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The Radleys: A Novel [Hardcover]

Matt Haig
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)

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Book Description

December 28, 2010
Just about everyone knows a family like the Radleys. Many of us grew up next door to one. They are a modern family, averagely content, averagely dysfunctional, living in a staid and quiet suburban English town. Peter is an overworked doctor whose wife, Helen, has become increasingly remote and uncommunicative. Rowan, their teenage son, is being bullied at school, and their anemic daughter, Clara, has recently become a vegan. They are typical, that is, save for one devastating exception: Peter and Helen are vampires and have—for seventeen years—been abstaining by choice from a life of chasing blood in the hope that their children could live normal lives.

One night, Clara finds herself driven to commit a shocking—and disturbingly satisfying—act of violence, and her parents are forced to explain their history of shadows and lies. A police investigation is launched that uncovers a richness of vampire history heretofore unknown to the general public. And when the malevolent and alluring Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, arrives to throw the police off Clara’s trail, he winds up throwing the whole house into temptation and turmoil and unleashing a host of dark secrets that threaten the Radleys’ marriage.

The Radleys is a moving, thrilling, and radiant domestic novel that explores with daring the lengths a parent will go to protect a child, what it costs you to deny your identity, the undeniable appeal of sin, and the everlasting, iridescent bonds of family love. Read it and ask what we grow into when we grow up, and what we gain—and lose—when we deny our appetites.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This witty vampire novel from British author Haig (The Possession of Mr. Cave) provides what jaded fans of the Twilight series need, not True Blood exactly, but some fresh blood in the form of a true blue family. Dr. Peter Radley and his wife, Helen, have fled wild London for the village of Bishopthorpe, where they live an outwardly ordinary life. The Radleys, who follow the rules of The Abstainer's Handbook (e.g., "Be proud to act like a normal human being"), haven't told their 15-year-old vegan daughter, Clara, and 17-year-old son, Rowan, who's troubled by nightmares, that they're really vampires. A crisis occurs when a drunken classmate of Clara's, Stuart Harper, attacks her on her way home from a party and inadvertently awakens the girl's blood thirst. Peter's call for help to his brother, Will, a practicing vampire, leads to scary consequences. The likable Clara and Rowan will appeal to both adult and teen readers. (Dec.) (c)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Despite the saturation of vampire books, television, and movies, the reviews of The Radleys suggest that readers everywhere have not yet tired of these bloodsucking (or, in this case, mostly abstaining) beings. Although each vampire novel differs from the next, critics quickly pointed out that Haig’s offering, at heart a family drama, contains some unique elements, including references to vampire pop culture both old and new as well as thoughtful inquiries into the nature of morality and identity. Yet though smart and witty, the novel often overstates its case in its presentation of right and wrong. Still, fans of the genre will rejoice in this new addition to vampire lore—and its planned sequels.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press; First Edition edition (December 28, 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1439194017
  • ISBN-13: 978-1439194010
  • Product Dimensions: 1.1 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #674,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

And it's definitely nothing like the smutty vampire books I usually read! Rachel McElhany  |  18 reviewers made a similar statement
Came across this while searching for books on a website called "Good Reads". Sherri Franklin  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
The book is well written and funny. Mrs Mary Aris  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well done. September 7, 2010
Format:Paperback
Much like the Harry Potter books, there are two editions of this book. The first one is for adults and the other one is for teens. They have radically different covers and cover blurbs. I really did not think something new could be written about vampires that would be unique enough, and a different enough take on old tales and legends and the plethora of vampire literature out there, to surprise me. I could not have been more wrong. This book not only surprised me but left me with a hunger for more. Matt Haig reshapes vampire mythology; there are two classes of vampires and two types of vampires in his re-imaging of this genre. First, someone is either born a vampire from a family of vampires or they are turned by a vampire. The two types of vampires are those who practice abstinence and those who are full-blooders. Enter the Radleys, a quiet if somewhat sickly family living in the small British village of Bishopthorpe. Meet the Radleys: Peter, Helen and their two teenage children Clara and Rowan. They seem to be the typical dysfunctional family, but with a few more medical conditions than the most of their neighbors. But their family secret blows wide open when Clara not only tastes blood but devours the first person she tastes. When the Radleys need to cover up this incident, Peter calls his older brother Will, and soon everything seems to be falling apart.

This book is creative and unique, which as stated earlier, in this genre is truly amazing. It is well written; you find yourself cheering for the vampires and hoping they can pull it all together and figure out a better way to live. You have a mix of vampires, curious neighbors, a special police unit dedicated to controlling and negotiating with the vampire hierarchy and a family just trying to protect each other.
... Read more ›
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars A Vampire book for all of us in our 40s December 28, 2010
By BookBob
Format:Hardcover
When I received this book I thought oh another vampire book. But then I started to read it and it was so much more. What I liked most about this story was how human the vampires were in the story. They fall in love they marry they have children and they eventually die. This story is about the vampire family the Radleys at the begining of the story their two children do not even know they are vampires. The Parents want to be a typical middle class normal British family and they think by not telling their children about their heritage it will cause them to be normal. This will serously back fire and that is the begining of this wonderful story. I really enjoyed this story because as a middle age man who has been married for 20 years and has teenage children I found Peter very easy to indentify with. If you want something good to read that will make you think this is the book to read.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Vampire Family Soap Opera January 26, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Dark humor pervades this entertaining vampire family soap opera. While Helen was engaged to Peter Radley, his rougish brother Will secretly whisks her off for one sex filled, "vampire conversion" night in Paris. Helen discovers she is pregnant and tells Peter the baby is his. This happened 17 years ago. That is when the Radleys (Helen and Peter) decided to live like normal people and follow the guidelines set down by the Abstainer's Handbook, a book written for those who no longer wish to live the traditional vampire life. Complications arise as their two children Rowan - biological son of Will, and daughter Clara begin to acquire vampire characteristics. Clara is the first to change when one night a thuggish classmate attacks her. The fangs erupt on their own and Clara does what any vampire lass would naturally do - she drains him dry. This is when Helen finally agrees with Peter that it is time to explain their heritage to the children.

At first the Radleys seem to be a terribly dysfunctional family, but soon enough each of them shows a depth not apparent in the beginning. They learn to pull together when outside forces attempt to destroy them. Ultimately this is a story about family and love.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Very clever idea, very borning in parts April 16, 2011
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I was intrigued by this plot description, very different from the spate of other vampire films and books. So I gave it a try by getting the Kindle Sample. The beginning was quite clever and amusing, so I went ahead and bought the book.

The plot was sufficiently interesting to keep me going, but unfortunately, between any action, there were countless pages of boring vampire lore, none of which was in the slightest interesting or germane to the plot. Why the author felt this was necessary I don't know, but possibly to satisfy the teenager vampire fans.

Had this been edited out, the book would have been far better. Of course, that problem was solved by just quickly paging though these sections.

A fun read, but not really worth the price.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Read it. Today. April 9, 2011
Format:Hardcover
Ah, the cleverness of Mr. Haig! The Radleys tackles a similar subject as a couple of its modern contemporaries (ie Twilight series): that of vampires who do not drink human blood---vampires who are trying to fit in with society. This one is a bit different, though, because the Radley family is fully immersed in modern society and fully immersed in their delusions that their ploy could actually stick. What I found most interesting was the children; the Radley parents have hidden their vamp identities from their kids, which makes the kids wonder why they get sick when they go out in the sun, why they can't be vegetarians, etc, etc. And the writing is excellent. Example: "His lower intestines spilled out of him, like escaping eels." Ooo ... that's pretty.

This is a character-focused book, as the reader is left to wonder, when the daughter accidentally kills someone, what will the Radleys do? Not only do you wonder, but you want to know, because the characters are excellent. Dad Radley is dealing with his own American Beauty-esque questions of how did I end up here? Mama Radley is desperately trying to appear normal, but she ... just ... can't. Son Radley is creepy, but you root for him, despite his goth persona. Daughter Radley is kind of evil and blood-thirsty, but hey, she's a vampire right? This is just a clever, clever book, written by a British dude who really knows how to write. Gorgeous ... and gory.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars The Radley's
When I first began to read this book I thought it was just a want to be Twilight, but I was wrong. This was a very exciting and well written book. Read more
Published 28 days ago by kara
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story about vampires and families
The Radleys by Matt Haig had short chapters which made it a quick read. Some of the sentences in the book were very thought provoking. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Laurie Jacques
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
An energetic, original and entertaining story that kept me hooked all the way through to the end. Vampires will always be a popular subject in fiction, but I think Matt Haig's... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Tasha Harrison
3.0 out of 5 stars THE RADLEYS
Vampires are in, and The Radleys is as much fun as the Twilight series. Not as richly rewarding as Anne Rice's books, but definitely entertaining.
Published 6 months ago by Gloria Barrack
3.0 out of 5 stars Did not meet my expectations
The book really disappointed me, because I thought it was going to be better. I was expecting more romance, between the characters and see them evolve throughout the book. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Kassandra Fuentes
2.0 out of 5 stars Bloodless
Here's what you get from The Radleys:

1. Juvenile adults acting like teenagers. Maybe that's what the Alex Award, for "adult" books that appeal to teens, are about? Read more
Published 10 months ago by Chance Lee
4.0 out of 5 stars Well done!
The Radleys was definitely one of my favorite reads this year. It was amusing, suspenseful, creative, and a thrilling page-turner. Read more
Published 11 months ago by N. K. Richards
5.0 out of 5 stars loved it
I loved this book and not only because my maiden name is Radley but because it was to me a unique vampire book...
Published 11 months ago by Alma M. Hartnett
4.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner
I saw this book being reviewed on another blog and couldn't get over how groovy it sounded. The idea that vampires try to abstain and live like living people, it appealed to me... Read more
Published 11 months ago by fredamans
3.0 out of 5 stars A socially relevant vampire novel?
Good writers know that the stories that stay with us the longest are those that deal with the most difficult things for us to look at, exposing them to the light of day in ways... Read more
Published 11 months ago by amy_dale
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