Product Description

NEVER FAR FROM NOWHERE is the story of two sisters, Olive and Vivien, born in London to Jamaican parents and brought up on a council estate. They go to the same grammar school, but while Vivien’s life becomes a chaotic mix of friendships, youth clubs, skinhead violence, A-levels, discos and college, Olive, three years older and a skin shade darker, has a very different tale to tell…

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17308 in Books
• Published on: 1996-08-08
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Elle
‘Levy's raw sense of realism and depth of feeling infuses every line' Elle

Review
‘Levy’s raw sense of realism and depth of feeling infuses every line’ Elle (Elle )

About the Author
Andrea Levy was born in England to Jamaican parents. She is the author of EVERY LIGHT IN THE HOUSE BURNIN’, NEVER FAR FROM NOWHERE, FRUIT OF THE LEMON and SMALL ISLAND. Andrea was a judge in the 1996 Saga Prize for Black Fiction, and in the 1997 Orange Prize for Fiction. Her radio appearances, and readings at literary festivals, bookshops and libraries have helped her to build an enthusiastic following. Andrea is the winner of the 2004 Orange Prize for Fiction.

Customer Reviews

Memories of my Childhood!
A gritty, bitter-sweet read that I couldn't put down. Sympathetically written from the viewpoint of each sister, Levy slips effortlessly between the siblings in alternate chapters. I could identify most characters with someone in my past (or present). The attitudes experienced by Olive because of her black skin will be wearily recognised by many. Vivien struggling to fit in with her peers and thereby denying her true identity is sad and defeatist, but still draws sympathy. The descriptions of the council estates reminded me of my own childhood. I smiled at the clever descriptions of the oil lamp and busy wallpaper which are so 70s. The language is quite raw, but realistic. I read this book on the bus and was a bit concerned about the 'f' words being read over my shoulder! (I also read Levy's 'Small Island' which was a gem. Intend to read all of her books).

A well written, very observant account of cultural ID crisis
Andrea Levy's second book cuts to the quick of the very real and personal issues of identity crisis that many black people in Britain have had to deal with over the last fifty years. Set in the late seventies it is the tale of two sisters growing up in the same home, going to the same school and being presented with the same opportunities; yet whose lives take very different courses.

They are very different personalities, Vivien: shy and thoughtful; Olive; brash and frequently selfish; and the reader is often sucked into the appealing notion that each is completely responsible for their own accomplishments and downfalls. However, this is the ironic illusion that Andrea Levy wishes to draw the reader in to. The stark truth of the story is that external forces, namely their own parent's - and particularly their mother's - predjudice, has been the most powerful carving force on their lives... for Olive is a shade or two darker than her sister, and their mother believes that due to her own mixed parentage, that she isn't really black.

I really loved this book, it gives you a real sense of the displacement that many first and second generation Carribean's must truly feel; the lack of a sense of home when the British winter bites and you know the sun is beating down on the fields of Jamaica!

If 'Never far from nowhere' falls down in any respect, it's in its failure to address the relationships between the two sisters and other black people outside the family. All their freinds, boyfreinds, work colleagues are white, and for life on a Finsbury Park council estate, this rang a little untrue. Nevertheless, aside from this 'glitch' it is a great book and a great piece of social commentary on modern Britain.

a little local difficulty with objectivity
Having enjoyed "Small Island", I've started to read all Andrea Levy's earlier books which are essentially autobiographical and give a fascinating insight into the reality of being brought up on a dodgy inner London estate by black parents who denied their colour. I like her writing, which is honest and simple (that isn't patronising, it reflects my admiration for her lack of pretension and artifice). We must be exactly the same age - I enjoyed the reminders of what we wore in the early seventies, of how a working class child approached and tackled grammar school life, "posh people" and low expectations. I didn't share her experiences of casual and horrific violence as I have never lived in London, and I'm white - but much of what she writes about illuminated memories of some shared elements of my young adulthood, particularly the scary and exciting stirrings of freedom from family and the realisation that you CAN be different. As I read the book, it began to seem weirdly familiar - and I realised that I am married to "Peter" thirty years on. So, to the reviewer who states that the almost total exclusion of black people from Vivien's life is scarcely credible: well, it's TRUE, so there! And if you ever read this, Andrea, all the best from your ex-brother in law! He has attested to the basic truths of your story, and wishes me to tell you that you are probably the only ex-in law (in a complcated life) who doesn't believe he's a complete b*st*rd...........and he always liked you too!