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dancinrio's review against another edition
5.0
Heartbreakingly beautiful storytelling.
Alys Conran paints a vivid picture of a small town in Wales, home to Pigeon and Iola. The image of the two running up the hill after the ice cream van, arriving panting and breathless is likely to evoke memories for many a reader.
The tale is told by the two children and they swept me along from the day to day details of their lives into a wider, more tragic story of broken childhood.
I couldn't stop turning the pages but also didn't want it to end. And I am now sad that it has and I won't be spending time with Pigeon and Iola today.
Alys Conran paints a vivid picture of a small town in Wales, home to Pigeon and Iola. The image of the two running up the hill after the ice cream van, arriving panting and breathless is likely to evoke memories for many a reader.
The tale is told by the two children and they swept me along from the day to day details of their lives into a wider, more tragic story of broken childhood.
I couldn't stop turning the pages but also didn't want it to end. And I am now sad that it has and I won't be spending time with Pigeon and Iola today.
heathssm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
snoakes7001's review against another edition
4.0
Pigeon is a coming of age novel set in a small Welsh village. Both Iola and Pigeon have experienced tragedy and they are no strangers to hardship. Words and their imaginations are their escape, but the stories Pigeon invents about Gwyn the ice cream man have catastrophic consequences. The story is told from both their viewpoints - Iola's chapters are first person but Pigeon's are third person. This has the effect of distancing the reader somewhat from some of the worst aspects of their lives, stopping you from becoming too emotionally involved with what could or should be heart-breaking.
Welsh is their first language and a smattering of the dialogue is reproduced in Welsh, but an explanation or translation can usually be found in the next sentence or two - for example when the kids are choosing ice creams:
“B b be ’dach chi isio heddiw ’ta?” Gwyn’s question goes up at the end, really high, as high as here; but we still haven’t decided.
It's an interesting story set in a world of unemployment, deprivation and chapel. It's no rural idyll, but nor is it too grim. Alys Conran's depiction of a realistic and believable village overlooked by mountains and slate quarries has its own beauty.
Welsh is their first language and a smattering of the dialogue is reproduced in Welsh, but an explanation or translation can usually be found in the next sentence or two - for example when the kids are choosing ice creams:
“B b be ’dach chi isio heddiw ’ta?” Gwyn’s question goes up at the end, really high, as high as here; but we still haven’t decided.
It's an interesting story set in a world of unemployment, deprivation and chapel. It's no rural idyll, but nor is it too grim. Alys Conran's depiction of a realistic and believable village overlooked by mountains and slate quarries has its own beauty.
isabeldotml's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia
bundy23's review against another edition
3.0
The first half was very strong but I lost interest the further it went, probably because I found it hard to like or care for the two feral shithead children at the centre the novel.