Wikipedia

Jason Taylor is a 13-year-old living in the small village, Black Swan Green. Already working hard to fit in with the other boys at school, to top it off Jason has a stammer that he hopes none of the other kids ever find out about. He also hopes no one ever finds out he is Eliot Bolivar, a poet who publishes his work in the Black Swan Green Parish magazine. With his dad receiving mysterious phone calls, his mother acquiring a job, and his sister preparing to go away to school, 1982 will sure turn into an interesting year.

What I loved the most about Black Swan Green was David Mitchell’s writing style. While his writing is simple, he has a way of creating amazingly told stories and characters that make you want to keep reading. There were one or two places where I was confused because I thought a certain character had died, only to find out later that they hadn’t. That could have been done purposely though, since it is being told from the point of view of a 13 year old who may not tell the whole story clearly.

I also really enjoyed the fact that he incorporated a character from Cloud Atlas in one of the chapters. I think it’s really interesting when authors can bring in a character from another story clearly without it being weird. David Mitchell was able to incorporate her with readers who had read Cloud Atlas being able to catch the reference while not confusing readers who had not read Cloud Atlas.

Although I did not have a lot of time to sit and read, when I was able to read it I would be glued for several hours. Black Swan Green is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an entertaining, but simple read.