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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
So, full disclosure, when I requested this one, I genuinely had no idea that it wouldn’t an uplifting book. Guess, who’s an idiot? Me. I am an idiot. Because of this very reason, I might be a bit biased when it comes to rating the book, however I have tried my best to review it fairly.
This is the story of Sinéad, a young woman who’s working in a hospital. A young woman who has a deep secret that she’s only told to Google and a magpie, you know, a normal human being. Yep. There are emotionally difficult topics being dealt with here and they were done well, I guess I just wasn’t ready for them. She’s working in a ward with many patients and we also learn their stories and she’s musing on them along with her own dilemma.
The problem with this book is that it tries to handle too many things at once, there are various themes through her patients that are shown to us and I wish this book was longer so those topics could have a room to flourish. The end result of this is too many topics and themes being introduced and none of them given enough time on the page.
However that’s not to say that this is a terrible book! It’s not, it has a good solid plot that I wish was explored more carefully. The writing is good and the main character, Sinéad, is not thoroughly likable which is a good thing. I like that in a book. I do wish that it was a thoroughly modern book instead of a book set in the past but presented in a ‘modern’ writing style.
Overall, it was not a bad book and for a debut, this is really good. I will definitely be watching out for more from this author because the potential is there and with tighter editing and more streamlined pace, the author could be really great! The writing is not the problem, per se, it’s the plot and pacing.
This is the story of Sinéad, a young woman who’s working in a hospital. A young woman who has a deep secret that she’s only told to Google and a magpie, you know, a normal human being. Yep. There are emotionally difficult topics being dealt with here and they were done well, I guess I just wasn’t ready for them. She’s working in a ward with many patients and we also learn their stories and she’s musing on them along with her own dilemma.
The problem with this book is that it tries to handle too many things at once, there are various themes through her patients that are shown to us and I wish this book was longer so those topics could have a room to flourish. The end result of this is too many topics and themes being introduced and none of them given enough time on the page.
However that’s not to say that this is a terrible book! It’s not, it has a good solid plot that I wish was explored more carefully. The writing is good and the main character, Sinéad, is not thoroughly likable which is a good thing. I like that in a book. I do wish that it was a thoroughly modern book instead of a book set in the past but presented in a ‘modern’ writing style.
Overall, it was not a bad book and for a debut, this is really good. I will definitely be watching out for more from this author because the potential is there and with tighter editing and more streamlined pace, the author could be really great! The writing is not the problem, per se, it’s the plot and pacing.
Very good, some incredibly interesting plot lines and moments of prose style which struck me as both tongue in cheek and incredibly clever. It was slow to get into at first, but once I hit the 150 page mark I didn’t stop again until I finished it. I didn’t love the last chapter either because of a personal preference, but would recommend overall! Really lovely interpersonal dynamics, which I love.
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
So, basically, I'm jealous of everyone who will get to buy "As You Were" by Elaine Feeney from tomorrow. This is such a special book, with characters that haven't left me since I read a proof of the novel in January, and sentences that felt like they were reaching into my chest and squeezing my heart. Anyone who was following me at the start of the year knows I read this book frantically and obsessively, over a few train journeys that seemed to fly by. The nature of train journeys, that are cut off the world yet so fleeting, mean that I had a really intense, immersive experience, and I feel that is only worthy of the book. I couldn't get enough of this story of Sinead, who, when faced with a terrible diagnosis, decides to keep the extent of her illness a secret from even her closest friends and family. The other people on the ward (particularly the two other women, Margaret Rose and Jane) become her closest confidence, and the events and struggles and truth telling that happens on the ward, revolving around just a few patients and carers, become the whole world for Sinead and the reader. Nothing in the "real world" outside the hospital matters, because nothing could be as important. I was upset at several points in this novel (and desperate for a strong drink at others) but I only realised how very funny it was after reading it, and how despite everything I felt better for reading it and knowing these characters. I loved the other patients because they were there for her in ways even her husband just couldn't be, and their camaraderie in the face of so much pain is genuinely heartwarming. We are so lucky to have a writer like Feeney working in Ireland, teaching and writing poetry and prose, and being so strong and passionate and politically aware in her interviews. I am already greedy for more of her novels.
Thank you to Random House UK for an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
As You Were is the debut novel of Elaine Feeney, an Irish poet/author. The primary storyline follows Sinead who is living on a hospital ward with a (seemingly) undiagnosed illness on the west coast of Ireland. She has only confided this diagnosis in Google and a Magpie following her first hospital appointment, leaving her husband and children in the dark. In addition, Feeney masterfully interweaves a discussion of more complex (and somewhat controversial) issues in Irish culture, through one-sided phone conversations, text messages and conversations between the patients on ‘the Ward’. It is through these interactions that it is revealed the deeper histories of each patient, which includes stories of abortion, domestic violence, forced marriages and hidden sexualities.
The way this story is written is almost as though we are reading a conscious stream of thoughts from Sinead - what she hears from the phone conversations of her fellow patients, reminiscing of previous adventures, text messages etc. - to reveal the complex and dynamic relationships between staff, patients and their families.
Where this fell short for me was the bouncing between narratives - I suppose this was done to replicate Sinead’s thoughts as she falls in and out of consciousness, but for me I found myself confused on more than one occasion. Additionally, on several instances, characters were introduced with little explanation of who they were or what relation they were to either Sinead or the other patients in the Ward with her. This produced confusion for me… Having said this, I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a complex and interesting story that is bound to make you think.
As You Were is the debut novel of Elaine Feeney, an Irish poet/author. The primary storyline follows Sinead who is living on a hospital ward with a (seemingly) undiagnosed illness on the west coast of Ireland. She has only confided this diagnosis in Google and a Magpie following her first hospital appointment, leaving her husband and children in the dark. In addition, Feeney masterfully interweaves a discussion of more complex (and somewhat controversial) issues in Irish culture, through one-sided phone conversations, text messages and conversations between the patients on ‘the Ward’. It is through these interactions that it is revealed the deeper histories of each patient, which includes stories of abortion, domestic violence, forced marriages and hidden sexualities.
The way this story is written is almost as though we are reading a conscious stream of thoughts from Sinead - what she hears from the phone conversations of her fellow patients, reminiscing of previous adventures, text messages etc. - to reveal the complex and dynamic relationships between staff, patients and their families.
Where this fell short for me was the bouncing between narratives - I suppose this was done to replicate Sinead’s thoughts as she falls in and out of consciousness, but for me I found myself confused on more than one occasion. Additionally, on several instances, characters were introduced with little explanation of who they were or what relation they were to either Sinead or the other patients in the Ward with her. This produced confusion for me… Having said this, I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a complex and interesting story that is bound to make you think.
Thankyou netgalley for this emotionally raw book. This book had me feeling everything yet at the same time smirking at the dry humour I love. As you were is a fantastic debut novel by Elaine Feeney that lands us in an Irish hospital with Sinéad. A wife, a mother, and someone dying of cancer. But she hasn't told anyone about the disease eating away at her, with the exception of Google. At times i felt I was reading something that came straight from the ramblings of someone who was mad, especially in regards to the character Jane who is also a patient, working in care myself I have come across many people with dementia and Elaines realistic portrayal had me reminiscing on many conversations I had in the past with such people. Sinéad's internal battles both mentally and physically are portrayed as she comes terms with her past and the day she saw that one magpie for sorrow and recieved her diagnosis. The characters were so lively and animated and felt so personal and relatable. It might not be everyone's preference in writing but I for one really enjoyed it
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Off-putting meandering narrative style. Sent me to sleep every time I tried to read it.
"Father always told me I was Fine. So as the years went by I grew increasingly mistrustful of bad news bearers. Miss Sinéad Hynes was fine. Father said so. I was Fine. I am Fine."
Having spent a short stint in hospital at the beginning of the year, I found this book incredibly powerful. It tells the story of Sinéad, a young wife and mother in hospital with a tumour. Written from her perspective we learn not only her tale but those of the eclectic collection of patients surrounding her. I myself was on a ward with a Jane and a Margaret Rose who, over my brief time with them, I came to love for their little quirks and eccentricities.
This novel doesn't have a big, dramatic story arc, it instead focuses on the small interactions within the monotony of life in a hospital bed. The conversations that on a normal day would seem innocuous but under the circumstances become melodrama, Sinéad's endless list making in her head because there's simply nothing else to do, the fear but also the resignation to this life that has been thrust upon everyone in the ward.
Feeney captures these moments with such clarity and profound detail that at times I found it rather unnerving and quite a hard read, as if Sinéad was reliving my experience. This did not detract from the beauty, sadness and sheer reality of the story and despite it transporting me back to a personally difficult time in my life, I'm incredibly grateful to have read this beautiful book.
Having spent a short stint in hospital at the beginning of the year, I found this book incredibly powerful. It tells the story of Sinéad, a young wife and mother in hospital with a tumour. Written from her perspective we learn not only her tale but those of the eclectic collection of patients surrounding her. I myself was on a ward with a Jane and a Margaret Rose who, over my brief time with them, I came to love for their little quirks and eccentricities.
This novel doesn't have a big, dramatic story arc, it instead focuses on the small interactions within the monotony of life in a hospital bed. The conversations that on a normal day would seem innocuous but under the circumstances become melodrama, Sinéad's endless list making in her head because there's simply nothing else to do, the fear but also the resignation to this life that has been thrust upon everyone in the ward.
Feeney captures these moments with such clarity and profound detail that at times I found it rather unnerving and quite a hard read, as if Sinéad was reliving my experience. This did not detract from the beauty, sadness and sheer reality of the story and despite it transporting me back to a personally difficult time in my life, I'm incredibly grateful to have read this beautiful book.