| Title | : | Another Life (When I Was Joe, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1847803806 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781847803801 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 |
| Publication | : | First published September 1, 2012 |
Another Life (When I Was Joe, #3) Reviews
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Let me start this by telling you I’m going to be repeating what I’ve said in my reviews of When I Was Joe and Almost True. If you haven’t read this series yet, what are you waiting for?
What I love about David is her ability to keep surprising me with each book in this series. Another Life was just as thrilling and engaging as When I Was Joe while also delving deeper into some of the psychological issues which raised in Almost True. David uses dual narration in the third book, with most of the novel being told from the point of view of Ty’s cousin Archie. I admit this threw me at first; while I enjoyed Archie as a character in book two, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to completely let go of Ty. Once again, I am pleased to say David proved me wrong. As a character I found Archie was just as compelling as Ty was and equally as frustrating at times. It was actually fantastic to be able to have an outsider’s view of Ty’s situation, after two books experiencing everything with him.
I know I’ve said this in the reviews for every book in this series, but David just writes the most amazing and complex characters. These types characters are the reason my favourite genre is contemporary. Archie’s narration made the story a little lighter and I liked the way he tried to make people laugh, although not always at the most appropriate times. If this had been the depth of Archie’s character I would have been annoyed, but throughout the novel he goes through so much and really develops. And Ty. Well, once again I just wanted to give him a big hug. Although, he was so paranoid he’d probably just run away from me. The exploration and portrayal of his psychological issues was one of the most touching elements of the book. I love that David highlights every fear of every character; although, as a reader, I could see the scenarios they were imagining were unlikely I couldn’t help but fear they might be true.
The pacing of Another Life was similar to that of When I Was Joe. While I found the second book to be a very compelling read, being faced with guns and street gangs again made the third book just that little bit more thrilling. The danger of the situation was once again at the forefront of my mind and it made this captivating.
I’m quite sad to have reached the end of Ty’s story, but I was happy with the ending and am hopeful this won’t be the last we see of Ty and Archie. This series has been a wonderful journey; it’s been heartbreaking, thrilling and completely captivating. I simply can’t recommend this series enough.
This review and many more can be found at
Maree's Musings. -
You know a book is good when you end up reading it all in one session from around 10pm to 2am, Thank you for another great book.
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So,,today I was supposed to do a whole lot of work...instead,thismorning I picked up this book, and,now it almost 7pm and I have just finished it.
This whole series really is great. The writing is taut, in a way that grips you and it becomes very difficult to put down.
I'd rather not spoil the story for people who haven't read the trilogy (why not peeps, pick it up really it is great) but I have to say that David has created some characters that will stay with me for a very long time and for whom I feel greatly.
Especially Ty and Archie. They are so real and so messed up.
Ty - I couldn't help but feel very sorry for Ty; he tells the truth and gets into a heap of trouble, his mother is - in my opinion - a selfish brat and he is fighting this whole thing on his own together with growing up and go through adolescence and finding himself...
Having Archie's point of view in this last instalment was very refreshing and I loved the way he grows up in the book.
All in all these boys are very real.
I stumbled across this series by chance and I have to say it is really one of the best I have read. It is gritty and uncompromising, expertly written and with characters that feel real and you care a lot about (at least the kids, most of the adults - not so much).
Keren David -
Wow i loved this book so much and i was about to have a heart attack with the ending cause it was kind off vague and it confused me slightly thankfully i think i got it after a while and i really love the ending.
This book was amazing because i loved getting an insight into Archie's head as well as Ty as well and it was nice to learn how Ty has really grown up since the first book 'when i was joe' and i really enjoyed it cause Ty is not the scrawny little boy in the first book now he is a tall grown man and it really shows in the book brilliant writing and now i'm off to buy the book as i borrowed it from a library. -
Can't believe I've finished this trilogy, I'm going to miss reading about Ty so much! Keren David's writing is fantastic, it flows brilliantly and you just can't stop reading. The books are so tense and I never once got bored in the slightest. So many characters in this book seem to have their own, deep story, but it's never overwhelming. These books show you why people might do bad things, and it's not always the reasons you'd think, and that they're not simply a bad person. Keren David isn't afraid to tackle the touchy subjects, but she writes them in a way that's not upsetting or difficult to read. I can't express my love for this trilogy enough, absolutely amazing!!
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I wasn't sure what the author was going to do with this book as it was most from Archie's POV. And, Holy Cow, after the first couple of chapters it started gaining momentum and then some twists were added as it continued to gain more ground. A very good trilogy!
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Wow, what a journey this trilogy takes you on. Wonderful writing but a little scary too as the events in this series could be true.
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finally a fair conclusion....
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I found Archie's character hilarious but the plot was too far-fetched at times.
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Archie Stone, 14, the only son of two ridiculously busy British corporate lawyers has been sent off to one pricey school after another. This time, it’s a “faith” school: Allingham Priory. Archie has hardly begun classes, however, when the purposefully placed stash of marijuana in his dorm room gets him his much desired expulsion. He wants to make sure he can return to London in order to “be there” for his seventeen-year-old cousin, Ty Lewis. For possession of a dangerous weapon, Ty is being sent to a young offenders’ facility for six weeks. An East-End kid, Ty previously fell in with a notorious gang and witnessed the murder of kid in a park. When he informed on the killers, he was placed in a witness protection program. Now, even though the kingpins are in jail, they have eyes all over . . . including in the correctional facility that Ty (a.k.a. Luke Smith) has been sent to. Although Archie has only known his cousin slightly more than a year—a family feud had kept the two in the dark about each other for the duration of their previous lives—he is fascinated by Ty. It is this fascination, apparently, that is supposed to explain Archie's single-handedly launching his own investigation into Ty’s past, traveling from his posh Fulham Road residence to the rough Hackney neighborhood where Ty grew up. He discovers that Ty has lived quite “another life” from him. However, meeting up with some of Ty’s previous associates, Archie believes he might be able to free his cousin from the criminal elements that continue to threaten Ty and his family’s lives.
ANOTHER LIFE is Keren David’s third book in the series that began with WHEN I WAS JOE. Although I had access to the texts that preceded this third installment, I made a point of reading ANOTHER LIFE first to see how well it held up as a stand-alone. For the most part, it does fairly well. Where it does not succeed, however, is in the critical fleshing-out of Archie’s attachment to a cousin he did not know until he was thirteen years old. The book alternates between Ty’s and Archie’s points of view. Ty’s motivations—to hide his identity and keep his family safe—are always clear. However, David doesn’t do enough to make us understand why Archie, her privileged fourteen-year-old protagonist, would travel to seedier, more dangerous parts of London to investigate his cousin’s past. One of Archie’s relatives, journalist Uncle George, has been keeping a file on Ty’s case, hoping one day to write a book on the subject. Curiosity and a vague desire to answer some of the questions this file poses appear to be Archie’s (not fully convincing) motivations for visiting Ty’s old haunts—and for enrolling at the very boxing club his cousin trained at.
In the final analysis, there is enough action in ANOTHER LIFE, to keep teen readers turning the pages. There’s even a hint of romance as Archie becomes attracted to Ty’s ethereal girlfriend, Claire, when tasked by Ty with delivering a message to her. But David makes two very wrong turns in the book: for one, she has Lily, a beautiful wild, “mad pixie girl” friend of Archie’s melodramatically launch herself into accident (a sort of cautionary mini-tale for all the recreational drug use in the book); for another, she has Archie’s previously workaholic father—in far too cliché a fashion—undergo a sort of spiritual awakening in which he reconsiders his priorities and recommits to his son. Drugs and drug-taking feature fairly prominently in the book, making its purchase less suited for middle or junior high school library collections than public and high school libraries. I would go further to stipulate that only those libraries that have the earlier books in their collections should purchase this final volume.
Many thanks to the publisher, Frances Lincoln, for providing me with a copy of this and the other two titles in the series for review purposes. -
Another Life is the third and final book in Keren David's When I Was Joe series and is the gripping conclusion to Ty's story. Ty has been sentenced to 12 weeks in a Young Offenders Institute for carrying a weapon but the gang he testified against have a long reach and he is worried that he won't be safe there. Can he keep his head down and make it through his sentence without drawing unwanted attention to himself? This is also the story of Ty's younger cousin Archie. Archie is sick of being sent away to expensive boarding schools just so he is out of his parent's way, he is determined to get back to London and live at home so he can offer support to Ty throughout his sentence. After managing to get himself expelled from yet another school Archie's parents have no choice but to find a day school that will accept him as a student. As Archie tries to learn more about his cousin's past he finds himself drawn deeper into a world of gangs, violence, under age drinking and drug taking. Can Archie find the answers he is looking for or will he just end up bringing down a whole heap of trouble?
I have to admit I was kind of sad to reach the end of this series, Keren David has created characters that I have come to really care about and that always makes it hard to reach the end of the journey, but at the same time I wanted to know how things would turn out for Ty. He has had it so tough during the events of the last two books and it doesn't look like things are going to get easier any time soon. It is easy to feel sorry for him, he was dragged into the gang by his best friend even though it was never something he wanted to join, then he witnessed a terrible event that has left him traumatised to this day and being brave enough to stand up and tell the truth about what happened has cost him and his family everything, not just once but over and over again. I don't think I would have coped as well if I found myself in Ty's situation! That isn't to say he is perfect, he has made plenty of mistakes along the way, but it was easy to see how he ended up making the choices he did. Deep down he is a good boy and all he ever really tries to do is protect his family and those he cares about.
I found it strange at first having part of the story narrated by Archie, he has had a very different upbringing to Ty and I found his behaviour much more selfish and childish but you have to take into account that Archie is a lot younger than Ty and he has a lot less life experience than his cousin. As much as Archie can be irritating at times really he is also trying to do the right thing and he just wants to get to the truth about the events that led up to Ty's incarceration. Archie has questions about Ty's past and since nobody seems willing to give him any answers he decides to go and get them for himself. Yes, that means he puts himself into some dangerous situations, yes, I was frustrated with him on occasion, and yes, I could tell that certain things weren't going to end well but I never doubted that Archie's heart was in the right place and he really did grow on me by the end of the book.
It's hard to say everything I want to say about this book without giving spoilers so I'm just going to leave it by telling you that Another Life is a must read conclusion to the series. I wouldn't recommend starting the series with this book but I do highly recommend the whole series starting from When I Was Joe. If you're looking for a series that shows the harsh and gritty side of teenage gang culture, knife crime and the shady side of London then look no further, Keren David has created a thrilling series that will have you on the edge of your seat. -
Unputdownable - what an ending!
I’ve been a massive fan of this trilogy by
Keren David since the first pages in
When I Was Joe. Then came
Almost True, which completely blew my mind... and now this! Over and over I’ve recommended this series to others - I feel it’s so well-written and, unfortunately, so underrated! I started the book after lunch today and wasn’t able to put it down until the very last page!
You know how some authors just write a book for the sake of finishing off a series? This book is not like that at all. Even if you haven’t had the privilege of reading the first 2 books, you would still be swept up in this literary masterpiece. It takes a lot of skill for an author to write a book as part of a series that is still capable of standing on its own.
I enjoyed the switch from Tyler’s story to Archie’s. I feel we found out a lot more about Ty and his background from the way the other characters interacted with Archie. The shift of focus from Tyler and his nuclear family (i.e. Nicki and Alyssa) to Danny and the other family members was a great change of pace.
The plot-twists were tastefully incorporated, action-packed scenes blended seamlessly with heart-wrenching moments of loss, and the suspense constantly urged me to just keep reading! The story is heartbreaking, but with a beautifully crafted ending.
I love however the author was able to wrap up Tyler’s story properly. My heart is full - I’m so content with the ending, but I feel a void now that the series is finished.
Keren David can be commended for excellent character development, since Tyler didn’t remain stagnant at all, but grew through his experiences. Even Archie grew so much in the span of one book! I would love to find out where Ty and Archie end up 10 or 20 years after this novel - where are they living, are they okay, do these events still affect them? Geez, I may have to write my first fan fiction, I am itching to find out what happens to these beloved characters. Anyone else? Just me? Okay. -
I was lucky enough to pick up a proof of this at a conference I attended a few months ago and am so very pleased to report that Keren David remains ace. She’s got a peculiar brilliance at writing “lads”; lads bordering on the edge of adulthood, shifting from ferocious raw masculinity through to nervous, emotional children. It’s a rare skill and one that is most definitely David’s forte.
Another Life is the final of the trilogy of Ty Lewis books and is due out in September 2012. I reviewed it’s predecessor Almost True here. I have a lot of love for this series. It’s always a good sign when a book slides into you, hours pass, and you’re still hiding under the quilt because you’re trying to figure out how this ends.
Quite boldly Another Life has a dual focus on Archie, Ty’s cousin, and Ty himself. It took me a while to grasp a handle on this shift in narration but it becomes easier as the voices become more divergent and unique very swiftly. David does “lads” well, as I mentioned in earlier, and the story is fleshed out with a lot of perhaps incidental detail but detail that, you slowly realise, solidifies this world to the extent it almost feels like reportage.
If you’ve read the other two books, I think you’ve got to read this. There’s a tension to the story of Ty, a genuine edginess throughout all the three books, that needs resolution both for him and the nerve-shredded reader. If you’ve not read the other two books, I would reccommend that you do. There’s a lot of story here that deserves being read and you’ll be missing out on some brilliant books if you dive straight into the nervy, spikey finale Another Life provides. -
Another life is the final book in the When I was Joe series.
For me this book was my least favourite of the series. Yes it has all the elements of the previous books but for me I didn't like the fact that the Point of Iew the story was told from for the majority of the book was Archie's. I must admit while he is a nice addition to the series I much prefer him as a secondary character as he can be quite irritating.
It was nice in this book to see the final resolution of Ty's story after the roller coaster of a ride that boy had been on up to this book.
As before the story is fast paced, action packed and gritty which made for compulsive reading and rounded off the series as a whole well. Maybe not one I'll ever bother rereading but certainly a book I enjoyed and am glad I read. -
The ending is a bit weird at first but then the overall the story was quite interesting and kept me captivated. FYI there are changes of the "I" of character in different chapters. I got confused over that part when i first read the book but i got used to it. That is the reason why i put it 4 stars. Firstly the ending was a bit confusing, secondly the changing of characters in different characters was also a bit confusing. BUT i would recommend this book because overall it is really quite interesting. There are love triangles, so if you like love triangles, you will like this book. There is also betrayal.
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Why oh why is the main narrator has to be Archie??!! Almost closed the book because I found him annoying. If the secondary narrator is not Ty/ Joe, I'd definitely given up reading. How can it be that the character that I liked beside Ty is only Grandpa Patrick? I found it disheartening that all the other characters are selfish and so full of their own wants whether they're teens or adults. BTW, if I was Ty, I might not be so forgiving to Archie. Archie's actions were .... i can't find another word... Idiotic.
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My biggest issues with this book was that it was told from two different points of view and there was really no way to know immediately who was telling the story. There were a couple of different times that I was lost for a page or two. It was interesting to see more of Tyler's story from a different point of view. Now that I have finished the trilogy, I still have to say that I don't really know what I think about it. It was good, but I don't know that I would say that I really loved it. I'll have to think about it some more.
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I thought that having a dual narrative in the third book would be odd and distracting - especially since this wasn't the format for the first two books in the series, but it turns out this is the best book of the bunch.
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A brilliant ending to Joe's story, I read most of this with my heart in my mouth! I loved getting to revisit Joe and so many of the characters, particularly getting to spend more time with Archie.
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the story kept me reading all the way through. I am going to love reading the other books that go along with this series.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads. -
The story was okay, but I did not really like changing the main character in the middle of the series.
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Just one thing: what kind of end was that...? There's no explanation for nothing O.o
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8.5/10
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This is an enjoyable book - but I don't think it needed to be written. AL is the third book in a trilogy following Ty and his time in witness protection. It's told by his cousin Archie. That, I think, is sadly the mistake here. Archie is just too much of a periphary character. All the big, important and emotionally heavy things happen to Ty, who is only a secondary narrator in the book, and you're left with a feeling that you're being robbed of the really juicy material. Archie wanders through the book trying to find out who Ty really is, but this just doesn't work because he doesn't really have a strong motive to do so, other than boredom/curiosity. If there was some pressing reason for his investigation into Ty to create some tension it could have worked, but as there isn't, AL meanders along interestingly enough but really lacks the pace it needs to take off. And because Ty only has a few chapters, it's hard to feel the sympathy for him you ought to (yes, a reader will carry over synpathy from the two pervious books - but for someone coming in cold or someone picking up AL after a long gap, as I have, it doesn't work).
Don't get me wrong, AL is an alright read. It's nice to check in with the characters again, even if I feel Claire gets a short shift and comes across as a little perfect (of course, this is not helped by Archie's skewed perceptions of her). Indeed, I wonder if AL would have been a more interesting book written from Claire's point of view? Archie is a fun character, even if his world didn't interest me as much as Ty's. But I just don't think WIWJ/AT needed a third book, or, if there was going to be a third book, it needed to focus on Ty. AL comes across as a little indulgent, and deceptively little happens, really.
