PUBLISHERS BLURB
Chicago 1980. Li-an Donohue’s luck changes the instant she meets a mysterious Italian businessman, he offers her a job in Macau on the spot. From a drab Chicago winter to swimming pools, Semillon Blanc and lobster. It seems perfect. But easy livin’ is harder than she thought. She’s homesick. And beginning to think it might not be all it seems.
MY REVIEW
“At 23, I was too old to be naive and too young to be retired to a grey-haired playground “
Initially set in Chicago, 1980 and Li-an is a hustler, she drugs men so her friend, Dallas can empty their pockets….
But then one night she meets Paolo, who, after hearing her play the piano, offers her a job in Macau..after a few too many drinks, she agrees. Li-an is whisked off and lives in own villa on Paolo’s estate but she’s bored, lonely and homesick…she ends up meeting Ben, a musician and they plot a robbery…..what could go wrong?
Well….pretty much everything and more escapades rush past in a heady mix of 80’s music, pop culture and many drugs and dubious people…
Ivy Ngeow herself is a musician and there are many music references which are fun to pick out. ( I’ve seen her piano playing video’s on Twitter ).
Heart of Glass by Ivy Ngeow is a wonder of language…it’s fast, staccato sentences from Li-an’s perspective, her internal thoughts feel real….how our thoughts jump, our emotions, those thoughts we keep to ourselves…..this is such a unique piece of writing and I can’t get it out of my head …..one of my favourites for 2019 and is going to be a must read !
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour and for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
You can buy a copy here
Amazon UK
Amazon USA
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ivy Ngeow was born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. A graduate of the Middlesex University Writing MA programme, Ivy won the 2005 Middlesex University Literary Prize out of almost 1500 entrants worldwide. She has written non-fiction for Marie Claire, The Star, The New Straits Times, South London Society of Architects’ Newsletter and Wimbledon magazine. Her fiction has appeared in Silverfish New Writing anthologies twice, The New Writer and on the BBC World Service. Most recently, her story was published by Fixi Novo in an anthology.
Ivy won first prize in the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition 1994, first prize in the Barnes and Noble Career Essay Writing competition 1998 and was shortlisted for the David T K Wong Fellowship 1998 and the Ian St James Award 1999.
Ivy has been a highly-accomplished multi-instrumental musician since childhood and won fifth prize (out of 850 entrants) in the 2006 1-MIC (Music Industry Charts) UK Award for her original song – Celebrity, when she formed her own band, Satsuma (2005-07). Her songs are funky, modern and eclectic, with strong urban grooves and lyrics. Satsuma has played headlining gigs at top London venues such as: The Marquee Club, The Troubadour Club, The Water Rats, The Betsey Trotwood, Plan B and Clockwork.
Website : http://www.writengeow.com/
Twitter: @ivyngeow
Author page on Facebook
Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Unbound Digital (30 Jun. 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1911586645
• ISBN-13: 978-1911586647
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