Music from Another World

by Robin Talley

'An utter joy to read' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars

The brand-new novel from the 2020 CILIP Carnegie medal nominee and New York Times bestseller, Robin Talley.

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'I'm just so sick of blending in...'

It's 1977, and the USA is tearing itself apart. And so is Tammy Larson.

Seventeen and scared, Tammy has a secret that her strict community and conservative family must never find out; one that she's only ever shared in unposted letters to her hero, Harvey Milk. She's gay.

Hundreds of miles away, Tammy's new pen pal is dealing with a few secrets of her own. Sharon Hawkins lives in foggy San Francisco, an exciting city full of protests and punk music. But as the letters pile up in her desk drawer, Sharon begins to realise that her world might not be that different to Tammy's after all...

Set to a soundtrack of Bowie, Blondie and a whole lot of Patti Smith, the girls' worlds converge in ways they could never have imagined. With a fierce sense of rebellion and a feminist attitude to boot, Tammy and Sharon soon discover what it means to be their true selves, and one thing's for sure: they're both sick of blending in.

The perfect empowering and life-affirming read for fans of Caitlin Moran, Becky Albertalli and Meredith Russo.

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Praise for Music from Another World:

'Difficult to put down... an empowering read with a powerful message' Paper Lanterns

'Absolutely LOVED it! So funny and romantic and incredibly tense' Tom Ellen

Praise for Robin Talley's previous novels:

'The main characters are terrific in what is a moving novel. And an important one.' The Telegraph

'absolutely loved it - romantic and funny and gripping and just generally excellent!' Tom Ellen, author of Freshers

'touching, clever and absolutely hilarious' The Herald

'I really loved the book... it was just a lovely, refreshing read for me, and I'm so glad there are authors like Robin Talley out there.' Bookseller

'One of the most interesting and informative LGBT books I've read recently!' Reader

'a must-read for anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history' NetGalley reviewer

• ISBN10: 1335146776
• ISBN13: 9781335146779
• Publish Date: 31 March 2020
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Inkyard Press
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I received this book for free from Harper Collins in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.Heyyyy ya'll! Today I'm reviewing and pulling quotes from Music From Another World by Robin Talley. It's a not to historical w/w YA following two pen pal teens starting in the summer of 1977. That year Jimmy Carter is sworn in as president, Roots runs on NBC, the first Star Wars was released in theaters, and Anita Bryant campaigns to repeal the newly passed ordinance to ban discrimination against gays in Dade County, FL.

About Music from Another World:

IMHO: Music from Another World

Music From Another World follows two girls in two vastly different families and communities as they come of age in the summer of Harvey Milk in California.

I really appreciate that each journal entry begins and ends differently so you can easily track who's who in the beginning and just get into the flow easier.

The romance is the slowest burn of friends to lovers and it's all very chaste.

Tammy and Sharon and Peter and the feminist bookshop crew and the punk clubs are all so amazing. I was swept up with them and finished this so quickly. My heart was in my throat for the last quarter of the book, I swear.

I love Talley's acknowledgements about how this book came to be. This feels so right and important at the moment, to show it's always been a fight of ups and downs,  illustrating truly how far we've come and rejuvenating for the next battle.

The talk of how unfathomable it was then that mom could love her gay son wrecked me.

This is the first book I've actually read by Talley, though several are on my virtual and literal to be read shelves. I'm now more motivated than ever to tackle her backlist.

 

FAv Quotes from Music From Another World:

 

I'd feel wrong calling you "Mr.Milk."

 

I was already worried enough about him without having to worry about how worried she was.

 

 

When the newspapers printed that the big hero who'd stopped the assassinations attempt was gay, his parents disowned him. He sued the papers for ruining his life.

 

 

But if this Curtis boy could make my brother smile that way...well, I didn't see how that could be a bad thing, whether or not it matched up with what my teachers said.

 

There are few things that terrify me more than my aunt being happy, Harvey.

 

It was the same energy I'd felt the night of the march. The sounds and smells and sensations of the club crawled inside my veins, exactly the way the chants had from the crowd that night.

 

And as I turned my back, pushed my way through the thrumming crowd and walked out into the nighttime chill, there was a buzz of pleasant, unfamiliar hope thrumming under my skin, too.

 

 

It's as though Patti Smith lives in a different world, and it's a scary world, but it's also realin in a way that this world isn't.

 

 

 

 

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This review was originally posted on The Layaway Dragon