Book Of The Month April, 2011
Started Early, Took My DogKate Atkinson
A day like any other for security chief Tracy Waterhouse, until she makes a shocking impulse purchase. That one moment of madness is all it takes for Tracy’s humdrum world to be turned upside down, the tedium of everyday life replaced by fear and danger at every turn. Witnesses to Tracy’s outrageous exchange in the Merrion Centre in Leeds are Tilly, an elderly actress teetering on the brink of her own disaster, and Jackson Brodie who has returned to his home county in search of someone else’s roots. All three characters learn that the past is never history and that no good deed goes unpunished. Kate Atkinson dovetails and counterpoints her plots with Dickensian brilliance in a tale peopled with unlikely heroes and villains . Started Early, Took My Dog is freighted with wit, wisdom and a fierce moral intelligence. It confirms Kate Atkinson’s position as one of the great writers of our time.
“Have your say”
Latest Comment
Fantastic a real rollercoaster of a book. With lots of thrills, twist and turns and excitement on the way
What We Think
European Booksellers share their opinion on Started Early, Took My Dog:
Julia Wieler
‘It was my first Kate Atkinson and I’ve become a fan!! I love her writing style and the mixture of comedy and tragedy! The way she tells different stories in one book makes you want to jump the chapters sometimes to continue one story but at the same time you want to know what happens with the others. I’ve already recommended it to all of our staff.’
Claudia
‘I started reading Kate Atkinson last year, after it was recommended to me by both customers and colleagues. So I knew I could expect a well-written, funny book with interesting story-lines. I love the fact she mixes new characters with her regular Jackson Brodie and therefore keeps her series fresh and interesting.’
Jan, The English Bookshops of Sweden
‘I’ve had Kate Atkinson recommended to me so many times by customers, but this is my first venture into her work. I thought the writing really good and the characters very well rounded. Mr Brodie is a terrific addition to the pantheon of literary PI:s; brooding, self depriciating, incisive. So I quite enjoyed this. On the down side I thought the book overly long; it could have easily been leaner. And it wasn’t easy getting into, a bit too sprawling at first. But overall I would recommend this and will read more of Ms Atkinson. I also think Jackson Brodie would do well adapted to the screen… I’d watch that.’
Thomas Schaal, Marga Schoeller Buecherstube, Berlin, Germany
‘This was the first book by Kate Atkinson I have ever read. At the beginning the narrative went into too much detail, a little bit too descriptive, too chatty. However after a while I became more involved, because the many stories were skilfully woven together. The dialogues and situations were very witty and entertaining throughout. She writes with an exceptional easyness about traumatic experiences. There were some implausible plot twists, such as the encounter between the two main characters Tracy and Jackson on a foggy röad. Also I think it is not quite necessary to put every current subject which you find in the newspaper in one novel. Apart from that is was a gripping read.’
Fantastic a real rollercoaster of a book. With lots of thrills, twist and turns and excitement on the way
Posted by sarah davis on 2011-05-23