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Being Someone
"I'd always known. From the first time she had looked into my eyes with possibility rather than containment, with a smile, with vulnerability, I'd known that there would be hurt." Our lives are a tale to be told, but how often do we fear the story in its telling? James has fallen through life, plotting a course of least resistance, taking each day as it comes and waiting for that indefinable 'something' to turn up, to give his story meaning. His journey lacks one vital element - a fellow traveller, a heart's desire - a purpose. Then he meets Lainey. Confident. Beautiful. Captivating. And James rewrites himself to win her heart. Lainey gives James a reason to grow, paints a bright future, promises the happy ending he has sought so keenly. But when we discover we can live the greatest story of all, are we able to share the pages with someone else? Being Someone is an emotive tale of love, of self-discovery and adventure - a story of the eternal search for happiness in another, without ultimately losing ourselves.
288 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2014
3 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Adrian Harvey
4 books4 followersSince escaping the East Midlands to find his fortune in the big city, Adrian Harvey has combined a career in and around government with trying to see as much of the world as he can. He lives in North London, which he believes to be the finest corner of the world's greatest city.
Being Someone was his first novel, The Cursing Stone his second, then came Time's Tide. The Whirligig is his latest.
Being Someone was his first novel, The Cursing Stone his second, then came Time's Tide. The Whirligig is his latest.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 2, 2015
Novel set in Mysore and London (“the writing in this book is extremely engaging”)
I came across this book because there was a spike of considerable hype on social media, highlighting the author’s use of location and quality of his writing. There were also some impressive reviews around, so it sounded like a top pick.
There are essentially two strands to this book. The first concerns the relationship between a mahout and his elephant in India and the process of training this particular elephant, who then rises to be a star in the annual parade of Dasara. It is delicately drawn, and the environment in which these two co-exist is beautifully captured, it is heartrendingly described.
Then there is a swift switch to London, and to James in the second story, who falls for Lainey, an American working in the capital for a law outfit. They fall in love and build their relationship, they move house, they have parties and then….It is a nuanced observation of a couple relationship through James’s eyes, himself a flawed young man who has lost the support of his family, and ultimately struggles to connect with intimacy. Lainey is seen by everyone to be an attractive young woman, who has everything going for her, but that is as much as we get. She is a cut-out of gorgeousness, but nothing really for the reader to hold on to. And perhaps that is the rub, there are two people in this relationship and one of them clearly is discontented and increasingly disconnected; the other is merely a shadow. James, feeling boxed in, in all aspects of his life, does come across as rather spineless, and ultimately he isn’t a terribly likeable character.
This book is very much about the connection between two sets of beings, and how something that can start out as a symbiotic relationship, sustaining both parties during a given period in life, can can soon spiral into a destructive force.
The writing in this book is extremely engaging. It is thoughtful, clear, and the words and ideas flow smoothly. But what isn’t smooth is the elision between the story building up in Mysore and the relationship that is unravelling in London. There is a tenuous link – James takes Lainey to India and later travels there on his own and asks after the story of the elephant and the mahout. Each story is in itself gripping and I so wanted each one to develop and grow further – and each would have been sufficiently engrossing to stand alone with further development. Together the two stories encroach on each other and do disturb the flow.
As for location, both India and London feel so real. James introduces Lainey to India and he describes with beauty and feeling the temples at Badami, which I now feel inspired to visit: Women in saris washed clothes on the steps that led down into the water, filling the world with an explosion of colour; a hundred different oranges, blues, and yellows, set against the overwhelming green of the lake and red of the cliffs. Standing in the timeless tranquility of the temples, surrounded by the exuberant riot of the present, Lainey turned to me and said quietly, definitively, that OK, she got it. She got what it was that draws so many people to visit the country….
The book is published by Urbane Publications (“ordinary words made extraordinary”).
I really enjoyed reading the book and very much look forward to the author’s next work!
I came across this book because there was a spike of considerable hype on social media, highlighting the author’s use of location and quality of his writing. There were also some impressive reviews around, so it sounded like a top pick.
There are essentially two strands to this book. The first concerns the relationship between a mahout and his elephant in India and the process of training this particular elephant, who then rises to be a star in the annual parade of Dasara. It is delicately drawn, and the environment in which these two co-exist is beautifully captured, it is heartrendingly described.
Then there is a swift switch to London, and to James in the second story, who falls for Lainey, an American working in the capital for a law outfit. They fall in love and build their relationship, they move house, they have parties and then….It is a nuanced observation of a couple relationship through James’s eyes, himself a flawed young man who has lost the support of his family, and ultimately struggles to connect with intimacy. Lainey is seen by everyone to be an attractive young woman, who has everything going for her, but that is as much as we get. She is a cut-out of gorgeousness, but nothing really for the reader to hold on to. And perhaps that is the rub, there are two people in this relationship and one of them clearly is discontented and increasingly disconnected; the other is merely a shadow. James, feeling boxed in, in all aspects of his life, does come across as rather spineless, and ultimately he isn’t a terribly likeable character.
This book is very much about the connection between two sets of beings, and how something that can start out as a symbiotic relationship, sustaining both parties during a given period in life, can can soon spiral into a destructive force.
The writing in this book is extremely engaging. It is thoughtful, clear, and the words and ideas flow smoothly. But what isn’t smooth is the elision between the story building up in Mysore and the relationship that is unravelling in London. There is a tenuous link – James takes Lainey to India and later travels there on his own and asks after the story of the elephant and the mahout. Each story is in itself gripping and I so wanted each one to develop and grow further – and each would have been sufficiently engrossing to stand alone with further development. Together the two stories encroach on each other and do disturb the flow.
As for location, both India and London feel so real. James introduces Lainey to India and he describes with beauty and feeling the temples at Badami, which I now feel inspired to visit: Women in saris washed clothes on the steps that led down into the water, filling the world with an explosion of colour; a hundred different oranges, blues, and yellows, set against the overwhelming green of the lake and red of the cliffs. Standing in the timeless tranquility of the temples, surrounded by the exuberant riot of the present, Lainey turned to me and said quietly, definitively, that OK, she got it. She got what it was that draws so many people to visit the country….
The book is published by Urbane Publications (“ordinary words made extraordinary”).
I really enjoyed reading the book and very much look forward to the author’s next work!
November 13, 2021
This book was somewhat confusingly structured and I wasn’t always sure who was telling it, or why the author made decisions to include flashbacks out of order, etc. It felt a little messy. I also found the elephant metaphor rather laboured. Most of all though, James’ florid descriptions of what a goddess Lainey was were irritating from the start and reminded me of very old fashioned sexist male authors. I know James is not meant to be 100% likeable but the image of him fantasising about a woman he’d just met in a work meeting made me dislike him instantly, and it was unclear how he’d attract a young affair partner since he wasn’t written with many redeeming qualities at all. I didn’t like any of the characters and found it quite cold in general. Maybe if it had been sent in the present day the author could have found a little more resonance or tension but the late 90s/early 2000s setting wasn’t fully exploited either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 8, 2015
Being Someone, by Adrian Harvey, is a story of relationships, love and of personhood. It explores how each individual lives with themselves; how this may be moulded; how each is seen through other’s eyes, and how difficult this is to control. With the lightest of touches the author burrows deep into the human psyche.
The tale is told in non-linear fashion, moving around in time and place. It opens in India with the story of an elephant and a death at a parade. It then takes the reader to late 1990’s London, when Britain was booming and the city was a wellspring for the arts. The connection between these strands remains nebulous for some time, but clarifies as the tale progresses.
The protagonist, James, has left his job in advertising to set up a promotions company with a colleague and friend. Through his work he meets Lainey, a beautiful and assured American lawyer. Together they embark on a whirlwind romance.
Their story enables the author to probe the thoughts and feelings of a man, over a decade of his life, as he falls in and then out of love. James is self aware and consciously reinvents himself for each new situation, including his relationships. He ponders why he is attracted to someone he does not yet know, if he desires them or their potential to change the trajectory of his own life.
The author uses the analogy of a shark, which some believe will drown if it stays still, to explain the festering of James’ gradual disillusionment. Within the constraints he has placed on his relationship James runs out of space for reinvention, for moving forward with his life. Whereas he had valued Lainey’s beauty, familiarity has disenabled his ability to see her in this way and this matters to him. His desire to “feast on sensation” leads him to consider change.
I paraphrase some of the author’s words: Lainey’s friends cast her in the role of victim and she resents the imposition. She comes to realise that she has lived much of her adult life waiting to become all that she intended rather than living it. She is frustrated by her inability to alter the stories others write of her, the fictions they invent to fill their own gaps.
The denouement draws together the many strands explored, revealing the meaning behind the elephant’s tale. It is a satisfying and uplifting conclusion.
This is an impressive work of literature that is vividly human, insightful and moving. It questions why we value others with a sometimes uncomfortable honesty. I would recommend this book to all.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Urbane Publications.
The tale is told in non-linear fashion, moving around in time and place. It opens in India with the story of an elephant and a death at a parade. It then takes the reader to late 1990’s London, when Britain was booming and the city was a wellspring for the arts. The connection between these strands remains nebulous for some time, but clarifies as the tale progresses.
The protagonist, James, has left his job in advertising to set up a promotions company with a colleague and friend. Through his work he meets Lainey, a beautiful and assured American lawyer. Together they embark on a whirlwind romance.
Their story enables the author to probe the thoughts and feelings of a man, over a decade of his life, as he falls in and then out of love. James is self aware and consciously reinvents himself for each new situation, including his relationships. He ponders why he is attracted to someone he does not yet know, if he desires them or their potential to change the trajectory of his own life.
The author uses the analogy of a shark, which some believe will drown if it stays still, to explain the festering of James’ gradual disillusionment. Within the constraints he has placed on his relationship James runs out of space for reinvention, for moving forward with his life. Whereas he had valued Lainey’s beauty, familiarity has disenabled his ability to see her in this way and this matters to him. His desire to “feast on sensation” leads him to consider change.
I paraphrase some of the author’s words: Lainey’s friends cast her in the role of victim and she resents the imposition. She comes to realise that she has lived much of her adult life waiting to become all that she intended rather than living it. She is frustrated by her inability to alter the stories others write of her, the fictions they invent to fill their own gaps.
The denouement draws together the many strands explored, revealing the meaning behind the elephant’s tale. It is a satisfying and uplifting conclusion.
This is an impressive work of literature that is vividly human, insightful and moving. It questions why we value others with a sometimes uncomfortable honesty. I would recommend this book to all.
My copy of this book was provided gratis by the publisher, Urbane Publications.
February 6, 2017
Two love stories - London thirtysomethings James and Lainey, an elephant and his mahout in India - but, almost from the outset, you know neither relationship is going to end well. So I did what James tries to do, 'suck every drop of joy out of the meantime'.
There was a lot of joy to be had: the powerful sense of place in London, New York and India; the gorgeous and painstakingly researched elephant; the evocation of the feelings of love, and, above all, the sheer beauty of the writing.
These joys easily compensated for my irritations with James. Initially I sympathised with his frustrations with art promotion, 'trying to shift units on behalf of whichever cretin in skinny jeans is prepared to pay the fee.' But even when he starts to work with artists he values, and has a dream girlfriend, he is
self-destructive, non-communicative and mostly selfish. The vibrant but vulnerable Lainey is more appealing, but she is also hung up about her line of work, and feeling she isn't who she wants to become... They are the kind of protagonists whose first world problems would usually make me scream 'get a life' (or at least another job) - but in this author's hands, I couldn't stop wanting to read about them.
I really got a lot out of this book, and if you've ever been in love, with 'the giddy joy of it all', so will you.
There was a lot of joy to be had: the powerful sense of place in London, New York and India; the gorgeous and painstakingly researched elephant; the evocation of the feelings of love, and, above all, the sheer beauty of the writing.
These joys easily compensated for my irritations with James. Initially I sympathised with his frustrations with art promotion, 'trying to shift units on behalf of whichever cretin in skinny jeans is prepared to pay the fee.' But even when he starts to work with artists he values, and has a dream girlfriend, he is
self-destructive, non-communicative and mostly selfish. The vibrant but vulnerable Lainey is more appealing, but she is also hung up about her line of work, and feeling she isn't who she wants to become... They are the kind of protagonists whose first world problems would usually make me scream 'get a life' (or at least another job) - but in this author's hands, I couldn't stop wanting to read about them.
I really got a lot out of this book, and if you've ever been in love, with 'the giddy joy of it all', so will you.
August 19, 2019
An inspiring, and thought provoking literary Novel. A change of genre for me, but what a refreshing piece of writing to make that change with. A tale of love, loss, self preservation and every emotion any human has experienced. I can't recommend this book enough. Lovely! 5*
August 25, 2019
Being Someone is a beautifully rendered tale of relationships, love and loss. It moves primarily between southern India and London, both brought to life with intelligence and authenticity, and opens with a fable, essentially, about mahout Annayya and his beloved friend, the bull elephant Iravatha. When tragedy strikes, Iravatha must soldier on alone, both guilt- and grief-sticken, until his death. Their story is told to James, the novel’s protagonist, by a young man he meets on the streets of Mysore. Parallel to this is James’ own story and his love affair with gorgeous Lainey, marked with a ‘celestial birthmark’, whom he marries and betrays, one could argue, through little more than complacency.
Harvey’s use of language is lyrical at points, elevating this to more than just a well-written, well-told book. And yet, it’s the landscapes that stand out, Harvey’s love for his settings shining through in every careful description, making them sing.
His India is a familiar one to many of us, the streets, noise, smells, even language vividly painted so that we’re there with James in the silk shop, looking at every single piece of cloth with no intention of buying anything (we think), or in an alien hotel room, trying to make sense of the world we’ve been introduced to and our place within it. London is given equal weight, whether Clapham Common or Hoxton, the minutiae making it a living, breathing, wonderful entity which anyone remotely enthralled by the city will recognise.
Being Someone is an easy read, the rhythm and fluidity of Harvey’s language totally engaging us from beginning to end, something that only a skilled writer can do. It’s a fine book. Highly recommended.
From the review originally published on http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read... as part of the virtual book tour. Thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy. All opinions our own. All rights reserved.
Harvey’s use of language is lyrical at points, elevating this to more than just a well-written, well-told book. And yet, it’s the landscapes that stand out, Harvey’s love for his settings shining through in every careful description, making them sing.
His India is a familiar one to many of us, the streets, noise, smells, even language vividly painted so that we’re there with James in the silk shop, looking at every single piece of cloth with no intention of buying anything (we think), or in an alien hotel room, trying to make sense of the world we’ve been introduced to and our place within it. London is given equal weight, whether Clapham Common or Hoxton, the minutiae making it a living, breathing, wonderful entity which anyone remotely enthralled by the city will recognise.
Being Someone is an easy read, the rhythm and fluidity of Harvey’s language totally engaging us from beginning to end, something that only a skilled writer can do. It’s a fine book. Highly recommended.
From the review originally published on http://www.theliteraryshed.co.uk/read... as part of the virtual book tour. Thanks to the publisher for sending a review copy. All opinions our own. All rights reserved.
August 15, 2019
A thought-provoking contemporary story, about life choices, and the mystery that is love.
The story begins with a story told to James, one of the protagonists, about an elephant and his mahout. The story is one of love, respect and trust, which is shattered by one careless, almost unconscious action. Leaving the elephant guilty and lonely, seeking solace by honouring his dead mahout, until his own demise. Whilst this is a beautiful, poignant tale, you, like James, question what relevance it may have to his life story until it does.
James is a twenty-first-century man, entitled, and content to let life come to him until he meets the one, Lainey, who unsettles him and makes him want more. She is a vital, passionate woman, and their love story is epic, but then life happens, and the cracks appear.
The story explores their love, the conflicts they face, both internal and external, and the consequences of the life choices they make, for their forever happiness. It is brutal in parts, and honest, and James’ often appears cold and unfeeling, but it is interesting to explore his emotions and motivations.
The settings add to the story by echoing their relationship status, The first story’s relevance becomes clear as the story progresses.
An engaging contemporary love story, and insight into relationships in the twenty-first-century.
I received a copy of this book from Urbane Books in return for an honest review.
The story begins with a story told to James, one of the protagonists, about an elephant and his mahout. The story is one of love, respect and trust, which is shattered by one careless, almost unconscious action. Leaving the elephant guilty and lonely, seeking solace by honouring his dead mahout, until his own demise. Whilst this is a beautiful, poignant tale, you, like James, question what relevance it may have to his life story until it does.
James is a twenty-first-century man, entitled, and content to let life come to him until he meets the one, Lainey, who unsettles him and makes him want more. She is a vital, passionate woman, and their love story is epic, but then life happens, and the cracks appear.
The story explores their love, the conflicts they face, both internal and external, and the consequences of the life choices they make, for their forever happiness. It is brutal in parts, and honest, and James’ often appears cold and unfeeling, but it is interesting to explore his emotions and motivations.
The settings add to the story by echoing their relationship status, The first story’s relevance becomes clear as the story progresses.
An engaging contemporary love story, and insight into relationships in the twenty-first-century.
I received a copy of this book from Urbane Books in return for an honest review.
January 11, 2016
When I received this book from a fellow book blogger, I admit at first, I was sceptical. I actually really enjoyed it, the contrast between the settings of India and London gave me an insight into a culture that I've never really read about much, especially the relationship of the elephant and his mamout. Elephants being a big part of Indian culture, it was nice to see them included. At first, I had no idea why the story of Iravatha and Annayya was included, but in some ways, I feel that it provided foreshadowing for the main relationship of the characters in the novel, James Townsend and his beautiful, American wife, Lainey.
I liked reading from a male perspective. It was a welcome change to the emotions that a female character usually goes through, yes, James still gets his heartbroken, but he does more than cry about it, he actually gets up and goes travelling, revisting all the places where before, he was happy.
The writing style is really easy to read, although it took me a while to get into the book and know the characters,once I got going, it was really hard to stop- I wanted to follow James and Lainey throughout their relationship as it developed- it was so well written that I actually believed that they were real people in a real relationship, which is probably why I got so angry at James when he did the unthinkable and started an affair with a girl who was younger than his wife- I was so angry at him that I didn't want to know what he and Sophie did because I kept thinking about Lainey.
Near the end of the novel, the narrative voice changes to Lainey- this was actually nice because after we follow James to India to get over the divorce, we then get to find out how Lainey is getting on with her life, if she's happy, if she's met someone else, if she's able to get on with her busy life in London or if she's moved back to the states? I was glad she never let it get to her, she still visits her friends, and she still works in London. Her life wasn't over when James left her.
I feel that if I'd been reading a contemporary by a female author, the outcome might have been different.
I was surprised how much I liked this book.
4/5 stars.
I can't wait to see what else Adrian Harvey brings out.
I liked reading from a male perspective. It was a welcome change to the emotions that a female character usually goes through, yes, James still gets his heartbroken, but he does more than cry about it, he actually gets up and goes travelling, revisting all the places where before, he was happy.
The writing style is really easy to read, although it took me a while to get into the book and know the characters,once I got going, it was really hard to stop- I wanted to follow James and Lainey throughout their relationship as it developed- it was so well written that I actually believed that they were real people in a real relationship, which is probably why I got so angry at James when he did the unthinkable and started an affair with a girl who was younger than his wife- I was so angry at him that I didn't want to know what he and Sophie did because I kept thinking about Lainey.
Near the end of the novel, the narrative voice changes to Lainey- this was actually nice because after we follow James to India to get over the divorce, we then get to find out how Lainey is getting on with her life, if she's happy, if she's met someone else, if she's able to get on with her busy life in London or if she's moved back to the states? I was glad she never let it get to her, she still visits her friends, and she still works in London. Her life wasn't over when James left her.
I feel that if I'd been reading a contemporary by a female author, the outcome might have been different.
I was surprised how much I liked this book.
4/5 stars.
I can't wait to see what else Adrian Harvey brings out.
June 17, 2015
Firstly, the writing is absolutely beautiful; mature and with a deep understanding of how to construct characters, the writing is warm and inviting. James comes across as intelligent and worldly whilst Lainey comes across as bubbly and delicate but with an intelligence and darker, milder side that makes her even easier to warm to.
I couldn’t put the book down, as the words seemed to roll from the page and wrap themselves around me as I was consumed into the relationship between Lainey and James. Take for example the delicate description of India, the colours and scents of the bustling city rises defiantly from the page. However Harvey also manages to make the scents of London rise just as loudly and there is a romantic feel about the city that can only really come from someone that has a sincere love of the capital. I said in the introduction that I had no idea where the story was going, however I felt a sense of security and utter calm. It was brilliantly written and with such a sense of understanding that it didn’t matter that I was completely void of where we were going, I just knew that everything would be pulled together and revealed in the end.
One tiny difficulty that troubled me once the book was finished is that we suddenly at the last page are spoken to by Lainey and although it is important for the story we have not heard directly from her before and it seemed to allow James to disappear without having to stand up to his actions. Although after further reflection I understand that the author was making a point, at first it really upset me that he seemed to have got away with his actions. However, the book turns a full circle and once I looked at the bigger picture I understood the importance of this move.
Overall, this is a book of discovery of love and mistakes, and how different decisions in life can change the lives of others forever. I fell in love with not only the characters but also how brilliantly the novel was sewn together in which to create an all-consuming novel that sweeps the reader uncontrollably off their feet. Definitely worth a read!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
I couldn’t put the book down, as the words seemed to roll from the page and wrap themselves around me as I was consumed into the relationship between Lainey and James. Take for example the delicate description of India, the colours and scents of the bustling city rises defiantly from the page. However Harvey also manages to make the scents of London rise just as loudly and there is a romantic feel about the city that can only really come from someone that has a sincere love of the capital. I said in the introduction that I had no idea where the story was going, however I felt a sense of security and utter calm. It was brilliantly written and with such a sense of understanding that it didn’t matter that I was completely void of where we were going, I just knew that everything would be pulled together and revealed in the end.
One tiny difficulty that troubled me once the book was finished is that we suddenly at the last page are spoken to by Lainey and although it is important for the story we have not heard directly from her before and it seemed to allow James to disappear without having to stand up to his actions. Although after further reflection I understand that the author was making a point, at first it really upset me that he seemed to have got away with his actions. However, the book turns a full circle and once I looked at the bigger picture I understood the importance of this move.
Overall, this is a book of discovery of love and mistakes, and how different decisions in life can change the lives of others forever. I fell in love with not only the characters but also how brilliantly the novel was sewn together in which to create an all-consuming novel that sweeps the reader uncontrollably off their feet. Definitely worth a read!
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
May 4, 2015
This books starts us off in India a long time ago with an elephant that went by the name of Iravatha. Admittedly not the start I was expecting upon reading the synopsis. It soon becomes clear though, when in the following chapters we change time and location altogether and meet James the main protaganist of the story.
James, James, James. I went from wanting to take him for a pint and give him a good talking to, to falling out with him. In the end all I felt for him was compassion. It took the full 255 pages to finally understand him. You can't love somebody if you don't value yourself.
I would suggest that all the characters we meet in Being Someone are flawed. They are my favourite kinds. Afterall, which one of us is perfect?
Lainey is not really as centralised a character as I would have anticipated but I think this is intentional.
This book is a wonderful examination of human emotions and human reactions. Which one of us can 100% guarantee what we would do in a certain time and certain place. It is also about how in the blink of an eye things can change irrepairably.
There are not that many writers who can conjure up such imagery with their words, the writing is poetic, vivid, flowing. From the streets of India to the streets of North London with a trip to New York and Scotland thrown in for good measure, it felt like I was there and living the story. Some passages were sublime and truly evocative of time and place.
The passages about Iravatha and Annayya were wonderful and symbolic. You would have to read the book to understand it all but in the end I think James is a lot like Iravatha, he makes his pilgrimage back to India, back to different times and back to when there was hope. Back when one mistake hadn't changed the course of events.
Being Someone is a wonderful story of love and what it really is like to make mistakes and live and learn from the consequences.
Highly recommended.
James, James, James. I went from wanting to take him for a pint and give him a good talking to, to falling out with him. In the end all I felt for him was compassion. It took the full 255 pages to finally understand him. You can't love somebody if you don't value yourself.
I would suggest that all the characters we meet in Being Someone are flawed. They are my favourite kinds. Afterall, which one of us is perfect?
Lainey is not really as centralised a character as I would have anticipated but I think this is intentional.
This book is a wonderful examination of human emotions and human reactions. Which one of us can 100% guarantee what we would do in a certain time and certain place. It is also about how in the blink of an eye things can change irrepairably.
There are not that many writers who can conjure up such imagery with their words, the writing is poetic, vivid, flowing. From the streets of India to the streets of North London with a trip to New York and Scotland thrown in for good measure, it felt like I was there and living the story. Some passages were sublime and truly evocative of time and place.
The passages about Iravatha and Annayya were wonderful and symbolic. You would have to read the book to understand it all but in the end I think James is a lot like Iravatha, he makes his pilgrimage back to India, back to different times and back to when there was hope. Back when one mistake hadn't changed the course of events.
Being Someone is a wonderful story of love and what it really is like to make mistakes and live and learn from the consequences.
Highly recommended.
September 5, 2015
It started off a bit odd, with an elephant in India - I thought I had picked up the wrong book, but then the description of the parade was so atmospheric that I could have read a whole book about Indian elephants and been completely content. Then the author flies us across continents to London and James makes an appearance. He meets Lainey in a professional capacity and, when they accidentally meet later in a social environment, I really felt that something special had begun.
James and Lainey appear to be a perfect couple, but we all know that life isn't like that. This is where this book stands out from the crowd; the author is not afraid to take us on a journey through the highs and lows of this relationship. There is an amazing passage describing the exact moment in time that James realised that he had fallen out of love with Lainey. It brings new meaning to the phrase "seeing people differently".
An outstanding debut.
James and Lainey appear to be a perfect couple, but we all know that life isn't like that. This is where this book stands out from the crowd; the author is not afraid to take us on a journey through the highs and lows of this relationship. There is an amazing passage describing the exact moment in time that James realised that he had fallen out of love with Lainey. It brings new meaning to the phrase "seeing people differently".
An outstanding debut.
July 10, 2015
No spoilers review of an excellent book https://lindasbookbag.wordpress.com/2...
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