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realgingerscrap's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
greybeard49's review
5.0
It has taken me some time to finish this and I have endorsed it several times along the way - 'An Irish Short Story Bible/Anthology/Reference Point Of Excellence' etc etc.
There is great variety in the stories - style, plot lines, characterisation, language, length - some of the reasons why I liked it so much. It became my BIG BOOK to be dipped in and out of as time and mood permitted.
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
There is great variety in the stories - style, plot lines, characterisation, language, length - some of the reasons why I liked it so much. It became my BIG BOOK to be dipped in and out of as time and mood permitted.
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
gusabus's review against another edition
5.0
When I saw the title of "Irish short stories", I wasn't exactly sure what that entailed, but these stories are most definitely Irish. It was wonderful to read one and feel a twitch of recognition at a certain phrase or sentiment.
ronanmcd's review
4.0
These are a set of wonderfully glorious and rich texts, a really vibrant mix.
I'm taking a star away on the basis of my reading, not the book itself. Reading this many short stories, and in particular from so many authors, is exhausting. Every few pages you must recalibrate, after you've been invested in characters from another world. Your head spins.
Normally I would read something cover to cover without interruption. This book had to be broken into manageable chunks.
But each story is that good. You really do become invested. Only one story did not hold my attention, but I could see why it was in there nonetheless - a female author from a time when Irish women were left to be silent. Her story just didn't hold me interest.
I'm taking a star away on the basis of my reading, not the book itself. Reading this many short stories, and in particular from so many authors, is exhausting. Every few pages you must recalibrate, after you've been invested in characters from another world. Your head spins.
Normally I would read something cover to cover without interruption. This book had to be broken into manageable chunks.
But each story is that good. You really do become invested. Only one story did not hold my attention, but I could see why it was in there nonetheless - a female author from a time when Irish women were left to be silent. Her story just didn't hold me interest.
amalia1985's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
‘’That night, I walked the streets of East Belfast again in my dreams. Waking, the dream seemed to linger far longer than a mere dream. These streets are ours. I was jittery all day, a restless, nauseous, over-caffeinated feeling. I could email her, I thought, through the website. I wouldn’t bother with pleasantries or preliminaries. I’d just say, ‘There we were. Do you remember?’’
The poignancy, richness and diversity of Irish Literature within a volume, beautifully selected by Sinead Gleeson. From the haunting to the satirical, the romantic, the tragic. Snippets of the woes and joys of the farmers’ lives, the complexities of urban landscapes, the sorrows of the heart, the terrors of the mind, and the irrevocable wounds of the Troubles that shaped the soul of the Northern Irish. A collection to be cherished.
Do you recall the feeling of being alone in your room, reading while the soft light of the sun enters from the window on a late summer afternoon? The silence and the calm? This collection reminded me of those precious moments.
My favourite stories include:
The Quest by Leland Bardwell: A woman travels to England to meet the son she gave up for adoption 40 years ago.
Over and Done With by Claire-Louise Bennett: A woman who lives alone tries to cope with the demanding atmosphere of Christmas.
Ann Lee’s by Elizabeth Bowen: A mysterious visitor creates mischief in the shop of a formidable lady.
Here We Are by Lucy Caldwell: A beautifully atmospheric coming-of-age story about love, death and summer holidays, set in East Belfast.
The Yew Tree by Oein DeBhairduin: A folk tale of loss and grief, true to the haunting Irish nature.
The Pram by Roddy Doyle: A terrifying ghost story that combines the finest features of the Irish legends and Slavic traditions. Brilliant!
Virgin Soil by George Egerton: A daughter who had to put up with a violent husband, escapes the nightmare of her wedding and rebels against her naive, oppressive mother.
A Love by Neil Jordan: A moving love affair, set in Dublin and Limerick.
Antarctica by Claire Keegan: The only story by Keegan that I actually enjoyed. A sensual tale that turns into a nightmare.
Hunger by Louise Kennedy: A hymn to Bobby Sands through the eyes of an adolescent girl that has found herself in the wolf’s den.
Walking the Dog by Brendan MacLaverty: A man finds himself threatened by both sides that claim to ‘’fight’’ the absurd war of the Troubles.
A Shiver of Hearts by Una Mannion: A statue of the Virgin Mary becomes the heart of a young girl’s story.
A Journey by Edna O’Brien: As with Keegan this is the only O’Brien story that managed to attract my attention, narrating a doomed love affair.
Black Spot by Deidre Sullivan: If you are a teacher you cannot help but adore this tender and moving story.
claire60's review
4.0
A whopping tome, a collection of 100 short stories from a variety of writers from the island of Ireland, both old and modern. Some of the stories are wonderful, some are ok, some are meh, as you would expect. A sense of the different kinds of Irish experience shines through as does the concept of an Irish voice. Dip in and out, or read a couple a day, but definitely don't read in one go!!!
wendoxford's review
4.0
I haven't quite read every story, but this collection is such a joy to dip in and out of. I thought at first I would home in on authors I knew. I did, but also loved all the new (to me) discoveries, which now add their names to yet another TBR pile!
lou_o_donnell's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
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