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Roundabout
When a secret deal is made to turn Travellerland into a roundabout, tensions run high.
Gwen, Carly, Magda, Tess and Jo each have a piece of the puzzle and, as their stories intertwine, they learn more than they expect about themselves and their community.
What secret is Magda's boyfriend hiding? Why does Tess keep getting into fights? Is Gwen's boss really flirting with her? How can Carly get the others to listen? Where does Jo go when she can’t be found?
As the plot thickens and tempers fray; the girls are swayed by bonds of love and hate, ties of envy and admiration, and divided loyalties between where they come from and where they wish to go.
“This is a beautiful book that you'll remember forever.”
– Mizz magazine 2006
Gwen, Carly, Magda, Tess and Jo each have a piece of the puzzle and, as their stories intertwine, they learn more than they expect about themselves and their community.
What secret is Magda's boyfriend hiding? Why does Tess keep getting into fights? Is Gwen's boss really flirting with her? How can Carly get the others to listen? Where does Jo go when she can’t be found?
As the plot thickens and tempers fray; the girls are swayed by bonds of love and hate, ties of envy and admiration, and divided loyalties between where they come from and where they wish to go.
“This is a beautiful book that you'll remember forever.”
– Mizz magazine 2006
341 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2006
4 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Rhiannon Lassiter
32 books76 followersRhiannon Lassiter began writing when she was still at school. The first agent to see her work encouraged her to finish Hex, which was accepted when she was nineteen by the first publisher to read it (Macmillan).
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
Rhiannon graduated from Oxford University and has written eight best selling novels, several short stories and one non-fiction title for children and teenagers. She has edited an anthology of poetry and prose. Alongside her writing she works with her mother, the well known author Mary Hoffman, editing the children's review magazine, Armadillo.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
September 1, 2013
'Roundabout' by Rhiannon Lassiter is a gripping novel about a group of young Gypsy girls that have to deal with lies, love and ridicule, To make things even worse a rich businessman is about to build a roundabout over their beloved campsite but they all manage to stay friends and deal with what life throws at them.
I decided to read this book because I found the blurb really interesting and it pulled me in instantly.
This book fits into the bingo board category 'A book that teaches you about a culture other than your own' because it is about Gypsies and their culture/beliefs. I really enjoyed this category because I learn't so much while reading this amazing book.
The quote I like the most from this book was when Tess, one of the gypsies, said "They don't know anything about us" when a girl from their school had mocked them for being Gypsies. I like this quote because it states a point, many people in our society judge other cultures by certain stereotypes and don't bother to find out more about them. This is the case in this book.
I learned so much about Gypsies from this book because I didn't know anything before reading it and I enjoyed learning about a different culture and way of life.
My favourite character in this book is Tess because she is funny, sassy, and opinionated. She isn't afraid to speak her mind and stands up for what she believes in, I really admire her for that.
I decided to read this book because I found the blurb really interesting and it pulled me in instantly.
This book fits into the bingo board category 'A book that teaches you about a culture other than your own' because it is about Gypsies and their culture/beliefs. I really enjoyed this category because I learn't so much while reading this amazing book.
The quote I like the most from this book was when Tess, one of the gypsies, said "They don't know anything about us" when a girl from their school had mocked them for being Gypsies. I like this quote because it states a point, many people in our society judge other cultures by certain stereotypes and don't bother to find out more about them. This is the case in this book.
I learned so much about Gypsies from this book because I didn't know anything before reading it and I enjoyed learning about a different culture and way of life.
My favourite character in this book is Tess because she is funny, sassy, and opinionated. She isn't afraid to speak her mind and stands up for what she believes in, I really admire her for that.
September 15, 2017
I wasn't sure what to expect, going in (other than it was YA by an author I enjoy), and the opening scene reminded me of Good Omens, so I was half-expecting a supernatural element - so it was a pleasant surprise to find this one solidly set in the real world. And one that felt very familiar. It's a very British novel, for one thing, and it brilliantly captures the trauma of being a teenage girl (ugh, how did I survive?!). Spiky, hopeful, self-conscious, desperately uncertain, with still a bit of wonder about the world.
It's also very sensitively-written about the Traveller community, neither as Boho chic crystal ball cliches, nor poverty porn (*cough*CatherineCookson*cough*), nor tabloid villains, but as a real and complex community of people, whose lifestyle is a key element to the story and affects the characters in all sorts of ways, good and bad.
Highly recommend, I loved this one!
It's also very sensitively-written about the Traveller community, neither as Boho chic crystal ball cliches, nor poverty porn (*cough*CatherineCookson*cough*), nor tabloid villains, but as a real and complex community of people, whose lifestyle is a key element to the story and affects the characters in all sorts of ways, good and bad.
Highly recommend, I loved this one!
April 4, 2021
→ 3.5 Stars
I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I was going to. Originally I just thought it was a romance between a ‘gypsy’ girl and a rich boy, sort of a Romeo and Juliet story. This ended up being so much more though. Told from five perspectives of teenage girls who come from a traveller background, it’s a coming of age story about their friendship and standing up for what you believe in that I think teens will really enjoy.
I enjoyed this a lot more then I thought I was going to. Originally I just thought it was a romance between a ‘gypsy’ girl and a rich boy, sort of a Romeo and Juliet story. This ended up being so much more though. Told from five perspectives of teenage girls who come from a traveller background, it’s a coming of age story about their friendship and standing up for what you believe in that I think teens will really enjoy.
May 14, 2015
I can't even think of anything worthwhile to say about this book to back up my poor rating other than that it was mind-numbingly dull. Neither the plot or characters interested me in the slightest.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews