Brian Conaghan was born and raised in the Scottish town of Coatbridge. He is a graduate of Glasgow University, where he received, among other qualifications, a Master of Letters in Creative Writing. After living and working in Italy for five years he now teaches English in a Dublin Secondary School.
Brian Congahan's first novel.
Brian Conaghan was born and raised in the Scottish town
of Coatbridge. He is a graduate of Glasgow University, where he
received, among other qualifications, a Master of Letters in
Creative Writing.
Sparkling Books discovered Brian and published this, his first,
novel.
Brian is also author of seven further titlles.
“...innovative and insightful... couldn't wait to devour part two”
- Times Educational Supplement
“I will unashamedly admit that when I began reading The Boy Who
Made It Rain, I was utterly flabbergasted. I began reading it early
in the morning and I didn't put it down until I had finished it
that evening, and though it's only 196 pages long, this is perhaps
one of the most compelling novels I've ever read.
“The premise of the book is of the relocation of a family from
Eastbourne to Glasgow, and of the stigma faced by the son as he
tries to settle into the local school. Interestingly, Conaghan
initiates the novel in a series of first person interviews with
several (seven in fact) characters. This automatically initiates a
much stronger relationship with the text because the multiple
first-person perspectives allow a great deal of empathy and
understanding to develop for each character very rapidly.
“Very early on, it becomes apparent that Conaghan is building up to
something, his interviews taking on the shape of statements. Each
'statement' is crafted to be long enough to build up the picture
just a little bit more, to give just a little more away, but not
enough to say with any certainty the final outcome. And this is the
crux: long before you finish the first half of the novel with the
character's statements, to move onto the second half concerning the
protagonist's recollection of events, you have a horrible inkling
of what's going to happen. Grim inevitability coupled with
fantastic word-craft is what makes you turn those pages, and
Conaghan does not disappoint... When you turn that last page I
guarantee you will feel numb with shock.” - Heffers Review,
Cambridge
“Brilliant writing, brilliant structure, brilliant book” - Des
Dillon, author of Me and Ma Gal
“... definitely up there with the modern classics” - What?
Magazine
“A Must-Read for Teens and Adults: The Boy Who Made It Rain is an
innovative novel that will keep you glued to the story until you
turn the last page and learn the final outcome.“ - Fran Lewis, New
York Reviewer.
“Told from different points of view, Brian Conaghan’s THE BOY WHO
MADE IT RAIN, shows what happens when a boy finds himself in a
strange school, the target of many other kids and as well as
vicious rumors, and the resulting violence that occurs.
“This is no fantasy – kids can be vicious – just remember the names
you used to call your friends, rumors you would hear, how easy it
was to make someone a scapegoat. Of course bullying is not isolated
to kids – we see it clearly in domestic and international politics
on a grand scale.
“Brian Conaghan uses mounting suspense and an ironic ending to show
us not only the consequences of violence, but its utter uselessness
as well.
“THE BOY WHO MADE IT RAIN is a valuable, gripping read” - Bill
Baker, Educator, USA
“Clem is the newcomer/English outcast at his Scottish high school.
He has really only made one friend, Rosie. This doesn’t stop others
from forming opinions of him and even spreading some nasty
rumors.
“This book has a really interesting structure. Clem is the main
character but we don’t really meet him until halfway through.
Instead, we get monologues from other characters sharing their
opinions/observations about Clem. Through these minor characters we
begin to get a sense of Clem and we also begin to realize that
something very bad may have happened. Perhaps something on a
Columbine scale. The structure really adds to the feeling of
foreboding. It was really extremely well done.
“I really believe this book is going to begin appearing on required
reading lists for many, many English classes. I also believe the
students won’t mind. The author has done an excellent job of
capturing different speaking styles and voices for each of his
characters. Just what a writing teacher needs for a mentor
text.
“Verdict: Highly recommended,
“Challenge Alert: lots of realistic cussing. Although, quite a lot
of that cussing is spelled with a Scottish accent so maybe parents
won’t realize it.” - Stephanie Lott, Educator, USA
“This is a brilliantly written book. I read it in one sitting, I
just could not put it down.
“It is the story of Clem - a new boy who has moved from Eastbourne
to Glasgow with his parents.
“It is written in a narrative style with each chapter written from
a different character’s point of view. They are all writing with
hindsight after a major event has occurred which the reader is left
to guess about right up to the very end.
“The last section is Clem’s own narrative telling us his thoughts,
feelings and actions, from finding out he is moving right through
to the magnificent climax.
“This book will keep you enthralled throughout. The characters are
exceptionally well described and revealed through their
dialogue...” - Adele Symonds, Reviewer UK
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