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Wild Thing
Annie Wynter has sworn off love.
She’s seen what love does to her family and friends.
She picks up the pieces at work, trying to heal the broken.
She knows, all too well, the pain love has caused her.
So she’s given love up as a bad thing,
cut her losses, walked away.
Then a brutal killing turns her life upside-down
and Annie has to choose -
will she break the rules she lives by?
The decision she makes will change her life forever.
She’s seen what love does to her family and friends.
She picks up the pieces at work, trying to heal the broken.
She knows, all too well, the pain love has caused her.
So she’s given love up as a bad thing,
cut her losses, walked away.
Then a brutal killing turns her life upside-down
and Annie has to choose -
will she break the rules she lives by?
The decision she makes will change her life forever.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
11 people want to read
About the author
Joolz Denby
13 books76 followersJoolz Denby has been a professional writer of poetry and fiction, spoken-word artist, illustrative artist and photographer for over thirty years.
* Add Joolz as a Friend on Facebook: look for Joolz Denby.
* This year will be Joolz' 25th year as a spoken-word artiste at Glastonbury Festival: with over 100 performances of her writing at the festival, she is one of Glastonbury's most prolific performers.
*Joolz latest spoken word album, Spirit Stories, with music by Justin Sullivan is now available for download/mail order: please visit The Shop @ www.newmodelarmy.org Buyer Reviews: 'Two listens now. Still got gooseflesh. Poetry to touch the soul. And that voice. Hell, Joolz could read the phone book and leave you entranced. The music just provides the backdrop, but Joolz' voice is the main instrument here.' Ifran. '(the track) Boy You Need the Road - WOW.' St Alfonzo. (reviews taken from the Noticeboard at www.newmodelarmy.org). Magazine Reviews: 'Joolz Denby remains one of the real treasures of the British literary scene and "Spirit Stories", her new album, is quite simply an essential listen. . . Mesmerisingly atmospheric throughout. 'Bubblegum Slut Fanzine. Issue 32.
*She is an award-winning, multi-nominated novelist; for her debut novel Stone Baby (HarperCollins) Joolz won the Crime Writer's Association New Crime Writer Of The Year and was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award. She was also awarded the audio book industry's prestigious 'Earphone Award' (USA) for her brilliant unabridged recording of Stone Baby. Her third novel, Billie Morgan (Serpent's Tail) was shortlisted for the 2005 Orange Prize and also the Crime Writer's Association Dagger In The Library award.
*Her last novel Borrowed Light (Serpent's Tail) was released in February 2006 to enormous critical acclaim and her latest collection of poetry and short fiction Pray For Us Sinners (Comma Press), released in late 2005, is already in its second re-print. She has recently finished her new - as yet unpublished - novel, 'Wild Thing' (www.myspace.com/wildthingjoolzdenby) and has started working on another novel (working title) 'Midnight At The Rat N' Roses' and a new collection of poetry and short stories.
*Joolz tours the world giving highly acclaimed dramatic readings of her work (both poetry and prose). She is noted for the emotive, musical quality of her voice and the skill with which she presents the characters she has written about. She won the prestigious US audio book industry Earphone Award for her unabridged recording of her novel 'Stone Baby' and is considered to be the UK's premier woman spoken-word artist ('the Queen Of British Spoken Word'). In Britain she reads throughout the year at venues ranging from The Royal Albert Hall and the House of Commons to rock music festivals (twenty-two years as a performer at Glastonbury) arts centres, Universities, rock clubs and coffee houses. She is highly respected for her work with prison inmates.
* Joolz is an expert in the field of commissioned public poetry, having written poetry for Yorkshire Forward, The Royal Armouries, Alchemy Asian Arts, Yorkshire Museums Service, Bradford Capital Of Culture Bid and The Captain Cook Museum amongst others.
*Joolz is an extremely experienced and valued broadcaster, having worked regularly for radio of all kinds such as BBC Radio Four (including many broadcasts for Woman's Hour) and BBC Radio One. She has also a
* Add Joolz as a Friend on Facebook: look for Joolz Denby.
* This year will be Joolz' 25th year as a spoken-word artiste at Glastonbury Festival: with over 100 performances of her writing at the festival, she is one of Glastonbury's most prolific performers.
*Joolz latest spoken word album, Spirit Stories, with music by Justin Sullivan is now available for download/mail order: please visit The Shop @ www.newmodelarmy.org Buyer Reviews: 'Two listens now. Still got gooseflesh. Poetry to touch the soul. And that voice. Hell, Joolz could read the phone book and leave you entranced. The music just provides the backdrop, but Joolz' voice is the main instrument here.' Ifran. '(the track) Boy You Need the Road - WOW.' St Alfonzo. (reviews taken from the Noticeboard at www.newmodelarmy.org). Magazine Reviews: 'Joolz Denby remains one of the real treasures of the British literary scene and "Spirit Stories", her new album, is quite simply an essential listen. . . Mesmerisingly atmospheric throughout. 'Bubblegum Slut Fanzine. Issue 32.
*She is an award-winning, multi-nominated novelist; for her debut novel Stone Baby (HarperCollins) Joolz won the Crime Writer's Association New Crime Writer Of The Year and was shortlisted for the John Creasey Award. She was also awarded the audio book industry's prestigious 'Earphone Award' (USA) for her brilliant unabridged recording of Stone Baby. Her third novel, Billie Morgan (Serpent's Tail) was shortlisted for the 2005 Orange Prize and also the Crime Writer's Association Dagger In The Library award.
*Her last novel Borrowed Light (Serpent's Tail) was released in February 2006 to enormous critical acclaim and her latest collection of poetry and short fiction Pray For Us Sinners (Comma Press), released in late 2005, is already in its second re-print. She has recently finished her new - as yet unpublished - novel, 'Wild Thing' (www.myspace.com/wildthingjoolzdenby) and has started working on another novel (working title) 'Midnight At The Rat N' Roses' and a new collection of poetry and short stories.
*Joolz tours the world giving highly acclaimed dramatic readings of her work (both poetry and prose). She is noted for the emotive, musical quality of her voice and the skill with which she presents the characters she has written about. She won the prestigious US audio book industry Earphone Award for her unabridged recording of her novel 'Stone Baby' and is considered to be the UK's premier woman spoken-word artist ('the Queen Of British Spoken Word'). In Britain she reads throughout the year at venues ranging from The Royal Albert Hall and the House of Commons to rock music festivals (twenty-two years as a performer at Glastonbury) arts centres, Universities, rock clubs and coffee houses. She is highly respected for her work with prison inmates.
* Joolz is an expert in the field of commissioned public poetry, having written poetry for Yorkshire Forward, The Royal Armouries, Alchemy Asian Arts, Yorkshire Museums Service, Bradford Capital Of Culture Bid and The Captain Cook Museum amongst others.
*Joolz is an extremely experienced and valued broadcaster, having worked regularly for radio of all kinds such as BBC Radio Four (including many broadcasts for Woman's Hour) and BBC Radio One. She has also a
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 30, 2013
Powerful, but grim (which is par for the course with Denby, with the exception of The Curious Mystery...)
July 23, 2013
Luckily for Joolz Denby she seems to have a lot of experience considering her detailed descriptions of music publishing having managed the popular underground band "New Model Army" for a period of time. She also is Bradford based and having come from Bradford myself I found her descriptions accurate and well written.
However even though all these gritty remarks to UK instability were rather clever and enjoyable to read, I felt a lot of it was dressed up to hide the actual plot, which isn't as distinctly eventful or as long as most novels. I'd consider this more of a long short story:
Annie Wynter comes from Bradford out of a broken home. She gets a job as a secretary at a record company in London and has a miscarriage. Torn by losing her unborn child she latches onto a up and coming rock star Johnny Eliot. Johnny soon breaks up the relationship after he becomes very famous. Annie then cuts her losses, moves back to Bradford and becomes a social worker.
Years later she is dealing with a case of negligence to a certain little boy who ends up dead in a field somewhere having apparently being eaten alive by wild dogs. Annie soon comes into contact with the animal that may have killed "Jakey" which is in fact a feral child. Possessed with sympathy and the want to be a mother she adopts the deranged child from his dying mother who's fate has also been a matter of negligence.
"Adam" the feral child is institutionalized and his existence is met with a media frenzy. When the military expresses interest to take Adam away to a "research centre" Annie breaks him out and releases him into the wild to a remote place in Wales convinced that he is meant to be her son.
She lives in hiding there for a short while watching Adam run free before the creature eventually turns on her, attacks her and also rapes her. The story ends with her mangled body being discovered in a field while reports show that Adam is still at large.
Looking back at this plot, I find it all slightly vague and fail to see greater meaning to it. The ending was also just too predictable, simply not interesting and devoid of drama. With lack of a good plot at least for my tastes this book was "Ok" but I didn't consciously think it was good.
However even though all these gritty remarks to UK instability were rather clever and enjoyable to read, I felt a lot of it was dressed up to hide the actual plot, which isn't as distinctly eventful or as long as most novels. I'd consider this more of a long short story:
Annie Wynter comes from Bradford out of a broken home. She gets a job as a secretary at a record company in London and has a miscarriage. Torn by losing her unborn child she latches onto a up and coming rock star Johnny Eliot. Johnny soon breaks up the relationship after he becomes very famous. Annie then cuts her losses, moves back to Bradford and becomes a social worker.
Years later she is dealing with a case of negligence to a certain little boy who ends up dead in a field somewhere having apparently being eaten alive by wild dogs. Annie soon comes into contact with the animal that may have killed "Jakey" which is in fact a feral child. Possessed with sympathy and the want to be a mother she adopts the deranged child from his dying mother who's fate has also been a matter of negligence.
"Adam" the feral child is institutionalized and his existence is met with a media frenzy. When the military expresses interest to take Adam away to a "research centre" Annie breaks him out and releases him into the wild to a remote place in Wales convinced that he is meant to be her son.
She lives in hiding there for a short while watching Adam run free before the creature eventually turns on her, attacks her and also rapes her. The story ends with her mangled body being discovered in a field while reports show that Adam is still at large.
Looking back at this plot, I find it all slightly vague and fail to see greater meaning to it. The ending was also just too predictable, simply not interesting and devoid of drama. With lack of a good plot at least for my tastes this book was "Ok" but I didn't consciously think it was good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2010
Joolz can't find a publisher for this. In some ways I understand. It's dark, gritty and talks about an aspect of the UK we'd all like to forget. But it's also passionate, beautiful, weird and amazingly written. I think if a publisher just took a chance on this he would have a cult bestseller on his hands....
July 29, 2010
A gripping, intense and poignant read
December 25, 2013
Was lent this book by a friend of the author or would otherwise never have come across it. Excellent, poignant and desolate. I'm glad to have found Joolz Denby and am looking forward to reading more.
September 15, 2014
Fantastic novel!!!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews