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nellday's review
3.0
This was a bit more engaging than your average drugs-and-redemption memoir mostly because the portrayal of substance-affected 90s-00s Melbourne was super well-drawn and kind of, ahem, relatable. I raised a bit of an eyebrow at Pieper's descriptions of Melburnian winters though: like I know this was pre climate change but seriously dude, your bedside glass of water ICED OVER while you were sleeping? Really?? (Oh god I just realized that I am a huge pedant, sorry everybody.)
lisaschuu's review
4.0
The Feel Good Hit of the Year is a memoir of Liam Pieper; raised by his bohemian parents to believe in freedom and creativity, and that theres nothing wrong with smoking a little Marijuana to make life more interesting. This book is an insight to the world of growing up with drugs from being born and would probably recommend it to anyone out there who wanted to know what drugs are like from a safer distance.
Whilst most memoirs are self indulgent, due to the fact it is essentially all about one person. Pieper does not glamourise his old life as a petty suburban drug dealer but he does not write a straight forward cautionary do not do drugs story either. I found surprisingly that the book was insightful and filled with kick-ass metaphors that had me underlining it for later reference.
We die alone, yes, but we are born alone too, so the people who enrich our lives are gifts, whether that are here fro a lifetime or just a few moments.
The book being a tale of highs (chemical, financial and otherwise) it is also a tale of how Liams life fell to dramatic lows. It did not fail to make me laugh; I wore the same outfit every day; a black denim jacket over a white t-shirt and black tracksuit pants. At 13 I imagined it quite stylish, a bit like a relaxed tuxedo something James Bond might slip into in a post-coital languor while he searches for his cigarettes. It however did not fail to make me feel for Pieper as certain events fractured my heart, (not a complete breaking of the heart).
Whilst this book was intriguing because it was a new perspective of drugs and life that is written so honestly, some find the book a self indulgent odyssey of drugs and drug dealing that [they] found tedious. Mixed reviews are common for this book and whilst I enjoyed it and commend Pieper for his writing, it was a slow read for me and I found myself just wanting to finish the book at times.
However, I am deeply glad that I read this book as new perspectives and thought provoking books are some of the most interesting and The Feel Good Hit of the Year falls into both these categories.
(Overall probably a 3.5)
I received this book as part of the Bookworlds readers reviewers program.
Whilst most memoirs are self indulgent, due to the fact it is essentially all about one person. Pieper does not glamourise his old life as a petty suburban drug dealer but he does not write a straight forward cautionary do not do drugs story either. I found surprisingly that the book was insightful and filled with kick-ass metaphors that had me underlining it for later reference.
We die alone, yes, but we are born alone too, so the people who enrich our lives are gifts, whether that are here fro a lifetime or just a few moments.
The book being a tale of highs (chemical, financial and otherwise) it is also a tale of how Liams life fell to dramatic lows. It did not fail to make me laugh; I wore the same outfit every day; a black denim jacket over a white t-shirt and black tracksuit pants. At 13 I imagined it quite stylish, a bit like a relaxed tuxedo something James Bond might slip into in a post-coital languor while he searches for his cigarettes. It however did not fail to make me feel for Pieper as certain events fractured my heart, (not a complete breaking of the heart).
Whilst this book was intriguing because it was a new perspective of drugs and life that is written so honestly, some find the book a self indulgent odyssey of drugs and drug dealing that [they] found tedious. Mixed reviews are common for this book and whilst I enjoyed it and commend Pieper for his writing, it was a slow read for me and I found myself just wanting to finish the book at times.
However, I am deeply glad that I read this book as new perspectives and thought provoking books are some of the most interesting and The Feel Good Hit of the Year falls into both these categories.
(Overall probably a 3.5)
I received this book as part of the Bookworlds readers reviewers program.
millypuds6's review
5.0
Stellar. A transformative novel that I have no words for other than those begging everyone to read it
koalamarch's review
4.0
After having attended one of Liam Pieper's sessions at a writer's festival, I was immediately drawn to his frank and distinctly Aussie sense of humour and was thus stimulated into reading his work.
His skillfully crafted writing made reading this book so very easy, from his hilarious comments to his explicit metaphors.
However, that's not to say that there weren't moments in the book I had trouble getting my head around. There are drugs, violence and other stigmatic terms that would no doubt be banned from a year 7 classroom. Yet the way Pieper describes what I would have previously deemed perilous forms of activity really altered my perspective on these matters as a whole.
The beauty of his writing style isn't that of an embellished critcally-acclaimed author, but that of a real human being, which in effect made his writing much easier to connect with. His subtly profound insights mashed perfectly with his humour, and in consequence tricked me into loving a piece of work I wouldn't have previously thought completely well-suited to my reading taste.
All in all, it was a great book and has persuaded me to read more memoirs and non-fiction that I had until recently been hesitant towards. I can only thank Liam Pieper for all the laughs and moments he's shared, and hope his witty charm never dies down.
His skillfully crafted writing made reading this book so very easy, from his hilarious comments to his explicit metaphors.
However, that's not to say that there weren't moments in the book I had trouble getting my head around. There are drugs, violence and other stigmatic terms that would no doubt be banned from a year 7 classroom. Yet the way Pieper describes what I would have previously deemed perilous forms of activity really altered my perspective on these matters as a whole.
The beauty of his writing style isn't that of an embellished critcally-acclaimed author, but that of a real human being, which in effect made his writing much easier to connect with. His subtly profound insights mashed perfectly with his humour, and in consequence tricked me into loving a piece of work I wouldn't have previously thought completely well-suited to my reading taste.
All in all, it was a great book and has persuaded me to read more memoirs and non-fiction that I had until recently been hesitant towards. I can only thank Liam Pieper for all the laughs and moments he's shared, and hope his witty charm never dies down.
countvoncount's review
4.0
Engrossing and flowing, quick and easy to read. A dangerous example, but an enthralling sigh of honest relief, glad he made it through. Spectacular epigram "They speak of my drinking, but never think of my thirst."
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