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The Less than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote
Donna Crick-Oakley walks on six inches of stories every day. She may live on the top floor of a tower block but she still pads her walls and floor with books to shut the real world further out. Or do they only shut her in? Armed with her myths and medieval adventures, Donna sets out to escape her isolation and change her home town to better suit her dreams.
"The Less Than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote" is a modern fairy tale from the inner city, where the mundane becomes fantastical and the everyday ethereal, but where living happily ever after is often easier read than done.
"The Less Than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote" is a modern fairy tale from the inner city, where the mundane becomes fantastical and the everyday ethereal, but where living happily ever after is often easier read than done.
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
August 28, 2016
The Less than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote, by Dan Micklethwaite, is a poignant yet always humourous adventure featuring a wine guzzling twenty-two year old whose life revolves around the stories she reads in books. Her top floor flat has been taken over by her literature, with bookshelves obscuring windows and a shower curtain protecting the titles she keeps in her bathroom. She has little furniture and a ragbag of clothes, but her many bookshelves overflow and her bedroom is carpeted with novels of uniform size. She rescues books from charity shops and orders them on line. Her stories have kept her together as the life she dreams of has repeatedly slipped from her grasp.
At the beginning of the tale we learn that Donna is currently single. Her previous boyfriend, Kirk, disliked her fixating on books, preferring that she concentrate on pleasing him. We learn that Donna’s father, an English teacher, encouraged her to read voraciously to avoid growing up ‘a thickie’. His scathing language was never confined to his pupils. Donna’s childhood was played out to the soundtrack of her parents’ arguments, although their eventual divorce helped her financially.
One morning Donna rashly decides to leave the sanctuary of her small and stuffy flat. She will don the armour of a knight and go questing. She discovers that Huddersfield may not be ready for such bravado. The setbacks she encounters force her to consider a different role, perhaps that of a princess.
Storybook princesses will inevitably seek their prince. Donna’s experience of these beings has not been favourable. She resents that her lovers regard every situation as revolving around them. She has no wish to be any boy’s toy.
Donna’s prince, even if he does talk a bit southern at times, brings her wine and companionship, but it is her books that continue to provide the adventures she seeks. She lives life through her imagination, fueled by stories lightly flavoured by experience. She begins to question their happy ever after.
Written in short sentences and chapters, the author is piercing in the observations he makes about his characters and setting. He captures the mundane as Donna sees it, turning empty shops into caves and bookshelves into forests. His heroine is a too thin, ginger haired, northerner with a proclivity, if not the talent, for cosplay. She and her many foibles are brought to life with a sharp wit and a sympathetic wisdom. She is a fabulous creation, volatile and vulnerable but determined to forge her own path with as clear a head as excessive wine consumption will allow.
“Nobody has ever accused Donna Crick-Oakley of being adventurous. A slut, yes. A thickie. A dreamer. A quiet one. A fat bitch (before she lost weight). A skinny bitch (after). A nutter. A swot. A stick-in-the-mud. An accident waiting to happen. A cry-baby. A silly cow. A giant waste of time. All of the above, but never adventurous. The fact was, when given a choice between real life and books, Donna Crick-Oakley chose books every time. […] She chose books because they never left her lonely the way Kirk had had left her lonely. Because company was often nothing of the kind, whereas a good book always was.”
Much of the story reads like a modern day fairy story, paying homage to the traditional form, not Disneyfied. There are awkward conversations, drunken messages posted on social media, and the disdane of city dwellers to battle. Throughout the text perceptive insights are fired like arrows, mocking yet poignant and very funny.
A tale lightly written with a depth that will linger, it is clever whilst avoiding any conceit. More than that though, this book offers entertainment. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
At the beginning of the tale we learn that Donna is currently single. Her previous boyfriend, Kirk, disliked her fixating on books, preferring that she concentrate on pleasing him. We learn that Donna’s father, an English teacher, encouraged her to read voraciously to avoid growing up ‘a thickie’. His scathing language was never confined to his pupils. Donna’s childhood was played out to the soundtrack of her parents’ arguments, although their eventual divorce helped her financially.
One morning Donna rashly decides to leave the sanctuary of her small and stuffy flat. She will don the armour of a knight and go questing. She discovers that Huddersfield may not be ready for such bravado. The setbacks she encounters force her to consider a different role, perhaps that of a princess.
Storybook princesses will inevitably seek their prince. Donna’s experience of these beings has not been favourable. She resents that her lovers regard every situation as revolving around them. She has no wish to be any boy’s toy.
Donna’s prince, even if he does talk a bit southern at times, brings her wine and companionship, but it is her books that continue to provide the adventures she seeks. She lives life through her imagination, fueled by stories lightly flavoured by experience. She begins to question their happy ever after.
Written in short sentences and chapters, the author is piercing in the observations he makes about his characters and setting. He captures the mundane as Donna sees it, turning empty shops into caves and bookshelves into forests. His heroine is a too thin, ginger haired, northerner with a proclivity, if not the talent, for cosplay. She and her many foibles are brought to life with a sharp wit and a sympathetic wisdom. She is a fabulous creation, volatile and vulnerable but determined to forge her own path with as clear a head as excessive wine consumption will allow.
“Nobody has ever accused Donna Crick-Oakley of being adventurous. A slut, yes. A thickie. A dreamer. A quiet one. A fat bitch (before she lost weight). A skinny bitch (after). A nutter. A swot. A stick-in-the-mud. An accident waiting to happen. A cry-baby. A silly cow. A giant waste of time. All of the above, but never adventurous. The fact was, when given a choice between real life and books, Donna Crick-Oakley chose books every time. […] She chose books because they never left her lonely the way Kirk had had left her lonely. Because company was often nothing of the kind, whereas a good book always was.”
Much of the story reads like a modern day fairy story, paying homage to the traditional form, not Disneyfied. There are awkward conversations, drunken messages posted on social media, and the disdane of city dwellers to battle. Throughout the text perceptive insights are fired like arrows, mocking yet poignant and very funny.
A tale lightly written with a depth that will linger, it is clever whilst avoiding any conceit. More than that though, this book offers entertainment. It was an absolute pleasure to read.
April 1, 2017
So like a lot of folks, I read about this book in The Guardian's coverage of the Not-The-Booker Prize 2016. And it was dirt cheap on Amazon ebooks for a day when I picked it up. It sounded like it should be a great read: a woman who shuns reality in favor of her thousands of books. That's like my fantasy. But this book falls short on several levels. All of Donna's books are romances, fairytales, and myths. Novels...not so much. For having so many books, she seems surprisingly underread, making her perhaps more of a hoarder of physical books than a voracious reader of literature. Donna's had some emotional traumas in her life that might explain her retreat into Romance and her love of princesses in waiting. Her father left unceremoniously, her relationship with her mother is strained, she has few friends, and a few exes who were dull -- nothing too abhorrent, but enough to go introvert. But the book fails to settle on one obstacle to overcome and ends rather ingloriously, too. The character fails to develop beyond a shy girl who likes to dress up in her fanciest gown, drink tons of wine, and read princess stories which is really just the equivalent of binge-watching Sex and the City. Oh yeah. She drinks. A lot. I wanted her to move from princess to hero, but besides role playing an errant knight Quixote style, Donna never evolves as a hero of her short legend.
September 19, 2016
This novel was on the short list for the "not-the-Booker-prize" list so when I saw it for sale from Kobo I snatched it up and starting reading. I'm afraid it just was another book that was not for me. I could not connect at all with the main character, Donna, a young woman who has shut herself off from the world and surrounded her apartment with books. I really don't know why this book was chosen. I did not love the writing nor the story. I am really perplexed as to why this novel is deemed prize worthy. Perhaps I completely missed the point of the story, maybe it went over my head. I think it was supposed to be funny, but it did not hit my funny bone! Oh well, can't love them all!
August 22, 2016
Less than perfect somewhat of an understatement. Just sufficient good ideas/images to sustain a story, sadly scraped thin over an overworked slab of clunk. The good: A promising opening skit, took off for about two and a half pages of the Don/Donna Quixote/Creosote section, a true-to-itself ending.
September 15, 2016
I was very excited about this book, the blurb offered such an intriguing promise. But I did not feel involved at all and the way sencences
Were formed
Like this
For adding extra
Drama.
Just irritated me. Very dissapointing.
Were formed
Like this
For adding extra
Drama.
Just irritated me. Very dissapointing.
August 26, 2016
I'd seen this book mentioned through the coverage of the Not The Booker Prize 2016 via The Guardian and it just sounded like it would be my kind of book, so when I managed to get hold of a copy I dived straight in... and didn't move til it was finished!! Loved it!
It's a completely sweet and honest story of a girl who prefers the company of books to people and surrounds herself with them at home - if you are looking for ideas of new places to store your book collections then you need to read this book as Donna has a few new ones for you!
She loves escaping into the fairy tales she reads, and when you read about some of the people in her life and things she'd been through then you can understand why she'd rather live there! Be that as a Knight or a Princess!! So many laugh out loud moments mixed in with the sad and quirky traits she has that it was an absolute delight to read and I look forward to more from this author in the future!
It's a completely sweet and honest story of a girl who prefers the company of books to people and surrounds herself with them at home - if you are looking for ideas of new places to store your book collections then you need to read this book as Donna has a few new ones for you!
She loves escaping into the fairy tales she reads, and when you read about some of the people in her life and things she'd been through then you can understand why she'd rather live there! Be that as a Knight or a Princess!! So many laugh out loud moments mixed in with the sad and quirky traits she has that it was an absolute delight to read and I look forward to more from this author in the future!
August 2, 2016
Fantastic debut
Having never felt compelled to leave a review before I think it's safe to say this fantastic debut has had a positive effect!
The story of Donna Crick-Oakley is witty, bizarre and utterly bonkers, and yet it has entirely relatable moments, here I'm thinking mostly of the wine consumption and need to dress up to hide from the world.
It has also given me some design ideas for all my book storage!
I can't recommend this book enough, I intended to savour it but alas plowed through it in one sitting.
Fantastic
Having never felt compelled to leave a review before I think it's safe to say this fantastic debut has had a positive effect!
The story of Donna Crick-Oakley is witty, bizarre and utterly bonkers, and yet it has entirely relatable moments, here I'm thinking mostly of the wine consumption and need to dress up to hide from the world.
It has also given me some design ideas for all my book storage!
I can't recommend this book enough, I intended to savour it but alas plowed through it in one sitting.
Fantastic
November 12, 2016
I am sure everyone who reviews this novel, who does not like it, will say it is best described by its own title - The Less Than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote. So why be any different, the less than perfect novel by Dan Micklethwaite.
August 12, 2017
Did not enjoy this book at all. No plot, no story. All of 230 pages are about the main character getting drunk or being hangover. One of the worst books I have read recently. Writing style was terrible too.
October 30, 2016
Meh. A bit of twaddle to waddle through, not anything special.
Read
December 3, 2016"Less than perfect" would be an exaggeration. I quit at the 8% mark. Why are books about bookworms usually so awful?
February 15, 2022
As a bibliophile, Donna is a character I want to root for. Though, as the title of this slim novel suggests, don't expect a fairy tale ending. Donna is a prisoner of her own imagination, unable to fit in, and unhappy when she tries. A prisoner also of the last contact from her father. She's young, perhaps there's still a future for her, but at the moment, she's sliding towards a solitary, wine and book filled existence, which is way less fun than that sounds. Perhaps she'll take to writing, instead of reading, and as a later passage teases the fourth wall, any problems then with the story become the fault of the author...
I could take issue (and did, while reading) with the numbers. Donna's library is too big to be read as thoroughly as she claims, just on a days since she started collecting basis. How many books is she reading a day? And her wine consumption means she would drink me under the table, which, fine. But still. And I've walked down 42 flights of stairs, and someone of that age shouldn't be that out of breath after 12. (Up, sure...).
I suppose, for a modern fairytale, even a less than perfect one, I half wished a little fantasy could have escaped into the real world, to brighten Donna's existence. There are hints this is about to happen, (hints also, that she's fully aware she needs to buck the trend and not rely on her prince) but despite the imagination, it doesn't. It ends up being thoroughly rooted in Huddersfield and there's even a hint that the love of books may be waning...
The Less Than is well written, well edited (I spotted a solitary typo), the fairy tale imagery is beautiful, and if the ending is more realistic than we might hope, it is still just that, realistic. The numbers may not quite add up, but the Legend, does.
I could take issue (and did, while reading) with the numbers. Donna's library is too big to be read as thoroughly as she claims, just on a days since she started collecting basis. How many books is she reading a day? And her wine consumption means she would drink me under the table, which, fine. But still. And I've walked down 42 flights of stairs, and someone of that age shouldn't be that out of breath after 12. (Up, sure...).
I suppose, for a modern fairytale, even a less than perfect one, I half wished a little fantasy could have escaped into the real world, to brighten Donna's existence. There are hints this is about to happen, (hints also, that she's fully aware she needs to buck the trend and not rely on her prince) but despite the imagination, it doesn't. It ends up being thoroughly rooted in Huddersfield and there's even a hint that the love of books may be waning...
The Less Than is well written, well edited (I spotted a solitary typo), the fairy tale imagery is beautiful, and if the ending is more realistic than we might hope, it is still just that, realistic. The numbers may not quite add up, but the Legend, does.
May 16, 2017
Very rarely do I give a book such a low star rating but this really was bad! It started off well enough with the first few chapters describing the protagonist Donna Crick-Oakley and why she chooses books over people. I found this section was well written and entertaining. I found myself warming to Donna and wanting to turn the page. Sadly this is where my enjoyment ended. By the time I got to chapter 7 I was ready to throw the book out of the window! I persevered to the end, sadly it is a period of time I shall never get back and I regret being such a martyr. The book continues with Donna dreaming about a fantasy life of fairy tales and dragons which became repetitive and quite frankly boring. The prose jarred and did not flow. In all fairness, there were fleeting moments where I thought the dialogue was well paced and funny but it was so fleeting that if you blinked you would have missed it. I generally like most things but unfortunately not this book. I do not think I shall be reading another from this author.
January 26, 2017
This was an OK read - not the best way to start a review admittedly but it's difficult to know what else to say. It didn't really live up to its description of the 'mundane becoming fantastical' - it just stayed average. The premise of a disillusioned young woman disappearing into the covers of the books she reads was interesting but this isn't really what happens. What follows is a tale of a young woman who appears to be suffering from depression, claiming to be the knight in her own fairytale but desperately relying on a man for happiness. The writing style was good but the story was lacking.
January 28, 2022
Een man schrijft over een vrouw en al in de eerste alinea weet je dat die man geen idee heeft over vrouwen. Ik bladerde direct door naar de Acknowledgements om te zien of hij vrouwelijke redacteuren had en verdomd. Hoe hebben die hem hiermee weg laten komen? Alle vrouwen kijken naar zichzelf door de keurende ogen van mannen. Uiteraard. Bij alles. Micklethwaite denkt ook hele rare dingen zoals over ongeschoren benen: na twee weken heb je stoppels.
Het verhaal. Dat is er eigenlijk niet. Donna is eenzaam en ze drinkt erg veel. Laten we haar een alcoholiste noemen. In het eerste stuk gaat ze verkleed als ridder (met een pan op haar hoofd) naar de stad, waar ze wordt uitgelachen. Dat doet ze omdat haar wereld die van boeken is, haar hele huis is vol boeken. Wat voor boeken? Nou over prinsessen en fantasy. Ze komt een oude vlam tegen die een nieuwe vlam wordt. Micklethwaite beschrijft hun gesprekken als transcripties van een pagina of tien. En wederom denk ik: Daar hadden best betere redacteuren op gemogen. Wat een stom boek zeg. Ik heb het diagonaal gelezen want het stond al jaren in mijn Te Lezen Kast, maar dat diagonale was eigenlijk nog steeds teveel eer.
Het verhaal. Dat is er eigenlijk niet. Donna is eenzaam en ze drinkt erg veel. Laten we haar een alcoholiste noemen. In het eerste stuk gaat ze verkleed als ridder (met een pan op haar hoofd) naar de stad, waar ze wordt uitgelachen. Dat doet ze omdat haar wereld die van boeken is, haar hele huis is vol boeken. Wat voor boeken? Nou over prinsessen en fantasy. Ze komt een oude vlam tegen die een nieuwe vlam wordt. Micklethwaite beschrijft hun gesprekken als transcripties van een pagina of tien. En wederom denk ik: Daar hadden best betere redacteuren op gemogen. Wat een stom boek zeg. Ik heb het diagonaal gelezen want het stond al jaren in mijn Te Lezen Kast, maar dat diagonale was eigenlijk nog steeds teveel eer.
February 6, 2017
Have you ever felt that books are more reliable (not to mention much less complicated) than relationships with real people? From her father onwards, Donna Creosote has been disappointed and let down by men. None of them ever live up to the knights in the fairytales she read and loved as a child.
A must for anyone who's ever been tempted to retreated into a book-lined room with nothing but a few bottles of wine and their imagination for company. And for everyone who's never been sure whether they are the princess or the knight in the fairytale of their own life.
A must for anyone who's ever been tempted to retreated into a book-lined room with nothing but a few bottles of wine and their imagination for company. And for everyone who's never been sure whether they are the princess or the knight in the fairytale of their own life.
January 9, 2017
I think the premise of the story was the best part about this novel because the actual delivery of the story was a big no for me. Maybe I'm not the right audience; how anyone could actually like the insufferable Donna Creosote is a mystery for some other time.
September 20, 2016
I've been trying to read and review the books on this year's 'Not the Booker' shortlist - https://medium.com/@JosephSurtees/not... - and found The less than perfect legend of Donna Creosote a difficult book to get a handle on.
The plot is relatively straightforward. A lonely woman, damaged by her family, withdraws into a world of fantasy novels and what she reads starts to overtake her real life. Parallels of Don Quixote essentially. But it’s tricky to know what the novel is actually about. Is it about a woman in the middle of a mental health breakdown? Is it about alcoholism? Is it about love? Lost love? Is it about the damage our parents do to us? Is it about imagination and love of literature being an emotional crutch as much as a comfort?
At times it seems to be all these things and that’s both a strength and a weakness in Donna Creosote. The light touch, the moving from idea to idea is an effective way of exploring the eponymous character, of understanding her delicate mental state, her humours and views. Centring a whole novel around a single character trying to deal with overwhelming emotional challenges is tricky, but by not settling, by exploring new thoughts as they assail Donna Dan Micklethwaite does it well. But the end you do feel you have an understanding of Donna, why she is who she is and why she has made the choices she has.
The problem comes when trying to draw conclusions from the novel, a take-away point. The book is obviously one of ideas, one trying to make the reader think, and that’s to be applauded. But if the author did have a specific point he wanted to drive home, I’m afraid it escaped me. The writer isn’t helped by the fact he seems to lose control of the structure of the novel towards the end, letting it descend into a slightly untidy stream on consciousness which is difficult to follow and leads to a confusing finale.
I’d contrast it with the novel that it struck me as most similar to,The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder by John Ironmonger. Maximilian Ponder (again, I’m going to cut down the title here) is also a book about ideas, about the lasting bonds of friendship and the dangers of living a life entirely of the mind. But unlikely Donna Creosote it manages to settle down and focus on these ideas, which to me makes it a more powerful novel.
Having said this, the flightyness of Donna Creosote shouldn’t put anybody off. It’s certainly very enjoyable, for all its lack of focus. I found the writing engaging and actually in a quiet way innovative. In some passages I was reminded of Max Porter’s brilliant Grief is thing with feathers. This book isn’t quite at that level, but in its playfulness, its twisting of form, there were certainly echoes.
It’s a funny novel as well. Dan Micklethwaithe has a lovely ironic touch when it comes to the inherent comedy of Donna’s life, both when expanding upon her thoughts or explaining her often ridiculous situation. The opening in particular made me laugh out loud, as the heroine attempts to create her own suit of armour with nothing but a hoodie, some baking trays and a roll of aluminium foil.
So, in conclusion, an amusing read, some interesting ideas, a likeable and compelling main character. But…needed more focus.
The plot is relatively straightforward. A lonely woman, damaged by her family, withdraws into a world of fantasy novels and what she reads starts to overtake her real life. Parallels of Don Quixote essentially. But it’s tricky to know what the novel is actually about. Is it about a woman in the middle of a mental health breakdown? Is it about alcoholism? Is it about love? Lost love? Is it about the damage our parents do to us? Is it about imagination and love of literature being an emotional crutch as much as a comfort?
At times it seems to be all these things and that’s both a strength and a weakness in Donna Creosote. The light touch, the moving from idea to idea is an effective way of exploring the eponymous character, of understanding her delicate mental state, her humours and views. Centring a whole novel around a single character trying to deal with overwhelming emotional challenges is tricky, but by not settling, by exploring new thoughts as they assail Donna Dan Micklethwaite does it well. But the end you do feel you have an understanding of Donna, why she is who she is and why she has made the choices she has.
The problem comes when trying to draw conclusions from the novel, a take-away point. The book is obviously one of ideas, one trying to make the reader think, and that’s to be applauded. But if the author did have a specific point he wanted to drive home, I’m afraid it escaped me. The writer isn’t helped by the fact he seems to lose control of the structure of the novel towards the end, letting it descend into a slightly untidy stream on consciousness which is difficult to follow and leads to a confusing finale.
I’d contrast it with the novel that it struck me as most similar to,The Notable Brain of Maximilian Ponder by John Ironmonger. Maximilian Ponder (again, I’m going to cut down the title here) is also a book about ideas, about the lasting bonds of friendship and the dangers of living a life entirely of the mind. But unlikely Donna Creosote it manages to settle down and focus on these ideas, which to me makes it a more powerful novel.
Having said this, the flightyness of Donna Creosote shouldn’t put anybody off. It’s certainly very enjoyable, for all its lack of focus. I found the writing engaging and actually in a quiet way innovative. In some passages I was reminded of Max Porter’s brilliant Grief is thing with feathers. This book isn’t quite at that level, but in its playfulness, its twisting of form, there were certainly echoes.
It’s a funny novel as well. Dan Micklethwaithe has a lovely ironic touch when it comes to the inherent comedy of Donna’s life, both when expanding upon her thoughts or explaining her often ridiculous situation. The opening in particular made me laugh out loud, as the heroine attempts to create her own suit of armour with nothing but a hoodie, some baking trays and a roll of aluminium foil.
So, in conclusion, an amusing read, some interesting ideas, a likeable and compelling main character. But…needed more focus.
August 26, 2017
I liked the idea of this book but unfortunately it didn't match up to my expectations.
September 3, 2019
Not a good read. Didn't quite understand what it was about. The ending was too abrupt.
January 5, 2020
There were bits of this I really loved and bits that left me underwhelmed. The relationship between Donna and Sammy shown only through their conversation was the best bit.
February 17, 2024
Really weird book, I'm not sure that I got the point of all that I had read in it's pages.
February 3, 2025
I loved this, it really struck a chord! Love the writing style too. I'm really looking forward to seeing what Dan comes up with next! Would love a sequel!
July 21, 2019
There was, unfortunately, nothing for me to like about The Less Than Perfect Legend of Donna Creosote, including the long-winded and pretentious title. Obstentiably a modern, urban (Huddersfield!) fairy tale, Micklethwaite tries to mingle magic realism-lite with an oddball romance between two societal misfits. There's nothing wrong with some of the ideas; a young female loner cacooned in a tiny apartment walled (and floored) with books, all fantasy and fairy tales, suggesting immediately the high school geek who takes escapism too far, displaced onto a childish adult identity that struggles with the nostalgia and embarassment of the past, as well as the awkwardness and hopelessness of the future. Along comes the boy who used to bully her (also simultaneously her secret crush) and so begins a redemptive relationship that looks to heal some of the hurts of childhood, youth and the damage caused by a broken family.
The execution of this already tired plot is awkward. It jolts along with hundreds of one-line paragraphs that imply too many fake highs and lows, or instead intend a poetic flow that never quite takes off. The two characters are well-created enough but some of the situations and dialogues are cringe-worthy at best, unrealistic at worst. The cosplay moment that kick starts the novel is awful because it feels so forced. So do the continuous fairy tale references and connections. The urban Rapunzel in the high tower waiting for her prince is all too clear an image, and that the tale won't find the "fairy tale ending" is also clear, but that apparent irony really over simplifies the nature of fairy tales anyway, the whole prince rescues princess thing being far from the reality of most of those old stories. The feeling of Donna's desperate escapism does come across effectively but it's all far too obvious. What follows, a dreary, irritating series of arguments about a relationship's teething problems, fails to gather any tension or interest. I was just waiting for it to end.
The finale has some emotional moments - Donna's relationship with her parents is perhaps the most interesting thing about her story and it is not given much space to breathe here. I had the feeling there were a few good novels wrapped up in this superficial costume of a book - the half-baked result of these good ideas is an unrealised book that I was happy to be done with. 2
The execution of this already tired plot is awkward. It jolts along with hundreds of one-line paragraphs that imply too many fake highs and lows, or instead intend a poetic flow that never quite takes off. The two characters are well-created enough but some of the situations and dialogues are cringe-worthy at best, unrealistic at worst. The cosplay moment that kick starts the novel is awful because it feels so forced. So do the continuous fairy tale references and connections. The urban Rapunzel in the high tower waiting for her prince is all too clear an image, and that the tale won't find the "fairy tale ending" is also clear, but that apparent irony really over simplifies the nature of fairy tales anyway, the whole prince rescues princess thing being far from the reality of most of those old stories. The feeling of Donna's desperate escapism does come across effectively but it's all far too obvious. What follows, a dreary, irritating series of arguments about a relationship's teething problems, fails to gather any tension or interest. I was just waiting for it to end.
The finale has some emotional moments - Donna's relationship with her parents is perhaps the most interesting thing about her story and it is not given much space to breathe here. I had the feeling there were a few good novels wrapped up in this superficial costume of a book - the half-baked result of these good ideas is an unrealised book that I was happy to be done with. 2
March 7, 2017
Donna what's in a name
Well had to find a book with the character had the same name as me was very difficult to find then I stumble upon this book hmmm not my thing.
Well had to find a book with the character had the same name as me was very difficult to find then I stumble upon this book hmmm not my thing.
September 5, 2016
Having chosen the Kindle edition (also available in paperback), the design of the front cover was just as important as a physical book. So as a bookish sort I was immediately drawn in by the clouds of books in the sky and the girl in pink dress balancing precariously atop of them. I knew this was going to be a book about books in some way. Published in July 2016 by Bluemoose books in Kindle format, this short e-book of 250 pages has been short-listed for the Guardian’s Not-the-Booker Prize 2016.
In short prose and clipped sentences, Dan Micklethwaite manages to challenge the notion of sanity and insanity, and therefore, the social construction of ‘normal’. When the avid reader first meets our early 20 something protagonist Donna, she is immediately likeable. Donna hoards books, reads indiscriminately and repetitively, and most of all she puts her books first as well as all over her flat. And then the cracks appear. Donna has been hit with the lack of purpose served up nicely by her absent father in the form of a lump sum of money that means she does not have to work. Instead, Donna has something far worse to do. She has to find meaning. When Donna finally realises she is in need not only of books but some new clothes to replace her well-worn leggings, it should not come as a surprise that Donna has set her sights on a ‘princess dress’. “Was happiness equivalent to princess-hood?” Nothing practical going on here. When Donna ventures to leave her flat in her normal clothes, she feels embarrassed and watched, but ‘safer’ in her errant Knight costume – the very opposite of our socially constructed norm.
Donna Creosote thinks of everything in terms of books. They are her fortress. She tries to remember any good memories about her parents, but comes out empty-handed.
"But babies do not hope. Not right at the start. They don’t need to. They are hope, in and of themselves. They are the front cover, clean and smooth, marked only with a name. Everything else – the character flaws, the scrappy plots, the inevitable falling back on cliché – is way out beyond them. At the start, before that front cover is turned, any book can be a masterpiece. By the end, most are little but a well-intentioned mess."
What Micklethwaite has constructed is an accost to, and remedy from, the mundance of every-day life. Unaware that she is even attempting to find purpose, Donna has fabricated a sort of courage built from fiction. And then, she tries to fabricate a princess life with Sammy. Until she realises something very significant about being a princess …
This short read is humorous yet sad, fantastical yet harshly realistic. Well-written, realistic dialogue brings us closer to the moments that Donna experiences. And Donna Crick-Oakley is living on the edge of reality, often on the balcony of her flat, swaying her hips to the music of parties she never gets invited to. Life sucks.
In short prose and clipped sentences, Dan Micklethwaite manages to challenge the notion of sanity and insanity, and therefore, the social construction of ‘normal’. When the avid reader first meets our early 20 something protagonist Donna, she is immediately likeable. Donna hoards books, reads indiscriminately and repetitively, and most of all she puts her books first as well as all over her flat. And then the cracks appear. Donna has been hit with the lack of purpose served up nicely by her absent father in the form of a lump sum of money that means she does not have to work. Instead, Donna has something far worse to do. She has to find meaning. When Donna finally realises she is in need not only of books but some new clothes to replace her well-worn leggings, it should not come as a surprise that Donna has set her sights on a ‘princess dress’. “Was happiness equivalent to princess-hood?” Nothing practical going on here. When Donna ventures to leave her flat in her normal clothes, she feels embarrassed and watched, but ‘safer’ in her errant Knight costume – the very opposite of our socially constructed norm.
Donna Creosote thinks of everything in terms of books. They are her fortress. She tries to remember any good memories about her parents, but comes out empty-handed.
"But babies do not hope. Not right at the start. They don’t need to. They are hope, in and of themselves. They are the front cover, clean and smooth, marked only with a name. Everything else – the character flaws, the scrappy plots, the inevitable falling back on cliché – is way out beyond them. At the start, before that front cover is turned, any book can be a masterpiece. By the end, most are little but a well-intentioned mess."
What Micklethwaite has constructed is an accost to, and remedy from, the mundance of every-day life. Unaware that she is even attempting to find purpose, Donna has fabricated a sort of courage built from fiction. And then, she tries to fabricate a princess life with Sammy. Until she realises something very significant about being a princess …
This short read is humorous yet sad, fantastical yet harshly realistic. Well-written, realistic dialogue brings us closer to the moments that Donna experiences. And Donna Crick-Oakley is living on the edge of reality, often on the balcony of her flat, swaying her hips to the music of parties she never gets invited to. Life sucks.
January 16, 2017
I first heard of this book when it was mentioned on The Readers podcast - one of my favourite bookish podcasts - by Simon Savidge of Savidge Reads. I bought it on Kindle - sorry, Simon - shortly after and it jumped to the top of my books to read.
Donna Crick-Oakley - nicknamed Donna Creosote at school because her Dad is an odd-job man who paints fences - lives in a flat surrounded by full book-shelves. There are even bookshelves in the bathroom (and I'm with her Mum on this one; surely the books would get damp even if you do hide them behind a shower curtain) and the bedroom floor is tiled with the books that she can't fit on her bookshelves. Her preference is for fantasy and for fairytale; for quests, knightly valour, castles and princesses. When your tower is a balcony in a urban tower block, then maybe fantasy is preferable.
As someone who loves reading - but is sadly limited in time to do it - I was drawn in by this premise. However, in the early stages of the novel I found that I was getting frustrated with her: not in the way you might be frustrated by bad decisions made by a friend, but more like getting frustrated by a fictional character who is behaving in a way which you don't believe a real person would do. However, as the novel progresses, you come to understand the reasoning behind her actions.
I almost gave up on it, but the way in which the book developed made me glad that I did. She enters into a tentative relationship, and its portrayal was one of the elements that made me glad that I stuck with it. Dan Micklethwaite's dialogue between them felt realistic to me in the way that it captured the banalities of regular speech - and, yes, I realise that sounds like a backhanded complement - and the cautious way that two flawed individuals step around the process of getting to know another person.
This novel is at its most effective when it steps into Donna's vivid fantasy life. Fairy tales are a running theme through the narrative, particularly Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty, but, for me, the most effective passages are when Donna Creosote becomes Don Quixote. These sections take us into Donna's imagination; they are evocatively written, playful and funny and they were probably the parts of the book which I enjoyed the most.
This book wasn't quite what I expected. I thought that it was going to be funnier, but instead I found that it was a book that was steeped in pathos and sadness. I found reading it to be a melancholy experience.
Rating this book gave me a bit of a problem: I really wish Goodreads did half stars. Two stars seems a bit too harsh, three stars a bit too generous....
Donna Crick-Oakley - nicknamed Donna Creosote at school because her Dad is an odd-job man who paints fences - lives in a flat surrounded by full book-shelves. There are even bookshelves in the bathroom (and I'm with her Mum on this one; surely the books would get damp even if you do hide them behind a shower curtain) and the bedroom floor is tiled with the books that she can't fit on her bookshelves. Her preference is for fantasy and for fairytale; for quests, knightly valour, castles and princesses. When your tower is a balcony in a urban tower block, then maybe fantasy is preferable.
As someone who loves reading - but is sadly limited in time to do it - I was drawn in by this premise. However, in the early stages of the novel I found that I was getting frustrated with her: not in the way you might be frustrated by bad decisions made by a friend, but more like getting frustrated by a fictional character who is behaving in a way which you don't believe a real person would do. However, as the novel progresses, you come to understand the reasoning behind her actions.
I almost gave up on it, but the way in which the book developed made me glad that I did. She enters into a tentative relationship, and its portrayal was one of the elements that made me glad that I stuck with it. Dan Micklethwaite's dialogue between them felt realistic to me in the way that it captured the banalities of regular speech - and, yes, I realise that sounds like a backhanded complement - and the cautious way that two flawed individuals step around the process of getting to know another person.
This novel is at its most effective when it steps into Donna's vivid fantasy life. Fairy tales are a running theme through the narrative, particularly Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty, but, for me, the most effective passages are when Donna Creosote becomes Don Quixote. These sections take us into Donna's imagination; they are evocatively written, playful and funny and they were probably the parts of the book which I enjoyed the most.
This book wasn't quite what I expected. I thought that it was going to be funnier, but instead I found that it was a book that was steeped in pathos and sadness. I found reading it to be a melancholy experience.
Rating this book gave me a bit of a problem: I really wish Goodreads did half stars. Two stars seems a bit too harsh, three stars a bit too generous....
September 13, 2016
Though it has some very funny moments, this is a very sad book. It isn't the sort of thing I would usually read, but I do like to step out of my genres from time to time. It was attracted to my attention as it is in the Not The Booker shortlist, from The Guardian. I note the reviewer there said the book was a 'light and pleasant read'.
Donna is a bookaholic and takes sanctuary in her tower block flat amidst her huge library of books. Even the floor is a bookshelf of a type. She has failed relationships and is distant from her parents and has few friends. She decides her life needs to change, and follows the example from her Fairy Tale books to find that knight in shining armour. Her life begins to descend into fantasy and alcoholism though, so I think anything but a 'pleasant and light read'.
As I say, not really my sort of thing at all, but interesting certainly.
When her father leaves home in Donna's late teens he leaves her a letter. This quote demonstrates that mix of dry black humour and pity that Micklethwaite conjures up.
".... what's left of my love, Charles Oakley."
Donna is a bookaholic and takes sanctuary in her tower block flat amidst her huge library of books. Even the floor is a bookshelf of a type. She has failed relationships and is distant from her parents and has few friends. She decides her life needs to change, and follows the example from her Fairy Tale books to find that knight in shining armour. Her life begins to descend into fantasy and alcoholism though, so I think anything but a 'pleasant and light read'.
As I say, not really my sort of thing at all, but interesting certainly.
When her father leaves home in Donna's late teens he leaves her a letter. This quote demonstrates that mix of dry black humour and pity that Micklethwaite conjures up.
".... what's left of my love, Charles Oakley."
October 30, 2016
There were parts of this book that I will award 2 stars, and parts I will award 4-5 stars, so here's another fair but middle 3/3.5 star read.
I found some parts of this just a little too confusing or hard to follow, and the ending, while it made sense to me on a deeply personal level, was just not one I found to be super satisfying. The real-world parts of this book were the best in my opinion, and while I enjoyed the more fantastical elements of this book, too, I just didn't like them in conjunction with the realistic parts (which is weird because I love magical realism and fairy tale). I guess on the tin this sounded like a book I should really love, but the overall experience wasn't as good as what I thought I'd been promised.
I found some parts of this just a little too confusing or hard to follow, and the ending, while it made sense to me on a deeply personal level, was just not one I found to be super satisfying. The real-world parts of this book were the best in my opinion, and while I enjoyed the more fantastical elements of this book, too, I just didn't like them in conjunction with the realistic parts (which is weird because I love magical realism and fairy tale). I guess on the tin this sounded like a book I should really love, but the overall experience wasn't as good as what I thought I'd been promised.
November 1, 2016
Knights and Princesses
This was an unusual book about Donna, a women who collected
Books. That was the part I could really relate to. Her life was a fairytale, her boyfriend the knight and her the Princess. She became the characters in the books she read. Shutting out the rest of life, to live for her books and too much wine.
Not sure why she had to drink so much, perhaps just another form of escape.
I would recommend it to avid book readers who like something a little unusual. It's format makes it easy to read.
This was an unusual book about Donna, a women who collected
Books. That was the part I could really relate to. Her life was a fairytale, her boyfriend the knight and her the Princess. She became the characters in the books she read. Shutting out the rest of life, to live for her books and too much wine.
Not sure why she had to drink so much, perhaps just another form of escape.
I would recommend it to avid book readers who like something a little unusual. It's format makes it easy to read.
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