The Great Godden
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- Create Date：2021-04-01 14:57:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Meg Rosoff
- ISBN：1526620537
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Summary
Everyone talks about falling in love like it’s the most miraculous， life-changing thing in the world。 Something happens， they say， and you know …
That’s what happened when I met Kit Godden。
I looked into his eyes and I knew。
Only everyone else knew too。 Everyone else felt exactly the same way。
This is the story of one family， one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes。 In a holiday house by the sea， our watchful narrator sees everything， including many things they shouldn’t， as their brother and sisters， parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding。 Enter two brothers – irresistible， charming， languidly sexy Kit and surly， silent Hugo。 Suddenly there’s a serpent in this paradise – and the consequences will be devastating。
From Meg Rosoff， bestselling author of the iconic novel How I Live Now， comes a lyrical and quintessential coming-of-age tale – a summer book that’s as heady， timeless and irresistible as Bonjour Tristesse and The Greengage Summer。
That’s what happened when I met Kit Godden。
I looked into his eyes and I knew。
Only everyone else knew too。 Everyone else felt exactly the same way。
This is the story of one family， one dreamy summer – the summer when everything changes。 In a holiday house by the sea， our watchful narrator sees everything， including many things they shouldn’t， as their brother and sisters， parents and older cousins fill hot days with wine and games and planning a wedding。 Enter two brothers – irresistible， charming， languidly sexy Kit and surly， silent Hugo。 Suddenly there’s a serpent in this paradise – and the consequences will be devastating。
From Meg Rosoff， bestselling author of the iconic novel How I Live Now， comes a lyrical and quintessential coming-of-age tale – a summer book that’s as heady， timeless and irresistible as Bonjour Tristesse and The Greengage Summer。
Reviews
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Wow。 New favorite book。 I love how open ended and lyrical the writing was。 And the fact that the narrator was genderless and nameless added such a provocative dimension。 The perfect summer read filled with unrequited love and all the confusion that comes with being that age。 Quotes:“Not for the first time I wondered about the perverted value of the human race， how beauty trumps nearly everything。 Including goodness， money， and talent。 On its own of course。 It’s useless。 A wasting asset。 And very Wow。 New favorite book。 I love how open ended and lyrical the writing was。 And the fact that the narrator was genderless and nameless added such a provocative dimension。 The perfect summer read filled with unrequited love and all the confusion that comes with being that age。 Quotes:“Not for the first time I wondered about the perverted value of the human race， how beauty trumps nearly everything。 Including goodness， money， and talent。 On its own of course。 It’s useless。 A wasting asset。 And very possibly ruinous for the owner as well。 Even the Mona Lisa must get tired of being stared at。”“When I think back on that it’s always with a sense of having lost something fragile and fleeting， something I can’t quite name。”"When people express nostalgia for youth， I always suspect they have inadequate recall。""Lots of people seem a little two-dimensional at sixteen。 She'll grow out of it。""The actors assembled， the summer begins。" “Was this just what relationships were like these days？ Whatever you felt like with whoever was there？” 。。。more
Vanshikha
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I read this book in a total of 4 hours。 And omg。 I've been trying not to read it because I knew if I picked up a Meg Rosoff book I'd finish it before I even started it。 But alas I picked it up and finished it。 This book was something。 I could gather some hints from here and there。 But still wasn't sure if what I was thinking was right。 In the end I was right like the author intended us to be。 But God was this a read。 Can't wait till her next novel， Till then going back to her older works！ P。S。 A I read this book in a total of 4 hours。 And omg。 I've been trying not to read it because I knew if I picked up a Meg Rosoff book I'd finish it before I even started it。 But alas I picked it up and finished it。 This book was something。 I could gather some hints from here and there。 But still wasn't sure if what I was thinking was right。 In the end I was right like the author intended us to be。 But God was this a read。 Can't wait till her next novel， Till then going back to her older works！ P。S。 And yes this book will leave your mind lingering about Kit and Hugo for a long long time。 。。。more
Only Irene Adler
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It felt like the world was ending。 I loved it。 I can still feel the salt and the sun on my skin。 And the yearning which doesn't stop。 It's both lyrically and harshly written。 I loved that the main character's gender is unclear。 I loved Hugo most of all。 It felt like the world was ending。 I loved it。 I can still feel the salt and the sun on my skin。 And the yearning which doesn't stop。 It's both lyrically and harshly written。 I loved that the main character's gender is unclear。 I loved Hugo most of all。 。。。more
Diego Salvatore
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Este libro me sorprendió bastante。Honestamente no conocía mucho del libro， pero la portada y la sinopsis me llamaron la atención además de que varias personas a las que sigo por aquí y que confío mucho ponían que les había gustado bastante este libro por lo que no dude en agregarlo en mis lecturas pendientes， lo comencé y en cuestión de horas lo terminé， es un libro que se va como agua， una novela que atrapa y que te mantiene leyendo。 Esta cortito pero aún así vives todo un verano con esta famil Este libro me sorprendió bastante。Honestamente no conocía mucho del libro， pero la portada y la sinopsis me llamaron la atención además de que varias personas a las que sigo por aquí y que confío mucho ponían que les había gustado bastante este libro por lo que no dude en agregarlo en mis lecturas pendientes， lo comencé y en cuestión de horas lo terminé， es un libro que se va como agua， una novela que atrapa y que te mantiene leyendo。 Esta cortito pero aún así vives todo un verano con esta familia。El libro nos presenta a esta familia que tiene por tradición pasar su verano en la casa de playa familiar， lleno de actividades para todos， pero este año será diferente， los hermanos Godden también pasaran el verano ahí， dos chicos， hijos de una famosa actriz， Kit y Hugo Godden， tan diferentes uno del otro， Kit es extrovertido y guapísimo， el sueño de cualquier chica， mientras que Hugo es callado， no es tan guapo como su hermano， y su actitud para nada le ayuda， ellos traeran grandes cambios a esta familia。Lo peculiar de esta novela， y lo que me llamó la atención es que nuestro protagonista queda en un misterio， en ningún momento se nos revela su nombre o su género， lo único que sabemos es que es uno de los hijos de la familia， tiene alrededor de 17 a 18 años， y ya， la autora realmente dijo "Ustedes elijan que tan queer quieren que sea el libro。" Y eso me gustó， en lo particular me decanté por lo más gay que se pudiera， pero de igual forma el libro funcionaria si piensan en una chica o alguien de género binario。Es un libro que se cocina lento， pero que no aburre en ningún momento y que al llegar a los últimos capítulos y un giro en la historia sucede te deja con un gran sabor de boca， es de esos libros que solo necesitas sentarte， y disfrutar。The Great Godden me pareció un aire fresco， muy de verano y familiar。 。。。more
Elly Brinsley
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Absolutely stunning
Malena Mäkinen
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En sommar， en vistelse vid havet och så det ödesdigra mötet med Kim Godden。 Bra språk， på ett sätt förutsägbar handling， på ett sätt inte。 En bok man skulle vilja ha boksamtal med någon om。。。
Ljwatts
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A big， happy， middle-class family prepares to spend their usual summer at the seaside in their periwinkle-blue beach house as they have done for years。 Just down the beach is their father's younger cousin Hope and her long-time boyfriend Mal， beloved by all the family。 Hope's godmother is away filming and asks if her sons， Kit and Hugo， can come from LA to spend the summer with them。 Hugo turns out to be surly and awkward， but Kit is something else - handsome， tanned， charismatic and charming。 T A big， happy， middle-class family prepares to spend their usual summer at the seaside in their periwinkle-blue beach house as they have done for years。 Just down the beach is their father's younger cousin Hope and her long-time boyfriend Mal， beloved by all the family。 Hope's godmother is away filming and asks if her sons， Kit and Hugo， can come from LA to spend the summer with them。 Hugo turns out to be surly and awkward， but Kit is something else - handsome， tanned， charismatic and charming。 The entire family is captivated。 The scene is set for a one-idyllic-summer-when-I-fell-in-love-and-everything-changed。 What we get， thanks to the perceptive and observant narrator who is the eldest member of the family at about 17 or 18， is something a lot more interesting as beneath the family meals， board games and fun， the undercurrents eddy about altering and re-altering our sympathies and perceptions。One to re-read， or at least to flip back through， as soon as you get to the end and definitely one to recommend to lots of older teenagers as well as to adults。 。。。more
Ruby Pankhurst
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Boring and annoying
Marika
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Read it， just read it。 It's one of those books you instantly know you will love and can't put down。 A magical summer， that final summer before you finally have to grow up and leave childhood and innocence behind。 Read it， just read it。 It's one of those books you instantly know you will love and can't put down。 A magical summer， that final summer before you finally have to grow up and leave childhood and innocence behind。 。。。more
Ron
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Well， it does say on the label that the story is reminiscent of "I Capture the Castle"， a novel I have also read， but this is a retelling of that particular slice of bohemian family fantasy life in the same way that "Lord of the Flies" is a retelling of "Swallows and Amazons"。No one gets smashed with a big rock *literally* in this version， but there is a lot of metaphoric smashing。 Be warned if smashing by rocks is a trigger for you。Rosoff is known for Telling It Like It Is in the world of the a Well， it does say on the label that the story is reminiscent of "I Capture the Castle"， a novel I have also read， but this is a retelling of that particular slice of bohemian family fantasy life in the same way that "Lord of the Flies" is a retelling of "Swallows and Amazons"。No one gets smashed with a big rock *literally* in this version， but there is a lot of metaphoric smashing。 Be warned if smashing by rocks is a trigger for you。Rosoff is known for Telling It Like It Is in the world of the age between adult and child， and - in one published review I read of "I Capture the Castle"， the heroine is described as being "a teenager on the edge of adultery" - so this putative update was always going to be a novel in which teenagers have sex， the adults don't realise anything that's going on， and numerous people end up being smashed by metaphorical rocks。[Oops， sorry。 Trigger Warning for Smashing by Rocks]There's not much I can say about the plot without giving away important Reveals， but suffice it to say that after a golden （note: not godden） young american male lands in the midst of a british family intent on enjoying their summer seaside sojourn， he ends up wagging his tail all over the place， and everybody is attracted to the show in one way or another。 Much of that attraction involves overlapping of body parts， but - relax！ - it's all told in suitably up-tight british offstage references to The Act。*phew！*So much so that sometimes you have to re-read the paragraph to work out whether or not they've Actually Done It。Our unnamed narrator is one of many people captured in the thrall of this young Priapus' spell （is that doubling up， using both thrall and spell？）， and it is certainly interesting to hear her working her way through it all。 So many ethical dilemmae:Will she do this？ Should she do that？ Why did she do the other？What's with the telescope？And so on。Discuss。Can't you just see this as a set text for Year 10 classes？Aside from the Shenanigans， the big thing this novel has going for it is the character portraits。 The Awkward And Less Handsome Brother character is very convincing， as is The Little Brother With A Fascination For Twee Animals （in this case， bats， which is timely）。Perhaps not the best Beach Bag read， because if you're of a certain age you'll be living in a miasma of FOMO， but certainly this has a lot to offer students of the british class system in terms of how the entitled can be taken advantage of by upstart parvenu types from the colonies。Class reading guide available** Not really。 。。。more
Mei Is A Curious Month
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The Great Godden is a dream-like sucker punch。 Read the full review on Mei is a curious month here: https://www。meiisacuriousmonth。com/bl。。。 The Great Godden is a dream-like sucker punch。 Read the full review on Mei is a curious month here: https://www。meiisacuriousmonth。com/bl。。。 。。。more
Aubin Skinner
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 i liked how we never knew the name or gender of the protagonist， （because of heteronormativity it was probably a girl though）id heard so many good things about this book and tbh it just wasn't amazing。 the characters really weren't developed， all we knew about alex was he cheated at games and liked bats， mattie was an Instagram influencer but real， tamsin liked horses。 they were all stereotypes as well， and our protagonist kept comparing themself to their sister in a very I'm not like other girl i liked how we never knew the name or gender of the protagonist， （because of heteronormativity it was probably a girl though）id heard so many good things about this book and tbh it just wasn't amazing。 the characters really weren't developed， all we knew about alex was he cheated at games and liked bats， mattie was an Instagram influencer but real， tamsin liked horses。 they were all stereotypes as well， and our protagonist kept comparing themself to their sister in a very I'm not like other girls way lmao。 it made it very hard to relate to any of the characters which then made me enjoy the book less。it was a really easy read， I read it in about 2 hours。 。。。more
Maree Kimberley
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Rosoff is such a brilliant writer。 Every word is perfectly placed to ratchet up the tension degree by degree。 I read this novel in 24 hours， just couldn’t put it down。 Rosoff is an absolute giant of her art and craft。
Emily
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A large family， in which each kid has had to carve their own space， returns to their summer beach house。 The arrival of the golden Kit Godden， and his Shadow of a brother， Hugo turns the summer head （and heart） over heels。 It’s always a pleasure when an author manages to balance the line between the weight of teen angst and the naive hope of youth。 Goddard does this perfectly， making this coming of age tale a perfect lazy Sunday afternoon read。
Sweetunicornnot
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What was the point？
jamilya ☆彡
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didn't enjoy at all， characters and plot were unconvincing didn't enjoy at all， characters and plot were unconvincing 。。。more
Olivia
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A stunningly crafted book by an amazing author but I felt quite detached/didn't connect with any of the main characters。 As a result， the intended impact of the twists and turns was lost on me。 A stunningly crafted book by an amazing author but I felt quite detached/didn't connect with any of the main characters。 As a result， the intended impact of the twists and turns was lost on me。 。。。more
Vivian
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What an absolute joy to read。 Heartfelt， insightful， with beautiful prose and a dreamy atmosphere。 An easy but thought provoking read。
Alicia
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The characters， the mood， and the setting make this book hard to look away from。 The pages turn magically because of the wont to continue without putting it down and then you're done。 Rosoff hits a home run with creating the beachy summer home in England that is the perfect getaway each summer including a fun couple next door。 Then Kit and Hugo come， two teenage brothers with a nomadic lifestyle due to the famous celebrity of their relatives and both have adapted in different ways。 Particularly The characters， the mood， and the setting make this book hard to look away from。 The pages turn magically because of the wont to continue without putting it down and then you're done。 Rosoff hits a home run with creating the beachy summer home in England that is the perfect getaway each summer including a fun couple next door。 Then Kit and Hugo come， two teenage brothers with a nomadic lifestyle due to the famous celebrity of their relatives and both have adapted in different ways。 Particularly Kit， the debonair heartbreaker who uses his wiles to woo anyone he wants simply because he can。 And he does is SEVERAL times over this one summer by the beach。 And it's a car wreck you can't look away from and Rosoff knows it and writes it anyway。 The tension strains every page and the book pulses with a life that is fully realized in this short YA。 。。。more
Corinne Edwards
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When Kit and Hugo Godden arrive at the beach for the summer， their presence is going to disrupt the languid and breezy air of previous holidays。 Between the beach house， the guest house and the shop in town， the only other setting in this novel is the ocean and while handsome and unfamiliar teenage boys bring out the sort of headiness that makes teen girls swoon， they also can stir the pot in ways that can affect an entire family。I am of two minds about this novel。 It is short and beautifully wr When Kit and Hugo Godden arrive at the beach for the summer， their presence is going to disrupt the languid and breezy air of previous holidays。 Between the beach house， the guest house and the shop in town， the only other setting in this novel is the ocean and while handsome and unfamiliar teenage boys bring out the sort of headiness that makes teen girls swoon， they also can stir the pot in ways that can affect an entire family。I am of two minds about this novel。 It is short and beautifully written - the language is lovely and piercing。 The story didn't play out how I'd imagined and the plot itself was interesting。 However， we never even learn the name or age of the narrator， noting about her life before the beach or what life is like at home in London。 I felt like I read the whole book through a window that was dirty with sea water， I just never felt CONNECTED the way I wanted to。 Teen readers may feel differently， the feelings of angst and yearning and confusion are expertly examined。 For me， though， this was a postcard， a snapshot， without a lot of context and so I felt a little like an outsider looking in。 content warning: a few swears and talk of sex 。。。more
Amelia
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mmm nice twist very tasty
Hayley
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Really enjoyed this coming of age story narrated by the lovely Andrew Scott！
alisha ♡
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i am so lost with my thoughts after finishing this。 the entire way through i thought， where is the plot？ where is this going？ and then the ending was super super unexpected。 crazy。 but also to me out of nowhere and not explained enough？ the closeness and deep relationships of the characters in this novel did not match how it ended for me。 an issue with mine is that i never felt able to attach myself to any of the characters， which was what the novel was about， so that aspect of it made it diffic i am so lost with my thoughts after finishing this。 the entire way through i thought， where is the plot？ where is this going？ and then the ending was super super unexpected。 crazy。 but also to me out of nowhere and not explained enough？ the closeness and deep relationships of the characters in this novel did not match how it ended for me。 an issue with mine is that i never felt able to attach myself to any of the characters， which was what the novel was about， so that aspect of it made it difficult to really enjoy and immerse myself in the novel。 i did not understand whatsoever the awe and fascination with Kit Godden， who i found very bland， maybe because he wasn’t explored enough but in general he was just a regular stereotypical horny teenage boy。 other characters such as Hugo i wish were explored more as the mystery of him was interesting。 one thing that really struck me was that i didn’t notice that our main narrator was unnamed and unidentified right to the very end。 what？？？ i did have a picture of this narrator but it had never occurred to me that i completely made this up and they were never described in the first place。 i didn’t even know my brain could just do that！ that was an interesting concept to use， to allow the reader to imagine a character based on the vibe they felt！ 。。。more
Marie
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Je sais pas ce qui vient de se passer。。。 vraiment je ressors de ma lecture toute chamboulée je ne m’attendais pas à ça。 Meg Rosoff a un don， elle sort des sentiers battus et son écriture nous transporte c’est juste dingue！ Pendant deux jours j’étais donc dans cette maison de vacances， avec cette famille qui voit débarquer deux garçons qui vont changer leur été。 J’ai adoré， j’ai tout simplement adoré ！ Il ne se passe quasiment rien mais tout passe dans les relations， les jeux de regards， les acti Je sais pas ce qui vient de se passer。。。 vraiment je ressors de ma lecture toute chamboulée je ne m’attendais pas à ça。 Meg Rosoff a un don， elle sort des sentiers battus et son écriture nous transporte c’est juste dingue！ Pendant deux jours j’étais donc dans cette maison de vacances， avec cette famille qui voit débarquer deux garçons qui vont changer leur été。 J’ai adoré， j’ai tout simplement adoré ！ Il ne se passe quasiment rien mais tout passe dans les relations， les jeux de regards， les actions des uns et des autres c’était sublimement bien fait ！ Gros coup de coeur ！ 。。。more
Paula
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I mean it was good。。。I think。。。？It all went by so quickly。 The writing is so interesting that it almost makes you believe the actual book is interesting as well。 Almost。 The way I see it， the book had great potential but it was almost as it was “wasted” due to its fast pace。 And the “big twist” at the end wasn’t as big as one might expect。。。But don’t get me wrong， it was a good book。 You just didn’t really get to know the characters that well。 And I that was its fall。
Della
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The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff。"A plague of Goddens。A murder of Goddens。A conundrum of Goddens。A siege of Goddens。A pounce of Goddens。A chaos of Goddens。" A summer spent as an extended family on the beach is turned upside down by the Godden brothers' arrival。 Written from the perspective of a teenage girl， who always seems to be on the outskirts of the family， always observing。Granted， this is not my usual read and I picked it up mostly because I liked the design and the minimal blurb intrigued The Great Godden by Meg Rosoff。"A plague of Goddens。A murder of Goddens。A conundrum of Goddens。A siege of Goddens。A pounce of Goddens。A chaos of Goddens。" A summer spent as an extended family on the beach is turned upside down by the Godden brothers' arrival。 Written from the perspective of a teenage girl， who always seems to be on the outskirts of the family， always observing。Granted， this is not my usual read and I picked it up mostly because I liked the design and the minimal blurb intrigued me。 I initially found the characters two-dimensional and boring but as I got into the book the characters did develop somewhat （although I still found most of them unlikeable）。The writing style is fairly sparse but this works well alongside the author's sarcastic humour。Overall， it was a quick read， which would probably make a nice Summer read given the setting but I never felt that I really got into it。 。。。more
AA
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3。5 stars originally now 2 stars Edit upon further thought I think I gave it a higher rating as I felt I should like it more。 I think I compared it too much to Normal People due to the coming of age style of the book and it couldn’t live up the love I have for NP。 Also the ending still makes me uncomfortable and not in a good way。 I really did enjoy the writing style though and I think that’s what made me want to finish the book rather than just DNFing it
Rebecca
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My main criticism of the book is the main character or lack there of。 i feel like i learned nothing about this character including basic things like their place in the family， age or any personality traits。 i felt like a lot of characters just there at the start and then came and went when it was necessary for the story。 however it does feel like many siblings pop in and out of your life。 i wanted more development and focus of hugo。 the tension i was promised just wasn’t there and we just got to My main criticism of the book is the main character or lack there of。 i feel like i learned nothing about this character including basic things like their place in the family， age or any personality traits。 i felt like a lot of characters just there at the start and then came and went when it was necessary for the story。 however it does feel like many siblings pop in and out of your life。 i wanted more development and focus of hugo。 the tension i was promised just wasn’t there and we just got told why we should have felt it。 the last few chapters were very much in a this happened and then this happened style which isn’t my enjoyment。 there felt like why to much dialogue and not enough description of anything for my own personal taste。i realise that this review is very negative but i am very bad at relaying my positive feels about media but i did enjoy reading this book for what it was : a lighthearted summer read （which i’ve read in completely the wrong season） and it probably brilliant for those who wanted an easy summer romance with a ‘twist’ 。。。more
Moa Kronbrink Mannheimer
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Snubblade över denna bok， en kort men intensiv ungdomsbok。 Jag slukade den på några timmar。Författaren lyckas skickligt gestalta tvivlet och tankarna som kan finnas hos en tonåring som håller på att växa upp och gläntar på dörren till de vuxnas liv。 I ”Gudars like” får vi under en sommar följa en familj med åtta familjemedlemmars semester på en strand en bit utanför London。 En familjemedlems gudmor från LA hälsar på och lämnar kvar sina två söner （Kit och Hugo） vilka förändrar varje karaktärs so Snubblade över denna bok， en kort men intensiv ungdomsbok。 Jag slukade den på några timmar。Författaren lyckas skickligt gestalta tvivlet och tankarna som kan finnas hos en tonåring som håller på att växa upp och gläntar på dörren till de vuxnas liv。 I ”Gudars like” får vi under en sommar följa en familj med åtta familjemedlemmars semester på en strand en bit utanför London。 En familjemedlems gudmor från LA hälsar på och lämnar kvar sina två söner （Kit och Hugo） vilka förändrar varje karaktärs sommar totalt， på olika sätt。 Kit på det mer framträdande sättet med sitt Hollywoodutseende och charmiga stil， Hugo med sin mystik och ilska som växer för varje sida。 Ibland önskar jag att jag läste vissa ungdomsböcker när jag själv var i den åldern， men många av dessa böcker ger mig väldigt mycket även idag。 Denna bok är ett bra exempel。 Karaktärerna är genomträngande intressanta， jag känner igen det psykiska maktspelet och varje sommarmiddag vid havet ger nya djup。 Författaren gör ett fint arbete med sina porträtt och jag slås av tidlösheten i berättelsen （är det 2020 eller 1980？ Endast något enstaka nämnande av en mobiltelefon får mig att släppa tvekan）。 En bok som överraskade mig。 Rekommenderar varmt！ 。。。more
Catherine Jeffrey
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This short novel describes a summer holiday which is unexpectedly changed by the arrival of the Godden brothers。 The teenage angst is cleverly portrayed。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Great Godden
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Great Godden&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Great Godden&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0