BLACK SWAN GREEN is a town in Worcestershire England, the year is 1982, the voice is that of a 13-yr old poet/stammerer who quickly enlists the reader's attention. This is grown-up fiction I'd recommend also to mature young readers. The artful, nicely-paced writing always stays believable and is by turns poignant, funny, intelligent and dramatic. The often cruel world of middle school fits into a larger world here. The important role - both positive and painfully otherwise - of peripheral adult characters helps move this story to its effective, surprising and, again, believable end.

The same evening I talked to my husband about how I was enjoying Black Swan Green while I was reading it but I wasn’t feeling compelled to keep picking it up, I got into bed a half hour early to read a chapter or two, and put down the finished book at 4 AM. It very slowly gets better and better and unfolds so gorgeously. The dialogue took me a few chapters to appreciate, but it is brilliantly British, teenage, and 80s. It's like a young adult novel for adults. The one small thing that takes away from the serious beauty of this year in the life of an unpopular teenager is how perfectly his life turns around at the end. Where’s the story about the kid who spends every recess in the bathroom so as not be seen on the playground alone growing up depressed for the next 20 years? But if this is how David Mitchell writes, I am definitely going to try Cloud Atlas.

Truly an excellant novel, first class in every way!

Can the life of a thirteen year old really be described as a series of short stories? Or the life of an adolescent with a speech impediment? In both cases it's an interesting metaphor, one that sheds some perspective on those troubled and troublesome conditions. Whether each arc, each drama takes place over a month or even shorter time frames, looking at the teen years this way has much merit. Mitchell's Jason has more "adventure" and less "disillusionment" than Holden Caulfield (a comparison that seems both fair and worthy of more thought) but no less charm. Once again, Mitchell impresses me with his skill as a storyteller.

Very different from Mitchell's other books. At first I expected a conventional coming-of-age story, but this book is so much more than that. Deceptively simple in the telling, it gains complexity through subtle characterizations and beautifully detailed descriptions.

Looking at life through the eyes of a thirteen year old boy, Black Swan Green tells the story of a year in the life of Jason Taylor who lives in a small village in Worcestershire during the early 1980’s. Thirteen is a difficult year for most young people and Jason is no exception. His main activities are ‘trying to fit in” and hiding his stammer by planning his sentences in advance. Each chapter of this book tells us a separate story in the life of Jason. From his first cigarette to his first kiss, his adolescent pain at seeing his parents marriage crumble over the course of the year, his interest in the Falklands War, to dealing with bullying. It’s a very realistic look at being thirteen. The authors’ deft handling of the story elevated this book far above a simple coming of age story. Each chapter has a flavor of its own which gives the reader much to relish. His characters are well drawn, complete people and he avoids getting overly sentimental. For me, Black Swan Green captures the highs and lows of that time in life just before you understand what it’s all about. I found it absorbing and charming.

started....didn't like it much....quite after 10 pages......too rambling

I didn't think I was going to like reading this "yet-another-coming-of-age" novels about a boy in England. But partway through I discovered that the author was managing to subtly sneak in some very profound material here! At times I wondered if we were to take seriously some of the main character's observations - they just seemed too mature. But then .... I suddenly thought back and realized that many "childish" observations are the most profound ones we've ever had - unencumbered by later experience. A truly magical read - bravo Mr. Mitchell.