Candice Carty-WilliamsReseñas

Very character-driven story of five half-siblings who start to become family after a strange incident.

Recommended: Yes!!
For people who are ok with honest depictions and discussions of all kinds of sex, as well as racial barriers barriers women face. For those who are ok laughing while reading a book ^.^

OHMYGODDDDD. Okay, I'm not usually one to fall into hyped books, but man this is hyped for a reason. Candice Carty-Williams promotes writing about underrepresented perspectives, and she leads by example! I hardly ever get to read from the POV of a black character, particularly a black woman, and it was enlightening as a suburban white girl who's never lived in very diverse areas. I learned what a weave is! But Queenie is also just such an enjoyable woman, even when she's at her worst points, you don't dislike her. You just feel her pain, because who HASN'T been there before? It's also hilarious, and I laughed out loud while reading enough to prompt my boyfriend to ask if it was a comedy book. Do yourself a favor and just read it. I'll be waiting. :)

See full review & more here! --> https://baileysbooks.home.blog/2019/06/10/queenie-by-candice-carty-williams/

I went into this expecting standard rom-com chick lit and got something else entirely.

Queenie is 25 and a real mess: She’s breaking up with her boyfriend, estranged from her Mom, screwing up at work and drowning her sorrows in reckless, casual sex.

I assumed that all her problems would he solved when she fell slowly in love with her nebbishy co-worker or a guy she “met cute” but that’s not the case! We deal with her downward spiral and how it impacts her life and relationships and how she starts to right the ship again.

A fast read, couldn’t put it down once I started.

Cyril Pennington, Jamaican born but living in London, has five children (with four different mothers). Unfortunately

'Cyril saw himself as more of a people person than a father. Sadly for his children this didn't extend to the five of them in a way that was mutually beneficial.'

The children know of each other's existence, they even spent an afternoon in each other's company once, as teenagers, when Cyril picked them up in his gold jeep, his pride and joy, to take them on an unsuccessful outing to the park. But years have gone past without the siblings giving each other a second thought, despite living in the same part of London. Until that is, Cyril's third child Dimple has a problem, a very big problem, and decides to phone her eldest half-sister Nikisha for help. Dimple's unpleasant boyfriend Kyron has hit his head after slipping on some olive oil in Dimple's kitchen and now seems to be very dead indeed. So the siblings are gathered together in an attempt to bury the body before Dimple can be accused of murder ....

And this is where I started to have a problem with this book. Up until that point none of the half-siblings have shown any interest in each other at all. They haven't met since that one meeting fifteen years previously. They know nothing whatsoever about Dimple - for all they know she could be in the habit of murdering boyfriends in her kitchen. And yet they're all totally happy to drive about London looking for somewhere to bury the body. I don't think so. And Dimple herself, a thirty year old wannabe (but very unsuccessful) influencer who never seems to have had a proper job in her life is such an ineffectual and inadequate main character. If she was twenty rather than thirty I might possibly have been more sympathetic, but she's effectively an overgrown spoilt teenager. The lives of the other siblings, and their mothers as well, seem to have more back history that could be explored, but it's only mentioned very briefly.

So I didn't like this book. According to the blurb, it's 'hilarious'. I don't think I even smiled once.

When I was young I spent a few months in Jamaica working on building a camp for Jamaican youth. In addition to us white kids from Canada there were a number of Jamaicans working on the project. I grew to love the accent and, for me, the best part of this audiobook was hearing that accent again.

Cyril Pennington grew up in Jamaica but moved to England as a young boy to join his mother who had gone to work in London when Cyril was an infant. Maybe that youthful experience of having no family roots caused him to pay little attention to the five children he fathered with four different women. His children were well looked after by their mothers so they, at least, had one important parental figure. Cyril might pop up from time to time but he was more likely looking for a "loan" than for any time with his offspring. On just one occasion he gathered up all his kids, Nikisha, Danny, Dimple, Lizzie and Prynce, and took them to a park and bought them ice cream. Nikisha, the oldest, told Dimple at that time that if she ever needed anything she should call. So, when Dimple's boyfriend, Kyron, slips in the kitchen of Dimple's house during a fight with Dimple and knocks himself out, Dimple, thinking Kyron is dead, calls Nikisha who calls all the rest of the siblings. Together, they clean and cart Kyron away only to have him come to life in the back of Danny's van just as they are getting ready to bury his body at a building site. And then, Kyron manages to get away and the siblings lose him. When he eventually shows up he wants 250,000 pounds from Dimple who has no hope of getting that much. Just at this time, Cyril pops back into their lives because his mother is dying and she wants to see her son's offspring. Some of the children remember their Granny but, Dimple for example, does not remember seeing her before but, apparently, Cyril brought her there when she was very young. Granny never approved of how Cyril treated his children so when her will is read Cyril is cut out and his one-quarter share of her estate, which is substantial, goes to his offspring to share.Cyril tries to convince them to give their shares to him but they all refuse. Natisha proposes and the rest accept that this is how Kyron will be paid off. Kyron, who is blackmailing Dimple with a pornographic picture, doesn't deserve the money any more than Cyril does but Dimple really wants to have him out of her life. Will this do it? And what will Cyril try to get money? I couldn't worry all that much about them but I did like the Pennington family bonds that form throughout this book.

The title comes from how Cyril describes himself. I'd call him a manipulative sociopath but I can see how he would charm people for a short while.½

Queenie Jenkins is a Jamaican British woman in her mid-20s, whose break-up with her boyfriend is one of the catalysts for a mental health crisis. Much of Queenie is about how she learns to work through past traumas, realise that she's not okay, and come to a better understanding of herself.

This is Candice Carty-Williams' first book, and it has a lot of the typical problems associated with a debut novel: the character voice is strong but much of the characterisation is sloppy and sometimes verges on the cartoonish; Queenie is at times a believably warts-and-all protagonist, but at others she reads more like a 15-year-old than a 25-year-old; the tone and the content sometimes clash. (The marketing for this is fairly inexplicable—this is not a light, Bridget Jones-esque comedy.) That it's a quick and compelling read despite those issues is a testament to Carty-Williams' promise as a writer. I'll keep an eye out for further books by her, even though I didn't really love this one.

Kurze Inhaltsangabe
Queenie sucht nach ihrem Platz im Leben, so wie Millionen junger Frauen auf dieser Welt. Aber die Londonerin ist Schwarz und erfährt Tag für Tag, dass das noch immer einen Unterschied macht. Im Büro zum Beispiel oder wenn Männer glauben, sich bei ihr alles erlauben zu können. Und Queenie lässt sie, trifft eine falsche Entscheidung nach der anderen. Erst als es fast zu spät ist, stellt sie sich endlich den wichtigen Fragen: Wie kann ich die Welt zu einem besseren, gerechteren Ort machen? Und mich in ihr ein bisschen glücklicher?

I loved this. Queenie is a beautiful, loving, and needed story of a women dealing with tough s***. As soon as I finished, I wanted to read it again!

Ew.

Edit: I have to much to say about this book to leave it at that. This is literally the WORST depiction of a 25 year old person’s mental break down ever. None of the characters actions or thoughts or feelings make sense also like if you’re gonna have a mental breakdown go all the fucking way. Take a page out of my year of rest and relaxation and black out for a year, or at least depict more of therapy than “deep breathing and safe spaces.” As someone with mental illness I found this to be a profoundly stupid depiction of it and every word made me want to scream in frustration. Only gave 2 stars because I reserve 1 star books for those that should actively be banned in schools (and I don’t agree with banned books…but some books are such an insult to literature that they should be)

Grossartig!

This really fell to the bad blurb curse. It was pitched too well and too inaccurately. I adore BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY and everything of the genre. But this is far more serious and deals with mental health issues far more deep than, as much as I love her, Bridget Jones ever dealt with. I was SO excited about this that I checked the library's website every day after pub day to see if it was on its way yet. And I think that's part of the reason I just felt so disappointed after reading this (and now I'm wondering if I had gone in with low expectations if I'd be 4-starring this.)

If you get halfway through this, you definitely need to finish it. I don't normally say that and I am normally a huge advocate for dropping books whenever you're bored but in this case there are a lot of problematic behaviours that are well addressed at the end.

But ultimately, not everything got addressed. I feel like her work wasn't really fulfilling her, but she accepted the "normal." I wanted more about her relationship towards men, and I wanted her friends to acknowledge that this wasn't okay, or for her therapist to tell her to ask for more support. I just... I don't know, maybe it's the ace in me, but I've had sex with people before because it's easier than going through the drama of saying no and leaving. Gosh. And just thinking about that brings such a sinking feeling to my stomach and tears to my eyes, and each and every one of those situations were situations where I felt safe and in control. And I feel like even at the end after all the therapy there wasn't resolution to that. She decides not to go out with the guys online who are obviously creepy, but it's never acknowledged that it was a problem. I really wanted someone in there to make a strong stance about how not okay it all was, because I came away feeling like the messaging was that it's common behaviour and totally okay. I feel like if you're going to portray behaviour that's so so bad for you, then you should have a mention of it not being okay. Because I need that messaging. I really do.

Though she shouldn't have given the guy the time of day (and gosh, it should not be her burden to bear and to explain) I was so proud of her at the end for finally standing up for herself.

So yeah. Good, but not as good as I had hoped, and I wish it had done more with the topic of sex.

bailed @ 20%

I looked forward to reading People Person by Candice Carty-Williams. I found the cover attractive, and the title and introduction intriguing. However, I didn’t enjoy the book.

Out of the dozen-or-so main characters, I felt only two to be likable, I greatly disliked everyone else. The book wasn’t about moving the story forward, rather, it was full of unrealistic dialogue from characters that had no depth.

As much as I wanted to be done with these characters, I was propelled to finish the book to see how the story ended.

My appreciation to Gallery for the Goodreads Giveaway and free ARC.

In general:
Candice is an author that I discovered thanks to Queenie. I give this book three stars. Hats off to Candice for making me want to read it from start to finish! I find her writing easy. On the narrative side, nothing to complain about.

Regarding the story - SPOILER ALERT:

Have you ever felt like shaking a character like a towel while reading a book? That's exactly how I was throughout my reading of Queenie. What a disgusting character! At first, I really tried to be compassionate: I knew absolutely nothing about her except that she couldn't stand being touched by anyone (not even her mother), etc. We, therefore, understand that the latter has a heavy trauma due to her stepfather (Black) who mistreated her mother, which led her to have no desire to go out with Black men.

What bothered me was the fact that Miss is 26 but acts like she's a fifteen-year-old teenager. She starts crawling at the feet of a man who clearly does NOT want to be in a relationship with her (Can we give her a pair of glasses please? ) I don't think Queenie has yet understood what " I would like us to take a break and leave the apartment” means. Then, I can be lynched for that but I didn't, no, I didn't like the way Queenie, at the slightest problem, takes the fact that she's Black as the source of all her miseries. The worst part is that she does this every time I turn a page. On top of that, she has so little self-confidence and zeroes respect for her person, for her health, that she puts herself to sleep with the first man she finds WITHOUT PROTECTION WHILE EXPECTING TO GET BACK WITH HER DEAR LOVED TOM (I still can't forgive her for sleeping with Adi, seriously Queenie?). Our dear Queenie needs excellent therapy urgently because in most cases SHE IS THE one WHO GETS IN TROUBLE by letting herself be abused (well with her consent but still) by White men.

I am absolutely disappointed with the evolution of her character. To me, Queenie doesn't even need to go on a date with anyone. She needs to spend a lot more time with her own company, her family, and her two close friends.

I wouldn't recommend this book but if you want to give it a try, go for it. Apparently, there are quite a few people who liked it.

Hugs,

Capucinette

Another BBC 'Between the Covers' selection, although Vick Hope made this sound like a much better, deeper novel!

Five half-siblings - or simply brothers and sisters, because 'blood is blood' - united by a shifty, deadbeat dad have only met once in their lives, when introduced by their passive parent to make sure that they didn't accidentally hook up with each other. Nikisha, the eldest, has two young children, after practically raising her young brother, Prynce. Danny is the only one born to a white mother, while wannabe influencer Dimple (and I am super annoyed that she is only known by what I hope is a nickname) and spiky Lizzie are 'age-mates' but poles apart in personality. After being briefly forced together by Cyril, the 'people person' of the title who has been little more than a sperm donor, the five are content to continue living separate lives - until an accident involving cooking oil and her ex-boyfriend forces Dimple to call on her long lost family for help.

I did enjoy reading about Cyril's pick n mix children, and the story is a humorous blend of farce and feelings, but once again, Candice Carty-Williams has created a character who I wanted to smack more than sympathise with. Dimple is infuriating! She creates the drama which initially unites her siblings, but then falls for her father's lies and lets her ex blackmail her, and as her brothers and sisters repeatedly point out, she loves to play the victim for attention. I can understand her attitude but she is very hard to like. Also, Cyril is far from the loveable rogue that his gold Jeep and charming hold on his babymothers would suggest - but at least his cavalier attitude to his children is honest. I don't like the thread running through the story that children are shaped by their parents or owe anything to absent fathers like Cyril - his five children know exactly what he is like and that he doesn't care about them, but keep hanging on because he's 'family'. No, he absolutely is not! And neither do Cyril's abandonment issues excuse his behaviour, which seemed a rather trite claim.

I also struggled with the clunky expositional narrative, often breaking into one character's point of view with unnecessary 'psychological insights' about another, like 'It should have been obvious to Dimple that seeing Cyril at the nine night had knocked Janet back a few steps in her road to permanent sobriety' - let the dialogue and the action speak for themselves!

Personal issues with annoying characters and less than subtle storytelling aside, I admired the bond between the half-siblings and loved micro-manager Nikisha and judgmental Lizzie as much as I hated Dimple the doormat. Between the slapstick and the group therapy sessions, I really started to care for the five of them as a family and I guess that's the point of the whole book!½

3.5 ⭐

“Stand in your choices..,” is the recurring theme in ‘People Person’ Through life events that bring people together and tear them apart. Ah, the hurt, guilt, and all around issues that come from having a father like Cyril, Carty-Williams hits the nail on the head. Thank-you for validating these real feelings and situations that are not necessarily as unique as they feel and are a result of having a dad that’s never actually been a parent.
The family dynamics of sibling solidarity through difficult times when parents aren’t a choice are woven throughout the plot and the characters are as real as they come.
*I received an arc from the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review

I received an advance copy of this book. Thank you

I really enjoyed this book and its characters. It's all about finding family and finding comfort.
Dimple, Nikisha, Danny, Lizzie and Prynce are all half brothers and sisters; one dad, four moms. Dad, Cyril, really plays no part in their lives and has been absent basically the whole time. The kids, all now grown, know they have siblings, but really have never interacted with them. That all changes when Dimple gets in a situation and for some reason, she calls Nikisha, the eldest. Nikisha rallies the others, and from there the book takes off. Bumpy starts and big chips on shoulders begin to smooth out, as they help Dimple. Soon they come to realize that being with each other has been the part that has been missing for them.

Don’t expect Queenie from the second novel by Candice Carty-Williams. This is not a book about one person, but rather dysfunctional siblings. Sure, it has its darker, cynical moments but it also had lighter, funnier moments. It’s a lot more family oriented with more characters. Really, the two novels shouldn’t be compared in my opinion other than that they are both great reads.

Dimple Pennington likes to think of herself as an influencer, but she really buys the products she promotes on her social media. In her latest video, she discusses how her boyfriend and her are definitely off for good. Unfortunately, that leads to an incident where Dimple doesn’t know what to do. She remembers her half-sister Nikisha telling her to call her if she was in trouble half her life ago, so Dimple does. Suddenly the five half-siblings are all together since an ill-fated trip in their father’s gold jeep when they were kids. Each of the siblings is very different but they are thrown together in a crisis. That leads to friendships (some more begrudging than others) and a lot more time together. Can Dimple’s siblings help her out and will the siblings stay in touch now they are adults?

There are good contrasts between the siblings, with a range of interesting characters. Dimple is the main character, who is quick to panic and quick to cry. She can be rather self-centred, but her lack of self-confidence is what makes things awkward for her. Nikisha, the oldest, is tough and protective of her family. She is quick to help out and bossy enough to get things done. The youngest, Prynce, is a dreamer who is open to anything and lacks direction. Danny is driven after events of the past to protect his family and work hard. He’s wary of trouble, but knows family is important. Lizzie doesn’t really want a bar of any of her siblings, and tells them frequently. She’s more of a closed book than the others, independent and rather prickly. All together, they make for an interesting mix.

The premise that draws the siblings together came completely out of left field for me and had me wondering what the story was actually going to be about. It’s extreme, almost comical, with repercussions for Dimple but not the others. It certainly got my attention! The remainder of the plot wasn’t as outrageous and followed how the siblings got to know each other, and the complexities around their father and other family. The story moves at a good pace and the dialogue is wonderfully true. I wish there had been more about the other siblings, as Dimple isn’t always that likeable. The glimpse the reader had into Danny and their father’s lives were fascinating, and nicely balanced the lighter moments (such as Dimple’s actual Karen for a neighbour). It’s a solid read, as long as you’re happy to go with the extreme opening.

Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

Similar in many ways to Moran's How to Build a Girl, but superior. A story of a young woman coming to the realisation that she has been abused by men.

Queenie is a book with a range of emotions, from happiness to despair, that tackles a wide range of topics (including race, self-worth, mental health and trauma). Queenie is a complex character, and Candice Carty-Williams does not hold back on her portrayal of Queenie’s struggles. It’s a bold and strong novel with the kind of assurance you don’t always get from a debut. I loved it.

Queenie is not OK. She’s a 25-year-old Black woman in London and she’s on a break in the relationship (not of her doing). She can’t seem to concentrate on her work and is bored by it. But that’s not the only things Queenie has going on. She’s had to take a room in a mouldy share house, she’s objectified by men and she carries multiple traumas from her childhood and the difficulties of being Black in the UK. Nobody around her seems to care about police brutality and Black Lives Matter to the extent she does. It’s all too much to worry about so she tries to forget. Nights out with her friends where she ends up incredibly drunk and sex with men who objectify her and abuse her. A secret that she tries to tell her ex, but who won’t respond. Family trying, but their own beliefs don’t help. Queenie is in a downward spiral, yet this novel isn’t as dark as it sounds. Queenie has some good times, with good friends and can see the humour in some of her actions, even when she’s recoiling from what she’s done.

Queenie is a character that you want to support. She’s a caring person, who recognises the need for help. Her friends and boss recognise it too, and later on so does her family. Their support goes a long way in helping this novel being 100% bleak. Queenie’s niece is good fun, and very mature for a teenager. Likewise, her friend Kyazike is straight talking and super loyal. Queenie’s grandparents were also amusing in their banter and need to control the hot water, but very caring too.

I loved the use of WhatsApp messages, DMs in dating apps and emails as a form of communication. It made the story more relatable and gave insights into the other characters through their messages. Using the first person for Queenie to tell her story also made the novel’s progression raw and heavy with feeling. Yet it still felt light hearted with a sense of hope at the end. It was hard to leave Queenie after the story finished. I really hope she’s doing okay.

Thank you to Hachette for the copy of this book. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

A funny, moving and hopeful book about a young black woman in London finding her identity. It’s entertaining and thought-provoking in its take on racism and relationships.

The narrative arc of quirky, self-destructive woman has a breakdown and is rescued by therapy sounded very familiar in Queenie and I realized I read a much more poignant and nuanced book with the same arc: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The details are different but made a deeper impression on me. I liked this for the Jamaican-British perspective but some of the Jamaican slang and references were lost on me.

Part Sex and the City, part Bridget Jones’ Diary, and yet wholly herself, Queenie Jenkins serves up a heartfelt (if occasionally mortifying) coming of age story that has well earned her a place amongst this generation’s spiraling millennials. We know going into the story that Queenie is going to be a mess; her boyfriend has just kicked her out, her family is full of judgemental drama, her forays into the online dating world are nothing less than epic catastrophes, and to top it all off the emotional instability is affecting her work life. And yet, this mess is what makes Queenie so relatable, since we’d be lying if we said that we all haven’t been there, done that. The details may differ, but we’ve all been through the quarter-life crisis breakdowns that necessitate picking ourselves up and starting all over again. Throughout the novel we cringe at Queenie’s mistakes, knowing that things are likely going to get worse, but by the time we reach her triumphant finale we can’t help but cheer alongside her. And yet, like real life, we know that Queenie still has plenty of challenges ahead of her, and it is this realistic (rather than fairytale) ending that really makes this novel work.½

This book is being marketed as a “black Bridget Jones,” but if you pick it up because of that description, be wary - you’re getting so much more than that. I understand the comparison, although it undersells Carty-Williams’s ability to craft Queenie as a multi-dimensional, lovable, “fuck-up” of a character. Queenie is a mid-twenties “single” woman who is unlucky in love, work, and life and, when we meet her, is in the midst of a psychological break (with a sprinkling of some undiagnosed childhood trauma). Carty-Williams has you laughing one moment and choking up the next, in a novel that is sure to go down as one of the most timely and sexually and politically accessible books of 2019. Definitely recommend!