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Another Planet

A Teenager in Suburbia

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Another Planet

By: Tracey Thorn
Narrated by: Tracey Thorn
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A SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER

In a 1970s commuter town, Tracey Thorn’s teenage life was forged from what failed to happen. Her diaries were packed with entries about not buying things, not going to the disco, the school coach not arriving.

Before she became an acclaimed musician and writer, Tracey Thorn was a typical teenager: bored and cynical, despairing of her aspirational parents. Her only comfort came from house parties, Meaningful Conversations and the female pop icons who hinted at a new kind of living.

Returning more than three decades later to Brookmans Park, scene of her childhood, Thorn takes us beyond the bus shelters and pub car parks, the utopian cul-de-sacs, the train to Potters Bar and the weekly discos, to the parents who wanted so much for their children, the children who wanted none of it. With endearing wit and great insight, Thorn reconsiders the Green Belt post-war dream so many artists have mocked, and yet so many artists have come from.

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Critic reviews

"A beautiful writer . . . Exceptional . . . Made me catch my breath . . . Her language is straightforward, chatty, easy-to-read. Musical. Though Thorn tells us sharp truths, we gobble them up because she delivers them in such a deceptively pretty, poignant way" (Miranda Sawyer)
"When Thorn digs into her adolescence, the book sparks with wit and poignancy, helped by extracts from her teenage diaries that she smartly exploits for comedy and bathos"
"Readers of Thorn’s two previous memoirs will recognise the tone of this book, with its beautifully clean style, careful self-questioning and pervasive likability"
"Tender, wise and funny"
"I adored this. Wise, tender, beautifully observed, deadly funny. A Green Belt memoir classic" (MAX PORTER)
"Tracey Thorn’s memoir of growing up in suburbia finds the extraordinary in the ordinary . . . Thorn is a writer who can “give the mundane its beautiful due” . . . [A] delightful, incisive memoir" (Frank Cottrell-Boyce)
"What a wise and funny book. Nostalgic but unsentimental, Thorn beautifully captures the aspirations, ennui and angst of suburban teenage life. I loved it" (DAVID NICHOLLS)
"Another Planet is about being a teenager in suburbia in the 1970s, and revisiting one’s own youth from middle age. It touches on class, culture, music, plum jam and parenting teens. It’s wonderful. You’ll read it in one go" (NINA STIBBE)
"A thoughtful guide to the Seventies as [Thorn] muses on her teenage years in rural Hertfordshire"
"This tender-hearted, tough-minded book seems set to revivify a genre that can too often be self-deluding and thus pointless . . . She’s a brilliant writer"
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Most relevant
The extent to which you might enjoy Another Planet: A Teenager in Suburbia (2019) will probably be determined by how much you can relate to it. Tracey Thorn grew up in Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire and this book explores her feelings and experiences during her childhood in the 1970s. I had a friend who lived in Brookmans Park who I used to go and stay with quite regularly. I am just a few months older than Tracey, hare virtually all the same reference points and grew up feeling much the same as she did about my parents and my life. Similarly I was energised and enthused by punk rock. Needless to say I loved this book which reminded me of my own childhood and actually made me appreciate growing up in north London suburbia rather than a small commuter village in the green belt. At least I was a bit closer to the action in central London.

It's more than just a memoir too. Tracey has some quite profound and instructive thoughts on the 1970s, her parents generation, becoming a parent herself and generation gaps. If any of that sounds like the sort of thing you would enjoy, then read it. You will enjoy it.

Loved it

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I braught this book on a whim as I grew up near Brookmans park so knew alot of the places talked about. I found it a real eye opener as music and the music scene never really interested me. The author is clearly very intelligent and provides a great analysis of her past and doesn't just mearly tell her story. A great listen.

A real eye opener

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Really enjoyed this book. Your style of writing takes me back in time to my teenage years, bringing fond memories back to life. Thanks so much.

Beautifully written

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Enjoyed this heartfelt glimpse into the past from a teenage and later a midlife perspective. The relationship with our parents in our teenage years is often misunderstood and as the author describes it's not really until we step into their discarded shoes do we really understand them. This is my 3rd and first audio book which got my whole attention as it felt like the author was conversing with you rather than reading their story. I thought the inflection when narrating teenage Tracey was particularly engaging and humorous. 'Ha ha!'

A thought provoking enjoyable read!

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If I’m honest this book was not what I was expecting (not really sure what I was expecting) but I really enjoyed it. A great look back at a shared growing up.

An interesting look back that I could relate to.

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