Released in the UK in May, I believe. I'm definitely going to look out for it too!

I have read a prerelease copy of this, and really enjoyed it. It is nothing like Cloud Atlas (which I thought one of the best books I have read) but nonetheless a good read. I gather it is semi-autobiographical, and certainly some of the difficulties the narrator has are so clearly defined that it is easy to believe Mitchell has personal experience of them.

wood, thanks for that. But we have to wait till May? Ah well, guess I better clear off that TBR shelf.

I like authors who have many different styles. Richard Powers is a good example. Goldbug Variations has little in common wiht Time of our Singing, and the new one thats coming out this summer (title escapes me) looks to be totally different as well.

Just read Black Swan Green, and enjoyed it tremendously. It was epic, LOL! He does such great voices! And sadly, now it's over.

Very much looking forward to his next book, which is a historical novel: And his next novel, he said, has a connection with the Netherlands: "Six novellas in linear sequence, each with 18 short chapters. The odd-numbered chapters are told by Europeans, the even-numbered by Japanese. Set from the mid-1790s to 1817."

I really want to read this, but still have not been able to find it anywhere.

Mmm, know its on Amazon and have seen it in Borders.

We read that book for a online discussion this month. Not really much to discuss - very very different from CA (which I loved). But I loved this one. Its a coming of age novel. I was hooked from the beginning, because the young man sounds like me in many ways at that age. Anyway, definitely a recommended read.

Netherlands and English I get, English and Japanese I get, but Japanese and Netherlands? Ok, something tells me this is going to be very good.

I had really been looking forward to this one and am taking it back to the library, unread. I wonder how many Americans will be put off by the "slang", as was I, after only a few pages. A lot of it was just plain incomprehensible and I did not have the patience to persist.

On the other hand, I can think of 2 other marvelous memoirs from UK writers which were quite accessible to Americans and emminently readable: e.g. Laurie Lee's "Cider With Rosie" and Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes."

I'm Canadian (French-Canadian, even) and I did not find the slang off-putting, I don't even remember having difficulty with it. I've certainly seen worse! (eg Roddy Doyle, Faulkner). Even Huck Finn, I had to read aloud in the beginning to be able to understand but eventually it became clear as day.

I just saw it as teenspeak, and once you got to understand his favourite expressions, it just flowed right along. But perhaps Americans are used to things made easy for them? I know the American version of Harry Potter uses the American words instead of the British one (eg sweater for jumper, eraser for rubber, etc.), but the Canadian version follows the British one. For Bridget Jones' The Edge of Reason, I was chagrined that the Canadian editor decided to follow the American edition because there were entire sections that were cut, and words like stone were changed to pounds etc, and that took a lot of local flavour out of the book.

I have to admit that I'm puzzled by your criticism, woodnymph. I just had another look at the first few pages, and there seems to be very little slang. Perhaps it just seems like normal English because I'm used to it?

It must be frustrating and annoying for you, having looked forward to this for so long. I loved the book, and I do urge you to try it again. I'm happy to offer my translation services if required!

I listened to Black Swan Green on audio CD and I highly recommend it. The "slang" flows from the reader's lips and makes the narrative all the more enjoyable. I was sad when it ended.

IÂm in the U.S. and had very little trouble with the British expressions used in the book. You could pretty much figure out what was meant by the context, in most instances at least. On the other hand, it can be frustrating trying to read something and not understand the meaning of the expressions used. There is no easy way to look them up either, except searching the internet -- not my favorite way to read a book. Maybe for the books sold in countries outside Britain they could have included a list of the terminology used and the precise meaning of the expression? IÂd much rather they do that than change the wording.

Overall I enjoyed the book a lot, but I didnÂt get the purpose of the old lady teaching him poetry. It went nowhere, and the storyline ended abruptly. Can someone explain what I apparently missed?

Dorieann - have you read Cloud Atlas? I'm assuming not. If you did, you'd find out at least one reason why David Mitchell introduced the character of the old lady. (And in any case, Cloud Atlas is well worth reading...)

But apart from that, I think it's just an attempt to give the hero of our story (whose name temporarily escapes me!) a reason to keep on writing, and not give up. (If it needs any justification - it's just something that happened that year...)

woodnymph, I had no trouble with the slang. Much better than some other books. Anything I didn't get right away, I figured out in context. But I do know what its like to be put off by something that seems not understandable, so I empathize!

>I know the American version of Harry Potter uses the American words instead of the British one (eg sweater for jumper, eraser for rubber, etc.),

This drove me crazy. I was reading books from England as a kid and I learned what the slang meant - I didn't need it dumbing down to me. The author even had to change the title of The Philospher's Stone because most Americans have no idea what that is. Tho I have to admit, using eraser in place of rubber is probably a good choice.... :)

>but I didnÂt get the purpose of the old lady teaching him poetry

Hee, I wondered what the reaction to her would be by folks who hadn't read Cloud Atlas. I thought it a great connection, and it makes sense. But if you haven't read it, it does seem like some strange add on that appears and disappears. Wonder why he did that with such little explanation.

Thanks for the explanation, Martin and Cindy. That bit makes more sense now. You're correct, I haven't read Cloud Atlas. I think Mitchell could have woven that character more seamlessly into this storyline.

I agree with you. Makes me wonder if he did similar stunts in Cloud Atlas, put in bits from previous books

BTW, your use of 'slang' for word differences between English speaking countries got me to thinking. Is that the right word? I always think of slang pet names for words in a regional sense: hoagie for sub, malted for milkshake, booze for alcohol etc. Wondering dialect or idiom would be correct. Any idea? (tho I think dialect is difference in the sound of words. I can handle English language differences, but if a book has too much dialect, I can't read it. Mark Twain and a few others excepted)

Cindy, I myself wondered whether to use term slang or dialect. Perhaps teen-age "Britishisms" would be clearer. I'm just one reader who finds over-usage of idiom distracting to the extreme. I recall trying to re-read a favorite Mary Webb novel, "Precious Bane", after a long hiatus and just got totally put off. Equally, I find I have the same problem with some of Mark Twain's work. I think there should be a "happy medium" -- attempts to capture regional flavor without the reader feeling lost in a "foreign" tongue.

Actually, I was asking that question elseforum. One gal suggested to me that it wasn't just Britishims - there really was a lot of actual slang being used, and its one of the reasons she didn't care for it. So...you may be on the right track.

Dialect, when its done right and in small doses, is ok for me - and Twain seems to be the happy medium for me. But others - oh I can't think of the name of the book now that everyone was gaga over a few years back. It so was filled with dialect (thinking it took place in Scotland) that I tossed it aside after a few pages.

What bothers me more tho is foriegn phrases in a book, when its not translated or easily picked up in context. For a while it seemed like every author had to include some Latin or French to the point that the book would not be understood. Now I notice lots of Spanish - which for me is not a problem - but I still think there's nothing wrong with adding an asterick and a comment below with the translation, even if it can be figured out in context. Not doing so shows a certain arrogance on the part of the author, as well as not caring about the reader.

Cindy, I read a book once that ended with a short paragraph in French, which I don't speak. I was so aggravated and never did know how the story actually ended. It's been so long ago that I don't even remember what the book was, but I do remember the frustration.

I think you're referring to Trainspotting by Irving Welsh, aren't you, Cindy. I found it hard going, I must admit, and didn't finish it.

But I really didn't think there was a lot of slang in Black Swan Green, though as I said before, it may be that I'm a Brit. But nothing made me hesitate in the slightest.

Actually, that's not quite true - the protagonist used "gay" as a mild insult - "my mates would think writing poetry was a bit gay" which I think wasn't used in quite that way until the nineties. But that's really only an anachronism - even if I'm right.

I'm curious to know what in particular caused trouble? Or was it just the sheer amount of it?

PS elseforum - love it!