Music Love Drugs War

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Geraldine Quigley: Music Love Drugs War (2020, Penguin Books, Limited)

288 pages

English language

Published Feb. 8, 2020 by Penguin Books, Limited.

ISBN:
978-0-241-98449-9
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4 stars (1 review)

3 editions

Vivid and thought-provoking

4 stars

For anyone unconvinced of the need to Not build a new hard border between Northern Ireland and Eire, I think Music Love Drugs War should be required reading over the next few weeks. Set in early 1980s Derry, Quigley's novel is essentially the story of how a group of teenagers deal with the usual angst of leaving school and entering into adulthood. The story mostly follows the boys of the group as the girls' options - other than potential university student Liz - are already restricted by social customs and expectations. For the boys however there are the competing appeals of signing on, taking a drudge job, or maybe leaving the country in search of a real opportunity. There is also the shadier course of joining the IRA and discovering a cause worth dying for.

I loved Quigley's portrayal of daily life in 1980s Northern Ireland. Much of the mundane …

Subjects

  • English literature