The Radleys

A Vampire book for all of us in our 40s

When I received this book I thought oh another vampire book. But then I started to read it and it was so much more. What I liked most about this story was how human the vampires were in the story. They fall in love they marry they have children and they eventually die. This story is about the vampire family the Radleys at the begining of the story their two children do not even know they are vampires. The Parents want to be a typical middle class normal British family and they think by not telling their children about their heritage it will cause them to be normal. This will serously back fire and that is the begining of this wonderful story. I really enjoyed this story because as a middle age man who has been married for 20 years and has teenage children I found Peter very easy to indentify with. If you want something good to read that will make you think this is the book to read.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Wonderfully refreshing...

The Radleys is great. I loved that the vampires in this book were completely opposite of any others I have read and I have read lots of vamp novels. I adored the change in Clara after the accident. And the evil yet wonderfully charming Will. I dont have a bad word to say about this. Do yourself a favor and pick this up.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Really good - vampire fans can't miss this!

This was the best non - cheesy vampire book I have ever read! The concepts in this book were completely original and unique (as far as I know). The characters are completely believable (except for the vampire part) and you can't help but fall in love with them. The conflicts in this book are believable as well. It was great to finally read a vampire book that wasn't completely fantasy romance.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

New twist on Vampires highly recommended

How a family of vampires in rural England try to be good abstaining vampires after a horrible incident brings their "safe" world crumbling down is the story of Matt Haig's wonderful take on vampires in The Radley's. With great characters and page turning storytelling Matt Haig has been able to take the now overdone vampire legend and make it fresh. What happenes when we try to stop ourselves from being what nature tells us we should be are some of the questions Haig answers in frightening yet beautiful prose. I certainly would suggest this to any horror fiction fan but also anyone looking for an engaging well written story.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

This is an entertaining dark vampire family drama

Dr. Peter and Helen Radley, accompanied by their teenage children Clara and Rowan, move from swinging wild London to quiet sedate Bishopthorpe. Believing blood thirst is a simple addiction, the parents adhere strictly to The Abstainer's Handbook rules that strongly suggest living like a human while living amongst humans. However, they have also neglected to inform their fifteen years old daughter and seventeen years old son that they are purebred vampires.

The offspring suffer form nightmares that each conceals from their parents. However, everything changes when an intoxicated Stuart Harper attacks Clara a vegetarian. His assault causes the dormant thirst for blood (and meat) to arise in his female classmate as her fangs surface. Peter asks his brother Will an overt vampire to help them with their problems.

This is an entertaining dark vampire family drama with a powerful twist to the relationships. Character driven, the cast makes the tale fun to read as none of the extended Radley family come across as vampiric stereotyped; instead ironically the four Radley suburbanites are stereotypical: repressed and must behave in accordance with the middle class rules of order while Uncle Will prefers the bloody life of a swinger. Intelligent this is a witty satirical spin to the recent vampire lives amongst us craze.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic Read!

Meet the Radleys:

Peter, the patriarch. Peter is a physician in a small town where everyone knows everyone and is interested in their lives (obsessively so). He wishes for more in his home, doesn't get it, so he begins to fantasize about what could be with his neighbor.

Helen, the matriarch. Helen tries to keep the family on the straight and narrow, hanging on to habit and tradition with a ferocity that would make a rabid wolverine proud.

Rowan, the son. Sensitive, artistic, and Lord Byron's biggest fan. Rowan is subjected to the bullying of his classmates. He is also secretly in love with his sister's best friend.

Clara, the daughter. Clara starts out seemingly in the background. She is Eve's friend, the beautiful newcomer who has enraptured Rowan (and most of the male teenage population of Bishopthorpe). But Clara will not stay in the background long.

One fateful night, a young man decides that he is going to ignore the fact that no means no. It is his decision that will change the fates of this, well, boring middle-class family.

You see, the Radleys are vampires. Granted, Rowan and Clara do not know this, and Peter and Helen have been abstaining for the last 17 years. However, that night changes everything for them. Rowan and Clara learn their true natures, Peter's long lost brother returns with his past on his heels, and this nuclear family goes atomic.

And all of this happens in the span of a week.

Matt Haig's tale of family and what happens when secrets are finally revealed is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. He is in turn humorous and serious. Haig captures the nature of repression with sparkling clarity. His unique voice is one that I find refreshing. Haig expertly captures the disconnection that his characters are experiencing between what is right and what is nature.

When I first started the book, I was a little put off by the seemingly erratic change in topic in the first few tiny chapters (some as short as a few paragraphs on one single page). However, as I continued reading, the book and its format began to make sense. As in real life, we never get the full impact of a situation all at once. Haig mirrors that in his writing.

As with all that I read, I gauge how much I like a book based on if I would read it again. The answer: over and over! This book is fantastic! The only con I can really post is that I would have liked to have heard more from Clara throughout the novel. She tended to take a backseat to everyone else, and she is really the character who put the major part of the story in motion.

Outside of that, the novel was great! My next step will be to seek out Haig's other novels. I can only imagine they will be just as grand as this one.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Radleys is an intriguing look into the life of a family of v

The Radleys is an intriguing look into the life of a family of vampires trying to fit in as a normal family in a small, normal town. The vampire mythology in this novel is different than what readers are used to, and is quite interesting. First off, vampires aren’t immortal. They can subsist on human blood, vampire blood, or abstain from both. Those who do their best to ignore their cravings for blood are part of a vampire subculture known as abstainers, who work diligently to live uneventful, human-like lives, denying the callings of blood and the imagination.

The Radleys are abstainers. Helen and Peter have kept their children, Rowan and Clara in the dark for seventeen years. For years, these teens have tried to live unassuming lives in a small English town. However, they have always stuck out; have always been picked on by others who, subconsciously, realized that the Radleys are different. Nothing challenges this status quo until Clara is followed home and assaulted by the bully at school. He forces himself on her, and in a panic, she defends herself to keep herself from getting raped. This is the night that changes everything, that brings into question whether or not the Radleys can ever truly live normal lives again.

I thought the novel, overall, was quite well done. It really brings to light the issues of family, fitting in, guilt, temptation and identity. It may be a story about vampires, but there are messages applicable to real life. The general premise and themes remind me of “The Gates”, an American television show about a suburban gated community of supernatural beings, and their struggle to lead somewhat normal lives. I liked that show, and I liked this novel. I’d recommend it to fans of vampires and fans of books about the struggles of domestic life.

Excellent Family of Vampires

The Radleys is a well written and fun family vampire story. The family lives in the suburb and is fitting into the neighborhood. They are trying to abstain and truly be 'human'. But the Radleys must deal with jobs, neighbors and teenage children. I hope to see more from this author.

Terrible

I'll admit I never finished this book. It was terrible. None of the characters were likable. I couldn't tell if they were supposed to be. Each chapter was about a different Radley and this style led to no continuity in the storyline. Skip this one

Great book

Loved it!

It was Entertaining

I thought the story line was good. It kept my attention. My type of book....light and fun.

Leaves you wanting more!

This is one of those you want to be a series. You can't stop reading and want to know where the characters go after the ending.

This isn't your average "running away from your true self" type book. There are things there very unexpected and with an ending that will shock you to your core! I give this book 5 stars for originality and keeping my attention 100% at all times!

Needs more bite!!

OK. I'll admit it. I'm a vampire nut! This story is unique in the way it portrays vampires and vampirism. Especially 'The Abstainers Handbook' a guide to help vampires deny their blood craving instincts and to try and pass among the general populace unnoticed. The Unnamed Predator Unit, a secretive branch of the police force tries to keep rogue vampire incidents from general public by aligning itself with a group of powerful vampires who help provide information and discipline among other vampires. Now meet the Radleys. Dad's a doctor, Mom's a homemaker with a talent for painting, dark and moody teenage brother Rowan and Clara a vegan who is just starting to become socially active. Vampires all, but Dad and Mom practice abstinence and have never discussed their vampire lineage with the kids. At a party Clara has to fight off the advances of an over amorous bully who corners her alone. A shockingly violent episode leaves quite a mess. What happened? How to explain what happened to the bully's family, friends and even the police! A call home brings her parents to try and control the situation but there are so many loose ends... An argument ensues over calling Uncle Will, a practicing vampire of some ill repute, who arrives to help, but also with family secrets and intentions to end the families abstinence and teach the kids their true natures. Equal parts vampire story and story of family dynamics the book moves back and forth between the two spheres never quite deciding which it will ultimately follow. I never really became immersed in the book to the degree I wanted. The characters never really conveyed the urgency that the story required to sustain my interest. There is little sex or excessive violence to worry about. I ultimately added it to my list of books for young adults.

Great Story - you have to read

I loved this idea for a story. I read a lot of vampire stories and this was a little different. My husband enjoyed it too. I'd love to see a continuation of The Radleys future. Make a series out of this one.

not worth it

got this with part of a xmas gift card. one of a very few books i have skipped to the end to see who lived. author was sleepwalking through this one.

Vampires can have kids?

Can't say that I've ever read a book about a family of abstaining vampires before. And who knew that vampires could even have children, much less that the children would turn out to be vampires as well! Really liked that the kids had no idea of their heritage, and were sick for most of their lives as a result. Very original!

The Radleys come across as your stereotypical, repressed British family. A nervous mother, a milquetoast father, and two sickly children. The son is actually a bully-magnet and has no friends. The kids are obviously miserable, from sensitivity to sunlight to constant headaches and nausea, so I couldn't understand why the parents were so adamant that they never know their true natures.

Things come to a head one night when daughter Clara is pushed too far and her true nature asserts itself. While the rest of her family tries to deal with the fallout, Clara seems to blossom. Uncle Will is called to try and help clean up the mess, but only manages to make things worse.

Gave this one a 4/5 as I really enjoyed this twist on your typical vampire tale. I really liked watching the children, Clara and Rowan, deal with the ramifications of Clara's act. From learning what it means to be a vampire, to dealing with the fact that their parents had lied to them their entire lives, to adjusting to their new appetites. Felt they were much more interesting than the adults. Think that this was a very original, well written story, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Radleys. Even if you don't like vampire stories, I think you might like this one!

A New Take on an Old Theme

""The Radleys" by Matt Haig is not your usual vampire story. The Radleys are a typical middle-class family, living a typical middle-class life....except for one thing - they are vampires. Peter and Helen, the parents, have left their wild, high-flying (literally) days behind them and are living as "abstainers". Their teenage children, Rowan and Clara, are struggling with more than the usual teenage issues. Their calm world explodes one night and there is no going back to innocence for Rowan and Clara. How the children learn and deal with their heritage, the sacrifices that family members make for each other and how that family moves forward to create themselves anew is the basis for this novel. Those who just can't get enough of vampires may enjoy this."

move over Edward ... The Radley's are here:)

Fun and totally off-beat story about a family of vampires. The catch is half the family doesn't know their own secret...check it out you won't be disappointed!!

Great read

If you have a good imagination and love reading tales of vampires,you will enjoy this book. Entertaining and frightful!

Don't waste your tiime

This book was very dissapointing. I felt like the author just wrote a book about vampires for the hipe. The characters were poorly developed and the plot was all over the place. Seriously don't waste you Money!