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curiousdreamer's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up at work. And begin reading that night. I ended up having to take the book and read it just to finish it. I was pulled in immediately.
The book is highly intense, and I was working with youth at the time so it was very reminiscent of some of there own problems. Ironically I could never understand why teenagers in treatment want to read a book about a teenager trying to kick a drug habit and having a pimp.
Either way the book was good for a young adult. It's something that adults would enjoy as well. It pulls you in and you relate to the characters presented in this book. Not that you have experienced what they are going though but that you can understand where they are coming from.
This is definitely a book that should be read.
The book is highly intense, and I was working with youth at the time so it was very reminiscent of some of there own problems. Ironically I could never understand why teenagers in treatment want to read a book about a teenager trying to kick a drug habit and having a pimp.
Either way the book was good for a young adult. It's something that adults would enjoy as well. It pulls you in and you relate to the characters presented in this book. Not that you have experienced what they are going though but that you can understand where they are coming from.
This is definitely a book that should be read.
bcooper's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rewitr's review against another edition
The plot was kind of boring and unoriginal. I’ve seen various scenes all over and the constant mention that certain characters were black was very uncomfortable because it had nothing to do with the plot.
angelreadsthings's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 Stars. This was a good book. It very realistically handled the subject of addictions, and gave effective descriptions. It was very easy for me to picture what was happening. And as a bonus, there were some pretty nice one liners. Also, it ended on a deep, thought-provoking, somewhat encouraging note(while not being overly idealistic) and I really liked that.
willablaise's review against another edition
5.0
I read Candy in about 4-5 hours. I didn't count though, so I couldn't know for sure.
Candy is a book that really surprised me. I didn't think it was going to be for me, but when I got home and started reading it, I was hooked.
Joe is a character who I was really astonished by. He meets Candy for the first time at train station, writes a song about her, and saves her from what she could become. He has so much love and passion, and I am so glad the book ended the way it did.
A fantastic story, and probably a true one, to some degree.
Applause to Kevin Brooks. You have dumbfounded me.
Candy is a book that really surprised me. I didn't think it was going to be for me, but when I got home and started reading it, I was hooked.
Joe is a character who I was really astonished by. He meets Candy for the first time at train station, writes a song about her, and saves her from what she could become. He has so much love and passion, and I am so glad the book ended the way it did.
A fantastic story, and probably a true one, to some degree.
Applause to Kevin Brooks. You have dumbfounded me.
pikasqueaks's review against another edition
2.0
The content in this book wasn't altogether very surprising, given the blurbs and what I already understood it to be about. I didn't understand Joe's fascination with Candy, or his obsession. There wasn't enough depth behind it for me to really understand what happened there.
I didn't find anything particularly redeeming about Candy, or Joe, so I don't know. It was kind of a disappointing read for me.
I didn't find anything particularly redeeming about Candy, or Joe, so I don't know. It was kind of a disappointing read for me.
alexblackreads's review against another edition
2.0
I like Kevin Brooks's writing style, and I loved the ending. It left me with this feeling of incompleteness, a finishing of the storylines with a lack of closure. The story was never about Candy, it was about Joe and his life and obsession with this girl, so the ending made sense to me and felt perfect for the story.
But that was about it for the things I liked. For starters, the racism in this book is a lot. And it's not really about racism. They point it out a few times (the father being prejudiced about his daughter's black boyfriend), but for the most part it's just written as a bunch of big scary black men are the bad guys pimping out desperate, addicted white teenage girls. It's beyond uncomfortable and not remotely what the story was about. I'd have different feelings if it was making a point of the racism, but it rarely felt like it was.
Second, the whole story is about this girl, but it's not about her. It's named after her and her existence is the catalyst for the events that unfold, but she's barely treated as a person. She's a weird combination of manic pixie dream girl and damsel in distress, but never a full person in her own right. The main character meets her and immediately becomes obsessed, even though he knows nothing about her. She talks about her beauty and how she's struggled with jealousy and being treated different after growing up to be incredibly beautiful, but that's literally all the main character sees in her. They have no connection, he just sees a beautiful girl and half loses his mind. But it doesn't seem like a critique of that either. It's treated as real emotion in the book instead of some twisted version of love that isn't real.
Not a fan of this one. But because I did enjoy his writing style, I plan to read more. I'm hoping some of his other books are better because I've heard better things about them, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
But that was about it for the things I liked. For starters, the racism in this book is a lot. And it's not really about racism. They point it out a few times (the father being prejudiced about his daughter's black boyfriend), but for the most part it's just written as a bunch of big scary black men are the bad guys pimping out desperate, addicted white teenage girls. It's beyond uncomfortable and not remotely what the story was about. I'd have different feelings if it was making a point of the racism, but it rarely felt like it was.
Second, the whole story is about this girl, but it's not about her. It's named after her and her existence is the catalyst for the events that unfold, but she's barely treated as a person. She's a weird combination of manic pixie dream girl and damsel in distress, but never a full person in her own right. The main character meets her and immediately becomes obsessed, even though he knows nothing about her. She talks about her beauty and how she's struggled with jealousy and being treated different after growing up to be incredibly beautiful, but that's literally all the main character sees in her. They have no connection, he just sees a beautiful girl and half loses his mind. But it doesn't seem like a critique of that either. It's treated as real emotion in the book instead of some twisted version of love that isn't real.
Not a fan of this one. But because I did enjoy his writing style, I plan to read more. I'm hoping some of his other books are better because I've heard better things about them, but I wouldn't recommend this one.