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Set against the backdrop of 1984's miners' strike and moving between Cardiff, London and Machester, Dawson's bold and witty queer coming-of-age finds Eluned's life completely altered when artist and activist June arrives in her village with the fundraising group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners.
Eluned Hughes is stuck. It's 1984 in a valley in south Wales: the miners' strike is ravaging her community; her sister's swanned off with a Thatcherite policeman; and her boyfriend Lloyd keeps bringing up marriage. And if they play '99 Red Balloons' on the radio one more time, she might just lose her mind.
Then the fundraising group Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners comes down from London, and she meets June, a snaggle-toothed blonde in a too-big leather jacket. Suddenly, Eluned isn't stuck any more - she's in freefall.
June's an artist and an activist. With June, Eluned can imagine a completely different life for herself. But as her family struggles with the strike, and her relationship with her sister deteriorates, should she really leave it all behind?
From the Valleys to the nightclubs of Cardiff, London and Manchester, Neon Roses is a heartwarming, funny and a little bit filthy queer coming-of-age story with a cracking '80s soundtrack.
Publisher: John Murray Press
ISBN: 9781399801928
Number of pages: 304
Weight: 500 g
Dimensions: 238 x 162 x 32 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
Neon Roses is a big-hearted story about finding your feet and following your heart, set against a beautifully-realised backdrop of 1980s British life. Tender, sexy, uplifting and fun. - SARAH WATERS
A bold coming of age story that's joyfully queer, filthy and fun! Neon Roses transports the reader back to the passion and the protests of 1980s, in a voice that is fresh and proudly Welsh - CHLOE TIMMS
Pitch-perfect in its vivid immersion in an Elnett-scented, fuck-Thatcher-yelling 80s sensorium, Neon Roses is bursting with the pride and DIY fashion genius with which small-town fierce femme Eluned stitches together her queer community. A hug and a snog of a book, stick it in your pocket to flag that you're here for queer love - SO MAYER
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“Queer joy - I raced through it”
I guzzled my way through Neon Roses in just over one sitting. Although it took me a while initially to warm up to the story, as I kept noticing similarities with the film Pride (which I adore, and covers some of the... More
“Highly recommende”
I loved this story as it brought me back in time, to a specific moment when I was having a lot of fun, listen to great music, and living the moment.
It's a story of a queer coming of age but it's also the...
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“Love and Politics”
If you've seen the film "Pride" you will see instant similarities. A group, Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners, comes down from London, to Eluned's South Wales mining village during the 1984... More
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