Reviews

City of Bohane by Kevin Barry

alisonjfields's review against another edition

5.0

I adored this book. That should not necessarily read as a recommendation to you. If the idea of a gorgeously ugly idyll about dystopian Irish gangsters delivered in a kind of foul and glorious patois (often more in line with poetry than prose) doesn't scare you off completely, City of Bohane will probably be right up your (narrow, dreamy bloody, folkloric, history-drenched) alley. I am pretty sure I've never read anything quite like this before, so if you're looking for comparisons . . .(it's pretty far from standard issue dystopian fiction and though quite literary, would probably rankle the Booker Prize crowd) fuck, I dunno.

The path is neither straight nor particularly concerned with its end path, but lord, what a ride.

Still, you've been warned. Proceed with caution.

zeldaspellman's review against another edition

dark funny slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

liketheday's review against another edition

2.0

File this one under: Books I would never have gotten past page five of except that they were being read for book club. Also file under: Books I don't really understand why anyone would bother to read past page five of.
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jawlor's review against another edition

5.0

Immersive, imaginative and incredibly entertaining. Barry gives no smooth introduction to the dense, complex vernacular of this book, but its rhythm is hypnotising nonetheless. The world-building is incredible, and the pacing of chapters, paragraphs, conversations, and interweaving plot-lines is perfect.

rollerr's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. Never read anything like it. It tells the story of a power struggle in a gang in a small Irish City. It is supposedly set in the future, but actually in an indeterminate time that allows the author to create some slang, and a culture that is as much late 19th century as anything else. It takes just a little getting into because of the language, but once you are in, it is compelling.

bradenh's review

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

borderhopper's review

adventurous challenging dark funny tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Author imagined an Irish slang of 30 years in the future.  Took several chapters to get it all down.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Addiction, Emotional abuse, and Murder

almartin's review against another edition

Really wanted to like this (Graywolf, Bookforum reviews, etc) but City of Bohane didn't do it for me at all. I think my slider on dialect-intensive books is basically set to zero.

cseefurth's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.0

acberg's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0