Suzy, Led Zeppelin and Me - Softcover

Martin Millar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 109123292X ISBN 13: 9781091232921

Publisher: Independently Published, 2019

Synopsis

In Glasgow in 1972 Led Zeppelin were coming to play. From the moment the gig was announced, nothing seemed quite the same. Events may have proceeded as normal for a gig in Glasgow, as young fans, many still at school, queued in the freezing cold overnight for tickets. They played led Zeppelin records and talked about the gig. They wondered if they had anything good to wear (they hadn't) and wondered if they might have enough nerve to ask out the girl they had a crush on (they didn't). When the band finally arrived, they rushed into the venue, an old cinema, and created as much noise and mayhem as they possibly could. Afterwards they walked through the rain to catch the last bus home. But in-between these ordinary events, more things were happening. Events to change some of their lives and never to be forgotten, even if the only lesson for some was that while love might break your heart, Led Zeppelin would never let you down.

About this title

Review

From Booklist
World Fantasy Award winner Millar takes a break from sf with this funny look at teenage angst in 1972 Glasgow. Reading, at times, like an autobiographical account, the novel has two narrative strands, one following 14-year-old Martin, who is painfully self-conscious bordering on self-loathing; the other strand follows the adult Martin, who proves himself a stalwart friend to depressed single mother Manx and looks back at his awkward teenage years with a good deal of tenderness. Fourteen-year-old Martin is a Led Zeppelin fanatic who turns to the band to escape the pressures of school and his crush on Suzy, who, by virtue of her waist-length blond hair and trendy afghan coat, is going out with the coolest kid at school. Then, much to the teens' amazement, Led Zeppelin announces their concert tour will pass through Glasgow. That pivotal evening not only shakes up the teens' social dynamics but also provides Martin with the most satisfying two hours of his young life. Millar's self-deprecating humor and wild enthusiasm for the music of his youth deepen the pull of this bittersweet read. --Joanne Wilkinson

From Publishers Weekly
Millar (Lonely Werewolf Girl; The Good Fairies of New York) is laconic as ever in this loving tribute to disaffection and the hopefulness of youth. It's 1972, and for 15-year-old Martin Millar, who narrates, it's a time of hazy ambivalence and chronic dissatisfaction. Millar and his best friend, Greg, vie for the attention of Suzy (though she has a boyfriend) and play make-believe games in which they are masters of the Fabulous Dragon Army of Gothar. The defining event of their young lives, a Led Zeppelin concert in Glasgow, is, of course, awesome, but after the postshow glow dims, Millar's personal life takes a few harsh blows. The author's prose is deliberately oversimplified (I know you have a short attention span, he explains), and while the result effectively portrays his resigned melancholy, the reader is often left in want of deeper self-reflection. Still, the character's passionate nostalgia for his one encounter with the best band in the world is an endearing reminder that fleeting happiness is better than none at all. (Sept.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Independently Published
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 109123292X
• ISBN 13: 9781091232921
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 164