixteen-year-old Lisa inhabits a derelict building called Peerless Flats with her aimless mother and rambunctious half-brother. Shy and overly responsible, she has always lived in the shadow of her flamboyant older sister, Ruby, a heroin addict who is the obvious favorite of their father, a mysterious figure involved with racetrack gambling. Lisa, who wants to be an actress, tries desperately to make someone care for, or at least notice her. Living in a world where defeated people automatically turn to drugs and alcohol, she becomes obsessed with the thought that someone might slip LSD into her food or drink; eventually she stops eating altogether. Only by renewing her faith in those she loves can she be saved from self-inflicted starvation. Like its predecessor, Hideous Kinky , this novel is short on plot but strong on character and setting. Freud (daughter of painter Lucian and great-granddaughter of Sigmund) depicts in vividly immediate prose Lisa's deterioration as her pleas for love go unheard. With barely a nod to conventionally linear narrative structure, this unusual book is like a beautiful, disturbing painting that renders, on an inutitive level, a troubled young girl's soul.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Peerless Flats" are temporary apartments for the homeless in London. Lisa, her mother, and her half-brother Max find themselves living in one of these flats while waiting for more permanent housing. After years of endless moves, 16-year-old Lisa longs for a permanent home--or at least she thinks she does. In searching for happiness and security, she tries drugs, sex, alcohol, college, anorexia, and acupuncture. When she suddenly discovers that her parents, though divorced, really do care about her, she begins to understand that a permanent home is not her first priority. Freud's prose is graphic, her dialog concise. The story jumps from adventure to adventure, with Lisa as the thread that sews the pieces together. A lesson in how a dysfunctional family might survive; recommended for public libraries.
- Joanna Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Coll. of Continuing Education, Providence
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial; 1st Ecco ed edition (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880015926
• ISBN-13: 978-0880015929
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 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: #1,543,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing story and writing, August 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Peerless Flats (Paperback)

I could not put this book down. The story is so grisly and yet told without any sentimentality or self-pity. The writing is excellent. I ended the book full of admiration for the writer who came off as brave and very, very smart. A real artist. A beautiful and sometimes shocking book.

5.0 out of 5 stars She is a great writer, April 3, 2009

By 

Barbara R. Guada "artbybabz" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peerless Flats (Paperback)

this book in particular is amazing its, setting was true to the time and city, a really wonderful book and in great condition. i give it five stars!

5.0 out of 5 stars A teengirl in the London Punkscene coping with all problems., June 9, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Peerless Flats (Hardcover)

About a girl of my age who is actually doing alot of things which u would say she's too young for. She's got a sister who's an drugaddict and al- most dies of it. A younger brother which she must take care of a bit, but not always doing it. It's in the London streets in the Punktime, and very kewl to read!