First Fruits

by Penelope Evans

Book Overview

Lord of the Flies stands as the classic treatment of the cruelty that children can inflict upon one another, but William Golding and his sadistic tribe of stranded English schoolboys probably seem... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1569471886
• ISBN13: 9781569471883
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Soho Crime
• Length: 262 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.3" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

A Chilling Story

My review doesn't ruin anything for the potential reader: At first glance, the protagonist's (Kate) life seems perfect and the reader assumes her gripes are the usual teenage angst. As you read on you discover the subtle creepy undertone becomes more and more ominous and real. Being the constant center of attention isn't all it's cracked up to be - as Kate shows us. Her fundamentalist preacher father and bitter grandmother are the mak'ins of one scary a** family. Kate's grandmother is especially chilling once you discover what is REALLY going on. The fact that this novelist does not resort to a tabloid description but rather, uses subtle hints and slow reveal of the true nature of this family made it all the more frightening for me. There are so many layers and issues to this story which makes it a true work of art - I consider it a modern masterpiece. The whole novel is a mystery - the circumstances leading to Kate's crippled leg, the mother's disappearance and so on......Nothing is as it appears to be which includes Kate herself. The issues of religion, being a "good mother" or person for that matter, sex, concept of beauty, being part of the "in" crowd, self-confidence, manipulation, and love are all touched in this story. The end was a little too pat for me but didn't ruin the overall beauty of the storytelling. This work made me want to read everything else written by this author. No heavy handed writing or fad sensationalism here, just a pure gem regarding a heavy and disturbing subject.

It chills your blood!

Penelope Evans is one of the most original writers I have ever encountered. Her novels are weird and thought provoking. Having read The Last Girl and Freezing, her previous efforts, I couldn't have expected anything different from Fresh Fruits. Like the previous novels, the main character in this book, this time a girl, unlike her previous efforts, is evil. The author takes us on a journey inside the quirky mind of this young girl and the torture she inflicts on others and herself. The writing has the same unique language that the previous novels had -- a language that is far more vivid than one could hope for. I recommend this chilling and original novel from a very talented British writer.

One of the Best Read in 2000

Fourteen-year-old Kate Carr lived with her father and grandmother. Her mother, we were told, had left when she was too young to remember. As Kate saw it, she was a lucky girl, with her father giving her every attention she needed, and classmates fighting to be her friends. Yet, we the readers have a nagging suspicion that Kate¡¦s world was far from perfect. It was a gripping ride for the readers as we follow Kate¡¦s complex thoughts all the way till the truth was revealed.This is one of the most satisfying read of the year 2000. As in her previous two books (The Last Girl and Freezing), the author lets the readers see the story through her character¡¦s eyes. The unique thing about this is that the characters are always far from perfect and are prone to complex thoughts. The readers are often left in the dark as to what is the truth behind these thoughts which make her books thrilling to read.

As moving as it is creepy

A chilling, haunting, plaintive story of psychological suspense, Penelope Evans' "First Fruits" explores the claustrophobic world of a disturbed Edinburgh teen, spiraling us downward into her internal storm of self-deception, powerlessness and abuse.Kate Carr, the narrator, vows she couldn't be happier. Though her mother is mysteriously absent, she is the one and only daughter of the exceptional Keith Carr, the most mesmerizing preacher in Scotland, the man with "It." "And I'm his daughter, the luckiest girl alive." Kate has "It," too, she tells us, the power to see what people want and manipulate them to her will.The novel opens as a new girl arrives at school and Kate sets out to maneuver Lydia into her orbit. Playing one friend off against another, sneering at them all, Kate works hard at her dark persona. But there are cracks; things she hides within herself, such as her missing mother, her badly burned leg, a frightening recurrent dream, her longing for the love of a mother like Lydia's. Even the disturbing stare of a classmate, large, moony Moira, rattles her hard-won self-possession. But Kate shores herself up with her mantra - special, lucky, happy, brushing off doubts: "Every family has to have rules."But then something changes. Lydia meets Kate's father and Kate suddenly wonders what would happen if he had someone to focus on besides her. Being perfect, she admits, is difficult and no one knows the corrections her failures are subject to. In the presence of her father she freezes at a slip of the tongue, a frown from him, an innocent transgression by one of her friends.As Lydia falls under the influence of Kate's charismatic father, twinges of regret mar the fruition of Kate's plans. Lydia, innocent of "It," has no idea what's in store. Ignored by her own idolized father, she's in thrall to the charms of Kate's. Almost, for the sake of Lydia's under-appreciated mother, Kate hopes for Lydia's rescue. Almost.Evans ("The Last Girl," "Freezing") creates a nuanced, sympathetic character, a young girl wrestling with her helplessness, longing for the approval of the only parent she knows, burying her fears under a hard-shelled exterior. The father is a demonic presence but no less real for that. The prose is simple and effective, creating a story as moving and hopeful as it is creepy.

First Fruits by Penelope Evans

Kate Carr at 14 lives in Scotland with her father, a preacher of the old puritan school. She is a lucky girl, the center of attention. We hope our own children can be like her. Not much scope for a good read here.... Not so.Penelope Evans brilliantly recreates parallels with our own school day memories. Schools are the same the world over. There are people we recognize and perhaps still know. But no one will comfortably admit to being at this school.Children can be manipulative and deceitful. Evans does not take the easy option of brutish teenage behaviour. Small pleasant acts can have great significance.Why is Kate thinking and behaving like this? Somewhere there is a story of a lost past which is tantalizingly close to the surface. It comes with such power the reader is left stunned.