To Be Someone

This is an impressive debut from Louise Voss and will appeal to all those thirtysomethings who love music and who still remember well the agonies of growing up.The novel is cleverly constructed, the characters are well drawn and there are some great jokes. This is a moving evocation of the struggles of coming of age and achieving self-acceptance; it contains many poignant moments that chime powerfully with this reader's own experiences. To Be Someone will get you humming along. Enjoy it; I did.

I have just finished reading this book today,actually some hour a go.This book really inspired me!The friendship between Helene and Sam is really something special,and when Sam was in the hospital, I could actually feel her pain, as well as Helene's.It's a great idea ,linking story with the music, beacuse we are all do have song's that reminds us on something.I like the last few pages the most,and it ends in the most beautifull way.It's a great book ,very emotional and I think I will always remember it.

Wow, I was wondering if perhaps PW read a different book? Everything they mentioned as being bad I thought was GOOD. The characters were wonderfully drawn, the plot was clever and well-played out, and the flashbacks were the best parts of the story - not at ALL tiresome!As a regular reader of "Brit-Chick-Lit", I say this goes far above a lot of other books I've read in that genre and I really really liked it. Can't wait to see what this author writes next. Bottom line: If you like Brit Fic or the 80's, this IS the book for you.

I picked this up because, I hoped, it would unite the things I love most: music and reading. I wasn't disappointed. Louise Voss writes wonderfully. The prose flows and keeps you wanting to turn the page, and she moves between the present and past fluidly. The music stuff is great fun (I loved the way she linked music and memory; using songs to create a soundtrack to someone's life) but at the heart of the book is the story of the friendship between two women. I confess - it made me blub. It also made me laugh, and dig out loads of records I haven't heard in years. A cool, entertaining, moving book. What more can you ask for?

I was very impressed with this debut novel. I really didn't want to read another "Bridget Jones" style book and this was NOTHING like that. It's truly a beautiful and very funny story about friendship and growing up in spite of yourself. I strongly recommend it.