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Breaking Glass
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
58 people want to read
About the author
Susan Hill
182 books2,296 followersSusan Hill was born in Scarborough, North Yorkshire in 1942. Her hometown was later referred to in her novel A Change for the Better (1969) and some short stories especially "Cockles and Mussels".
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
She attended Scarborough Convent School, where she became interested in theatre and literature. Her family left Scarborough in 1958 and moved to Coventry where her father worked in car and aircraft factories. Hill states that she attended a girls’ grammar school, Barr's Hill. Her fellow pupils included Jennifer Page, the first Chief Executive of the Millennium Dome. At Barrs Hill she took A levels in English, French, History and Latin, proceeding to an English degree at King's College London. By this time she had already written her first novel, The Enclosure which was published by Hutchinson in her first year at university. The novel was criticised by The Daily Mail for its sexual content, with the suggestion that writing in this style was unsuitable for a "schoolgirl".
Her next novel Gentleman and Ladies was published in 1968. This was followed in quick succession by A Change for the Better, I'm the King of the Castle, The Albatross and other stories, Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, A Bit of Singing and Dancing and In the Springtime of Year, all written and published between 1968 and 1974.
In 1975 she married Shakespeare scholar Stanley Wells and they moved to Stratford upon Avon. Their first daughter, Jessica, was born in 1977 and their second daughter, Clemency, was born in 1985. Hill has recently founded her own publishing company, Long Barn Books, which has published one work of fiction per year.
Librarian's Note: There is more than one author by this name.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 11, 2018
BREAKING GLASS is a group, trying to slice through the hassles and the hype of the music business and make themselves heard.
DANNY is their manager, dazzled by the rock & roll rebel dream - trying not to get suckered by the record moguls' system.
KATE is the singer, ambitious and visionary - but the rock & roll machine could burn her out before it makes her a star...
BREAKING GLASS - the ultimate rock movie.
Danny meets Kate at The Rainbow, where she’s putting up posters for her forthcoming gigs and, smitten with her, offers his services as manager. A group is slowly formed around her, slimy record execs get involved, an even slimier producer - Woods - puts his oar in, the band takes off but it all gets too much for Kate and things start to crack. Grim and fairly bleak, this isn’t brilliantly written but works well as a record of the late 70s and early 80s, of a London filled with squats and tenements, dodgy pubs, the National Front and a punk scene that’s failing under its own weight as people try to exploit it. The pace trots along nicely, the characterisation is minimal (locations are barely described), but that kind of works in its favour - it doesn’t overstay its welcome, it tells the story it needs to and it does it with the minimum of fuss. Not for everyone, certainly, but as someone who lived through the time period (and loves the music), I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
DANNY is their manager, dazzled by the rock & roll rebel dream - trying not to get suckered by the record moguls' system.
KATE is the singer, ambitious and visionary - but the rock & roll machine could burn her out before it makes her a star...
BREAKING GLASS - the ultimate rock movie.
Danny meets Kate at The Rainbow, where she’s putting up posters for her forthcoming gigs and, smitten with her, offers his services as manager. A group is slowly formed around her, slimy record execs get involved, an even slimier producer - Woods - puts his oar in, the band takes off but it all gets too much for Kate and things start to crack. Grim and fairly bleak, this isn’t brilliantly written but works well as a record of the late 70s and early 80s, of a London filled with squats and tenements, dodgy pubs, the National Front and a punk scene that’s failing under its own weight as people try to exploit it. The pace trots along nicely, the characterisation is minimal (locations are barely described), but that kind of works in its favour - it doesn’t overstay its welcome, it tells the story it needs to and it does it with the minimum of fuss. Not for everyone, certainly, but as someone who lived through the time period (and loves the music), I enjoyed it and would recommend it.
August 9, 2020
Breaking Glass by Susan Hill is a fiction story made famous by the film. It captures the whole ethos of the DIY punk/new wave scene with the beginning of the band which then crosses over into the cut-throat world of the music business.
Those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s often remember that era through rose-tinted glasses but the story portrays the violence, racism, fuel shortages, unemployment, and power cuts. Reading it now made me think that in some aspects the human race has not evolved at all!
Breaking Glass captures the band’s dynamics and the portrayal of the musicians’ rise into the media spotlight. It was actually pretty sad to see how far removed from their initial ideals a musician’s life can become, once fame rears its ugly head. You can read more about Breaking Glass – The film, the book and the soundtrack on my blog.
Those of us who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s often remember that era through rose-tinted glasses but the story portrays the violence, racism, fuel shortages, unemployment, and power cuts. Reading it now made me think that in some aspects the human race has not evolved at all!
Breaking Glass captures the band’s dynamics and the portrayal of the musicians’ rise into the media spotlight. It was actually pretty sad to see how far removed from their initial ideals a musician’s life can become, once fame rears its ugly head. You can read more about Breaking Glass – The film, the book and the soundtrack on my blog.
November 1, 2024
Had been playing the soundtrack to the film recently and it inspired me to reread the book.
Easy to read and conjures up images of boozers, bands and bovver. Story itself won't amaze you but its told well and the characters are well described enough for them to feel real. Maybe a little dated but then again those are the days in which it's set. Would recommend both book and soundtrack.
Easy to read and conjures up images of boozers, bands and bovver. Story itself won't amaze you but its told well and the characters are well described enough for them to feel real. Maybe a little dated but then again those are the days in which it's set. Would recommend both book and soundtrack.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews