I think this would be a great movie, but for me it wasn't a great book. I didn't like the writing and found it hard to engage with. The main character felt underdeveloped and a little irritating which made it difficult for me to enjoy reading. I'm glad other people are enjoying this book but it wasn't for me!

Teenage girl - who, of course, knows everything, is kidnapped and then turns to the life of a freedom fighter because she is in love and thinks the world revolves around her. As the gang got further embroiled in their desire for revolution you can feel the more grown up members of the gang questioning the route that they are following - but they are pressed on by the younger, foolhardy members.

I felt that the last part of the book was necessary to put it all into perspective, however I hankered for a final twist - that police knock on the door she had been awaiting for all those years.

This is a cleverly examination of shifting loyalties, political awareness and the reasons why someone might adopt a radical course of action. The book opens with a terrifying kidnap and then morphs into something else. It's well written and psychologically attuned. It's a fascinating premise to consider how someone in history like Patti Hearst might have felt and why she behaved as she did

At the heart of the book is also a love story, as well as a strong and compelling character study of a singular young woman.

There were a few occasions where the political context bogged the story down a little for me but this wasn't egregious.

Sorry, but I felt like I was reading a different book from the one of the puff quotes: nothing about this gelled with me and it felt shallow and superficial thrusting in the complicated philosophy of Fanon. The writing didn't flow and I just didn't 'believe' the story or characters - sorry!

This read like a cult classic movie, with such vivid characters and settings. Séverine was such an interesting and well written character to center the story around. Her ability to wrap men around her finger was fascinating to read about, especially how she was able to essentially spin her own kidnapping into a political revolution. I found some of the political talks a little repetitive, but overall I really felt the heat and violence of the revolution.

The third act of the novel was particularly well written. Séverine’s struggle to understand her younger self, her relationship with Bruno and her daughter’s life was such a clever addition to this story. Farr could have ended the book with her escape to America, but by providing the reader with a glimpse into the life she built for herself, we were able to truly understand who she was despite her explosive teenage summer. A stand out, impressive and sizzling story.