Friday, 09 January 2009 01:00 | and posted in Book Reviews
It's easy when you know who your friends and enemies are. You're nice to your friends and try to stay away from your enemies - dead simple. It's only when things start to go wrong that you begin to struggle with how to treat people who hurt you. "Eye for an eye" is easier, and you can stick to the way you've always viewed the world.
But when Abena and her family get sucked into a spiral of revenge and danger, she has to question her whole way of life. Otherwise, events threaten to leave someone dead...
The story is about an African girl called Abena and her family (Kwami her big brother, John her little brother, her Mum and her Dad) and her two best friends, Emma, (whose the daughter of a vicar and fancies Kwami) and Charlie.
The book starts with Abena and her friends getting ready for a sponsored sleepout in the middle of December in aid of the homeless in the UK and in Mazundi (Abenas home town). Throughout the book you learn more about one of the families that lives in the same block of houses as Abena, the O'Farrells.
The O'Farrells cause trouble for everyone living in and around Victoria Court. Paul is the oldest brother and spends most of his time either working or riding on his moterbike. Then there is Robbie the younger brother who causes trouble all the time. The O'Farrell twin girls are only about 8 but have already started acting like their big brothers. Jackie is the O'farrells Mum but not much of a role modle as she is always drunk.
Abena and her family have to face many problems because of the O'Farrells but also due to the added stress of not knowing if their cousins who are still in Mazundi are safe from the government and rebel forces that were fighting at the time.
The main issues dealt with in the book is loving your enimies and forgiving people despite what they have done to you.
I think that "No love lost" is a really good book that is definitetely worth a read at least once. Especially if you are 14 or under and female.
No Love Lost is written by Kathy Lee and published by Scripture Union. It is aimed at 11-14 year old girls. You can buy it from Amazon here.
