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egc2ab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jessicam89's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
abigators's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
archerb's review against another edition
2.0
I have thoughts. Spoilers at the very end.
An interesting (I guess) look at the complicated political space that Northern Ireland has been steeped in for decades to the -recent or present day?- and the kind of ‘slippery slope’ of extremist involvement.
It was very wide sweeping though, didn’t dig very deep, and read like Baby’s First Intro to Northern Ireland - but purely the vibes. There was no helpful framing with any specific reference to historical events or figures, nor much deeper rhetoric or philosophy other than “violence is wrong” versus “the greater good”.
Also, I’m no accent expert nor voice actor, but I nearly quit the audiobook after a chapter bc the narrator’s accent choices made everything come out very monotone. I checked and she’s English (not that an Englishwoman or anyone for that matter can’t accomplish an accurate Irish accent) but truly every single line ended in a lifting inflection. It’s like each line was recorded separately. I know that inflection is a core part of the accent but there has to be more variation in normal speaking than that because it felt very odd and drove me mad.
Almost DNFd early bc of the narrator, the first half of the book churning in place in the refusal of the possibility her sister could possibly be in the IRA, and my general meh feeling, but finished out of inertia. It was short and not hard to follow.
An interesting (I guess) look at the complicated political space that Northern Ireland has been steeped in for decades to the -recent or present day?- and the kind of ‘slippery slope’ of extremist involvement.
It was very wide sweeping though, didn’t dig very deep, and read like Baby’s First Intro to Northern Ireland - but purely the vibes. There was no helpful framing with any specific reference to historical events or figures, nor much deeper rhetoric or philosophy other than “violence is wrong” versus “the greater good”.
Also, I’m no accent expert nor voice actor, but I nearly quit the audiobook after a chapter bc the narrator’s accent choices made everything come out very monotone. I checked and she’s English (not that an Englishwoman or anyone for that matter can’t accomplish an accurate Irish accent) but truly every single line ended in a lifting inflection. It’s like each line was recorded separately. I know that inflection is a core part of the accent but there has to be more variation in normal speaking than that because it felt very odd and drove me mad.
Almost DNFd early bc of the narrator, the first half of the book churning in place in the refusal of the possibility her sister could possibly be in the IRA, and my general meh feeling, but finished out of inertia. It was short and not hard to follow.
rachel_nadine's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
eamcmahon3's review against another edition
4.0
The story gets 5 stars and the writing gets 3 stars so 4 stars overall.
This story was so compelling to me. I loved this personal look at life with the IRA in Northern Ireland. I enjoyed a fictionalized portrayal more than I thought I would. Highly recommend
This story was so compelling to me. I loved this personal look at life with the IRA in Northern Ireland. I enjoyed a fictionalized portrayal more than I thought I would. Highly recommend