The Clever One by Helena Close - Revision history

Sue at 10:54, 22 April 2018

2018-04-22T10:54:44Z

Sue at 10:54, 22 April 2018

2018-04-22T10:54:36Z

Sue at 14:53, 19 January 2015

2015-01-19T14:53:19Z

Sue at 14:21, 22 January 2012

2012-01-22T14:21:20Z

Sue at 14:01, 22 January 2012

2012-01-22T14:01:51Z

Sue at 12:45, 26 December 2011

2011-12-26T12:45:06Z

Sue at 12:42, 26 December 2011

2011-12-26T12:42:52Z

Sue: Created page with '{{infobox |title=The Clever One |author=Helena Close |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |rating=4.5 |buy=Yes |borrow=Yes |isbn=9780340920206 |paperback=0340920203 |hardback=0340…'

2011-12-26T12:41:10Z

Created page with '{{infobox |title=The Clever One |author=Helena Close |reviewer=Robert James |genre=Teens |rating=4.5 |buy=Yes |borrow=Yes |isbn=9780340920206 |paperback=0340920203 |hardback=0340…'

New review

{{infobox
|title=The Clever One
|author=Helena Close
|reviewer=Robert James
|genre=Teens
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=9780340920206
|paperback=0340920203
|hardback=034092019X
|audiobook=
|ebook=
|pages=320
|publisher=Hachette Books Ireland
|date=August 2011
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0340920203</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0340920203</amazonus>
|website=http://www.helenaclose.com
|video=
|summary=Gritty and bleak, this Irish drama is a strong recommendation for mature teens.
}}

Sixteen year old Maeve is the clever one in her family. So clever that she can't believe how stupid the others can be - especially her slightly older sister Fiona, a 'pramface' now after falling pregnant to her no good boyfriend Big. After the news broke of Fiona's pregnancy, Maeve told her best friend Mark that she wanted nothing to do with the baby. But she didn't count on loving baby Harvey so much that she'd do anything to protect him - so she sets a plan in motion to rid their family of Big and the rest of the scumbags he associates with.

Author Helena Close has created a memorable, if not necessarily likeable, heroine in Maeve, and depicts Limerick in a realistic and gritty manner. It's definitely not one for younger teens - one of the very first scenes sees Maeve throw up over a boy who's trying to force her to go further than she wants with him, and that quickly seems incredibly tame compared to some of the later events in the novel. That said, none of the events seem to be there just to shock - they're believable consequences of Maeve’s actions, and we can see how quickly events can spiral out of control.

I found parts of the book to be rather predictable – particularly the romantic subplot between Maeve and Mark – while others, especially the ending, took me completely by surprise. I’d hesitate to call this a particularly enjoyable read; the bleakness of the subject matter makes that description rather inappropriate. It is, though, a very powerful novel and definitely worth reading if you want a gritty and realistic drama. I’ll just repeat once more my warning that this is for more mature teens only!

Overall, this is a well-written tale with some excellent characters, and I look forward to reading more from Helena Close in the future.

For other excellent drama for mature young adults, I can't get enough of Keren David - in particular her 'Joe' series, which starts with [[When I Was Joe by Keren David|When I Was Joe]].

{{amazontext|amazon=0340920203}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7884836}}

{{commenthead}}

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 |date=August 2011
 |website=http://www.helenaclose.com
 |summary=Gritty and bleak, this Irish drama is a strong recommendation for mature teens. Helena Close was kind enough to pop into Bookbag Towers and [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Helena Close|talk to us]].
 |cover=0340920203

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{infobox
+{{infobox1
 |title=The Clever One
 |sort=Clever One
@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 |publisher=Hachette Books Ireland
 |date=August 2011
 |website=http://www.helenaclose.com
 |video=YX1iekE0Wkw
 |summary=Gritty and bleak, this Irish drama is a strong recommendation for mature teens. Helena Close was kind enough to pop into Bookbag Towers and [[The Interview: Bookbag Talks To Helena Close|talk to us]].
 }}

@@ Line 9: / Line 9: @@
 |borrow=Yes
 |isbn=9780340920206
 |pages=320
 |publisher=Hachette Books Ireland
@@ Line 35: / Line 31: @@
 This review was kindly given to us by the ever-generous [http://yayeahyeah.blogspot.com/ Ya Yeah Yeah].
-{{amazontext|amazon=0340920203}} {{waterstonestext|waterstones=7884836}}
+{{amazontext|amazon=0340920203}}
 {{interviewtext|author=Helena Close}}
 {{commenthead}}