Customer Reviews

Poppy Shakespeare

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Clare Allan's book requires patience for the American reader, to be sure. But if you read aloud as you go along this novel will blow you away with its humor, its doozy characters and take on the mentality inside mental institutions - which is certainly the same the world over. I dare anyone who says they love literature to give this one a go!

I loved this book. It's for anyone who ever thought they might be crazy or ever had a drug problem. I liked it better than "A million little pieces" by James Frey, but not as much as "One flew over the Cuckoo's nest" by Ken Kesey.

The first two chapters contained a lot of swearing without really adding any character to the book - it was like she did it to prove she could. However after this the swearing died down (was still there but added to the character). I nearly gave it a three, except for the ending which was very disappointing - not so much the actual events in the end but that it just eneded.

Its narrated by N and takes place in a day pyshiatric clinic. N comes from a long line of family members having mental health issues and them commiting suicide, and has been at the clinic for over a decade. Then Poppy comes along (the title of the book) being made to go to the day clinic after some bazar job training interviews and wants N to help prove that she's not mad. N however can't understand why anyone would want to leave the clinic and meanwhile tries to "help" her new fiend only for it to be made worse.

In the end it was the ending that dispappointed me and steered me towards the 2 stars instead of 3

As an American living in the UK as well as working for the NHS's mental health section and therefore being used to the lingo, I found this book to be incredibly concise.