Bangs

by Stevan Eldred-Grigg

Meridee Bang is brought up in a house on Olivine Street with too many children and too little money. It's the 1960s and while The Patty Duke Show and I Love Lucy depict what life should be like, things are somewhat different in the Bang household. For Meridee the movie of her life is called Getting Dragged up on Olivine Street. In her world, family life is all about survival. Spanning the '60s, '70s and '80s, Bangs follows Meridee from her pre-school years to her early twenties. Bright, sharp and hopeful, Meridee is a witty but troubled commentator. Will she grow into the beautiful swan with oodles of money that she imagines? Or will she remain an ugly duckling, stuck forever in concrete-block Christchurch? In this new, bold novel Stevan Eldred-Grigg returns to the family at the centre of his bestselling Oracles and Miracles.

Paperback

First published April 24, 2013

About the author

New Zealand author, born in 1952.

In 1987 he published his first novel, Oracles and Miracles, the story of two sisters growing up in Christchurch before and during World War II. Since then he has written several fiction and non-fiction books.

Extract from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Chris Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compulsive read with so many connections around Christchurch city as well as the Ashley Gorge, Waikuku and Woodend Beaches.
Shabby treatment for Meridee by her mum and so many men/boys. Why does it all seem so damned normal? Thanks Stevan Eldred-Grigg.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm about ready to slit my wrists, having just finished this novel. Meridee's life is not one to inspire the reader. Unrelieved misery. I did however like the last few lines: firstly because it meant I didn't have to read any more and secondly because of the sneaky and oblique reference to the 2010 earthquake. If you are feeling the least bit dissatisfied with how your life has turned out, Do. Not. Read. This. Book. It won't help.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

A kiwi author...