Windows 96
by Cal Holmes
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date 22 Nov 2018 | Archive Date 10 Apr 2019
Troubador Publishing Limited | Matador
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Description
Empty days are soon filled with knocking on doors, the nights spent drinking in seedy pubs with his boss and the sales team as he gets to know their secrets.
He needs to leave the tangle of his new existence before his sun-drenched dreams are out of reach, but crime, family, pending sales, and unexpected love, make it harder than he thought…
A classic coming of age tale in the cheap but flashy world of double glazing, Windows 96 is an amusing, yet insightful look into not only the character’s lives, but human nature. Readers who miss the buzzing vibe of the nineties, as well as those who enjoy well-written character-driven stories, will follow Alex on his road of good intentions until the final page.
A Note From the Publisher
Cal Holmes lives in the Yorkshire countryside. Writing has only ever been a hobby. A brief stint as a double glazing canvasser in the nineties inspired Windows 96.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781789012620 |
| PRICE | US$5.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 200 |
Featured Reviews
Julie P, Reviewer
Two of the best things about this book are:
1. the timing which is set in the nineties and which also means that the characters' lives are NORMAL and half of a YA story need not be devoted to him checking or not checking his social media etc.
2. it really reads like something that's been written by a teenager. His thoughts are often jumbled, feelings jump from exaggerated rage/confusion to mellow I-don't-give-a-shit.
This was a fast page-turner mainly because of those two aspects. But also I felt like I couldn't put it down because of its fragility, the authentic teenage spirit that flickers like a precious candlelight all the way through it. At times I thought he might blow up into a real fire, and at other times I felt like crying seeing how easy it actually is (at least in theory) to put out that fire within someone when you're so young and know so little about life.
And nobody who's reading any YA book can leap into the pages to tell the main protagonist that he will grow up, that life will get better once he is older and wiser. And really, nobody can know that for sure even in real life.
This book was both serious and eye-opening, and also wildly entertaining.
Sophie G, Reviewer
A mostly character-driven coming-of-age story that takes place in the 90's; Holmes' prose is flowing, whilst both the plot and the time period in which it unfolds bring forth the element of nostalgia.
Alexina V, Educator
I couldn't really get into this one, though I tried really hard. It is a solid character study and I like the protagonist, Alex, but I couldn't connect with him.
Also some parts of the plot confused me but it might be because it was hard for me to remain interested so my mind wandered.
Julie O, Reviewer
Growing up in the 1990's myself, I did experience a sense of nostalgia as I read this title. Some of my child-hood memories came flooding back.
I disliked the protagonist and found the character progression rather slow and un-moving.
I liked the writing style, very easy to read and to settle into, the pacing definitely helped with that.
A good read!
