Exciting Times: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2021
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By Naoise Dolan
avg rating
3 reviews
‘The book of the summer … Kept me rapt until the final page’ THE TIMES
‘A sharp, smart, witty modern love story. I loved it’ David Nicholls, author of ONE DAY
‘More than lives up to the hype … Likely to fill the Sally-Rooney-shaped hole in many readers’ lives’ IRISH TIMES
‘Droll, shrewd and unafraid – a winning debut’ Hilary Mantel, author of WOLF HALL
’I’ve been pushing Exciting Times on everyone I know. Some of Dolan’s pithy observations of her characters are the best I’ve read since Edward St Aubyn’ OBSERVER
‘A frankly sensational book’ Pandora Sykes on THE HIGH LOW
‘In the tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron … I found myself purring with pleasure. …This is comic writing at the highest level’ Craig Brown, DAILY MAIL
When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents’ money, it’s called a gap year. When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money, she’s not sure what to call it, but it involves:
- a badly-paid job in Hong Kong, teaching English grammar to rich children;
- Julian, who likes to spend money on Ava and lets her move into his guest room;
- Edith, who Ava meets while Julian is out of town and actually listens to her when she talks;
- money, love, cynicism, unspoken feelings and unlikely connections.
Exciting times ensue.
TweetReviews
Loved this one! Funny, sad, sharp, tender, caustic, cynical, raw, insightful and very entertaining. A well written, easy to read rom-com with a difference. There are some unfortunate stereotypes in there but it's still an enjoyable romp of a novel.
Exciting Times follows Ava, an Irish girl who takes herself off to Hong Kong after finishing her studies, possibly seeking adventures or possibly just trying to escape. As she lives there and teaches English as a foreign language to local children, she learns lessons in grammar, love, languages and relationships. There are contrasts between privileged Julian, who enjoys Ava's company but does not want to commit to a relationship, and Edith, with whom Ava develops a growing friendship whilst Julian is working abroad.
The story is narrated by Ava with a wry humour, exploring the differences between people, classes and cultures and working out what is most important to her, contrasting her Irish roots and working out what future she will choose for herself, as the months past we anticipate her decisions with eagerness, and learn a few things about grammar along the way.
Exciting Times – a review by MarjorieL of St Barbara’s Book Group
Being old enough to be the grandmother of Ava, the main character, I felt her morality was alien to me. I enjoyed the ups and downs of her gap year, though at 23 years old she seemed at once immature and sexually sophisticated. Julian and Edith, bent on their careers, were well-defined characters. Having visited Hong Kong, the description of places and lifestyle range true. Ava’s experiences as a TEFL teacher were full of humour.
