Phosphorescence

by Raffaella Barker

Lola Jordan's life is sinking deep into disaster. Not only does she feel like a total loser at her new London school, but then her project on phosphorescence is read out in front of the entire school assembly – and she wants the ground to swallow her up. Why on earth did she write those weird descriptions of diving under glowing green waves like a glittering mermaid? Desperate to avoid everyone finding out that Lola's spent her entire life in a tiny seaside village, things take a serious turn for the worse when her project sparks a school trip to the Norfolk village where she grew up. Suddenly she finds herself stuck on a deserted island with a group of teenagers she has nothing in common with, and a boy she can't get out of her mind. Against a background of the mysteriously sparkling sea, the two halves of Lola's life collide in an explosion of romance and adventure.

Genres: Fiction

185 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Raffaella Barker was born in London in 1964 and moved to Norfolk when she was three. Her father, the poet George Barker, had 15 children; she is the oldest of those by the novelist Elspeth Barker.

She spent her childhood in Norfolk sulking and refusing to get dressed, going everywhere in her nightie. She recalls worrying about how to respond at school when asked how many brothers and sisters she had. She did not know the answer.

After Norwich High School, Raffaella Barker moved to London and did life modelling and film-editing. She landed a job on Harpers & Queen magazine and later freelanced as its motoring columnist. For 10 years she wrote a column for Country Life about her week.

Her debut novel Come and Tell Me Some Lies was published in 1994, followed by The Hook, Hens Dancing, Summertime, Green Grass, the children's book Phosphorescence and A Perfect Life.

Divorced, she lives in Norfolk with her three children aged 17, 15 and eight.

Reviews

[Resse · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me half way through the book until it got interesting. And even then the ending was quite rushed.

[Amber Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a book about two worlds colliding, finding yourself and fitting in. It touches on subjects which could relate to any teenage girl and describes the hastle of moving. it kept me intreaged all the way and i didnt want to put it down.

[Rosamund · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is set on the Norfolk Coast. My mum got me this in an attempt to get me to appreciate where I lived more. Instead, I ended up hating the main character.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

To be honest this book is just a bit boring and the ending seems rushed.