Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - The Wren, the Wren

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

The Wren, the Wren by Anne Enright

9 reviews

deedireads's review

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.0

The Wren, The Wren was on my radar anyway, but its placement on the Women’s Prize shortlist bumped it to the top of my TBR. This one is a little tough for me to review because I recognized how good it was, but it just didn’t hold my attention very well or stick with me once I’d finished it. But I think that was because of me, not the book.

The book switches between two primary POVs: Nell, a young woman descending into an abusive relationship while romanticizing the poetry of her famous late grandfather; and Carmel, her mother, who’s still dealing with the emotional repercussions of her (scoundrel) father’s abandonment. Enright gives us a poignant look at how our generational scars persist and affect our relationships for years and years. I also appreciated the poetry she included throughout.

As I mentioned, it just felt like this book when in one side of my brain and out the other, even as I recognized its merits. To be fair, I read most of it on a plane AND I was 34 weeks pregnant, so I really do think this was me and not the book. I have nothing objectively critical to say of it, and Enright remains one of the greats.

If you love a beautifully written Irish novel that’s all character and little plot, you’re going to eat this one up.

CONTENT AND TRIGGER WARNINGS

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hannah2896's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.75

A beautifully written book which captivated me in parts. I loved the poetry and bird references throughout, and Nell's chapters when she is abroad. Some parts were difficult to read and weren't enjoyable - I do wish I skipped those pages.

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baileyanabella's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Unflinching, graphic and difficult to read at some points.. but written so lyrically. The prose in this is simply gorgeous, but sprinkled with vulgarity in a way I've never seen combined before. Very interesting read.

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caitlinxreads's review

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sad slow-paced

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

1.5

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phoevincent's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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knikchevich's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

The Wren, The Wren looks at three generations of the McDaragh family. Phil was a famous poet who abandoned his first wife when she was diagnosed with cancer, but the focus of this book is more on his daughter Carmel and Carmel’s daughter Nell who only knows Phil through his poetry and an online interview. It’s about children trying, but failing, to fully understand their parents, women figuring out how to be in the world and what sort of life they want to live, and how actions and trauma can echo trough the generations. Enright’s writing was superb as expected. I enjoyed the contrast between Nell’s sections being told in the first person and Carmel’s in the third person. I thought the distinctive and unlikeable persona of Phil was really well drawn. He felt particularly real to me and I had a crystal clear image of him in my head as I read. Coincidentally the artist ignoring their family responsibilities in favour of their art was discussed in Monsters. A Fan’s Dilemma which I was reading at the same time - a nice case of bookish serendipity. Enright did a wonderful job crafting the poetry credited to Phil. Obviously the bird imagery particularly caught my attention. There was certainly lots to enjoy and admire about the book but it isn’t my favourite of Enright’s. Some of Nell’s behaviour placed her in the “messy 20 something” category which is a trope that rarely works for me these days. Still, any Enright, even if it’s not my personal favourite, is still a wonderful reading experience.

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bookworthreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

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