Blueeyedboy: the second in a trilogy of dark, chilling and witty psychological thrillers from bestselling author Joanne Harris

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The novel came out of a hard time. Harris had split with her agent and was being sued by her American agent for something out of her control. Engrossing psychological thriller...a novel of unusual complexity...Harris, best known for Chocolat , again shows her skill and versatility' -- Mail on Sunday

You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here. At 45, Joanne remains an enigma. With her short cropped hair, air of certainty and her no-nonsense manner, this Yorkshire woman comes across as straight-laced. When she tells me she had her entire future mapped out at 16 – a Cambridge degree, followed by teaching until she could afford to write full-time – I’m not in the least bit surprised.

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I was assured blueeyedboy was a big departure from Joanne Harris' usual. I really don't think so: her writing style bleeds through into the characters, and whenever she writes in first person or third person limited, her style bleeds through. There's something about it -- a hint of flavour, perhaps (appropriate, to be a synaesthete commenting on this book!), something in the phrasing... Anyway, that seemed typically her, and the darkness, the twisted relationships... I can see where in the rest of the work they come from. I was initially captured by the blurb of this novel. I've never read anything else by Joanne Harris, and found myself loving the psychological thrill behind the brief description.

Albertine, like B.B., is an ambiguous and somewhat damaged character. Marked by her troubled past, she hides behind an intricate façade, only revealing her true feelings in her private blog. Her love-hate relationship with B.B. is based on shared experience and a kind of dreadful fascination; she knows him better than anyone else, and the link that binds them together has made it impossible for her to find a meaningful, honest relationship with anyone else. Like B.B., she dreams of escaping her life, but instead finds herself drawn into an ever more tortuous game of deceit and emotional manipulation. Ho trovato il thriller altamente "disturbante", ho versato in uno stato d'angoscia per tutta la narrazione, ma nello stesso tempo, non riuscivo a metterlo giù. Una lettura con molteplici punti di vista da tener presenti e il lettore non può fare a meno di fare varie congetture, ipotesi, da capire cosa sia reale da ciò che non lo è. Selfish, toxic women who live vicariously through their children, doing them immeasurable harm in the process is another theme, particularly Mrs Green, with her relentless ambition for her sons and Mrs White, who needs to believe that her blind daughter has exceptional gifts. Both were deeply unpleasant. Okos, csavaros, bonyolult. Nyomokban St. Oswaldot is tartalmaz, de inkább sok minden mást. Fikció és valóság mezsgyéjén egyensúlyoz, átverésekkel és fantáziákkal, színes-szagos szavakkal. Még a mesei elem sem marad ki: a három fiútestvér... És a tragédia. Pardon, tragédiÁK. To what extent do you think BB is playing out his fantasies in real life? Why do you think he is attracted to the idea of being a murderer?The book is cleverly written. A trail of clues is left dotted about, but they often seem incidental and only later does their relevance become apparent. None of the major characters, however, are particularly likeable, in fact rather the reverse. BB is irritating, self obsessed and covert even in his on-line persona. One can feel a bit more sympathy for Albertine, but even she does not seem like an innocent blameless victim. Everyone has their own selfish, and sometimes perverse motives. Unfortunately, this can make it difficult to really care about what happens to any of the characters in the book. But the idea behind the story, of the lies and stories made up by the on-line personas and their stark contrast to the reality that is gradually revealed, is an interesting one, and if you like Joanne Harris's books, then you'll like this one. I’m a Joanne Harris’ fan, I’ve read and enjoyed many of her books so I was surprised I didn’t like this novel more. It has considerable similarities, based again on the idea of concealing your identity, and even set in the same town (the fictional school that formed the setting of 'Gentlemen and Players' also features in this novel). I liked the concept - the idea of characters hiding behind online identities, the blurring of the boundaries between fact and fiction. But I ultimately didn't get drawn into this book. The way it's told, through a series of fictional/semi-fictional blog posts by the two main characters, caused the narrative to lose momentum a little, and as a result the suspense didn't build enough for me and the twist at the end, while clever, didn't deliver the punch I was expecting.

Is Emily White the Albertine featured on the blog, who not only comments on blueeyedboy's blog posts, but writes quite a few of her own? Is she the girl in the red coat that BB is in love with, but who is actually Nigel's girlfriend? What is the lie she told when she was young, and how did it influence her life and that of those around her? I was being threatened with arrest in America unless I went to court. To have that kind of thing hanging over you, I don’t think you tend to write too well.” She shrugs. “It happens.” Delivers an almighty twist in the tale late on...brilliantly atmospheric and at times heartbreaking The Times British Council complies with data protection law in the UK and laws in other countries that meet internationally accepted standards.It’s difficult to believe anyone who hasn’t, even fleetingly, imagined murdering somebody. And given the different pressures that motivate people to commit a crime, anyone is capable of doing it. I could quite imagine committing an act of violence if someone threatened my daughter,” she says. “That would be my trigger.” I feel sure that I will be haunted by this book, that as I put all the different pieces together in my head I will be drawn to re-read parts if not all of it, to answer the questions that will arise in my mind. The author deliberately subverts some of the norms of structure and narration in this book. Why do you think she chose to do this? What do you think the effect is on your reading experience?