What do you think?
Rate this book
Solitaire
Un jeune garçon se réveille sur une île déserte, perdue au milieu de nulle part. Terrifié, il tente de renouer les fils de son histoire. Qui est-il? D'où vient-il? Comment a-t-il atterri là? Ses souvenirs se dérobent et son passé reste un mystère. Désormais, il n'a plus qu'une idée en tête: survivre. À Londres, un homme, riche et puissant, est persuadé que son petit-fils, disparu en mer, est toujours vivant. Prêt à remuer ciel et terre pour le retrouver, il ne néglige aucune piste. L'une d'elles le mène à un îlot rocheux perdu dans l'océan indien, nommé Solitaire. C'est le début d'une aventure qui lest changera à jamais.
391 pages, Hardcover
Published February 27, 2014
3 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Ashley
110 books13 followersBernard Ashley lives in Charlton, south east London, only a street or so from where he was born. He was educated at the Roan School, Blackheath and Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School, Rochester. After National Service in the RAF Bernard trained to teach at Trent Park College of Education, specializing in Drama. He followed this with an Advanced Diploma at the Cambridge Institute and has been awarded honorary Doctorates in Education by the University of Greenwich and in letters by the University of Leicester. During his career as a teacher he worked in Kent, Hertfordshire, Newham and Greenwich, with thirty years of headships in the last three.
He is now writing full time. His first novel, The Trouble with Donovan Croft (recently re-issued by OUP), was published in 1974 and won the 'Other' Award, an alternative to the Carnegie Medal (for which he has been shortlisted three times). Nineteen further novels have followed, gaining him a reputation as a 'gritty' writer in sympathy with the under dog. In Margaret Meek's view he gets inside children's heads, who say that this is what it's like for them.
Of Tiger Without Teeth Philip Pullman wrote in The Guardian:
'A commonplace setting, an everyday situation, ordinary characters. Bernard Ashley's great gift is to turn what seems to be low-key realism into something much stronger and more resonant. It has something to do with empathy, compassion, an undimmed thirst for decency and justice. In a way, Ashley is doing what ‘Play for Today’ used to do when TV was a medium that connected honestly with its own time, and what so few artists do now: using realism in the service of moral concern.'
Johnnie's Blitz (Barn Owl), drew on his wartime experiences as a child in and around London; while Little Soldier (Orchard) sums up his writing: a pacy plot with an emotional turning point, a theme that concerns him, and characters that grip as real people. It was shortlisted for the 'Guardian' young fiction prize and for the Carnegie Medal. His latest novel is Flashpoint - a thriller, the third of the Ben Maddox stories.
Bernard’s picture books include Double the Love (Carol Thompson illustrating) from Orchard, Growing Good (Bloomsbury), Cleversticks, and A Present for Paul (Harper Collins). Tamarind published The Bush, illustrated by Lynne Willey. His popular stories for young readers include Dinner Ladies Don't Count (Puffin), Justin and the Demon Drop Kick, and I'm Trying to Tell You (both Happy Cat).
Television work has included Running Scared (from which he wrote the novel), The Country Boy (BBC) and his adaptation of his own Dodgem which won the Royal Television Society award as the best children's entertainment of its year.
Stage plays are The Old Woman Who Lived in A Cola Can (Edinburgh Festival and tour), The Secret of Theodore Brown (Unicorn Theatre for Children in the West End), and Little Soldier (published by Heinemann).
A strong family man, Bernard is married to Iris Ashley, a former London headteacher, and they have three sons. Their eldest, Chris, also a headteacher, co-wrote with Bernard the TV series Three Seven Eleven (Granada), and his latest "Wasim" books were published in 2007 by Frances Lincoln. David is a London headteacher and an expert on children's reading; and Jonathan is an actor, writer and director whose writing for theatre includes Stiffs; and who was writer and voice director in Los Angeles and London on Primal and Ghosthunter for Playstation 2.
Bernard and Iris have four grandchildren, Paul, Carl, Rosie and Luke.
He is now writing full time. His first novel, The Trouble with Donovan Croft (recently re-issued by OUP), was published in 1974 and won the 'Other' Award, an alternative to the Carnegie Medal (for which he has been shortlisted three times). Nineteen further novels have followed, gaining him a reputation as a 'gritty' writer in sympathy with the under dog. In Margaret Meek's view he gets inside children's heads, who say that this is what it's like for them.
Of Tiger Without Teeth Philip Pullman wrote in The Guardian:
'A commonplace setting, an everyday situation, ordinary characters. Bernard Ashley's great gift is to turn what seems to be low-key realism into something much stronger and more resonant. It has something to do with empathy, compassion, an undimmed thirst for decency and justice. In a way, Ashley is doing what ‘Play for Today’ used to do when TV was a medium that connected honestly with its own time, and what so few artists do now: using realism in the service of moral concern.'
Johnnie's Blitz (Barn Owl), drew on his wartime experiences as a child in and around London; while Little Soldier (Orchard) sums up his writing: a pacy plot with an emotional turning point, a theme that concerns him, and characters that grip as real people. It was shortlisted for the 'Guardian' young fiction prize and for the Carnegie Medal. His latest novel is Flashpoint - a thriller, the third of the Ben Maddox stories.
Bernard’s picture books include Double the Love (Carol Thompson illustrating) from Orchard, Growing Good (Bloomsbury), Cleversticks, and A Present for Paul (Harper Collins). Tamarind published The Bush, illustrated by Lynne Willey. His popular stories for young readers include Dinner Ladies Don't Count (Puffin), Justin and the Demon Drop Kick, and I'm Trying to Tell You (both Happy Cat).
Television work has included Running Scared (from which he wrote the novel), The Country Boy (BBC) and his adaptation of his own Dodgem which won the Royal Television Society award as the best children's entertainment of its year.
Stage plays are The Old Woman Who Lived in A Cola Can (Edinburgh Festival and tour), The Secret of Theodore Brown (Unicorn Theatre for Children in the West End), and Little Soldier (published by Heinemann).
A strong family man, Bernard is married to Iris Ashley, a former London headteacher, and they have three sons. Their eldest, Chris, also a headteacher, co-wrote with Bernard the TV series Three Seven Eleven (Granada), and his latest "Wasim" books were published in 2007 by Frances Lincoln. David is a London headteacher and an expert on children's reading; and Jonathan is an actor, writer and director whose writing for theatre includes Stiffs; and who was writer and voice director in Los Angeles and London on Primal and Ghosthunter for Playstation 2.
Bernard and Iris have four grandchildren, Paul, Carl, Rosie and Luke.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 2, 2020
Good fiction
April 12, 2021
An amazing adventure story that teaches a big lesson.
October 21, 2021
Soooooooooo Confusing, but has charm
October 17, 2011
This is one of the best teen thrillers I've ever read. The writing isn't "dumbed down" and it's not written "just for kids". Bernard Ashley's writing reminds me much of some of the most popular mystery writers today. His writing isn't quite as smooth as Iris Johanson or Brock and Bodie Thoene but the level of detail and the research involved was wonderful and very easy to follow.
Bernard Ashley takes a situation that could really happen (and possibly has) and tells it from the kid's point of view. Pax, a 15 year old boy, stranded on an island with total Amnesia. He remembers nothing about life before the island. Mike is a grandfather who has lost his entire family to a tragic war crime that sinks a cruise ship attempting to rescue war victims in a Africa Civil War. Not believing that his grandson is dead he launches a search for his grandson and when a report comes of a blond boy hiding on an island he hires a boat captain to take him to the island after he's forbidden to fly there. It turns out that Pax isn't who Mike hoped he'd be and from there follows a rescue, a search for Pax and his identity, a huge surprise ending (that I actually figured out a few chapters before it was revealed).
I encourage you to leave this book lying around. Your kids 13+ will definitely pick it up and I'm sure you'll find them reading it when they have a spare moment. It's fast paced, attention grabbing action is enjoyable. All the little details are completed by the end of the book and to be honest I'd love to see a sequel.
I saw a few other books of Bernard Ashley's that I intend to find that were listed on his website. You can check out the details of just a few of the over 20 books that he has had published. All seem to be fast paced thrillers for teens and adults and I noticed he also has a few picture books for kids. Check out his website here. No Way to Go and Ronnie's War both look very interesting to me.
Bernard Ashley takes a situation that could really happen (and possibly has) and tells it from the kid's point of view. Pax, a 15 year old boy, stranded on an island with total Amnesia. He remembers nothing about life before the island. Mike is a grandfather who has lost his entire family to a tragic war crime that sinks a cruise ship attempting to rescue war victims in a Africa Civil War. Not believing that his grandson is dead he launches a search for his grandson and when a report comes of a blond boy hiding on an island he hires a boat captain to take him to the island after he's forbidden to fly there. It turns out that Pax isn't who Mike hoped he'd be and from there follows a rescue, a search for Pax and his identity, a huge surprise ending (that I actually figured out a few chapters before it was revealed).
I encourage you to leave this book lying around. Your kids 13+ will definitely pick it up and I'm sure you'll find them reading it when they have a spare moment. It's fast paced, attention grabbing action is enjoyable. All the little details are completed by the end of the book and to be honest I'd love to see a sequel.
I saw a few other books of Bernard Ashley's that I intend to find that were listed on his website. You can check out the details of just a few of the over 20 books that he has had published. All seem to be fast paced thrillers for teens and adults and I noticed he also has a few picture books for kids. Check out his website here. No Way to Go and Ronnie's War both look very interesting to me.
November 16, 2012
The book solitaire by Bernard Ashley is about a young boy who gets stranded on an island. He gets stranded because his boat he was on got shot down in the army. That causes the boat to sink, and the boy to be the only survivor. He drifts in the ocean for a long time. Then he finally comes washed up on the shore of an island. He is forced to live by hisself and survive on his own, and hope to be rescued. This book is intended for high school students.
The book begins with a boy named Joseph going on a cruise with his family. When the cruise ship he is on gets a stress signal from the African coast. The captain has no choice but to respond. But what the captain doesn't no is that he is responding to a war zone. Then when he arrives there is wounded all over the docks. Then when they arrive they start to get Bombed, so the captain begins to retreat from the area. They escape this time. But when they are treating wounded from the shrapnel and bombs later that night they hear the sound of a helicopter and they get shot down. The young boy Joseph is the only one to survive. He ends up stranded on an island to fend for himself.
The book deals with real life events. It shows the reality in warfare and what people go through when a lobed one is lost. It also talk about and teaches somewhat how to live on an island and survive by yourself. So the main point would be how to survive.
The writers detail is nowhere near laid back. The detail the author uses makes your mind jus be able to be in the actual scene. it also let's the audience be able to visualize the book. It is jus a good book. And what people learn n this story can carry on into real life.
The book begins with a boy named Joseph going on a cruise with his family. When the cruise ship he is on gets a stress signal from the African coast. The captain has no choice but to respond. But what the captain doesn't no is that he is responding to a war zone. Then when he arrives there is wounded all over the docks. Then when they arrive they start to get Bombed, so the captain begins to retreat from the area. They escape this time. But when they are treating wounded from the shrapnel and bombs later that night they hear the sound of a helicopter and they get shot down. The young boy Joseph is the only one to survive. He ends up stranded on an island to fend for himself.
The book deals with real life events. It shows the reality in warfare and what people go through when a lobed one is lost. It also talk about and teaches somewhat how to live on an island and survive by yourself. So the main point would be how to survive.
The writers detail is nowhere near laid back. The detail the author uses makes your mind jus be able to be in the actual scene. it also let's the audience be able to visualize the book. It is jus a good book. And what people learn n this story can carry on into real life.
May 2, 2016
J'adore entrer dans une librairie et juste me balader, prendre des livres par-ci par-là et me laisser tenter à acheter des romans dont je ne sais rien. J'ai eu des bonnes surprises en faisant ça, et Solitaire est un peu le contre exemple. Je l'ai (un petit peu) choisi pour sa couverture (qui soit dit en passant est magnifique dans la version française et totalement horrible dans la version originale) et il a traîné dans ma PAL pendant deux ans.
Je me motivais à le lire parce que ce n'est pas vraiment le genre d'histoire que j'affectionne, et je croyais que j'allais être réconciliée avec les romans réalistes avec tout un tas de fait. Finalement pas du tout. J'ai trouvé les premiers chapitres prenant, mais c'est vite devenu répétitif et je me suis battue avec moi-même pour continuer à lire les 150 pages suivantes. Au moment où j'allais arrêter ma lecture, il y a eu un rebondissement et j'ai retrouvé un petit peu d'intérêt pour l'histoire... Intérêt qui est vite retombé, comme des montagnes russes de lecture. J'étais dedans, puis je n'y étais plus et ainsi de suite.
C'est dommage en-soi, parce que je pense qu'il y a de l'idée, de l'originalité, et je pense tout simplement que ce roman n'était pas pour moi. C'est peut-être à cause du style d'écriture (ou de la traduction, à voir), à cause du thème qui finalement n'était pas aussi prometteur que ce que le synopsis m'avait vendu, et des longueurs qui s'étendent sur plusieurs dizaines de pages.
Je m'en veux d'être un peu dur avec ce livre, parce qu'il n'était pas si mauvais que ça, et je pense même qu'il peut plaire à un certain public, mais ce n'est tout simplement pas moi.
Je me motivais à le lire parce que ce n'est pas vraiment le genre d'histoire que j'affectionne, et je croyais que j'allais être réconciliée avec les romans réalistes avec tout un tas de fait. Finalement pas du tout. J'ai trouvé les premiers chapitres prenant, mais c'est vite devenu répétitif et je me suis battue avec moi-même pour continuer à lire les 150 pages suivantes. Au moment où j'allais arrêter ma lecture, il y a eu un rebondissement et j'ai retrouvé un petit peu d'intérêt pour l'histoire... Intérêt qui est vite retombé, comme des montagnes russes de lecture. J'étais dedans, puis je n'y étais plus et ainsi de suite.
C'est dommage en-soi, parce que je pense qu'il y a de l'idée, de l'originalité, et je pense tout simplement que ce roman n'était pas pour moi. C'est peut-être à cause du style d'écriture (ou de la traduction, à voir), à cause du thème qui finalement n'était pas aussi prometteur que ce que le synopsis m'avait vendu, et des longueurs qui s'étendent sur plusieurs dizaines de pages.
Je m'en veux d'être un peu dur avec ce livre, parce qu'il n'était pas si mauvais que ça, et je pense même qu'il peut plaire à un certain public, mais ce n'est tout simplement pas moi.
August 14, 2012
Very good story, socially conscious and well thought out. There are several surprises along they way that keep the story interesting. I had difficulty getting into this book in the beginning because of the author's writing style. I am not sure if it was the "British-ness" of the idioms or if it was an intentional writing style to add to the character, but I found the incomplete and disjointed sentences a bit distracting. Once I got used to it, the story definitely made up for it in the long run and it was a worthwhile read.
*mild spoiler* I originally read this because I am always looking for books that might interest boys who are reluctant readers. It might be good for YA readers or those who are interested in social responsibility and ethics (doctors without borders), or affects of war and weaponry (land mines). Under 12 year olds might have difficulty because of the writing style.
*mild spoiler* I originally read this because I am always looking for books that might interest boys who are reluctant readers. It might be good for YA readers or those who are interested in social responsibility and ethics (doctors without borders), or affects of war and weaponry (land mines). Under 12 year olds might have difficulty because of the writing style.
May 22, 2013
I rated this book 4 stars because it didn't have the best ending. It is a story where a boy and his family are on a cruise ship of the coast of Africa. The cruise gets attacked by a rebel airship. His family dies. Then it goes to his grandfather who thinks he's still alive. The French saw a boy on an uninhibited island they own Solitare. The grandfather thinks its him so he goes to the island to find him. He finds a boy that has lost his memory but its not his grandson but he takes him home and tries to help him get his memory back. If you want to find out more you should read it. It's overall a good book. Have a good time reading it.
January 4, 2014
Solitaire is a mystery/fiction that is by Bernard Ashley.A boy that is shipwrecked on a island that is named Solitaire.lost and alone he has a memory lost of how he got their and past memorize.All that matters is survival.A man that is named Mike that is rich and powerful convinced himself that his grandson is still alive.Mike has the influence and determination to find and rescue him,that search bring him to solitaire.
March 22, 2015
A good storyline that kept me interested. I did have difficulty getting into this book in the beginning because of the author's writing style was disjointed a bit. Once I got used to it the story made up for any shortcomings.
May 18, 2011
Really interesting book. told from two points of view and you don't know how they connect till later in the book, in the same way as Anne Cassidy's books do.
December 12, 2014
I really liked it; it kept surprising me with plot twists. Unfortunately, it took me longer to finish it than I would've liked.
March 18, 2016
This book would be a good book for middle school and high school students. I was confused when I was reading it, but it is still a decent book.
August 2, 2016
Review by W.F.: "I liked how action packed the book was at the beginning but then it died out. Any outdoor enthusiast [would like this]." 3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews