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Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me by Martin Millar — book cover

Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me

by Martin Millar
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Overview

Glasgow, 1972. All the coolest kids in town are lining up for Led Zeppelin tickets. Overhead, a Zeppelin approaches. Its passengers—Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Hank Williams—think it’s worth leaving heaven to see the greatest rock band in the world. Even the fairies are fans. Meanwhile, nerdy Martin and his equally nerdy best friend Greg have overactive imaginations. When they aren’t fighting the monstrous hordes of Xotha, they are competing for the attentions of a popular (read: unattainable) girl named Suzy. She’s not likely to ditch Zed, the hippest boy in the school, for the likes of them, is she? Then again, with Led Zeppelin on the way, it feels like anything can happen. Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me takes readers on a ride through Martin’s angsty and fumbling youth, when Led Zeppelin comes to Glasgow and rocks Martin’s world, and through his angstridden and fumbling adult years, when he learns what can’t be denied: love may break your heart, but Led Zeppelin will never let you down.

Synopsis

Glasgow, 1972. All the coolest kids in town are lining up for Led Zeppelin tickets. Overhead, a Zeppelin approaches. Its passengers—Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Hank Williams—think it’s worth leaving heaven to see the greatest rock band in the world. Even the fairies are fans. Meanwhile, nerdy Martin and his equally nerdy best friend Greg have overactive imaginations. When they aren’t fighting the monstrous hordes of Xotha, they are competing for the attentions of a popular (read: unattainable) girl named Suzy. She’s not likely to ditch Zed, the hippest boy in the school, for the likes of them, is she? Then again, with Led Zeppelin on the way, it feels like anything can happen. Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me takes readers on a ride through Martin’s angsty and fumbling youth, when Led Zeppelin comes to Glasgow and rocks Martin’s world, and through his angstridden and fumbling adult years, when he learns what can’t be denied: love may break your heart, but Led Zeppelin will never let you down.

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.

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Editorials

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.

Book Details

Published
September 1, 2008
Publisher
Soft Skull Press, Inc.
Pages
224
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781593762001

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