Twelve

"Since reading Twelve I have a pleasant tingly sensation in my belly."
Twelve is a very good book, a real "page-turner". In all honesty, owning a copy of this book will soon become 'en vogue', so you'd better buy yourself a few dozen, hmm? The more you have, the cooler you are, and the cooler you are, the higher your chances are of making my aquaintence... Next thing you know, all the prep school gangmembers are going to be flashing copies of Twelve and tagging storefronts with 'Twelve' in huge red letters. If you don't show the gangs your copy, then they know you're an enemy, and that often leads to terrible embarrassment.

For a light-weight beach read, this book will fit the bit well. It's not exactly the best of reads, but I definitely recognized parts of my childhood in it. I suppose the book makes a lot more sense to someone who grew up in that environment. I thought the book was great, but my midwestern friends couldn't get into it at all.

I really couldn't believe this book was written by a 17 year old. It kept me turning pages and wanting to finish the book. I enjoyed the journey. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good "dark" story, but yet a light read.

The most disturbing thing about this book is all the hype around it. Yes, the kid was just a teenager when he wrote it and that's definitely an accomplishment, but there is no way this book would've gotten published had it not been for all the industry connections he had. Morgan Entrekin, his publisher, and owner of Atlantic Books (Grove is owned by Atlantic), is also Mcdonell's godfather. I mean the book is okay, but there isn't really anything original here. There's no new voice of sorts and the content is old-hat teen druggie stuff, so I can't see how everyone's calling him the New Hunter Thompson, or the new B.E. Ellis. He hasn't had enough writing experience to pull off the hard-fought prose of those who have earned their merits.

Let's see...
Nick McDonell quotes Nelly songs to death...
Nick McDonell thinks that a pampered white kid from the projects could easily beat up an inner-city black athlete in a fistfight.
McDonell, apparently inexperienced in sexual matters, thinks that drugstores still keep condoms behind the counter, and you have to ask for them.
McDonell thinks a good ending consists of: everybody dies.
McDonell thinks a rich white kid can get sent to jail in NYC and find out that 'it's not so bad' and 'the other prisoners don't bother him.'
McDonell can't write.
McDonell's godfather owns the company that published that his book.
Nick McDonell ...!

A brilliantly scathing reflection of today's youth societies, McDonell captures many different views and expectations in a solid debut novel. As McDonell will admit, the characters do tend to blend together without his intention to have them do so, but it works well for the story. The ending, while one can see it coming, is delivered in such a style that it still shocks you and beyond the outward apocalyptic end, a deeper view will show this to be more than just a cop-out of an ending--instead it is a rather dramatic view of the survival of a generation, with only those who are not just the naive children of money left.

Nick McDonell's first attempt at a novel, his expose on rich, drugg addicted New York teens, leaves the reader disturbed and satisfied with what they have just read.

The story follows White Mike, among others, during the holiday break of 1999 and into the New Year of 2000. Home from boarding school with Christmas cash to burn, the kids endulge in a new drug called 'twelve', sold exclusivly by White Mike. The book deals with what kids do for drugs, acceptance, love and friends. An instant classic.

If you judge the author as an inexperienced child author, you will not like this book. People are biased against it because the author is so young even though the book is very well written. It tells a great story in a small time frame and is very accurate to a rich Manhattan kid's lifestyle. This story can teache you a lot if you are willing to listen to what it's saying.

This book started out really well...then crashed and burned. If it wasn't for the sorry ending, I would've rated it with 4 stars. Many of the characters the book follows were of no interest and did not really relate to the underlying story. The individual stories of addiction are truthful.

As a college student reading this book, I thought it was wonderful. Instead of doing something productive on a Sunday afternoon, I sat and read the book from cover to cover in approximately two hours. I highly recommend this book; I've already lent it out and recieved rave reviews from other students.

Nick has prose similiar to Ellis, but cannot compete (he was 17 a the time of publication) at his level just yet. Writing about rich kids that have drugs, guns, and endless amounts of money at their fingertips, Twelve allows the reader to see another side of upper Manhattan, a teen agers literal perspective if you will. A nice read for a first novel, look for better work to come from this young man.

I don't understand the hype about this book. The writing style was amateurish. The ending was telegraphed right from the start, the only shocking think was just how over the top it was. The only reason this manuscript wasn't thrown in the trash where it belongs, is clearly because of his father who just happens to be the editor of Sports Illustrated.

The publisher's his godfather, his dad writes for Sports Illustrated, and mom's a novelist. This is a lot like going to your friends' house and being subjected to their precious child clunking away on the grand piano as they watch worshipfully.
Lesson: you don't have to have talent, just family connections... and he's not even a Bush.

Then you will like this book! Richie Rich wrote a book, and here it is! Ain't that cute...his godfather published his book...a[...] Nick McDonell blasts a good one, Pete North-style, on the face of anyone stupid enough to buy this pretty little book.

Ignore the literary critics bashing of this book. Its a entertaining, quick read and well worth it. I think this kid has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to his next book.
Twelve lacks the pretentiousness of the books its compared to-Less than Zero, etc...

Nick has created a wonderfully addictive new style of writing that makes it terribly hard to put the book down even after you've read it. I am an 18 year old writer and as such I read a lot. This is one of the best books I've read in quite sometime. He is a wonderful writer and a brilliant philosopher.

I apologize for not being impressed that a 17 year old can publish a book. But horrible writing is horrible writing regardless the age of the author. It inspired me to write a book because if this can get published, anything can.

This book was very entertaining and an easy read. I am not an avid reader but i read this book in a couple hours. I thought the different characters in the book went well together and the overall message was great. I would recommend it to everyone. I am sad that it was only 250 pages, i wanted more by the end.

The writing is mature and the narrative skilled. THe relationship between the youngsters and the adults/parents almost painfully realised. A wonderful piece of work.
Overreactions do seem to abound because of the subject matter. Given the nature of the novel clearly some people should avoid. Particularly those confused with the timeline between Hamlet and Monte Cristo!

A pampered rich-boy complete with silver spoon uses his wealth and privilege to get his first book published, a book about the evils of wealth and privilege. This is what Webster is changing their definition of "irony" to in their next edition.