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The Butterfly Tattoo
The agony and ecstasy of a teenage love affair inspires this tense, romantic thriller. Sixth-former Chris falls in love with Jenny the moment he sets eyes on her as he works at an Oxford ball. But as their relationship blossoms, tragedy and violence wait in the wings. For Chris's boss has a shady past that won't stay hidden. And his ruthless enemies will use two innocent teenagers to exact their revenge on him...
186 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
45 people are currently reading
1069 people want to read
About the author
Philip Pullman
260 books25.7k followersSir Philip Nicholas Outram Pullman is an English writer. His books include the fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials and The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ, a fictionalised biography of Jesus. In 2008, The Times named Pullman one of the "50 greatest British writers since 1945". In a 2004 BBC poll, he was named the eleventh most influential person in British culture. He was knighted in the 2019 New Year Honours for services to literature.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
Northern Lights, the first volume in His Dark Materials, won the 1995 Carnegie Medal of the Library Association as the year's outstanding English-language children's book. For the Carnegie's 70th anniversary, it was named in the top ten by a panel tasked with compiling a shortlist for a public vote for an all-time favourite. It won that public vote and was named all-time "Carnegie of Carnegies" in June 2007. It was filmed under the book's US title, The Golden Compass. In 2003, His Dark Materials trilogy ranked third in the BBC's The Big Read, a poll of 200 top novels voted by the British public.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
May 23, 2019
This was such a short and disappointing read after the pleasure of "His Dark Materials" Mediocre at best. I rarely skip books but I confess to doing so with this one. There are so many better books to read.
July 29, 2022
This book confused me a little on how to rate it. It is a Y.A read so the way it is written reflects that. I enjoyed the story line tho as but i felt it was lacking in any real grip that is experienced through reading the golden compass recently(for example)
The idea of the story about fate bringing two teenagers together and fate that grows to what ultimatly transpires at the end.
Life lessons are within this almost as if teaching us to stay true to ourselfs and beliefs.
My issue with this was that it has a very detrimental view of police help mostly. Then mentions needing there help when things get out of control. It seemed to be putting across or telling you what to think. I understand pullman may be appealing to youngsters that may feel the same or share some understanding from the lifestyles of both characters. Jenny hasnt had the best of starts and chris has had better.
Also there is a few pages part where they have sex within this and it really made me cringe. I wasnt expecting it(and i know they are 17 not under age)but i just felt really uncomfortable reading it. It was a little more info than needed regarding what they were doing step by step. It also seemed to be slightly "teaching" you. I still understand that it is aimed at this age and its only natural and the whole young love, learning and intimacy and all but nope wasnt for me.
There are a lot of issues covered in this book and some arnt all happy,lovely and safe life. We get that. People walk all different walks of life. Pullmans style is tell it as it is no holding back. So we expect brutal honesty in part. This story can be talked and talked about regarding the angles or views. Each to their own 👍
The idea of the story about fate bringing two teenagers together and fate that grows to what ultimatly transpires at the end.
Life lessons are within this almost as if teaching us to stay true to ourselfs and beliefs.
My issue with this was that it has a very detrimental view of police help mostly. Then mentions needing there help when things get out of control. It seemed to be putting across or telling you what to think. I understand pullman may be appealing to youngsters that may feel the same or share some understanding from the lifestyles of both characters. Jenny hasnt had the best of starts and chris has had better.
Also there is a few pages part where they have sex within this and it really made me cringe. I wasnt expecting it(and i know they are 17 not under age)but i just felt really uncomfortable reading it. It was a little more info than needed regarding what they were doing step by step. It also seemed to be slightly "teaching" you. I still understand that it is aimed at this age and its only natural and the whole young love, learning and intimacy and all but nope wasnt for me.
There are a lot of issues covered in this book and some arnt all happy,lovely and safe life. We get that. People walk all different walks of life. Pullmans style is tell it as it is no holding back. So we expect brutal honesty in part. This story can be talked and talked about regarding the angles or views. Each to their own 👍
June 13, 2020
Well that was disappointing.
I really expect so much more from this.
Graphic and disturbing in places, the plot overall was boring and the characters were as a whole neither likeable nor unlikable.
It's a very forgettable book, that left very little impression. No verses or paragraphs stood out or are worthy to be quoted.
I really expect so much more from this.
Graphic and disturbing in places, the plot overall was boring and the characters were as a whole neither likeable nor unlikable.
It's a very forgettable book, that left very little impression. No verses or paragraphs stood out or are worthy to be quoted.
June 24, 2019
The blurb of this book really gave the whole story away, this is the story of how a weird white guy fell in love with a girl in a few minutes and was entirely too creepy about it.
As someone who read and loved His Dark Materials, I can now say that Philip Pull an is such a special author in that he’s written some of the best and worst books I have ever read.
I genuinely had to google this book because at some point I thought it couldn’t be serious, it must be a satire of thriller tropes and teenage romance. If it was satirically written then it would probably be hilarious to me instead of cringe inducing.
Pullman’s seemingly detached narrative voice is like a large sedative to what should be a THRILLING read given the subject matter. Pullman describes shocking scenes of sexual assault with what seemed to be a complete lack of emotional connection which could’ve been explained as the character herself feeling detached BUT it was similar to his lack lustre voice throughout the entire book.
The one scene where Pullman added some character to his narrative voice was such a clumsy sex scene that I had put the book down and walk away because the writing was god awful. He literally described her nipple as a small animal and went into a bizarre paragraph about lips and tongues which left me mildly repulsed.
This book reminds me a little of Romeo and Juliet, not because it has any literary merit or rich language but because the “love” genuinely baffled me. Chris decides that he loves Jenny when they don’t even know each other’s last names. They lead each other to their doom through rash decisions and poor choices and there was no relationship (or character) building at all.
The final nail in the coffin for me, was at Jenny’s death when Chris is despairing and distraught and then is described as feeling pain from the loss of “Jenny’s body” not her as a person BUT HER BODY. If Pullman was trying to say teenage boys ain’t shit in this book then he succeeded but I don’t think that was his intention. In fact I have no clue what he was trying to achieve through this book, who we were meant to like or root for, I didn’t like anyone, I didn’t like the book.
Jenny deserved better than all of the men in her life including the author who wrote her into existence.
As someone who read and loved His Dark Materials, I can now say that Philip Pull an is such a special author in that he’s written some of the best and worst books I have ever read.
I genuinely had to google this book because at some point I thought it couldn’t be serious, it must be a satire of thriller tropes and teenage romance. If it was satirically written then it would probably be hilarious to me instead of cringe inducing.
Pullman’s seemingly detached narrative voice is like a large sedative to what should be a THRILLING read given the subject matter. Pullman describes shocking scenes of sexual assault with what seemed to be a complete lack of emotional connection which could’ve been explained as the character herself feeling detached BUT it was similar to his lack lustre voice throughout the entire book.
The one scene where Pullman added some character to his narrative voice was such a clumsy sex scene that I had put the book down and walk away because the writing was god awful. He literally described her nipple as a small animal and went into a bizarre paragraph about lips and tongues which left me mildly repulsed.
This book reminds me a little of Romeo and Juliet, not because it has any literary merit or rich language but because the “love” genuinely baffled me. Chris decides that he loves Jenny when they don’t even know each other’s last names. They lead each other to their doom through rash decisions and poor choices and there was no relationship (or character) building at all.
The final nail in the coffin for me, was at Jenny’s death when Chris is despairing and distraught and then is described as feeling pain from the loss of “Jenny’s body” not her as a person BUT HER BODY. If Pullman was trying to say teenage boys ain’t shit in this book then he succeeded but I don’t think that was his intention. In fact I have no clue what he was trying to achieve through this book, who we were meant to like or root for, I didn’t like anyone, I didn’t like the book.
Jenny deserved better than all of the men in her life including the author who wrote her into existence.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2012
Not gonna lie, this was wholeheartedly disappointing.
I was expecting the level of brilliance Pullman brought to His Dark Materials. And well this had none of that. It also lacked the charm and sense of wonder HDM provided.
Yes, I understand this was written far earlier in his career, and did not expect it to be on par, but I am astounded by how lackluster this was. It is told in there sections. The first section had promise and lead me to think this was going to get much better. He introduced his main characters, and while none are who you want to be friends with, he filled them out and presented some motivations.
Then it moved on to the 2nd & 3rd sections where Pullman became so overwrought in his writing, I had to think the editor fell asleep and left him to his ugly didactic ways. He makes Chris, the protagonist in the story so naive that he believes anything, with little hesitation. Quite a change in characterization, but fine. I can buy this. But then he turns around and presents him as a moral fundamentalist who can only see black and white answers to any solution. In doing so he stops accessing the grey matter in his head. These shifts are sloppy and nonsensical.
I get that the lesson Pullman is trying to teach is that fundamental positions are dangerous to you and those around you. But he is a writer not a teacher. And I thought he was a skilled writer to achieve his goals without being sloppy and preachy about it, but this really proved me wrong.
I honestly am not sure where he became a much better writer, because he so obviously did. The HDM series and Clockwork are fantastic books full of wonder and promise. This sadly has none of what made those such special reads.
I guess this is encouraging, as it implies with enough practice and editorial help, one writing can improve exponentially. I guess this means I should perhaps look at later works of other authors I have dismissed as utter garbage, for perhaps they too will improve.
I was expecting the level of brilliance Pullman brought to His Dark Materials. And well this had none of that. It also lacked the charm and sense of wonder HDM provided.
Yes, I understand this was written far earlier in his career, and did not expect it to be on par, but I am astounded by how lackluster this was. It is told in there sections. The first section had promise and lead me to think this was going to get much better. He introduced his main characters, and while none are who you want to be friends with, he filled them out and presented some motivations.
Then it moved on to the 2nd & 3rd sections where Pullman became so overwrought in his writing, I had to think the editor fell asleep and left him to his ugly didactic ways. He makes Chris, the protagonist in the story so naive that he believes anything, with little hesitation. Quite a change in characterization, but fine. I can buy this. But then he turns around and presents him as a moral fundamentalist who can only see black and white answers to any solution. In doing so he stops accessing the grey matter in his head. These shifts are sloppy and nonsensical.
I get that the lesson Pullman is trying to teach is that fundamental positions are dangerous to you and those around you. But he is a writer not a teacher. And I thought he was a skilled writer to achieve his goals without being sloppy and preachy about it, but this really proved me wrong.
I honestly am not sure where he became a much better writer, because he so obviously did. The HDM series and Clockwork are fantastic books full of wonder and promise. This sadly has none of what made those such special reads.
I guess this is encouraging, as it implies with enough practice and editorial help, one writing can improve exponentially. I guess this means I should perhaps look at later works of other authors I have dismissed as utter garbage, for perhaps they too will improve.
July 27, 2011
I wonder if PP is embarassed by this now? Having loved His Dark Materials I thought he might have done ok with some YA lit. Bad move, not only is it 'a modern day Romeo and Juliet' (it's the answering machine that screws up the message), the first line is great - if he was an unpublished teenager. Terrible, clunky plot that recycles cliche after cliche, teenage boy in love at first sight (oh please) and of course, all the men that meet Jenny want to have sex with her, because she's beautiful, skinny and stupid, with no will of her own. But that's not her fault , because as we all know, all beautiful uneduacated girls have been sexually abused by their fathers and this marks them out as victims.I don't know what he was thinking when he wrote this trash, it's substandard even for ordinary YA lit, but to think this is the same person who wrote the Golden Compass? He definetly needs to stick to fantasy. Just awful.
May 26, 2015
It's confession time (blush). When I read novels I often find it very tempting to skim in places.... even worse, I sometimes get an overwhelming urge to leapfrog over the bulk of book to go for an advance peek at the ending. Am I the only person on Goodreads who flicks down the reviews to find the ones marked 'Spoiler alert'?
So, The Butterfly Tattoo should have been very much to my taste. You get a massive hint at the ending in the first line of the book, "Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm night in early June...", and all the skimming has already been done by the author. It is a pretty bare bones story. But it wasn't really to my taste. Whilst I enjoyed the fast pace of the book, I really missed what could have been a much greater fleshing out of the characters.
In the end it was a so-so read. This was a pity, as the storyline could have carried a whole lot more.
So, The Butterfly Tattoo should have been very much to my taste. You get a massive hint at the ending in the first line of the book, "Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm night in early June...", and all the skimming has already been done by the author. It is a pretty bare bones story. But it wasn't really to my taste. Whilst I enjoyed the fast pace of the book, I really missed what could have been a much greater fleshing out of the characters.
In the end it was a so-so read. This was a pity, as the storyline could have carried a whole lot more.
April 4, 2012
I love Pullman's "His Dark Materials," and I really didn't know what to expect from this book. I read it in one sitting and loved it. Heartbreaking.
March 12, 2016
If I had to sum this book up, I'd say it was a story of adolescent love and a side helping of gansters. That being said the narrative was understated, and in Pullman style, the prose was beautiful. The whole story was a retelling of the very first sentence; a corker of an opening line:
Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm Oxford night in early June.
I already knew Pullman had a knack for creating characters that draw you in, and this book was no different. Chris was a superbly well rounded, well written character. Dealing with teenage issues, family issues, love issues, and being in that in between stage of boy and man. Jenny was street wise, toughened, but just as easily broken. I rooted for the pair of them, but that opening sentence lingered in the back of my mind for the whole narrative. At least I was pre-warned of the ending.
I have to put it out there that this book is no 'Northern Lights'. The plot wasn't as engaging or compelling. After all, we knew the ending from the first sentence, right? I went in with expectations, which isn't a great start, and this book fell short. If not for the beautifully written characters and prose, I'd probably not have continued with the story.
Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm Oxford night in early June.
I already knew Pullman had a knack for creating characters that draw you in, and this book was no different. Chris was a superbly well rounded, well written character. Dealing with teenage issues, family issues, love issues, and being in that in between stage of boy and man. Jenny was street wise, toughened, but just as easily broken. I rooted for the pair of them, but that opening sentence lingered in the back of my mind for the whole narrative. At least I was pre-warned of the ending.
I have to put it out there that this book is no 'Northern Lights'. The plot wasn't as engaging or compelling. After all, we knew the ending from the first sentence, right? I went in with expectations, which isn't a great start, and this book fell short. If not for the beautifully written characters and prose, I'd probably not have continued with the story.
June 26, 2017
15+ because of sexual content - Spoiler Alert!!!
When Chris helps a girl escape a group of guys at a posh party he is working at, he finds a love that consumes him. Jenny is funny, smart, beautiful and independent. She lives in a squat with two friends and one weekend he invites her to stay with him as he house sits his dad’s place and looks after their cat.
When Jenny goes home, her squat is boarded up, her friends arrested for drug dealing and she is without a home. Not wanting to go back to Chris’ dad’s place to ask where he lives, she loses contact with Chris. She doesn’t know his surname and doesn’t know exactly where he works. They both spend months searching for each other in the city of Oxford.
Jenny gets a job baby-sitting. She doesn’t know Chris works for the child’s father, or that the father is being hunted down by a killer. Somebody is going to die…
Quick but thrilling read by this master story-teller,
When Chris helps a girl escape a group of guys at a posh party he is working at, he finds a love that consumes him. Jenny is funny, smart, beautiful and independent. She lives in a squat with two friends and one weekend he invites her to stay with him as he house sits his dad’s place and looks after their cat.
When Jenny goes home, her squat is boarded up, her friends arrested for drug dealing and she is without a home. Not wanting to go back to Chris’ dad’s place to ask where he lives, she loses contact with Chris. She doesn’t know his surname and doesn’t know exactly where he works. They both spend months searching for each other in the city of Oxford.
Jenny gets a job baby-sitting. She doesn’t know Chris works for the child’s father, or that the father is being hunted down by a killer. Somebody is going to die…
Quick but thrilling read by this master story-teller,
August 24, 2017
This was an okay audiobook and Phillip Pullman is a skilled writer but his didn't have the breathtaking awesomeness of some of his other work. It's tightly plotted but the characters are only okay. The narrator is the same guy who narrates Doing It in Bolinda Audio. He has a slightly lecherous-sounding voice that I quite like (he can't do a northern accent for shit) but he spoke some of the dialogue differently to how I would have imagined it if I was reading it in a book.
January 19, 2020
brief synopsis:
Chris falls in love but discovers things are not as they seem.
setting:
Oxford
Kidlington
Wolvercote
named personalities:
Christopher 'Chris' Marshall - a seventeen-year-old who works part-time for Oxford Entertainment Systems
Barry Springer aka Barry Miller aka Michael Daly - the mild, energetic owner of Oxford Entertainment Systems
Piers - a fair-haired and handsome young man; a lord of some sort
Jenny - a delicate girl
Jesus Christ - a Jewish religious leader
Diane - Chris' father's girlfriend, an ex-secretary from his architectural practice
Mike Fairfax - Chris' mother's boyfriend, a university teacher, and a city councilor
Sandra - Barry's employee who works in the shop
Dave - Barry's employee who works at the warehouse and on the van delivering or collecting materials for hire
Tony - ditto
Derek - a young man who squats with Jenny
Ollie - ditto
Tom aka Mot - a bloke with M-O-T tattooed on his forehead
Carl - presumably Chris' acquaintance
Jacko - ditto
Tansy - an upper-class dropout
Sue - Barry's pretty, blonde and quiet wife, a school secretary
Sean - Barry and Sue's ten-year-old son
Frank Carson - an incompetent thug
Billy Carson - Frank's brother of similar ilk
the Kray twins - presumably Ronnie and Reggie Kray
Edward Carson aka Fletcher - Frank and Billy's younger brother who's not involved with their criminal activities
Mike Lovell - Chris' father's acquaintance
Marje - a girl that squats with Jenny
Wagner - presumably Richard Wagner
Mahler - presumably Gustav Mahler
Bruckner - presumably Anton Bruckner
Strauss - presumably Christoph Strauss
Thing - a kitten
Tommy Sanchez - a café manager
Antonia Fraser - supposedly Dave's debate opponent when he was an undergraduate
Anna - Piers' acquaintance
Gill Petrie - a widow who allows Jenny to live in her house
James Bond - a film character
Dorothy - just a random name spouted by Tommy that supposedly sheltered Jenny for a few days
Mohammed - an old-timer who died in a gutter in south London
Rita - a fictional character from Educating Rita
very few ocr related errors, like misplaced punctuations and misspellings:
p109: Jenny had played chess with Sean and los, she had asked him about the little animal she'd seen by the river, and he'd told her it was probably a vole or a water rat; he'd even found a picture of one in his encyclopaedia, and while he was having a last ten minutes' reading time, she took the volume down to the kitchen to look through while she had her coffee.
A tad slow but definitely moving.
Truth is one thing.
Perception is another.
Chris falls in love but discovers things are not as they seem.
setting:
Oxford
Kidlington
Wolvercote
named personalities:
Christopher 'Chris' Marshall - a seventeen-year-old who works part-time for Oxford Entertainment Systems
Barry Springer aka Barry Miller aka Michael Daly - the mild, energetic owner of Oxford Entertainment Systems
Piers - a fair-haired and handsome young man; a lord of some sort
Jenny - a delicate girl
Jesus Christ - a Jewish religious leader
Diane - Chris' father's girlfriend, an ex-secretary from his architectural practice
Mike Fairfax - Chris' mother's boyfriend, a university teacher, and a city councilor
Sandra - Barry's employee who works in the shop
Dave - Barry's employee who works at the warehouse and on the van delivering or collecting materials for hire
Tony - ditto
Derek - a young man who squats with Jenny
Ollie - ditto
Tom aka Mot - a bloke with M-O-T tattooed on his forehead
Carl - presumably Chris' acquaintance
Jacko - ditto
Tansy - an upper-class dropout
Sue - Barry's pretty, blonde and quiet wife, a school secretary
Sean - Barry and Sue's ten-year-old son
Frank Carson - an incompetent thug
Billy Carson - Frank's brother of similar ilk
the Kray twins - presumably Ronnie and Reggie Kray
Edward Carson aka Fletcher - Frank and Billy's younger brother who's not involved with their criminal activities
Mike Lovell - Chris' father's acquaintance
Marje - a girl that squats with Jenny
Wagner - presumably Richard Wagner
Mahler - presumably Gustav Mahler
Bruckner - presumably Anton Bruckner
Strauss - presumably Christoph Strauss
Thing - a kitten
Tommy Sanchez - a café manager
Antonia Fraser - supposedly Dave's debate opponent when he was an undergraduate
Anna - Piers' acquaintance
Gill Petrie - a widow who allows Jenny to live in her house
James Bond - a film character
Dorothy - just a random name spouted by Tommy that supposedly sheltered Jenny for a few days
Mohammed - an old-timer who died in a gutter in south London
Rita - a fictional character from Educating Rita
very few ocr related errors, like misplaced punctuations and misspellings:
p109: Jenny had played chess with Sean and los, she had asked him about the little animal she'd seen by the river, and he'd told her it was probably a vole or a water rat; he'd even found a picture of one in his encyclopaedia, and while he was having a last ten minutes' reading time, she took the volume down to the kitchen to look through while she had her coffee.
A tad slow but definitely moving.
Truth is one thing.
Perception is another.
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February 4, 2017
Chris meets Jenny on a warm Oxford night and falls instantly in love, but he knows nothing about her and can't seem to find her again in the sleepy English city. His boss, meanwhile, had acquired a love nest and is employing Chris to do it up, little knowing that it's actually a hide away from some ruthless London gangsters...
Philip Pullman is a wonderful writer and His Dark Materials series is still one of my favourites, but this was a huge disappointment. It was written well, but the plot and characters were just so flat and boring it seemed the 186 pages would never end. The blurb gives you a very definite but blurred detailing of the plot, which was slow and rather droll.
I believe this was his first ever novel, however, and that kind of makes sense. There is the and writing ability shining through the murky gaps, but it's obviously the first. He definitely learnt from this, though.
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Philip Pullman is a wonderful writer and His Dark Materials series is still one of my favourites, but this was a huge disappointment. It was written well, but the plot and characters were just so flat and boring it seemed the 186 pages would never end. The blurb gives you a very definite but blurred detailing of the plot, which was slow and rather droll.
I believe this was his first ever novel, however, and that kind of makes sense. There is the and writing ability shining through the murky gaps, but it's obviously the first. He definitely learnt from this, though.
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December 18, 2019
Published three years before The Golden Compass, this short mystery/thriller takes a look at some of the same themes and elements that Pullman reworks to much stronger effect throughout the Dark Materials trilogy: Oxford, the uselessness of adults, lying, innocence and sin, the Garden motif...
Alas, there are no talking polar bears here, and quite frankly the novel really clunks along in places. Maybe Pullman wasn't trying as hard in this shorter book--parts of the novel feel just tossed off--or perhaps he had a better editor three years later, but The White Mercedes lacks much of the cleverness and creepiness that makes The Golden Compass and its sequels so compelling. Nonetheless, this book reads quickly; it's better than most Young Adult fare, and although not as much as The Dark Materials, it too contains a subversive element lacking in most Young Adult reading. I'm not sure many young readers will catch on to the crushing irony of the final paragraph!
Alas, there are no talking polar bears here, and quite frankly the novel really clunks along in places. Maybe Pullman wasn't trying as hard in this shorter book--parts of the novel feel just tossed off--or perhaps he had a better editor three years later, but The White Mercedes lacks much of the cleverness and creepiness that makes The Golden Compass and its sequels so compelling. Nonetheless, this book reads quickly; it's better than most Young Adult fare, and although not as much as The Dark Materials, it too contains a subversive element lacking in most Young Adult reading. I'm not sure many young readers will catch on to the crushing irony of the final paragraph!
August 29, 2014
I really wanted to like this book. I love the His Dark Materials series (warts and all) and was happy to pick this up for a dollar at the thrift store and give it a whirl. I figured I could read it and then add it to my classroom library. (No go on that, by the way - the sex scene makes this inappropriate for my middle schoolers.)
I did like pieces of it - the first line was intriguing, other bits and pieces of his writing made me really happy. I could see him working out bits of ideas that would be fleshed out and fully realized later in His Dark Materials, like Carson's speech to Chris about eating the fruit of knowledge in the Garden of Eden and choosing wisdom and knowledge and pain over innocence.
Overall though I was a bit disappointed. There was more telling than showing in many places and the ending was incredibly dissatisfying. I saw the Romeo and Juliet references coming but I couldn't enjoy them. Depressing.
I did like pieces of it - the first line was intriguing, other bits and pieces of his writing made me really happy. I could see him working out bits of ideas that would be fleshed out and fully realized later in His Dark Materials, like Carson's speech to Chris about eating the fruit of knowledge in the Garden of Eden and choosing wisdom and knowledge and pain over innocence.
Overall though I was a bit disappointed. There was more telling than showing in many places and the ending was incredibly dissatisfying. I saw the Romeo and Juliet references coming but I couldn't enjoy them. Depressing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2018
I'm writing this review a while after reading it and I can honestly say I can barely remember anything about it. I can remember not being overly interested in it or really fussed about any of the characters or what was happening. Having since read Northern Lights (seriously late on that one I know) and having LOVED that, I think The Butterfly Tattoo is just a disappoint and I'm lowering my review from a 3 to a 2 star.
Not memorable. Not interesting. Just not really worth it.
Not memorable. Not interesting. Just not really worth it.
February 29, 2012
I have been trying to get my hands on this book for ages and was finding it basically impossible to buy, so I ended up borrowing it from the library. And boy, am I glad I did!
This book is amazing. A bit sublte and understated, but at the same time really packing a punch. The characters were all very well done and easy to both relate to and sympathise with and it was really refreshing to see Pullman deal with a modern setting. I particuarly loved the exploration of morals and honour and truth and integrity that was the underlying theme throughout the whole book.
Reading this book really reminded me why Philip Pullman is one of my absolute favourite authors.
This book is amazing. A bit sublte and understated, but at the same time really packing a punch. The characters were all very well done and easy to both relate to and sympathise with and it was really refreshing to see Pullman deal with a modern setting. I particuarly loved the exploration of morals and honour and truth and integrity that was the underlying theme throughout the whole book.
Reading this book really reminded me why Philip Pullman is one of my absolute favourite authors.
December 21, 2007
I was all excited to discover there was a YA book by Pullman that I hadn't read, b/c of course I love his other books. Unfortunately, this one was a stinker; described as a "modern-day Shakespearean tragedy", it was really more of a "stupid young boy meets random young girl and somehow there are mobsters involved" story. Pullman never makes you feel for any of the characters, so when the melodramatic denouement finally occurs, I was just glad it was over. D.
May 13, 2012
This book struck me, ultimately, as convoluted and just sort of ugly. Though I liked the main female character, and her story was at least somewhat engaging, the primary character was just kind of bland. I appreciate a novel that dares to have an unhappy ending, but this one felt more cynical than poignant.
April 10, 2019
Why??? Philip Pullman...why?? In such a short span of time he was able to fill me with softness and hope and then make me watch it all come crumbling apart in heartbreaking despair. Such a good book, but be ready for a wild ride of emotions.
August 31, 2019
I enjoyed this the beginning instantly had me hooked. I thought the writing was excellent
Read
September 29, 2023Comfort re-read
August 22, 2017
Nearly a 4, but not quite. Enjoyable page turner with some interesting ideas.
December 11, 2017
I'll say one thing for Phillip Pullman's The White Mercedes--it put to good use my training in 18th century melodrama, and how often can you say that?
For those who weren't enrolled in Professor Hynes' 2006 class on Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama (Tagline: "We'll learn quite enough about rakes and coquettes, boobies, cits and cuckolds to keep the most overheated imagination busy"), tragedies prior to the 18th century tended to follow the Shakespearean model: a high, noble figure is brought low by some fatal flaw, whether it's jealousy (Othello), indecision (Hamlet), or being kind of a jerk (all of them). The 18th century melodrama focused on more middle or low class roles, and their fatal flaws were less something inherent to them and more a result of societal pressure--there was still a moral lesson, of sorts, but the real goal was to engage the audience emotionally, which is why they were frequently called "sentimental plays." In my long-ago English course, we looked at The Conscious Lovers (1722) and The London Merchant (1731).
My thesis for this review, as you may guess, is that The White Mercedes is a sentimental novel, written in terms that would have been familiar in an 18th c milieu, but with all the angst and excess that 80s and 90s YA revelled in. The plot: 17 year old Chris feels estranged from his divorced parents, and generally at odds with himself when he rescues and falls in love with Jenny, a girl from slightly lower circumstances who's now living on the streets. The star-crossed lovers' time together is cut short with a string of coincidences that would be more or less impossible in an always on, smartphone enabled world. The question is whether the two can reconcile by more coincidence, or whether an entirely unrelated tragedy involving gangsters and stolen bank loot will tear them apart. ...Given the genre connections I've made, you can probably guess the outcome here.
Chris and Jenny are largely our lead characters. Chris seems largely a Holden Caulfield type. After his parents' recent divorce and re-partnering with other people, he seems largely at odds with himself; whatever sense he had of what a family should be is gone. He tries to put that faith back into his boss, Barry Springer, who seems to have the idyllic family Chris yearns for, but, well, don't
put your faith in the upper bourgeois, let's say. Jenny's story is considerably more tragic, to the point of exploitation--a background of sexual abuse is understating it. The only other two really relevant characters are Barry, the aforementioned boss with a seedy backside, and the crime boss owner of the titular white Mercedes, who is a thoroughly bad person, but also clearly driven out of remorse over his brothers' incarcerations.
There's a lot of pontification about the nature of people--what it means to be a good person, and how that goodness squares up with maturity, coming of age, and sex. This is all fairly typical YA fare, but either I haven't read much in this vein in a while (a distinct possibility--not like The Outsiders or the Contender are happy romps) or it goes a lot further than usual in terms of putting its characters through hell. I really can't recommend the book, just based on Jenny's experience; parts of it feel sadly contemporary with current affairs (I'm thinking of the way she, as a waitress, fends off her boss's advances, forced to do it with less than vocal rejection to keep her job). But while it doesn't quite go so far as to make her pain just a lesson for Chris, it's so unpleasant that I'm left feeling kind of disappointing.
Which, to bring it back, was largely how I felt about 18th c sentimental plays.
For those who weren't enrolled in Professor Hynes' 2006 class on Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Drama (Tagline: "We'll learn quite enough about rakes and coquettes, boobies, cits and cuckolds to keep the most overheated imagination busy"), tragedies prior to the 18th century tended to follow the Shakespearean model: a high, noble figure is brought low by some fatal flaw, whether it's jealousy (Othello), indecision (Hamlet), or being kind of a jerk (all of them). The 18th century melodrama focused on more middle or low class roles, and their fatal flaws were less something inherent to them and more a result of societal pressure--there was still a moral lesson, of sorts, but the real goal was to engage the audience emotionally, which is why they were frequently called "sentimental plays." In my long-ago English course, we looked at The Conscious Lovers (1722) and The London Merchant (1731).
My thesis for this review, as you may guess, is that The White Mercedes is a sentimental novel, written in terms that would have been familiar in an 18th c milieu, but with all the angst and excess that 80s and 90s YA revelled in. The plot: 17 year old Chris feels estranged from his divorced parents, and generally at odds with himself when he rescues and falls in love with Jenny, a girl from slightly lower circumstances who's now living on the streets. The star-crossed lovers' time together is cut short with a string of coincidences that would be more or less impossible in an always on, smartphone enabled world. The question is whether the two can reconcile by more coincidence, or whether an entirely unrelated tragedy involving gangsters and stolen bank loot will tear them apart. ...Given the genre connections I've made, you can probably guess the outcome here.
Chris and Jenny are largely our lead characters. Chris seems largely a Holden Caulfield type. After his parents' recent divorce and re-partnering with other people, he seems largely at odds with himself; whatever sense he had of what a family should be is gone. He tries to put that faith back into his boss, Barry Springer, who seems to have the idyllic family Chris yearns for, but, well, don't
put your faith in the upper bourgeois, let's say. Jenny's story is considerably more tragic, to the point of exploitation--a background of sexual abuse is understating it. The only other two really relevant characters are Barry, the aforementioned boss with a seedy backside, and the crime boss owner of the titular white Mercedes, who is a thoroughly bad person, but also clearly driven out of remorse over his brothers' incarcerations.
There's a lot of pontification about the nature of people--what it means to be a good person, and how that goodness squares up with maturity, coming of age, and sex. This is all fairly typical YA fare, but either I haven't read much in this vein in a while (a distinct possibility--not like The Outsiders or the Contender are happy romps) or it goes a lot further than usual in terms of putting its characters through hell. I really can't recommend the book, just based on Jenny's experience; parts of it feel sadly contemporary with current affairs (I'm thinking of the way she, as a waitress, fends off her boss's advances, forced to do it with less than vocal rejection to keep her job). But while it doesn't quite go so far as to make her pain just a lesson for Chris, it's so unpleasant that I'm left feeling kind of disappointing.
Which, to bring it back, was largely how I felt about 18th c sentimental plays.
January 1, 2014
You can check out my full review here: http://beckysblogs.wordpress.com/2013...
An odd little book about adolescence and first loves with a few gangsters thrown in.
Well, this book was an experience, I can definitely say that. It had such an odd jumble of ideas within it that somehow didn’t quite work in cohesion with each other.
The Butterfly Tattoo was written three years before Pullman’s famous book, Northern Lights/The Golden Compass. While there are significant glimpses into his brilliant writing in this earlier novel, it is far more patchy and a little harder to find. There are some remarkably insightful observations throughout about the growing pains of adolescence, the reality of honesty and the naivety of first loves. In a few cases I stopped just to reread a sentence three or four times to take it in. On the other hand, there is also a lot of painfully tedious writing in The Butterfly Tattoo that has the potential to send even the most enthusiastic reader to sleep. You’d think it would be hard to make such a short book drag, but it certainly happens in places.
Another issue I had with this book was the plot, apart from the opening chapter the novel moved slowly with several bits of unneeded filler. I think one of the key reasons for this issue was the first sentence of the book: ‘Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm Oxford night in early June.’ While I loved this as an intriguing and ominous start to the novel, it meant that I as the reader knew what was going to happen before it actually did. This probably explains in part why everything seemed to flow so slowly, it was as if I was waiting around for the prediction to come true, making me care less about the everyday intricacies in-between. On the other hand, one element that did impress me was the number of interesting themes and ideas that Pullman tackled. I felt at it’s heart, this story was about the corruption of innocence. Chris starts off as a young chirpy teen full of hope, and in the course of the novel he becomes aware of how many people close to him often lie and cheat, that the truth is rarely black and white and not everyone is who he believes them to be.
I found the characters in this book quite frustrating. I enjoyed reading about them to a point because they were used to tackle the interesting themes, but mostly they felt like stereotypes. Pullman gives just about enough depth to pull it off, but it’s a thin line and they could have used some further development. I also felt bizarrely detached from the characters while reading, which meant I felt impartial about what happened to them at the end of the book.
So, that about sums up my reading experience of The Butterfly Tattoo. My honest opinion? Probably more of a miss than a hit, although I did enjoy aspects of the novel.
An odd little book about adolescence and first loves with a few gangsters thrown in.
Well, this book was an experience, I can definitely say that. It had such an odd jumble of ideas within it that somehow didn’t quite work in cohesion with each other.
The Butterfly Tattoo was written three years before Pullman’s famous book, Northern Lights/The Golden Compass. While there are significant glimpses into his brilliant writing in this earlier novel, it is far more patchy and a little harder to find. There are some remarkably insightful observations throughout about the growing pains of adolescence, the reality of honesty and the naivety of first loves. In a few cases I stopped just to reread a sentence three or four times to take it in. On the other hand, there is also a lot of painfully tedious writing in The Butterfly Tattoo that has the potential to send even the most enthusiastic reader to sleep. You’d think it would be hard to make such a short book drag, but it certainly happens in places.
Another issue I had with this book was the plot, apart from the opening chapter the novel moved slowly with several bits of unneeded filler. I think one of the key reasons for this issue was the first sentence of the book: ‘Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm Oxford night in early June.’ While I loved this as an intriguing and ominous start to the novel, it meant that I as the reader knew what was going to happen before it actually did. This probably explains in part why everything seemed to flow so slowly, it was as if I was waiting around for the prediction to come true, making me care less about the everyday intricacies in-between. On the other hand, one element that did impress me was the number of interesting themes and ideas that Pullman tackled. I felt at it’s heart, this story was about the corruption of innocence. Chris starts off as a young chirpy teen full of hope, and in the course of the novel he becomes aware of how many people close to him often lie and cheat, that the truth is rarely black and white and not everyone is who he believes them to be.
I found the characters in this book quite frustrating. I enjoyed reading about them to a point because they were used to tackle the interesting themes, but mostly they felt like stereotypes. Pullman gives just about enough depth to pull it off, but it’s a thin line and they could have used some further development. I also felt bizarrely detached from the characters while reading, which meant I felt impartial about what happened to them at the end of the book.
So, that about sums up my reading experience of The Butterfly Tattoo. My honest opinion? Probably more of a miss than a hit, although I did enjoy aspects of the novel.
Read
July 4, 2015Philip Pullman is awesome. HIS DARK MATERIALS is one of the best trilogies ever, and the few other things I've read have been all sorts of dark and creepy and / or wonderful in their own right. So when I saw this one, I snagged it off the shelf without second thought.
All I can say is, "What the hell happened?"
When I marked it as "Currently Reading," I was surprised by its low score, even more so by the reviews / comments. "Surely they can't be right," I thought. And after having read the first chapter, I really wondered why this book seemed to get so much hate. Then I kept reading. And what started as a promising novel turned into nothing short of a cliched mess, from cookie-cutter characters to half-baked philosophy to so many plot holes / oddities that each new page made me hurt more and more.
Basically, if you're a fan of Pullman, don't read this. I don't know if this was simply an early, early novel--and maybe in a second draft form? maybe?--but this thing has problems. Don't let the premise pull you in. Don't let the first chapter lure you into thinking that everyone is wrong. Trust the ratings. This is not a good book.
In the end, I really wished this premise had been taken and written by Robert Cormier--and perhaps that's what Pullman was trying to do, channel some Cormier--as the types of characters and themes being discussed fall right in line with Cormier's other work. Instead, though, this is Pullman's first strike. I love his other stuff enough to keep reading him, but in a much more hesitant way.
All I can say is, "What the hell happened?"
When I marked it as "Currently Reading," I was surprised by its low score, even more so by the reviews / comments. "Surely they can't be right," I thought. And after having read the first chapter, I really wondered why this book seemed to get so much hate. Then I kept reading. And what started as a promising novel turned into nothing short of a cliched mess, from cookie-cutter characters to half-baked philosophy to so many plot holes / oddities that each new page made me hurt more and more.
Basically, if you're a fan of Pullman, don't read this. I don't know if this was simply an early, early novel--and maybe in a second draft form? maybe?--but this thing has problems. Don't let the premise pull you in. Don't let the first chapter lure you into thinking that everyone is wrong. Trust the ratings. This is not a good book.
In the end, I really wished this premise had been taken and written by Robert Cormier--and perhaps that's what Pullman was trying to do, channel some Cormier--as the types of characters and themes being discussed fall right in line with Cormier's other work. Instead, though, this is Pullman's first strike. I love his other stuff enough to keep reading him, but in a much more hesitant way.
May 14, 2010
This book wasn't bad, but I don't think it was up to par with the rest of Philip Pullman's work. I absolutely love His Dark Materials and Sally Lockhart, but I didn't find The White Mercedes as, well, good as those. Maybe it's just me and my dislike of romance novels, but I didn't think it was all that compelling or interesting. Although the parts about Barry Miller's connection with a vengeful criminal was fun.
I didn't mind the romance so much in His Dark Materials or Sally Lockhart, I guess because it wasn't just an everyday fling, like The White Mercedes seemed. The only difference between whatever was happening between Chris and Jenny and "just an everyday fling" was that Jenny died at the end, whereas the romance in the other two was different and one could care about it.
I don't know, I guess the reason I didn't find The White Mercedes all that interesting was because I just didn't care.
I didn't mind the romance so much in His Dark Materials or Sally Lockhart, I guess because it wasn't just an everyday fling, like The White Mercedes seemed. The only difference between whatever was happening between Chris and Jenny and "just an everyday fling" was that Jenny died at the end, whereas the romance in the other two was different and one could care about it.
I don't know, I guess the reason I didn't find The White Mercedes all that interesting was because I just didn't care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2014
I confess; I gave up. life's too short to read books you can't stand. The only reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 is the language, and because it's Philip Pullman, who has my deep respect for "His Dark Materials" which are some of my favourite books. When it comes to fantasy, Pullman has nailed it. But thriller? no. three-quarters of the way through and I still felt no liking for any of the characters, they were written as though we were looking at them in a fish tank, so you didn't feel any connection or affection for them at all. Plus, I got lost. So many stories were made about Barry Miller I forgot which one was true. I guess that's purposeful but for me it just made the book unenjoyable and meant I wasn't gripped or pulled into the chaos of the book like I wanted to be. In conclusion, I feel let down, and I put that in reviews a lot more than I like.
September 13, 2011
This book was pointless. The tagline made me want to read it - "Chris Marshall met the girl he was going to kill on a warm Oxford night in early June".
It was supposed to be a tragic story that explores the concepts of truth and trust, I think. It missed the mark for me. The writing was way too simplistic, it felt like a bad attempt to write for young people. The plot wasn't much better and I think it could have gone a lot darker and deeper into its themes.
Pullman's meant to be a really good writer so I'll give him another try at some point. Maybe this was one of his dodgier early works or maybe I just didn't get the style or the genre. Either way it just seemed like a bit of an empty, pointless read for me. Disappointing.
It was supposed to be a tragic story that explores the concepts of truth and trust, I think. It missed the mark for me. The writing was way too simplistic, it felt like a bad attempt to write for young people. The plot wasn't much better and I think it could have gone a lot darker and deeper into its themes.
Pullman's meant to be a really good writer so I'll give him another try at some point. Maybe this was one of his dodgier early works or maybe I just didn't get the style or the genre. Either way it just seemed like a bit of an empty, pointless read for me. Disappointing.
November 22, 2011
It was definitely not as spectacular as I expected it would be at the beginning, there were enough times I was more than willing to put down the book for good. But as all books, we can only judge it at the end. There were a lot of details, not unnecessary, that I didn't understand, perhaps out of context for me, what with mafias and armies and loads of made-up scenarios to make the story more fleshy and realistic. But it got quite thrilling towards the middle once you get a sense of how Pullman is trying to pull it all together and when you see the parts all coming together, you really cannot wait for the ending anymore, which came mercifully quick. Although not as fantastic or mindblowing as I would have expected of Pullman, it doesn't disappoint much either.
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