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Hostage
What if you could have your life over again.Would it be different?Tully becomes a hostage when she is abducted from a chemist on Christmas Eve. Her ordeal lasts 24 hours.Or so she says.
191 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
December 7, 2010
Like the cover - where the world is flipped upside down - nothing in Hostage is as it seems. It begins with Tully being taken Hostage by a boy from her school during a chemist scene gone wrong. From there - you witness Tully's life and childhood, what really happened while she was hostage in the car and also what's happening in the interrogation room at the Police Station.
It's not a story of terror, outwitting and escape. It's an unexpected story of one girls life - where she is and how she got there and where she is headed. It's addictive and unassuming and probably not at all what you think it will be. Which makes it a compelling and stunning read.
Told in snazzy, strangely addictive, bite-sized chapters, it seamlessly zooms backwards and forwards in time. It has a languid pace, where you slip into the story but with an undercurrent of urgency that keeps the pages flipping and flying past.
Using a clear, fresh prose, atmosphere is evoked that draws you in and keeps you in the scene. The dialogue is straight up - adding authenticity and a layer of depth and soul to the characters.
The characters are stark, whittled down throughout the book - exposing their fears and flaws, hopes and strengths,secrets and dreams - successfully burrowing their way into your heart.
And then - when I was least expecting it - Tully shares a story - and I learnt about Sasha - and, mate, I felt such an ache. It's tear jerking stuff. It's powerful.
I love that a story of sorrow and abandonment and love and wishes is set against Christmas and Christmas Eve - it's a perfect juxtaposition. This book has layers you can keep peeling back and seeing just how masterfully crafted and imagined it is.
Recommended: Raw, poignant and gripping, Hostage is a book that will hold you fast, keep you guessing and break your heart - maybe, just a little... This is a thinking person's YA - complete with character growth, a touch of bleakness, triumphing hope and unexpected friendships, it's a beautifully told story that will resonate long after the last page has been read...
...speaking of the last page. Argh, I missed some clues! It's a bit of a doozy and I so need to go back and figure out exactly what the final memory means. Did I mention that there's twists and turns and clues and stuff? It really kept me guessing - love that!
Also, I love the design elements inside: page numbers and chapter numbers flipped sideways and upside down :)
It's not a story of terror, outwitting and escape. It's an unexpected story of one girls life - where she is and how she got there and where she is headed. It's addictive and unassuming and probably not at all what you think it will be. Which makes it a compelling and stunning read.
Told in snazzy, strangely addictive, bite-sized chapters, it seamlessly zooms backwards and forwards in time. It has a languid pace, where you slip into the story but with an undercurrent of urgency that keeps the pages flipping and flying past.
Using a clear, fresh prose, atmosphere is evoked that draws you in and keeps you in the scene. The dialogue is straight up - adding authenticity and a layer of depth and soul to the characters.
The characters are stark, whittled down throughout the book - exposing their fears and flaws, hopes and strengths,secrets and dreams - successfully burrowing their way into your heart.
And then - when I was least expecting it - Tully shares a story - and I learnt about Sasha - and, mate, I felt such an ache. It's tear jerking stuff. It's powerful.
I love that a story of sorrow and abandonment and love and wishes is set against Christmas and Christmas Eve - it's a perfect juxtaposition. This book has layers you can keep peeling back and seeing just how masterfully crafted and imagined it is.
Recommended: Raw, poignant and gripping, Hostage is a book that will hold you fast, keep you guessing and break your heart - maybe, just a little... This is a thinking person's YA - complete with character growth, a touch of bleakness, triumphing hope and unexpected friendships, it's a beautifully told story that will resonate long after the last page has been read...
...speaking of the last page. Argh, I missed some clues! It's a bit of a doozy and I so need to go back and figure out exactly what the final memory means. Did I mention that there's twists and turns and clues and stuff? It really kept me guessing - love that!
Also, I love the design elements inside: page numbers and chapter numbers flipped sideways and upside down :)
March 4, 2010
Alright, considering there are no reviews, im gonna be the first!!!
I read HOSTAGE thinking it would a slightly creepy story about a girl he gets abducted, and is threatened-then somehow manages to escape.
I expected the genre to be action/horror/mystery/adventure.
-I was wrong.
HOSTAGE is about Tully (yes, thats the main characters real name) who is kidnapped on Christmas Eve when shopping at the local chemist.
She is taken into a car, then driven away. To where? No place in particular.
This book is not about her horrifying ordeal with the kidnapper-but her relationship with him.
But mostly it as just flashbacks and her life story of moving from place to place-and the mother who doesnt want to see her.
It is a fairly good, fairly sad story, and you cant help feeling bad for the main character.
HOSTAGE really touches your heart.
Not an action adventure horror story. IF you want that-dont read it, but if you want something a little unusual, a little sad-then this is the perfect book for you.
I read HOSTAGE thinking it would a slightly creepy story about a girl he gets abducted, and is threatened-then somehow manages to escape.
I expected the genre to be action/horror/mystery/adventure.
-I was wrong.
HOSTAGE is about Tully (yes, thats the main characters real name) who is kidnapped on Christmas Eve when shopping at the local chemist.
She is taken into a car, then driven away. To where? No place in particular.
This book is not about her horrifying ordeal with the kidnapper-but her relationship with him.
But mostly it as just flashbacks and her life story of moving from place to place-and the mother who doesnt want to see her.
It is a fairly good, fairly sad story, and you cant help feeling bad for the main character.
HOSTAGE really touches your heart.
Not an action adventure horror story. IF you want that-dont read it, but if you want something a little unusual, a little sad-then this is the perfect book for you.
May 3, 2015
I knew from the blurb this story may not be what I'd first thought when I looked at the title and cover. I knew it could be something a little different.
Yes there is a hostage scenario - but not in the normal sense... And yes there is a road trip (as the cover suggests), but this too is not as you would first expect.
I felt so much for Tully (the m/c) at how tough she had made herself after moving from town to another with her dysfunctional alcohilic mother. Tully has built walls against making and breaking friendships, and meeting and liking her mum's boyfriends. But underneath, even if she does love her grandfather; she still hopes for reconciliations and a better life.
And just for once - she has control of what happens....
Yes there is a hostage scenario - but not in the normal sense... And yes there is a road trip (as the cover suggests), but this too is not as you would first expect.
I felt so much for Tully (the m/c) at how tough she had made herself after moving from town to another with her dysfunctional alcohilic mother. Tully has built walls against making and breaking friendships, and meeting and liking her mum's boyfriends. But underneath, even if she does love her grandfather; she still hopes for reconciliations and a better life.
And just for once - she has control of what happens....
March 5, 2012
Tully's bravery and knowledge gets her through the difficulties kidnapping.
I decided to read this book because i liked the other book Karen Tayleur wrote 'Six'.
My favorite quote from the book is 'It is packed with true stories - with bits of other people's lives.' I like it because she has taken things from others e.g from their bags and on the floor, and had put them all in a memory tin.
I learnt that sometimes you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time and not to judge a book by its cover because you don't really know what they are like.
Recommended to guys and girls 12-16
I decided to read this book because i liked the other book Karen Tayleur wrote 'Six'.
My favorite quote from the book is 'It is packed with true stories - with bits of other people's lives.' I like it because she has taken things from others e.g from their bags and on the floor, and had put them all in a memory tin.
I learnt that sometimes you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time and not to judge a book by its cover because you don't really know what they are like.
Recommended to guys and girls 12-16
April 17, 2018
Set in familiar Melbourne, one of the things I enjoyed about this fast-paced read was the setting descriptions - from Collingwood to Victorian country towns. The narrative weaves together accounts of Tully's kidnapping, the events leading up to this point, flashes from her childhood, and the points-of-view from other characters. I found this to be well-written and was left satisfied with the twist at the end, building on Tully's unreliable hostage account.
August 21, 2022
What's with that ending? I'm thinking they were in on it and served as a distraction before the major holdup. But on the other hand, Tully finally getting to see Roo again after all those cards and notes from him was really touching, fatherless child like.
Unreliable narrator sort of, but I thought her public treatment of people was just annoying and bully-like
Unreliable narrator sort of, but I thought her public treatment of people was just annoying and bully-like
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2023
This a great YA book that describes a young girl and her chaotic life with her Mother and various boyfriends. She then gets caught up in a robbery and is in trouble with the police. It is narrated by Tully the girl in the story. A very good read for teenagers.
September 30, 2018
I was a little confused by the ending... but overall a good read.
October 27, 2024
I enjoyed reading this book but i got to the end and didn't understand the ending or the point of the whole book, so was disappointed.
May 27, 2013
Even though this book was a really quick read (it seriously only took me a few hours to read it) i felt like it took forever for me to get into it but once i did and started understanding what was going on... it was pretty amazing. Tully has had a fucked up life – this is a major understatement, but the way she see’s life, its pretty incredible. I get it, its her defence, her way to survive and while she is seriously broken she’s still powering through life and thats what is amazing.
I love her ruin with Roo. Thats and her discussion with Lanely at the end was prob the only happy parts in this book. Which is a bit of a statement over how screwed her life has been.
Im glad i stuck through with this one to reach the end.
apparently I have read this book before..... I thought it seemed familiar, Im glad I picked it up again.
I love her ruin with Roo. Thats and her discussion with Lanely at the end was prob the only happy parts in this book. Which is a bit of a statement over how screwed her life has been.
Im glad i stuck through with this one to reach the end.
apparently I have read this book before..... I thought it seemed familiar, Im glad I picked it up again.
October 3, 2014
This book wasn't quite what I'd expected from reading the blurb. I'd been expecting a suspenseful thriller about a girl who is taken hostage following the robbery of a pharmacy, but it is more a story about a girl discovering who she is and unfolding her past, a girl who never lived long enough in one place to make many friends with her alcoholic mother and her succession of boyfriends. There was plenty happening in this fast paced novel and it isn't overly sentimental. It is very definitely an Australian book, with lots of references to places and slang that readers outside Australia may not understand, but it is definitely worth a read.
July 3, 2016
I always enjoy books with unreliable narrators and this, although not the best, was quite an enjoyable read. Throughout the book various versions of events are interwoven so it is difficult to decide which is the real story. The reader is confronted with Tully's interview with the police, her childhood recollections, snippets from her treasure box as well as her own story. Even though Tully is not a really likeable character, she has had a tough life and this has made her stubborn and rude, you do fin yourself sympathising with her by the end of the book.
June 22, 2012
I didn't understand the ending much. I thought is was all a mistake and then apparently not and then it wasn't explained. So I didn't like the ending much.
I liked how Tully had the alcoholic mother and how she had to move all the time and how she didn't really care when she was kidnapped. It wasn't your average kidnapper story.
The different POVs were also confusing and the fact that it wasn't really in order.
Not too bad a story though, once you get your head around it.
I liked how Tully had the alcoholic mother and how she had to move all the time and how she didn't really care when she was kidnapped. It wasn't your average kidnapper story.
The different POVs were also confusing and the fact that it wasn't really in order.
Not too bad a story though, once you get your head around it.
November 10, 2014
I found this book at my local store and it was on sale and it also sounded good so i grabbed it. I liked it but it isn't quite a favorite. It was quite a quick read (only took me 2-ish hours) and it wasn't a terrible book so it was almost a win/win situation. I liked the sound of the storyline but the book was actually a bit different from it, which isn't a bad thing because it leaves more room for suspense.
December 27, 2012
Kitabın arka yazısını okuyunca daha çok aksiyon-gerilim türü bir şey zannetmiştim.Ama Tully'nin geçmişine, annesi ve annesinin sevgilileriyle yaşadıkları olaylara daha çok yer verilmiş. Geçmişe dönüş gibi olmuş.. Hoştu ama beklentilerimi fazla karşılamadı..
January 4, 2015
A quick read. Interesting structural layout - reminiscent of the interview technique in These Broken Stars. There's not much to like about the main protagonist which puts pressure on the plot to be outstanding - to my mind it didn't. Still an ok read.
April 25, 2015
My first thought of this book is like thriller because a girl had been kidnap. Well its turns out its all about Tully life and the so-called kidnapper. I was amaze with the storyline and also the writings. The author really did well.
December 28, 2010
A teenage fiction that covers the 24 hours after a girl is taken hostage - written in diary form. I found it quick to read but not as good as I had anticipated. Twist at the end.
July 16, 2012
It's an interesting book, I'll give it that, but it didn't grab me like I'd hoped. The psychology of the entire plot is interesting though. I recommend it as a quick read :)
September 27, 2012
Interesting, quirky piece of modern fiction.
August 4, 2013
Not the best book i have ever read, but had a very interesting back story of Tully's life; which i enjoyed
August 25, 2014
GREAT LOVED IT!
June 25, 2015
Promised but didn't deliver easy read but won't be recommending it
September 17, 2015
Beklediğimden çok çok daha iyiydi. Tek sorun sonunu pek bağlayamamış yazar. Kafamda çok fazla soru işreti kaldı.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews