Reviews

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor

erboe501's review against another edition

3.0

This book was informative and enlightening on just how bad the Great Famine of the mid 19th century was by personalizing through individual stories. It's a crime story, and as you read you realize it's also a mystery--who ends up being the murderer after all? I was at turns interested and bored in the story, so not sure I'd recommend.

amigo_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

owenpeak's review against another edition

4.0

This took me a while to get into but once I saw what O’Connor was trying to do, with the flashbacks of the characters’ lives leading up to the voyage, I could enjoy it a lot more. The characters that were developed (like David, Pius and Mary) felt so vivid and complex, however I wish some of the other characters had more fleshing out seeing at there were 400 pages over which to do so. I’m also conflicted over Dixon as a narrator; I get the wallflower vibe that’s being attempted but he felt too involved to give a completely indiscriminate account of the dramatic events on the boat. Some of the intertextuality (especially the Dickens parts) felt very shoehorned in however the firm rooting of the narrative in time and place was exceedingly well done. Also, the epistolary story telling, especially the use of real documents, really added so much depth to the novel and gives reason for it to be such a highly regarded piece of historical fiction.

littletaiko's review against another edition

4.0

Star of the Sea is a book I've had lying around for a few years. I wish I had read it sooner as it was a very good book. It tells the story of one fateful voyage from Ireland to New York in 1847. The majority of the ship's passengers are fleeing Ireland in hopes of a better life. The lives of three of the passengers are intertwined in unexpected ways. I had not read much about Ireland and the troubles they had. Joseph O'Connor manages to tell a good story even though it's heartbreaking in so many ways.

terrypaulpearce's review against another edition

3.0

Some good writing at the core here, some great moments, but a little bit self-indulgent for me, especially at the end where everything was spelled out and every character's fate wrapped up. This could have been stunning if just told with a little more subtlety and restraint.

sagahrling's review against another edition

4.0

Lite långsam att ta sig in i med många karaktärer och snåriga händelseförlopp, men efter hand just det som gjorde den värd att läsa. Man dras in i boken och vill inte släppa, varje ord och replik fängslar.

bookbug89's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

beemini's review against another edition

5.0

Absolute stunning read, a history of the Irish Famine in a Trojan horse of a Gothic shipboard murder mystery. I have so many quotes highlighted, it'll take me forever to formulate all of my thoughts.

Weirdly I read this after a book that is extremely different on the surface, a metareferential sci-fi comedy that toys with tropes in Star Trek (Redshirts by John Scalzi). But both books feature unreliable narration, multiple points of view, and rather long epilogues that drive home the message that every single life matters to someone, somewhere, even when the metrics of power and wealth vary greatly.

This will be one of the highlights of my 2023 reading journey.

franceswilde95's review against another edition

5.0

I honestly thought this was one of the best books I have read in a long time. The switching narrative took a while to grasp but ploughing through was so worth it. It offered a very REAL, honest and painfully eye-opening view of the Irish Famine. Very odd for me to see places I love mentioned and portrayed of places of such desolation and intense suffering. It not only is a commentary on the famine but on class status, and demands the reader questions their opinions on characters. There are no cliche stereotypes in this broadly intellectually stimulating novel. Would definitely recommend, especially to those with an interest in Ireland.

akshay_rupnawar's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75