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travelseatsreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
I'm not entirely sure how to sum up Milkman or even quite how I feel about it, depending on the section of the book I was very firmly in love or hate territory!
Milkman is a story of our unnamed protagonist Third Sister as she quite literally buries her head in her favourites books and tries to get by in the manic world of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Burns uses a long flowing stream of conscious style format, which really works at times to get into the turmoil and chaos of the unusual events. However, in other seemingly irrelevant drawn out sections it had be pulling my hair out and losing concentration quite easily.
The book has a very closed in claustrophobic nature to it which in hindsight was a fantastic portrayal of what everyone must have been feeling in those communities at the time, however it does make the book quite arduous to read.
This is a book that demands your attention for every single word and insists you fully invest into it's quite unusual format. If you can immerse yourself fully then chances are you will love it.
For me, I found the first 40% dragged on and to be honest if I wasn't doing the buddy read hosted by @lostinlaurensbooks I probably would have given up. That said I did begin to enjoy it for the remaining 60% and am very glad I stuck with it.
A challenging immersive read which continues to split opinions however there's no doubt it is a great piece of literary fiction.
Milkman is a story of our unnamed protagonist Third Sister as she quite literally buries her head in her favourites books and tries to get by in the manic world of The Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Burns uses a long flowing stream of conscious style format, which really works at times to get into the turmoil and chaos of the unusual events. However, in other seemingly irrelevant drawn out sections it had be pulling my hair out and losing concentration quite easily.
The book has a very closed in claustrophobic nature to it which in hindsight was a fantastic portrayal of what everyone must have been feeling in those communities at the time, however it does make the book quite arduous to read.
This is a book that demands your attention for every single word and insists you fully invest into it's quite unusual format. If you can immerse yourself fully then chances are you will love it.
For me, I found the first 40% dragged on and to be honest if I wasn't doing the buddy read hosted by @lostinlaurensbooks I probably would have given up. That said I did begin to enjoy it for the remaining 60% and am very glad I stuck with it.
A challenging immersive read which continues to split opinions however there's no doubt it is a great piece of literary fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and War
taranim's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
‘People always said you'd better be careful. Though how, when things are out of your hands, when things were never really in your hands, when things are stacked against you, does a person - the little person down here on the earth - be that?’
Milkman is a novel in which our narrator (as an adult) describes a period in her life as a teenager in an unnamed city during a time of political instability (most likely based Northern Ireland during the Troubles). The narrative follows her as she becomes the subject of a suspected paramilitary’s attention. As a result, she also becomes the subject of local gossip and suspicion - a dangerous position that she never wanted. So unfolds a coming-of-age story filled with commentary on gender, class and the lengths people will go to protect themselves in a war zone.
As a writer, I’m in awe of the way that Burns wrote this book and the creativity on display. Themes and commentary are woven in cleanly, if not always discreetly. It was an insight into what living during wartime could be like, which is why I think this book is very important.
However as a reader, I found this book taxing to read. The chapters were long, with a stream-of-consciousness style of narration that was difficult to get through at times. It was one of those books where the reading experience wasn’t great, but the contemplation of the novel afterward was. It has given me many things to think about.
All in all, a mixed review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and War
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Vomit, and Murder