This isn’t an easy read and it will stay with you long after you close the book. This is a story that needs to be told, these issues and stories go on in society everyday and they need to be discussed much, much more, well done Luan for such a needed and thought provoking read. Although emotional and hard to read, the hope is there in family and community. A wonderful poignant read


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

In the wake of such events like the Grenfell Tower fire, stories like these need to be heard. It is often the less fortunate who suffer the most and are left to rebuild their lives. Nightingale Point is a heartbreaking tale of those left behind when tragedy happens and I devoured every bit of it.

A poignant story about a disaster which befalls the ordinary people in a London tower block. We meet some of the people before disaster strikes, and find how there lives are connected. This is not always an easy read and is very thought provoking. Well done Luan Goldie for tackling a difficult subject.

I finished Nightingale Point this morning, and all day it has been on my mind. I keep thinking of Malachi, Tristan, Mary, Pamela and Elvis, and then to Grenfell tower, which is the visual for me to Nightingale point. The people who lived in the block, their lives, their day to day comings and goings and then the outcome of what happens to Nightingale point, how people coped, how their lives just imploded and they moved forward with their lives. Absolutely would recommend both the book and the author, look forward to reading more from the author. I wish her every success for the future.

It's 1996. There's a neglected tower block of flats. The residents get along in relative harmony. There is a few exceptions to the rule. We get to know some of them before tragedy strikes.

The book draws on real life events that happened in Amsterdam and London. I don't want to say to much about this as it would spoil it for potential readers. I couldn't stop thinking about this story long after I put the book down. It's a story of hope and despair. We see the events that unfold through different people's eyes. I do recommend this debut novel.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author Luan Goldie for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderfully character driven story. We meet the residents of Nightingale Point, an urban block of flats in which reside some very eclectic characters. Some of whom rub along well, others notsomuch. But their mettle is soon to be tested when tragedy strikes the block and, well, the aftermath is not always what you expect from what you already know about the people involved.
It's hard saying much more about the story as I think it's important to meet and get to know the characters as the author intended. Suffice to say that what happens sends them all off on another path than the one they were already travelling. Some good, others, well, you'll have to read to find out.
It's an incredibly moving and emotive story, played out by some of the richest characters I have met in a while. It's a story that, in some form, has already happened in real life and I believe that the author has done her research into what happened there. It's a tragedy that also could happen again and that only adds to the cloying atmosphere that surrounds the days following. It's heartbreaking and uplifting in equal measures. Yes, there are secrets to be kept, to protect the innocent, and the guilty, but all played out perfectly. There are bonds formed between people who would otherwise never become friends. It's about community, and hope in adversity. It's about putting differences aside and stepping up.
All in all, a compelling read that had me gripped all the way through, satisfied at the end, and gave me plenty of food for thought throughout. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Amazing and unique, written in such a captivating and rich style.
I was gripped from start to finish and it's actually quite difficult to sum up this book because it has so many elements and is a fantastic, character driven plot that is based in the 90s and takes its plot from real life events from a tragedy that I'm actually glad I hadn't read much about before because it's delivery is shocking, sudden and so well written you feel such a part of the events and the aftermath.
Each character has such depth and their story grows and evolves across the pages. They are all flawed, imperfect, real and endearing and you feel each revelation deeply.
I think this is a brilliant read and captures a time and place forever.

3.5 stars

Nightingale Point is a new book by award winning UK author Luan Goldie which pays tribute to the victims of tragedies like Grenfell Tower or Biljmer in Amsterdam when a plane crashed into a block of flats killing and injuring many residents. I find the premise of the book very timely amidst the recent devastating events in London and I'm pleased to see a book centering around the aftermath of a similar catastrophe, depicting the struggles of the survivors who lost their loved ones, their homes and all their possessions.

Nightingale Point is a fictional block of council flats in London with a great variety of local community that is tragically affected. We meet twenty-one year old Malachi who is trying everything he can to make ends meet and take care of his younger brother Tristan after their parents' death. Malachi starts secretly dating Pamela who lives a few floors up despite her father's disapproval. When the father learns about their relationship, he takes some extreme measures to break up the two. Another resident, Mary, moved to the UK from Philippines and is married to David who is always travelling because of his job and visiting his many girlfriends all over the world. The book has a diverse cast of characters that I liked, but I did wish for a deeper characterisation in some cases and for Malachi and Pamela's story to be more drawn out. Overall, a thought-provoking and compelling read.

Many thanks to HQ for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful, poignant, haunting read. Inspired by the true story of a tragedy in Amsterdam and the Grenfell Tower disaster, this novel begins on the day a cargo plane smashes into the Nightingale Point tower block and follows the story of a group of survivors as they come to terms with losing their homes, friends, and families.

I flew through this novel. The author had me gripped from the beginning through to the final page. It is a wonderful example of fiction and deserves more recognition!

A very thought provoking book drawing on the tragedies of disasters in high rise apartment blocks in Amsterdam and London. By concentrating on a few characters the author is able to really explore what can happen to people in the aftermath of such a disaster particularly once press attention has moved on. Ultimately there is optimism at the end of the novel and one can only hope this will be true for the real life survivors as well.
Thank you to netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of this book.

Luan Goldie writes a remarkable piece of contemporary fiction for her memorable debut set on a London estate where the lifts don't work in 1996. She skilfully immerses the reader into the lives of a small and diverse group of characters prior to a horrifying nightmare of a tragedy hits them and the local community. Goldie has drawn on true real life catastrophes to explore the repercussions and challenges for individuals in the group, the difficulties in moving on, the intense sense of grief and loss, the social issues surrounding the problems of rehousing and more in the years that follow.

Mary is a nurse from the Phillippines, married to David, a husband who is often absent, she is a woman with a secret. 21 year old Malachi has had to shoulder heavy responsibilities on his young shoulders ever since his depressed mom committed suicide. He struggles as a university student, juggling their tight finances, and is responsible for his wayward and easily led astray younger brother, Tristan, with his dreams of being a rapper. Malachi finds his attention revolving around the loss of his 16 year old girlfriend, Pam, a fact that Tristan resents as he needs Malachi to keep him on the straight and narrow. Pam has been sent away by her abusive father, but she too has a secret. Elvis is living independently, courtesy of The Care in the Community Programme, with the help of his carer, Lina, who helps him cope.

Goldie's novel is an intensely moving read, so compulsive, thought provoking, and emotionally heartbreaking. Her characterisations felt so authentic that you feel that she has really done her research on the aftermath of this type of tragedy and the community responses. I was particularly struck by just how much of a revelation Elvis turned out to be, he certainly managed to worm his way into my heart. This is terrific storytelling, particularly considering it is a debut. Simply brilliant! Many thanks to HQ for an ARC.

'Nightingale Point' is a powerful story that left me unable to sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about it. It's a story of despair and hope that really touched me and didn't rely on gory descriptions to get the tragedy across. The characters feel very real and I'm impressed that their individual voices are so clear and distinct. I really enjoyed the style, seeing the events through different eyes really works. The sense of closure that comes from seeing the aftermath and the years that followed was very satisfying. An excellent read.

Inspired by two real life tragedies (Bijlmer and Grenfell), this was not an easy read. But an important one. With the utmost sensitivity Luan Goldie guides us through Nightingale Point, from the night of the event, up to five years later. Goldie writes beautifully and with sincerity. I think I fell in love with each and every character, and the poignancy of so many moments in this book was something to be thoughtfully and fully digested. Ultimately it is a story of hope, community and resilience and the enduring strength of the human spirit. I can't recommend this book enough.

Nightingale Point follows the tales of five characters living in a tower block in London, with each chapter told from an alternate point of view.
Mary has a secret life that no one knows about, not even Malachi and Tristan, the brothers she vowed to look after. Following the death of his mother, Malachi had to grow up too quickly. Between looking after Tristan and nursing a broken heart, he feels older than his twenty-one years. Tristan wishes Malachi would stop pining for Pamela. He's falling in with the wrong crowd, and needs Malachi to keep him straight. Elvis is trying hard to remember to the instructions his care worker gave him, but sometimes he gets confused and forgets things. Pamela wants to run back to Malachi but her overprotective father has locked her in and there's no way out.
Then their lives are transformed as plane crashes into the block of flats they call home, causing devastation. Who has survived? How do they cope? Why is life so unfair? How will their relationships change? All this is explored in Luan Goldie’s debut novel.
She was inspired to write Nightingale Point when in Amsterdam a taxi driver told her the true story about a cargo plane that took off from Schiphol Airport and crashed into a council estate It’s based on the Bijlmer plane crash in October 1992, and the Grenfell Tower disaster, and echoes of the aftermath of both play out in the book. But it doesn’t ever feel gratuitous, helped by a cast of likeable and flawed characters. It’s an easy read with tight prose and a pacy plot, probably helped by Luan’s experience of writing short stories. She won the 2017 Costa Short Story Award.
It’s a touching read and acts as a fitting tribute to those who lost their lives in Amsterdam and London.

Brilliant. I got really caught up in everybody’s lives. This story is beautifully told and seemed real. This a wonderful debut novel.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Tragedy in a Tower Block

Set in and around a run-down London tower block, this story contains some great characters. There's Elvis, the care in the community guy, a kindly BFG with a big heart but sadly a figure of fun to some. Then there are Malachi and Tristan, two quite different brothers; Malachi is studying and aims to go to university, Tristan a wannabe rapper in with the wrong crowd. Mary keeps a motherly eye on them, has an absent husband and a romantic secret. Then there's Pamela, who loves to run and is involved with Malachi, but kept under strict control by her anxious Dad.

Love that we get to know all these people so well before the cataclysmic event that changes their lives and, in some cases, their perception of each other. Luan Goldie's skilful hands enable us to empathise with every one, especially in the aftermath of the tragedy when everyone pulls together. Great story, well told by this Costa Award winner. best book I've read this year!

An amazing tale of working class and the troubles we as humans face. This was so beautifully written. Absolutely amazing. I can’t recommend this enough xx

We meet several of the residents of a London tower block: brothers Tristan and Malachi; Philipina nurse Mary, Elvis a man with learning difficulties and his home help Lina, Pamela sometime girlfriend of Malachi...Then, disaster strikes.

This beautifully written book deals with powerful themes including survivor guilt and post traumatic stress. Relationships are examined and tested. A satisfying, novel with well drawn characters.

This book follows the lives of people surviving a terrible accident. It draws on real life events in Amsterdam and London - specifically the Grenfell tower disaster. The idea is definitely one to draw in the reader and the author creates a good cast of characters. However for me the narrative has its fault lines. There is a lot of repetition - maybe it is meant for emphasis or the building of emotive content - but for me it just doesn't work. The aftermath is well told and whilst i can see that the jumping of time is how disasters unfold in real life, news reports coming at intervals again it did not work for me. It is not a bad book but neither is it exceptional.

Fantastic book! I definitely recommend it. The characters are real and flawed, the story fascinating and the development of the plot after the "incident" is riveting. The central boys, Tristan and Malachi are great, but Elvis is my real favourite!
Just a note of caution, too soon after Grenfell? Not for me, but others may not be of the same opinion.