Fit Lit Boy Friday: Jonathan Meredith (ask your mothers)

Just to qualify, "fit" is Brit slang for hot, sexy, babeliscious, handsome, etc. Just in case anyone thought I was complimenting these characters on their health ;)

As Jonathan Meredith isn't probably that well known to the American audience, or anyone under forty (except for me because I used to buy a lot of my books from car boot sales and church fetes), let me sum him up.

Vital Stats:
Age: Seventeen
Looks: Black curly hair, dark eyes, tall and slim.
Height: Around 6ft
Likes: Horse racing, show jumping, rock climbing, sailing and writing bad poetry
Dislikes: Cramped spaces (he has severe claustrophobia)
Personality: Polite, quiet with people he doesn't know and his overbearing mother, but has a dry sense of humour and a quick wit with people he likes.
Where can you find him: The Essex countryside, in The Team, Prove Yourself A Hero, A Midsummer Night's Death, The Last Ditch/Free Rein, by K.M. Peyton.
Your type if you like: Sam Roth, Mr Darcy, Mr Tilney, Dan in the first Gossip Girl book.

Jonathan was my first YA lit boy crush. Never mind that the only images of him I can find are the illustrations from The Team (see above for my favourite). He's troubled, good looking, funny, and he's dashing on a horse. Basically, Mr Darcy, 1970s style.

Has anyone read any of K.M. Peyton's books? What do you all think of Jonathan? And who was your first book boy crush?

Memory Monday - Prove Yourself A Hero by K.M. Peyton

PROVE YOURSELF A HERO REVIEW

photo credit

Author: K.M. Peyton

Published: 1977

Summary:

'A lot of rough hands thrust him uncompromisingly into a very small box. He was forced down by the back of his neck till his forehead touched his knees; the sides of the box pressed against him, and when they put the lid down it was hard against his back.'

Kidnapping is always an unpleasant business, but in Jonathan Meredith's case it is positively
barbaric. Kept for hours on end in claustrophobic confinement, he remembers that he used to imagine suffocation as an innocuous death. He would never think that again.

A taught and chilling story, set in the tough world of
horse racing.'

[Summary taken from the back cover of the Puffin Plus 1982 version]


This is probably one of my favourite books ever, for three reasons.


1) Jonathan, the main character. Mentioned in my 'about me' section (because I love him), he is such a vibrant, real character, who if he was real would be just the sort of person you'd want to hang out with. When Jonathan is out on deck (read and you'll know which bit I'm referring to) it's so beautifully and emotively written that it made me tear up a bit. And unlike many books with male main characters, K.M. Peyton's main characters show their emotions, and that makes them all the more 3-D.

2) The kidnapping theme. I love reading books about kidnapping, don't know why (maybe it's something about the danger?) and this one does it so well, that it's a bit of a thriller.

3) K.M. Peyton's writing. There's a reason why she's a real favourite. Plus, plenty of her books are excellent 'cross-over' reads - I know plenty of 40+ people who still read them and love them.

So basically, if you're looking for a good read that makes you think while still being exciting, sad, and hopeful at the same time, read this book. It's not in print at the moment, but very easy and cheap to buy on Amazon UK.

Who else has read this, or another of Ms Peyton's books? And does anyone have any old faves from childhood (or that they discovered on their mum's bookcase, like me), to recommend?