Nineteen Seventysomething

by Barry Divola

Barry Divola's Nineteen Seventysomething is a requiem for bygone days. In the fictional suburb of Braithwaite, we meet Charlie during the listless weeks of his summer holidays. Against a backdrop of buzzing cicadas, Dragstar bikes, schoolboy rock bands, church youth groups, and Top 40 radio, Barry Divola deftly evokes that awkward, exhilarating journey from childhood to adolescence. Told with humour, poignancy and authenticity, Nineteen Seventysomething marks the familiar stages of teenage awakening - in friendship, desire and love.

187 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Barry about 7 years ago when I first visited Australia. We were on a number of panels together at the Byron Bay Literary Festival near Brisbane. I also hung out with James Roy, another YA author and we had a terrific time (both guys have a fantastic sense of humor). I bought their books and took them home and I finally read Barry's.

It's a collection of short stories from the same character's POV - Charlie. I suspect it's really Barry in disguise. ;) I loved the humor and the stories. Barry hoped that the fictional 70s in Australia would translate to the 70s in the US - it did! There's a few things that were different, but what I remember (I was rather young during that decade - the 80s is my decade!), it had that same feel and tone.

It took me two nights to read and if you can find a copy, I recommend it!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute 'blast from the past'. I loved the subtle 70's references and identified with the experiences of the narrator. Music, youth groups, teen angst - all beautifully rendered. A very underrated author.

[Felicity · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm finding it a tad difficult to rate this book. I certainly didn't dislike it - indeed it sparked lots of memories from my childhood - however it didn't quite gel enough as a book for me to rate it higher.