Phosphorescence

by Raffaella Barker

Fourteen-year-old Lola Jordan feels like a useless misfit among her cool city classmates. Until this term, she's lived a quiet country life on the windswept saltmarshes of north Norfolk. She's mortified when her lyrical essay on phosphorescence is read out in front of the whole school. But much worse is the ensuing geography trip to her childhood home. Camping on the famous island nature reserve run by her father, a bunch of designer-clad teenagers, including the boy of Lola's dreams, runs wild. But in the midst of chaos, excitement, danger and snogging in the sparkling midnight sea, Lola learns that the best way to belong is to be an individual.

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews

[Resse · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Amber Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Rosamund · Rating 2 out of 5]

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

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

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