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Precocious
There are some lessons you shouldn't learn in school…
Fiona Palmer is (un)happily married when a chance meeting with her former teacher plunges her headlong into an affair.
Intercut with the realities of their adult relationship, Fiona remembers first meeting the enigmatic Henry Morgan as a precocious and lonely fourteen-year-old. Her schoolgirl crush developed into an intense relationship, but it was always one which she controlled.
Or did she?
A controversial, compelling debut novel from an award-winning writer, Precocious is a Lolita for the modern age.
Fiona Palmer is (un)happily married when a chance meeting with her former teacher plunges her headlong into an affair.
Intercut with the realities of their adult relationship, Fiona remembers first meeting the enigmatic Henry Morgan as a precocious and lonely fourteen-year-old. Her schoolgirl crush developed into an intense relationship, but it was always one which she controlled.
Or did she?
A controversial, compelling debut novel from an award-winning writer, Precocious is a Lolita for the modern age.
- GenresFictionContemporary
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2015
12 people are currently reading
315 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
September 30, 2015
Questo romanzo è come un aereo sulla pista di decollo: i motori salgono di giri, i freni vengono rilasciati, si schizza in avanti, si prende la rincorsa … si prende la rincorsa … si prende la rincorsa … si prende la rincorsa …
Il problema è che non si decolla mai. :-D
Il problema è che non si decolla mai. :-D
July 2, 2015
A schoolgirl crush is almost a rite of passage. An influential teacher. A bright young girl. A love of literature and a disdain for frivolity. Fifteen year old Fiona Palmer idolises her English teacher, Henry Morgan, and he returns her unwavering attention. A line is crossed, but just who is to blame?
Years later, Fiona, now married, bumps into her former teacher and the passion inside her is reignited almost at once. Their past is not long becoming the present but can they stop it before someone gets hurt? Can a precocious child and an enigmatic teacher work together with no sexual involvement? Can a mutual respect for each other remain innocent? Does age really matter? Joanna Barnard askes these questions, and more, within the pages of her debut novel. It is a story of obsession, trust, honesty and betrayal. A coming of age tale with a sting in its tale…
Although this is not an original idea, the concept of a teacher/pupil relationship is addressed in a slightly different way. This time the narrator is a thirty year old, married woman, recalling her experiences as a fifteen year old student in love with her mentor. She almost loves him before even setting eyes on him, as he is extremely popular with the students of the school. In his twenties, handsome, in an intelligent way, he is a bit of an enigma and this appeals very much to the unusual Fiona. She is the stereo-typical, angst ridden teen, with dreams of becoming a writer and being different to her peers. Mr. Morgan spots this trait, and plays on it. However, Fiona is also very adept at playing the game of seduction. Is it as simple as abuse of authority or does some blame lie with the ‘mature’ nature of Fiona? The author divides the narrative between the two frames, fairly equally, with Fiona guiding us through past and present. It becomes very obvious that she is not a nice person. Not at all. Neither is Henry. They are well matched. Both narcissists, both void of genuine emotion and neither having an ounce of compassion for anyone but themselves. There are secrets, lies and hidden agendas from both ends. Manipulation and desperation ooze from the pages of this novel and the writing is superb. The detail within the story is finely tuned and the prose is delicate, yet simultaneously harsh. There is however, a lot of repetition and it dragged on in places. The ending was also a let-down for me, as once again, the precocious protagonist walks away unhindered and unharmed.
Overall, a beautifully written book, with a clever character driven plot. It was just lacking something, which I can’t put my finger on…
Years later, Fiona, now married, bumps into her former teacher and the passion inside her is reignited almost at once. Their past is not long becoming the present but can they stop it before someone gets hurt? Can a precocious child and an enigmatic teacher work together with no sexual involvement? Can a mutual respect for each other remain innocent? Does age really matter? Joanna Barnard askes these questions, and more, within the pages of her debut novel. It is a story of obsession, trust, honesty and betrayal. A coming of age tale with a sting in its tale…
Although this is not an original idea, the concept of a teacher/pupil relationship is addressed in a slightly different way. This time the narrator is a thirty year old, married woman, recalling her experiences as a fifteen year old student in love with her mentor. She almost loves him before even setting eyes on him, as he is extremely popular with the students of the school. In his twenties, handsome, in an intelligent way, he is a bit of an enigma and this appeals very much to the unusual Fiona. She is the stereo-typical, angst ridden teen, with dreams of becoming a writer and being different to her peers. Mr. Morgan spots this trait, and plays on it. However, Fiona is also very adept at playing the game of seduction. Is it as simple as abuse of authority or does some blame lie with the ‘mature’ nature of Fiona? The author divides the narrative between the two frames, fairly equally, with Fiona guiding us through past and present. It becomes very obvious that she is not a nice person. Not at all. Neither is Henry. They are well matched. Both narcissists, both void of genuine emotion and neither having an ounce of compassion for anyone but themselves. There are secrets, lies and hidden agendas from both ends. Manipulation and desperation ooze from the pages of this novel and the writing is superb. The detail within the story is finely tuned and the prose is delicate, yet simultaneously harsh. There is however, a lot of repetition and it dragged on in places. The ending was also a let-down for me, as once again, the precocious protagonist walks away unhindered and unharmed.
Overall, a beautifully written book, with a clever character driven plot. It was just lacking something, which I can’t put my finger on…
August 4, 2015
In Precocious, Joanna Bernard's protagonist, Fiona Palmer, has never forgotten her first love. She was just fourteen, a bright but lonely girl, when she developed a crush on her handsome and attentive English teacher, Henry Morgan, and the two plunged head long into an all consuming affair.
Fiona is now thirty and when a chance meeting with Henry highlights the mediocrity of her marriage and career, she abandons both to recapture the passion and excitement of their once illicit relationship.
Moving between the present and past, Barnard details the evolution of the relationship between Fiona and Henry. Fiona's teenage diary entries and recollections reveal her vulnerability and angst, chronicling her schoolgirl crush, and her growing determination to seduce Mr Morgan.
"When I think about it, I have really sort of worked on him, and I feel like I'm getting somewhere. In the space of about a year, I've decided I would get close to him and I have.... I have got a tiny piece of HM - but it gives me hope. I will get all of him someday."
Fiona's second tense present voice details their reunion as adults, her obsessive desire to reignite their relationship and to finally become his legitimate lover, an equal partner.
"You are everywhere.
HM Your initials. I see them in car registrations and my heart skips a beat. I seek out the letters H and M in newspapers and draw them together with my eyes.
HM.
Him. Him, him, him. You, you, you. Parasite of my thoughts."
But as the story progresses, Fiona's fairytale notions are slowly stripped away. Morgan is revealed as a skilled manipulator, and the ways in which he nurtured and inflamed Fiona's teenage devotion become clear. While Fiona has always been convinced she was the instigator of their relationship, learning that she was not the first, nor had been the last, in a long line of student conquests she is forced to reexamine their past, and present, relationship.
Barnard's exploration of the relationship is thoughtful, avoiding sensationalism in favour of realism . The writing is skilled, with an immediate and intimate tone that draws the reader in.
Compelling and provocative, Precocious is a thought provoking story about an unsettling subject.
May 5, 2018
Precocious is a story of how Fiona Palmer writes with enthusiasm in her diary on scraps of paper and notebooks.
You assume of course, that I kept a diary all those years...Scraps of paper... Notebooks.
I don't know how much of it to believe myself, to be honest. Can there be a more unreliable narrator than a teenage girl?
This page turning scandal takes us through how Fiona meets up with her ex school teacher that she used to have a crush on.
There are some lessons you shouldn't learn in school. At school fourteen year old Fiona had fallen in love with her teacher Henry Morgan. Her crush developed into an intense relationship.
Fifteen years later married Fiona by chance meets up with her former school teacher again. Are they both just becoming friends again or could it plunge into more? Fiona shares her secret with one of her best friends that she had just met up with her ex teacher Mr Morgan and went for a meal with him and that they kissed. But Fiona is supposed to be married even though she thinks that she is unhappily married. The reason why Fiona got married to Dave was to protect her from the catalogue of mini disappointments that surrounded her life.
The story of Precocious is a controversial, compelling debut novel from an award-winning writer, Precocious is a Lolita for the modern age.
I would like to thank the publisher for sending me a proof copy.
August 15, 2019
Hardly any meat and potatoes here. Pretty basic age-gap romance that doesn't offer anything other than a passable unreliable narrator who repeats herself, probably to fill pages.
If you are the kind of reader who wants to know what happens next in any book, you would be disappointed with what happens next in this.
If you are the kind of reader who wants to know what happens next in any book, you would be disappointed with what happens next in this.
February 13, 2016
I have to admit to being a bit weary of unreliable narrators - it seems to be the go-to narrative mode for everyone these days.
The first 80 pages of this book is uneven, a bit muddled in places and jumps about so you have trouble sinking into the story and working out who is who. I felt there was a lack of clarity in the writing at the beginning. But there is something there in the story that is compelling and keeps you reading even if it is a somewhat tabloidy voyeurism.
The sections where the main character is supposed to be 14 never quite rang true for me, she felt much older somehow and also the truncated sentences (a trend with some writers) meant I had to go back and re-read to understand what she meant. I wonder if people write in this way because it feels immediate or is it because that's how people text each other so it comes more naturally, either way it's a bit like hyperventilating as you read, exciting at first then later uncomfortable and open to misinterpretation.
The book improves as you go further and the writing becomes more confident, though I never came to care about any of the people involved and I did feel that this lacked a deeper analysis and intelligence to it - not in the same league as Notes on A Scandal which is mining the same territory. The characterisation is weak and somewhat two dimensional but the events and obessional internal monologue are scurrilous enough to keep many riveted.
There are some nice turns of phras, and of course the taboo subject is compelling but by the end of it you're left feeling a bit grubby, as if you've spent the afternoon listening to gossip about someone you hardly know, yet none the wiser about the people or issue involved or why they did what they did just that they did it and perhaps it's unimportant anyway. Nevertheless this is a confident debut.
The first 80 pages of this book is uneven, a bit muddled in places and jumps about so you have trouble sinking into the story and working out who is who. I felt there was a lack of clarity in the writing at the beginning. But there is something there in the story that is compelling and keeps you reading even if it is a somewhat tabloidy voyeurism.
The sections where the main character is supposed to be 14 never quite rang true for me, she felt much older somehow and also the truncated sentences (a trend with some writers) meant I had to go back and re-read to understand what she meant. I wonder if people write in this way because it feels immediate or is it because that's how people text each other so it comes more naturally, either way it's a bit like hyperventilating as you read, exciting at first then later uncomfortable and open to misinterpretation.
The book improves as you go further and the writing becomes more confident, though I never came to care about any of the people involved and I did feel that this lacked a deeper analysis and intelligence to it - not in the same league as Notes on A Scandal which is mining the same territory. The characterisation is weak and somewhat two dimensional but the events and obessional internal monologue are scurrilous enough to keep many riveted.
There are some nice turns of phras, and of course the taboo subject is compelling but by the end of it you're left feeling a bit grubby, as if you've spent the afternoon listening to gossip about someone you hardly know, yet none the wiser about the people or issue involved or why they did what they did just that they did it and perhaps it's unimportant anyway. Nevertheless this is a confident debut.
March 20, 2022
"La ragazza che ti amò due volte" è uno di quei libri che appena li apri, sai già che non ti piaceranno. E' una sensazione, istinto. A me infatti era capitato, ma lo avevo in lista da un po' di tempo e mi sono fatta ingannare dalla trama come tutte le volte.
Non ho neanche molto da dire sinceramente, semplicemente non mi è piaciuto. Ho ammirato lo stile dell'autrice, molto precisa e dettagliata, ma questo continuo avanti e indietro nel tempo mi ha sfiancata, lasciandomi lì mezza rimbambita a non capire "ma è passato questo? o presente?" perchè a volte non veniva neanche specificato.
La trama in sè aveva del potenziale che a mio parere non è stato sfruttato, la storia è un classico clichè che si trova in tante storie, la studentessa che si innamora del professore, qui onestamente si tratta di più di un ossessione di lei, nei confronti del professore, che dopo tanti tanti anni non le è ancora passata. C'è chi lo ha definito un thriller per certe cose, ma anche no. Un genere preciso non riesco a darglielo neanche io, forse è un po' dark e un po' romance.
In ogni caso, non è un libro lunghissimo, la storia è anche abbastanza breve, nonostante i capitoli non lo siano e ti portino ad annoiarti.
Non ho neanche molto da dire sinceramente, semplicemente non mi è piaciuto. Ho ammirato lo stile dell'autrice, molto precisa e dettagliata, ma questo continuo avanti e indietro nel tempo mi ha sfiancata, lasciandomi lì mezza rimbambita a non capire "ma è passato questo? o presente?" perchè a volte non veniva neanche specificato.
La trama in sè aveva del potenziale che a mio parere non è stato sfruttato, la storia è un classico clichè che si trova in tante storie, la studentessa che si innamora del professore, qui onestamente si tratta di più di un ossessione di lei, nei confronti del professore, che dopo tanti tanti anni non le è ancora passata. C'è chi lo ha definito un thriller per certe cose, ma anche no. Un genere preciso non riesco a darglielo neanche io, forse è un po' dark e un po' romance.
In ogni caso, non è un libro lunghissimo, la storia è anche abbastanza breve, nonostante i capitoli non lo siano e ti portino ad annoiarti.
March 3, 2016
The premise of Precocious -- a twentysomething woman runs into a teacher with whom she had an affair at the age of 14 -- is tantalising and slots nicely into the domestic thriller oeuvre. But the story itself feels much too slight; it never really seemed to dig in to the complexities of the emotions involved. Rendered in broad strokes, the characters and situations didn't quite jump off the page for me.
August 9, 2021
When she was a precocious fourteen-year-old, Fiona developed a crush on her English teacher, Henry Morgan. Stoking her sense of being "different" her adds to that the compliment that she's "special". What's special about Fiona, apart from her talent for writing, is her tumultuous home life. Her mother is a heavy drinker who ... ahm ... socializes with men other than her husband; and Fiona's father is uncommunicative bordering on terminally in denial about his wife's infidelities and his children being emotionally neglected. There is plenty of room in those circumstances for Fiona to be groomed by a predator, and that's precisely what happens. But now, fifteen years later, Fiona is married and settled when she runs into her abuser, Henry. Only, she doesn't see him as such. To her, he is a lost "love." Meanwhile, her life hasn't shaped up in the way she thought it would, but she isn't unhappy exactly, just nurturing a low-level sense of 'shouldn't there be more?' She is convinced that the 'more' lies with Henry, and her memory of a 'relationship' interrupted by circumstance. Now, with Fiona almost thirty, and him forty-three, they begin what Fiona thinks of as an affair, but which is clearly something very dysfunctional. Even though she is now an adult, the power dynamics between Fiona and Henry are precisely as they always were-he convinces her she has agency in their 'relationship' while ensuring that he gets precisely what he wants, and she slowly sets herself up (and he simply watches it happen) to lose almost everything.
This reminded me of 'My Dark Vanessa' in the way it showed how abuse can reverberate, spinning a person off their axis and sending them careening into a very different kind of life than they might have had if the abuse hadn't happened. It also, similarly, examines the way survivors of abuse can recast the experience in their minds, either desperately trying to see it as something over which they had some control, or ashamed because they see it as something for which they bear some blame. Fiona does both, and at the same time, even in adulthood finding it hard to shake what almost feels like a sense of accomplishment at "getting" her teacher to notice her. But as she gradually learns more about him-then and now-she is forced to consider whether she was ever as in control of where they wound up as she believed when she was a girl.
This author's voice was engaging, funny and poignant. It was a very smooth and easy read, so much so that I wondered whether there was something autobiographical in this story. It's written as a letter or journal entry from Fiona to Henry, dissecting the origins of their relationship, and its meaning and impact in her life. It concludes as it should, leaving you with a sense of both loss and possibilities. Thankfully, the gory details are handled very sensitively, though take it from me when I tell you, you won't hate the perpetrator any less because of it. It's how this kind of story is best written, in my opinion, with a focus on the psychic processes and scars, and very little focus on the more sensational, prurient aspects.
I recommend.
This reminded me of 'My Dark Vanessa' in the way it showed how abuse can reverberate, spinning a person off their axis and sending them careening into a very different kind of life than they might have had if the abuse hadn't happened. It also, similarly, examines the way survivors of abuse can recast the experience in their minds, either desperately trying to see it as something over which they had some control, or ashamed because they see it as something for which they bear some blame. Fiona does both, and at the same time, even in adulthood finding it hard to shake what almost feels like a sense of accomplishment at "getting" her teacher to notice her. But as she gradually learns more about him-then and now-she is forced to consider whether she was ever as in control of where they wound up as she believed when she was a girl.
This author's voice was engaging, funny and poignant. It was a very smooth and easy read, so much so that I wondered whether there was something autobiographical in this story. It's written as a letter or journal entry from Fiona to Henry, dissecting the origins of their relationship, and its meaning and impact in her life. It concludes as it should, leaving you with a sense of both loss and possibilities. Thankfully, the gory details are handled very sensitively, though take it from me when I tell you, you won't hate the perpetrator any less because of it. It's how this kind of story is best written, in my opinion, with a focus on the psychic processes and scars, and very little focus on the more sensational, prurient aspects.
I recommend.
February 7, 2023
Been wanting to read this book for ages! Imagine my disappointment when it actually turned out to be crap. Not even any decent sexy scenes. Yikes - you know that is a sign when a teacher/student book is bad. Fiona/Fee/Fi(might as well be called) Forgettable Narrator is obsessed with her boring, condescending waste disposal unit of a teacher. He gives her attention that she is lacking at home. The book covers two time periods. Teenage Fiona and Adult Fiona. Neither are nice or sympathetic. Fiona was a miserable cow. And in the words of Peggy Mitchell, she should have "got outta my e-pub files!" I wanted compelling and dark. Instead I got boring, boring dreary nonsense!
Having said that, I did like some of the descriptions of the school in the early part of the novel, but this, sadly, didn't lift or elevate this Lolita inspired knock-off. This book dragged on forever! I was so relieved when I returned it for my refund! On to read something hopefully better and satisfying!
Having said that, I did like some of the descriptions of the school in the early part of the novel, but this, sadly, didn't lift or elevate this Lolita inspired knock-off. This book dragged on forever! I was so relieved when I returned it for my refund! On to read something hopefully better and satisfying!
February 3, 2022
Loved this novel: the characters, the plot and in particular, the ending. What a great read.
September 16, 2015
Mi trovo davvero in difficoltà a descrivere e a dare un giudizio su questo libro, perchè credo di esserne stata particolarmente coinvolta, purtroppo quello che mi ha trasmesso è stato un senso di inquietudine e spesso angoscia, per me è stata una lettura faticosissima, e non so quanto riuscirò a essere obiettiva, ma ci provo.
Fatta la premessa iniziamo, la sinossi è scritta molto bene ma non ti prepara a quello che andrai a leggere.
Il romanzo parla in realtà di un tema molto scottante: i rapporti tra insegnante/alunno, anche se non originalissimo. Questa volta l'autrice cambia il punto di vista e la voce narrante della vicenda è una trentenne, Fiona, donna felicemente sposata, almeno fino al momento dell'incontro con Morgan il suo vecchio insegnante, che non ha mai dimenticato.
È una storia che parla di ossessione, di tradimento, di fiducia.
La storia racconta due linee temporali nella vita di Fiona, che si alternano tra di loro in modo abbastanza uniforme. Da adolescente lei è una ragazza che vive una situazione familiare difficile, con i genitori che non sono più una coppia, e trova conforto nei suoi sentimenti per un insegnante. Da donna sposata lei capisce che suo marito le dà tutto, ma la routine e questo ricordo idealizzato e ossessivo per il suo professore/mentore non la abbandona mai e le impedisce di vivere appieno il matrimonio.
Le narrazioni di presente e passato si dipanano l'una accanto all'altra, a volte con continuità, a volte iniziando con una pagina del diario di Fiona quindicenne, entrambi potrebbero esistere l'uno senza l'altra, ma si arricchiscono insieme.
L'autrice descrive un tema controverso non schierandosi mai, descrive gli eventi, e tutte le sensazioni di Fiona sia da ragazza che da donna matura, le problematiche che via via attraversa e la sua ossessione, con un linguaggio spesso introspettivo.
Sono rimasta sorpresa da come il mio giudizio sui personaggi è cambiato radicalmente man mano che andavo avanti con la lettura. Si capiscono molte cose, ma non perché sia presente una qualche valutazione da parte della voce narrante, ma semplicemente perché i fatti cambiano e si cominciano a vedere le problematiche vere all'interno dei protagonisti... Mentre nelle prime pagine sentivo comprensione verso di loro, proseguendo questa comprensione spariva, ma anche se sembrerà strano - ne sono rimasta stupita io per prima - non sono riuscita a provare nessun sentimento verso i protagonisti, solo angoscia per la storia. Malgrado sia pienamente consapevole che una è la vittima e l'altro il carnefice non ho provato nessuna empatia nei confronti di Fiona, e questa cosa mi ha davvero colpita.
Entrambi i personaggi risultano manipolatori, bugiardi e molto innamorati di se stessi prima che dell'altro. Fiona è molto abile nel giocare il gioco della seduzione e Morgan ha un modo sottile per abusare della sua autorità, a volte sembra quasi lui la vittima.
CONTINUA A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
Fatta la premessa iniziamo, la sinossi è scritta molto bene ma non ti prepara a quello che andrai a leggere.
Il romanzo parla in realtà di un tema molto scottante: i rapporti tra insegnante/alunno, anche se non originalissimo. Questa volta l'autrice cambia il punto di vista e la voce narrante della vicenda è una trentenne, Fiona, donna felicemente sposata, almeno fino al momento dell'incontro con Morgan il suo vecchio insegnante, che non ha mai dimenticato.
È una storia che parla di ossessione, di tradimento, di fiducia.
La storia racconta due linee temporali nella vita di Fiona, che si alternano tra di loro in modo abbastanza uniforme. Da adolescente lei è una ragazza che vive una situazione familiare difficile, con i genitori che non sono più una coppia, e trova conforto nei suoi sentimenti per un insegnante. Da donna sposata lei capisce che suo marito le dà tutto, ma la routine e questo ricordo idealizzato e ossessivo per il suo professore/mentore non la abbandona mai e le impedisce di vivere appieno il matrimonio.
Le narrazioni di presente e passato si dipanano l'una accanto all'altra, a volte con continuità, a volte iniziando con una pagina del diario di Fiona quindicenne, entrambi potrebbero esistere l'uno senza l'altra, ma si arricchiscono insieme.
L'autrice descrive un tema controverso non schierandosi mai, descrive gli eventi, e tutte le sensazioni di Fiona sia da ragazza che da donna matura, le problematiche che via via attraversa e la sua ossessione, con un linguaggio spesso introspettivo.
Sono rimasta sorpresa da come il mio giudizio sui personaggi è cambiato radicalmente man mano che andavo avanti con la lettura. Si capiscono molte cose, ma non perché sia presente una qualche valutazione da parte della voce narrante, ma semplicemente perché i fatti cambiano e si cominciano a vedere le problematiche vere all'interno dei protagonisti... Mentre nelle prime pagine sentivo comprensione verso di loro, proseguendo questa comprensione spariva, ma anche se sembrerà strano - ne sono rimasta stupita io per prima - non sono riuscita a provare nessun sentimento verso i protagonisti, solo angoscia per la storia. Malgrado sia pienamente consapevole che una è la vittima e l'altro il carnefice non ho provato nessuna empatia nei confronti di Fiona, e questa cosa mi ha davvero colpita.
Entrambi i personaggi risultano manipolatori, bugiardi e molto innamorati di se stessi prima che dell'altro. Fiona è molto abile nel giocare il gioco della seduzione e Morgan ha un modo sottile per abusare della sua autorità, a volte sembra quasi lui la vittima.
CONTINUA A LEGGERE LA RECENSIONE QUI: http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
June 7, 2015
I find myself unsure how to describe this book. It deals with very intense issues in a surprisingly gentle way - that's not to say they are downplayed, more that it handles them with a delicacy and objective perspective. The result is both refreshing and unsettling.
The plot unravels gently before you, it doesn't deliver shock or drama in that regard - the author deftly offers new information that seems to simply fill in gaps rather than a huge reveal. This also lends itself to a pretty subtle character development. Despite that I didn't really warm to any of the characters - probably only really Mari despite her fairly minor role.
The story covers two timelines in Fiona's life, alternating between them fairly evenly. As an adolescent she seems to not fit in, and finds solace in her feelings for a teacher. As a married woman she seems to have a similar feeling of not quite belonging, and turns her feelings once more to the man who defined her "type". The plots run alongside each other smoothly, with few anachronistic checks, and a general sense that both could exist without the other, but that they are both richer as a pair.
Truly the most laudable aspect of the story remains the manner with which the author doesn't paint the controversial subject matter in sensationalist black and white. She exercises restraint in offering up the events being recounted. I was surprise how sympathetic the protagonists start out. Both slowly reveal the damage inside them. The author deftly shows how Fiona has grown from her early experiences, with some powerfully significant aspects presented both sensitively and capably. The depth this gave her character was very significant in keeping me engaged. Henry offers us a contrasting perspective on how people change over time, and yet it too helped played a big part in keeping me reading.
For my taste the book took a while to get started - I was almost halfway through before I really felt things were happening, but that is a subjective aspect. I was expecting to be a bit more hooked and compelled to keep reading but unfortunately it didn't have that grip over me. That said the book is well written and did offer enough to keep me coming back. I thought the ending was delivered well, however a bit like ending a meal after the main course I was satisfied, but I would've happily had a little extra too. It leaves me feeling content having read it, but despite the strengths I think it is unlikely I will return to reread it.
A complimentary copy of this book was supplied for review by the publisher as part of the "First Reads" program.
The plot unravels gently before you, it doesn't deliver shock or drama in that regard - the author deftly offers new information that seems to simply fill in gaps rather than a huge reveal. This also lends itself to a pretty subtle character development. Despite that I didn't really warm to any of the characters - probably only really Mari despite her fairly minor role.
The story covers two timelines in Fiona's life, alternating between them fairly evenly. As an adolescent she seems to not fit in, and finds solace in her feelings for a teacher. As a married woman she seems to have a similar feeling of not quite belonging, and turns her feelings once more to the man who defined her "type". The plots run alongside each other smoothly, with few anachronistic checks, and a general sense that both could exist without the other, but that they are both richer as a pair.
Truly the most laudable aspect of the story remains the manner with which the author doesn't paint the controversial subject matter in sensationalist black and white. She exercises restraint in offering up the events being recounted. I was surprise how sympathetic the protagonists start out. Both slowly reveal the damage inside them. The author deftly shows how Fiona has grown from her early experiences, with some powerfully significant aspects presented both sensitively and capably. The depth this gave her character was very significant in keeping me engaged. Henry offers us a contrasting perspective on how people change over time, and yet it too helped played a big part in keeping me reading.
For my taste the book took a while to get started - I was almost halfway through before I really felt things were happening, but that is a subjective aspect. I was expecting to be a bit more hooked and compelled to keep reading but unfortunately it didn't have that grip over me. That said the book is well written and did offer enough to keep me coming back. I thought the ending was delivered well, however a bit like ending a meal after the main course I was satisfied, but I would've happily had a little extra too. It leaves me feeling content having read it, but despite the strengths I think it is unlikely I will return to reread it.
A complimentary copy of this book was supplied for review by the publisher as part of the "First Reads" program.
September 14, 2015
Mi trovo davvero in difficoltà a descrivere e a dare un giudizio su questo libro, perchè credo di esserne stata particolarmente coinvolta, purtroppo quello che mi ha trasmesso è stato un senso di inquietudine e spesso angoscia, per me è stata una lettura faticosissima, e non so quanto riuscirò a essere obiettiva, ma ci provo.
Fatta la premessa iniziamo, la sinossi è scritta molto bene ma non ti prepara a quello che andrai a leggere.
Il romanzo parla in realtà di un tema molto scottante: i rapporti tra insegnante/alunno, anche se non originalissimo. Questa volta l'autrice cambia il punto di vista e la voce narrante della vicenda è una trentenne, Fiona, donna felicemente sposata, almeno fino al momento dell'incontro con Morgan il suo vecchio insegnante, che non ha mai dimenticato.
È una storia che parla di ossessione, di tradimento, di fiducia.
La storia racconta due linee temporali nella vita di Fiona, che si alternano tra di loro in modo abbastanza uniforme. Da adolescente lei è una ragazza che vive una situazione familiare difficile, con i genitori che non sono più una coppia, e trova conforto nei suoi sentimenti per un insegnante. Da donna sposata lei capisce che suo marito le dà tutto, ma la routine e questo ricordo idealizzato e ossessivo per il suo professore/mentore non la abbandona mai e le impedisce di vivere appieno il matrimonio.
PER LEGGERE IL RESTO DELLA RECENSIONE SEGUITECI SU NEW ADULT e DINTORNI BLOG
Fatta la premessa iniziamo, la sinossi è scritta molto bene ma non ti prepara a quello che andrai a leggere.
Il romanzo parla in realtà di un tema molto scottante: i rapporti tra insegnante/alunno, anche se non originalissimo. Questa volta l'autrice cambia il punto di vista e la voce narrante della vicenda è una trentenne, Fiona, donna felicemente sposata, almeno fino al momento dell'incontro con Morgan il suo vecchio insegnante, che non ha mai dimenticato.
È una storia che parla di ossessione, di tradimento, di fiducia.
La storia racconta due linee temporali nella vita di Fiona, che si alternano tra di loro in modo abbastanza uniforme. Da adolescente lei è una ragazza che vive una situazione familiare difficile, con i genitori che non sono più una coppia, e trova conforto nei suoi sentimenti per un insegnante. Da donna sposata lei capisce che suo marito le dà tutto, ma la routine e questo ricordo idealizzato e ossessivo per il suo professore/mentore non la abbandona mai e le impedisce di vivere appieno il matrimonio.
PER LEGGERE IL RESTO DELLA RECENSIONE SEGUITECI SU NEW ADULT e DINTORNI BLOG
May 11, 2015
Precocious by Joanna Barnard
Fiona Palmer has a crush on her English teacher, Henry Morgan. Who didn’t have a crush on a teacher at sometime during one’s school life? This one is different though; very different. Fiona feels the connection and Morgan feels it too. She is fourteen; he is old enough to ... clichéd, but fitting nonetheless. Teenage emotions run rife, emotions that are known to us all and superbly verbalised by Barnard in her ability to invade the mind of a girl seeking to be loved. Morgan, on the other hand, is skilled and experienced in luring his willing pupil first to after-school consultations and later to extraneous activities of the most licentious kind.
Years later when they unexpectedly meet again, Fiona is married and still finds the attraction all-consuming. The reader is convinced Fiona is old enough to control what happens in the complex relationship, but Barnard cleverly provides us with twists and turns, intrigue and antipathy, and the chaos of rational and irrational behaviour when it is least expected.
Precocious by Joanna Barnard must be at the top of every readers’ must read list ... exactly that ... MUST READ.
Fiona Palmer has a crush on her English teacher, Henry Morgan. Who didn’t have a crush on a teacher at sometime during one’s school life? This one is different though; very different. Fiona feels the connection and Morgan feels it too. She is fourteen; he is old enough to ... clichéd, but fitting nonetheless. Teenage emotions run rife, emotions that are known to us all and superbly verbalised by Barnard in her ability to invade the mind of a girl seeking to be loved. Morgan, on the other hand, is skilled and experienced in luring his willing pupil first to after-school consultations and later to extraneous activities of the most licentious kind.
Years later when they unexpectedly meet again, Fiona is married and still finds the attraction all-consuming. The reader is convinced Fiona is old enough to control what happens in the complex relationship, but Barnard cleverly provides us with twists and turns, intrigue and antipathy, and the chaos of rational and irrational behaviour when it is least expected.
Precocious by Joanna Barnard must be at the top of every readers’ must read list ... exactly that ... MUST READ.
June 23, 2020
This wasn’t quite what I expected. I thought it would be a little more of a thriller and lighter.
I wouldn’t say it was constantly enthralling, but it was handling a serious issue in a truthful way. I think the author did a great job of creating doubt.
Clearly this man was in the wrong, but how much of it was what Fee wanted and is it possible he really had fallen in love with teenage Fee? To even be asking those questions or having those doubts that he was anything other than a predator show how well the author wrote this.
I had a slight problem with the ending. I didn’t like it. I didn’t think doing the “normal” and expected thing with Dave was the same as loving Dave and wanting to be with him. Fiona was clearly damaged with no handle on what she actually wanted. I never had the feeling she loved Dave like she thought she loved Morgan.
The story takes a long time to get where it’s going and things are reveled very slowly. I would have quite liked to see Morgan get what he deserved, but it was implied that was coming.
It made me sad that so much emotional damage had been done to Fiona (and Alice and the others) and wonder if they would ever get over it.
I wouldn’t say it was constantly enthralling, but it was handling a serious issue in a truthful way. I think the author did a great job of creating doubt.
Clearly this man was in the wrong, but how much of it was what Fee wanted and is it possible he really had fallen in love with teenage Fee? To even be asking those questions or having those doubts that he was anything other than a predator show how well the author wrote this.
I had a slight problem with the ending. I didn’t like it. I didn’t think doing the “normal” and expected thing with Dave was the same as loving Dave and wanting to be with him. Fiona was clearly damaged with no handle on what she actually wanted. I never had the feeling she loved Dave like she thought she loved Morgan.
The story takes a long time to get where it’s going and things are reveled very slowly. I would have quite liked to see Morgan get what he deserved, but it was implied that was coming.
It made me sad that so much emotional damage had been done to Fiona (and Alice and the others) and wonder if they would ever get over it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 13, 2016
All'inizio lo stile mi aveva messo in una condizione di svantaggio, non riuscivo ad appassionarmi alla storia, mi sembrava di leggere qualcosa di troppo distante dal mio mondo.
Superato però il limite stilistico, mi sono ritrovata nel terzo capitolo completamente attaccata alla storia.
Perchè non è la solita storia banale tra professore e studentessa, è la storia di un grande amore, la storia di un tormento, della crescita, dell'incredibile delusione. Questo romanzo è pura verità, lontano dai soliti schemi racconta al lettore la potenza della verità.
Non è una storia dolce, è una storia dal retrogusto dolceamaro, che sono sicura vi stupirà.
Vi tiene con il fiato sospeso fino alla fine.
Consigliato!
Superato però il limite stilistico, mi sono ritrovata nel terzo capitolo completamente attaccata alla storia.
Perchè non è la solita storia banale tra professore e studentessa, è la storia di un grande amore, la storia di un tormento, della crescita, dell'incredibile delusione. Questo romanzo è pura verità, lontano dai soliti schemi racconta al lettore la potenza della verità.
Non è una storia dolce, è una storia dal retrogusto dolceamaro, che sono sicura vi stupirà.
Vi tiene con il fiato sospeso fino alla fine.
Consigliato!
March 11, 2018
I don’t know what to say about this book, it was written really well but I’m not sure how I feel about it. I didn’t really like any of the characters especially fee or Morgan which I suppose is a sign of a good book as sometimes you just don’t like the characters. Although towards the end I did start to see why fee was the way she was and did highlight how things can be taken out of context and taken advantage of with effects years later or that have been carried around through life. It was at time an uncomfortable read highlighting a difficult subject matter which I thought the author did sensitively.
June 4, 2019
Precocious is about Fiona, a young woman who is unhappily married. At the age of fourteen, she had a near-obsession with her English teacher, Henry Morgan. Fifteen years later, Fiona and Henry meet again by chance and begin an affair. The novel handles a number of difficult themes successfully and Fiona begins to question her relationship with Henry as the story progresses. It raises some interesting themes and portrays the vulnerability of young teenagers who often think they are more mature and able to deal with adult issues than they actually are. It is quite chilling in places and is a gripping, sometimes uncomfortable read.
March 23, 2021
Non so neanche io perché l'ho letto, perché questo libro non è né carne né pesce. Non è un thriller psicologico perché non c'è nessun mistero e anche l'introspezione è piuttosto banale, non è un romance ma da qualche sognante descrizione pare esserlo.
Che la narratrice sia inaffidabile si capisce da pagina tre, lo stile di scrittura non è niente di che e anche la "rivelazione" finale è molto prevedibile e non aggiunge troppo alla vicenda. Mi aspettavo molto di più.
Se cercate altri libri su questo tema, ma scritti un po' meglio, a questo punto leggete My dark Vanessa.
Che la narratrice sia inaffidabile si capisce da pagina tre, lo stile di scrittura non è niente di che e anche la "rivelazione" finale è molto prevedibile e non aggiunge troppo alla vicenda. Mi aspettavo molto di più.
Se cercate altri libri su questo tema, ma scritti un po' meglio, a questo punto leggete My dark Vanessa.
February 14, 2020
The book certainly gave me a lot to think about. I read it in earnest, it was very well written I thought, but still I am undecided whether I really enjoyed it or not. I didn't have much sympathy for Fiona as she treated her husband like shit. Yes, the teacher was in the wrong but she did come on to him big time. I dont really know where it was going to end up but nothing really happened to make me think wow.
June 8, 2017
Great book. The author has a real understanding of her characters and their motivations, which makes come out as flawed but deeply real on the pages. The question central to the book of who is to blame and the fact that memory is selective and we tend to only remember what suits us and the narrative we want to create for ourselves was really well done.
November 3, 2020
Interesting subject considering what I do now. The way facts can be turned around. Grooming can be explained and the readiness for adults to blame children or the law to take the side of perpetrator for ‘lack of credibility’ when it was the act of abuse that affected the survivors’ behaviours.
Don’t particularly like the writing style though so 3stars.
Don’t particularly like the writing style though so 3stars.
July 29, 2018
This is a book about a woman meeting up with a teacher she had an affair with as a teenager. I did enjoy it and at times it was a real page turner, but somehow finished up a bit disappointing. Overall a good read though. 8 out of 10
March 26, 2017
3 and a half stars
July 18, 2017
The first time I started reading this book I really couldn't get the gist of it but after starting again I found it an easy read. It really does make you think as well.
January 11, 2018
Loved it some of it reminded me of someone
June 15, 2018
excellent structure. full-packed of wits. raw. honest. just brilliant.
September 24, 2018
Un po' lenta la prima parte mentre la seconda mi è sembrata quasi frettolosa. Originale il modo di sviluppare la storia.
January 7, 2024
Molto lento come lettura
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