Published: Oct. 22, 2011
Words: 87,101 (approximate)
Language: British English
ISBN: 9781466071346

Short description

Highly-sensitive teen Nicola James is depressed. Growing up with a gambling addicted, alcoholic dad and having had endured constant bullying at school does that to people. And now her parents are divorced, and Nicola, her mum and younger brother have moved to a new home. If that wasn't enough, Nicola has just left the hell that was school and walked straight into the most miserable job ever.

Extended description

Highly-sensitive teen Nicola James is depressed. Growing up with a gambling addicted, alcoholic dad and having had endured constant bullying at school does that to people. And now her parents are divorced, and she, her mum and younger brother have moved to a new home. If that wasn't enough, Nicola has just left the hell that was school and walked straight into the most miserable job ever.

But Nicola has dreams. Big dreams. She wants to be a singer. A pop star. Only then will she truly be happy.

Enter Joe, her new neighbour. He plays in a band. Nicola is amazed at how quickly everything falls into place. She now has a boyfriend and sings in a band. And her dream has come true.

However, fame only leads to more emotional trauma and Nicola, now on the road to self-destruction, finds herself tortured by the same inner demons as her father.

Who will catch Nicola when she falls?

Set against the backdrop of the 1980s music scene, Age of Dreams is a gripping story of fame, addiction an.. (Read more) Highly-sensitive teen Nicola James is depressed. Growing up with a gambling addicted, alcoholic dad and having had endured constant bullying at school does that to people. And now her parents are divorced, and she, her mum and younger brother have moved to a new home. If that wasn't enough, Nicola has just left the hell that was school and walked straight into the most miserable job ever.

But Nicola has dreams. Big dreams. She wants to be a singer. A pop star. Only then will she truly be happy.

Enter Joe, her new neighbour. He plays in a band. Nicola is amazed at how quickly everything falls into place. She now has a boyfriend and sings in a band. And her dream has come true.

However, fame only leads to more emotional trauma and Nicola, now on the road to self-destruction, finds herself tortured by the same inner demons as her father.

Who will catch Nicola when she falls?

Set against the backdrop of the 1980s music scene, Age of Dreams is a gripping story of fame, addiction and love.
(Less)

Tags

coming of age, relationships, 80s, 1980s, social issues, 80s music, singing, fame, 1980s pop culture, relationships and families, emotional attachments, alcoholism and recovery

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Videos

Book Trailer Age of Dreams
A gripping of age drama of fame, addiction and love, which takes the reader on an unexpected and deeply absorbing journey.

Reviews

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Review by: Kelly Hitchcock on July 11, 2012 :
Age of Dreams chronicles the life of rising and falling star Nicola James, a depressive singer who's so wrapped in her own trauma she lets it drive to her to make one bad decision after another, but life finally works out for her in the end. Joe was my favorite character; he never gave up on anyone (especially Nicola) even after she hurts him repeatedly. The book goes from one year to the next, over the span of about 20 years. I enjoyed the 80s the most - all the silly fashion and music references made me smile, but Symeou balances it with the darker side of drug and alcohol abuse. Nicola has all kinds of complicated relationships over those 20 years: with the band, with her family, and with her romantic interests (who never quite seem to measure up to her first love).

It's a fast-paced story that covers a lot of ground and has some flashes of literary brilliance. My only criticism is that I had a hard time connecting and empathizing with the main character, but there were plenty of others that made up for it. It's definitely worth checking out.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Kelly Hitchcock on July 11, 2012 :
Age of Dreams chronicles the life of rising and falling star Nicola James, a depressive singer who's so wrapped in her own trauma she lets it drive to her to make one bad decision after another, but life finally works out for her in the end. Joe was my favorite character; he never gave up on anyone (especially Nicola) even after she hurts him repeatedly. The book goes from one year to the next, over the span of about 20 years. I enjoyed the 80s the most - all the silly fashion and music references made me smile, but Symeou balances it with the darker side of drug and alcohol abuse. Nicola has all kinds of complicated relationships over those 20 years: with the band, with her family, and with her romantic interests (who never quite seem to measure up to her first love).

It's a fast-paced story that covers a lot of ground and has some flashes of literary brilliance. My only criticism is that I had a hard time connecting and empathizing with the main character, but there were plenty of others that made up for it. It's definitely worth checking out.

Kelly I. Hitchcock
Author of The Redheaded Stepchild
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Tiffany Fulton on Dec. 17, 2011 :
If my book Idol Siren is a peek into the sunshine of a soon-to-be starlet in the making, then Age of Dreams is a movie about the dark side of fame. (^_^) It's a fast paced novel about a girl named Nicola James who is an aspiring singer-songwriter. We go on a wild ride as she quickly soaks up fame that presents her with challenges like addiction and love, and her past merges with her present self very obviously in this book. Her band is really cool.
(review of free book)

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