I liked this one a lot, actually. There is no plot, so if you go looking for one you will be deeply disappointed. But it is never dull and Manda is a marvelous character. I was sorry to turn the last page. ( )

The Stars in the Bright Sky revisits the group of girls from Alan Warner's The Sopranos, now in their early 20s, as they meet at Gatwick Airport to book a last-minute holiday. Some are still living in the Port – Manda, who now has a baby son, is managing a hairdressers, Chell is working in the Tourist Information Office and Kylah, who has a beautiful voice and ‘could have been in Hear’Say’ as Manda points out, is working in Woolworths. Finn and Kay have both left the Port and are now students – Kay is in London, training to be an architect, while Finn is studying philosophy in Edinburgh – and the girls are joined by Finn’s glamorous and mysterious university friend, Ava. So the novel dramatises the culture clash between those who’ve left their childhood home, are middle-class and more educated, and those who have stayed in the Port, although in the end it doesn’t seem to have a massive impact on their relationships.

As in The Sopranos, the book’s dialogue is really funny and it’s difficult to believe it’s not just a transcript of real conversations. The dialogue forms a large part of the novel, and it’s strange how interesting a book mainly consisting of drunken ramblings in pubs or hotels can be. Each girl’s relationships with the others is revealed, especially through the moments of understanding and honesty between individuals that occur when they break away from the group for a while.

The group as a whole is dominated by Manda, who is a terrible, overbearing character and has to be in control and the centre of attention at all times. It’s very realistic the way the other girls are terrified of disagreeing with Manda, but then complain about her among themselves and are constantly trying to work out how to deal with her, although they do have a certain amount of affection or tolerance for her. Manda is a great comic and grotesque creation, as reading one of her over-excited rants will show.

Quite a large proportion of the book takes place in Gatwick Airport and I found the idea of setting a novel in an airport interesting. It’s a place people perhaps don’t give much significance in their minds, as it’s usually just a stopping point on the way to the real destination. The way the book focuses on this transitional experience is unusual, in that it’s bringing something neglected to the foreground. Leaving characters stranded at the airport also prolongs an experience that should only be temporary so that it becomes a repetitive nightmare. It’s scary to think that it’s an inbetween place where you can fall through the cracks and no one would really notice.

The physical appearance of the airport also makes it an intriguing setting. Alan Warner describes it in a way that creates a kind of poetry out of these intimidatingly huge, impersonal and space-age places. The book shows that the airport is created by an extreme mixture of capitalism and technology. It’s bland – in that you’d find those same chain shops and business hotels anywhere in the country – but also awe-inspiring, as it’s so vast. It’s a luxurious place, in a way, as almost every food, drink or shopping desire you may have can be catered for, if you can afford it, but this whole strange city is ephemeral and has no history – it’s been created in a hurry to meet the needs of travellers, has been set down in the landscape and could just as easily be dismantled and removed. I liked the way this novel makes the airport expand into a complete world so you feel as if you know it all too well by the time you finish the book. [2011] ( )

I liked this one a lot, actually. There is no plot, so if you go looking for one you will be deeply disappointed. But it is never dull and Manda is a marvelous character. I was sorry to turn the last page. ( )

I'd not read Warner's previous book 'The Sopranos' so this group of young women off for a last minute holiday were new to me and hit me with the force of a tsunami. All but one of the girls had been at school together in a small Scottish town where three of them still live. Two of the girls are at university and one of them has brought her uni flatmate with her for the trip. Due to a missing passport they have to miss their cheap flight to Spain, and as a result spend a whole weekend in and around Gatwick Airport. There they get on with drinking, eating fast food, playing in the amusement arcade, smoking and indulging in high-jinks. The irrepressible Manda is the loud-mouthed, ignorant opinionated focal member of the group , you both love her and loathe her; however Warner has not let her be completely dominant and you get to know all the girls, who they are and how they see each other. Ava, the English outsider, seems to be fitting in, but is selfish enough to behave in a way that almost drives a wedge between the others. The false celebrity culture that is shown on reality TV shows, expensive branded clothing and bling are the norm for these girls, binge drinking and ladette language and behaviour and a relaxed attitude to casual sex seem to be their way of life. Warner holds up a mirror to one strand of British society , and the reflection isn't very attractive. Having said that, he has captured the characters so well that you feel you have met each one, and know their strengths and weaknesses,
and I found a feeling of empathy with the group. He obviously knows how young women like this talk and the language is very very ripe - as one of the girls says, 'don't scum me out'...he also has a wicked way with description - Manda's baby boy 'Wee Sean' is a 'turnip with an earring'.
Finally the girls get organised and check in for a cheapo trip to Las Vegas, what could possibly go wrong? ( )