Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist (KelpiesEdge)

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I loved that the novel was set in Scotland! I liked the characters Connor and Skeates, and enjoyed the evolution of their relationship which was really sweet. It was exciting to read as you never knew what trouble or difficulty they would run into... overall I think it was a great debut novel.' Farewell Tour long-listed as one of 20 finalists for the Brandford Boase Award Review from netgallery – Cindy H, Librarian:

Connor Lambert is 15, lives on a tiny island in Scotland, and has the typical teen issues. Sure he’s crushing on his best “girl friend,” Emma, and he has daily run-ins with the school bully, Skeates. But Connor is definitely NOT your average teen. His sister died, and his dad’s in prison (although his mom refuses to let him visit or even tell him why his dad’s been incarcerated for the last 9 years). Oh, and he has cancer. This isn’t the only thing that Connor has going on with his life. His father is in prison and no one will tell him why. His mum works all the hours of the day and his younger sister was killed when he was younger. Basically, his family life is in a mess. Which is very true. I don’t like ‘cancer books’ and I hate bullies and irresponsible behaviour. But while Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist has all this, it also has a lot of charm and fun and happiness to offer the reader. And before anyone says ‘well that’s easy for the author to write,’ the very sad fact is that John Young wrote the book as his own child was dying. I can’t even begin to understand where he got his strength from.

Fast-paced, full of action, humor, suspense (What happened to his sister, Erica? Why is his dad in prison? What is the big secret Connor’s mom is keeping from him? Will he get to Shotts Prison before being caught or hospitalized for being without his meds? Will his dad even see him once he gets to Shotts Prison? How will Skeates get them out of this mess?), and heartwarming emotions. Review of the Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist by Lisa Talks About.. - "Lisa Talks About... Review" Despite their former rivalry, Connor and Skeates form an alliance and set out on a road trip (of sorts) to see Connor’s dad in prison with a little money and without Connor’s seven medications he takes twice a daily to keep his cancer at bay. Probably my favourite thing about this book though was the fact it was set in Scotland and done really really well. I have never read a book with such realistic representation of what it is like to live here , the culture , the language, the people , the description of the places they go. Much of the dialogue is written in a Scottish accent and there is loads of slang and Gaelic. I really really loved this , I thought it was done really well. I wish there were more books like this that in set in Scotland and accurate to what it is like to live here. If you are not from Scotland I think some of the slang would be hard to get and the Gaelic obviously but you can easily judge by context what they are saying. But Connor’s left two things behind — the medication he needs to keep him alive, and the girl who makes living bearable.

When Connor comes home to his neighbor, Mrs. MacDonald because his mother had to stay in Inverness overnight for work: I enjoyed the writing a lot. I also loved the unique voice the main character has. His life is very tragic but he's just so inspiring. I can't wait to hold the physical copy in my hands.'

More clips from 16/09/2017

John Young is a writer who is originally from Belfast and lives in Edinburgh. A former lawyer, he helped to found The Teapot Trust, a children's art therapy charity, with his wife Laura. He was a Scottish Book Trust New Writer Award winner in 2013. Press Articles One trend in YA fiction is to give the main character a medical condition. It’s not new but it has been happening a lot. In John Young’s Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist his protagonist Connor Lambert has cancer. It is never going to go away, he is just managing it. I wrote the attached short story after my daughter Verity died in 2009. I was encouraged to publish it as shared experiences help others. I didn’t try, because the story was too close, painful and raw. Instead it became a seed for Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist. ScotLitFest Virtual Book Festival - "Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist - A Chat with John Young"

A fresh and bold debut novel full of heart, guts and raw emotion. Farewell Tour of a Terminal Optimist is a brilliantly funny, thrilling exploration of friendship, identity and mortality populated with witty, sharply drawn characters. At least the adult reader sits there knowing this will not, cannot, end well. But what kind of not well will it be? How soon might Connor die? Or will Skeates or the Glaswegian football supporters kill him before the cancer does? Or maybe the skiing in Aviemore, wearing unsuitable clothes? The joyriding? Connor Lambert is 15, lives on a tiny island in Scotland, and has the typical teen issues. Sure he's crushing on his best "girl friend," Emma, and he has daily run-ins with the school bully, Skeates. But Connor is definitely NOT your average teen. His sister died, and his dad's in prison (although his mom refuses to let him visit or even tell him why his dad's been incarcerated for the last 9 years). Oh, and he has cancer.Fast-paced, full of action, humor, suspense (What happened to his sister, Erica? Why is his dad in prison? What is the big secret Connor's mom is keeping from him? Will he get to Shotts Prison before being caught or hospitalized for being without his meds? Will his dad even see him once he gets to Shotts Prison? How will Skeates get them out of this mess?), and heartwarming emotions. The greatest writing hurdle was to find humour in pain whilst retaining emotion so that anyone experiencing similar feelings might find solace. Creativity helped me but the journey was not without agonies. Writing brings escape but it also exposes emotions and when someone reads any narrative it becomes their own and they’ll never understand it the way you do. That’s the beauty of script and the beast.

Some of the Scottish slang was unclear (mostly because I don't hail from Scotland), but I was able to figure it out with context clues. Don't let the Scottish slang or occasional Gaelic phrases deter you from reading this book (although, it might help American readers if there were occasional footnotes). I normally dislike books about dying teens, but this one had me feeling all the feels. I laughed (often), my heart raced during the get-aways, and yes, I even cried. Real tears!'

Quick Look

If I could've held my eyes open for 20 more minutes, I would've finished this book in one sitting. It is really that good! I particularly enjoy books with quirky characters that make me laugh, and this one certainly does not disappoint. path.clippath-edit [d="M187.5,58.16512107880641C214.4945046332268,59.30276163829959,240.41535832379228,68.72236200134503,261.78778803761725,85.2516316332289C282.6963949126211,101.42218431683145,296.2754933156812,124.37907582369479,305.2578826140189,149.23814455202273C314.5057597154312,174.83195982984464,320.0838754322527,202.03724793161848,313.5298613798452,228.44958427581457C306.6583326902681,256.1414881223187,290.83098734814035,281.1988876688588,268.20101111928966,298.5754126683334C245.16831466772666,316.2611681304027,216.53668119789893,325.62489475112585,187.50000000000003,325.2221577332822C158.73449362423528,324.82318189387473,130.91057796810622,314.28402967263787,108.40922684047621,296.3591102528553C86.58905693366876,278.9768301805616,70.90812686232724,254.59777998884854,64.70208061110648,227.39946266587222C58.8416634254869,201.71588252365981,67.79730141430146,176.29522490265987,75.24770143191402,151.027017247812C82.93310142028363,124.96180164091662,87.58075225990811,96.11399681754017,108.51928649173257,78.7923738613074C130.0109766221446,61.01314686243889,159.6321989020446,56.990676825663876,187.5,58.16512107880641" style="transform: scaleX(1) scaleY(1) translateX(0px) translateY(0px) rotate(0deg);"] OMG this book was a major tearjerker for me. Connor and Skeates have an unusual friendship but aren’t all friendships? The fact that Connor has terminal cancer but is trying to live his life to the fullest is heart-warming. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this!'