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rachmco's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Hate crime, Infidelity, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
mraddd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Police brutality
katewhite77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Stunning, Just Stunning. Especially For A Debut.
It could be argued that you have to suspend your disbelief plot wise but I can forgive it. Oh god can I forgive it because otherwise this story could not have been told and it needed to be told. It could also be said that this novel is less about plot and more about the frailties of human nature in extreme circumstances.
The novel tells the story of one women's elicit affair during the early days of the Troubles in Belfast. The writing is exquisite.
Yes Cushla makes questionable decisions at times but don't we all. Sometimes they are just part of being being human and a good one at that.
It could be argued that you have to suspend your disbelief plot wise but I can forgive it. Oh god can I forgive it because otherwise this story could not have been told and it needed to be told. It could also be said that this novel is less about plot and more about the frailties of human nature in extreme circumstances.
The novel tells the story of one women's elicit affair during the early days of the Troubles in Belfast. The writing is exquisite.
Yes Cushla makes questionable decisions at times but don't we all. Sometimes they are just part of being being human and a good one at that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying and Police brutality
ramreadsagain's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
“Booby trap. Incendiary device. Gelignite. Nitroglycerine. Petrol bomb. Rubber bullets. Saracen. Internment. The Special Powers Act. Vanguard. The vocabulary of a 7-year-old child now.”
Cushla, a young Catholic school teacher, lives in a 'mixed' (but largely Protestant) town near Belfast, in the 70's amid The Troubles. She becomes a bit too involved in the life of Davy, a boy in the class she teaches, from a poor Catholic family living in a Protestant estate. She becomes much too involved with Michael, an older, highly educated, married Protestant barrister. While these actions might only have personal consequences in other times and places, they put her in a very precarious position within her divided community.
I am ashamed to admit that most of my knowledge of this part of Northern Ireland's history comes from Derry Girls, so I feel like I've learnt a lot here.
This is one of those books you come out of in a bit of a daze. It's a proper slowburn, then the final quarter just throws everything at you. The author has done an amazing job at immersing the reader into the time period, with descriptions of clothing, food, and overall mood creating an atmospheric 70's working class time capsule.
It's very well-written and pulls no punches. I did find the plot itself a bit... predictable? Essentially, it's exactly what I would expect from a literary book of this kind. Ticks boxes, I suppose. I was also not entirely convinced by the romance.
However, I know I'll remember this book for a long time, and I'm very happy to have read it. Absolutely a recommendation from me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Police brutality, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Violence, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
bookmaddie's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
the ending… i cry :-(
-
Cushla teaches at a Catholic elementary school during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and works at her family bar, where she meets an older man and begins an affair. I feel like this book is sold as a love story, but I found that to be the least compelling aspect of the story. Instead, I think of this novel as a coming-of-age in a confining community during a time of random, unceasing violence. Cushla gets involved in the life of one of her students, and has a stumbling, charming friendship with one of her fellow teachers. Both of these relationships felt like gems sparkling amongst the dust and darkness of the rest of the story, and I relished the moments I spent with them.
Even if I didn't find the love story that captivating, I think it was necessary to help Cushla come into her adulthood and understand a different part of her life, especially within a deeply segregated, yet small, community. Kennedy's writing is without flourish, yet unflinching, honest, and surprisingly funny at times. Cushla's clever comebacks always surprised and delighted me—they felt unstudied yet precise.
Full of tenderness and mundane catastrophe, with vivid characters who light up every page, this novel is powerful even in its quietest moments. I look forward to reading what Kennedy writes next!
-
Cushla teaches at a Catholic elementary school during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and works at her family bar, where she meets an older man and begins an affair. I feel like this book is sold as a love story, but I found that to be the least compelling aspect of the story. Instead, I think of this novel as a coming-of-age in a confining community during a time of random, unceasing violence. Cushla gets involved in the life of one of her students, and has a stumbling, charming friendship with one of her fellow teachers. Both of these relationships felt like gems sparkling amongst the dust and darkness of the rest of the story, and I relished the moments I spent with them.
Even if I didn't find the love story that captivating, I think it was necessary to help Cushla come into her adulthood and understand a different part of her life, especially within a deeply segregated, yet small, community. Kennedy's writing is without flourish, yet unflinching, honest, and surprisingly funny at times. Cushla's clever comebacks always surprised and delighted me—they felt unstudied yet precise.
Full of tenderness and mundane catastrophe, with vivid characters who light up every page, this novel is powerful even in its quietest moments. I look forward to reading what Kennedy writes next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder
_inge's review against another edition
I loved how Irish this was. The characters all felt really real. Father Slattery was hilariously awful, I could practically smell the pub and hear the banter inside, and the Irish phrases used I could sometimes ‘hear’ on paper.
The story mostly focuses on how The Troubles influenced people in their daily lives. This was visible at the start of every second chapter or so, for instance. It would start by summarising news from the area, and sometimes you’d get to hear how this news impacts the protagonist or if it’s connected to her in any way, yet other times this isn’t brought on as there’s no connection between her and the news whatsoever. This really showed how odd it must’ve been to live during this period; if the news doesn’t broadcast anything on someone you may now, you’d still be wary that this might happen another day. People try to go on with their daily lives but current affairs always seep through. I found this perspective refreshing.
The style of writing included a lot of shifts. Sometimes you’d not hear what a character is up to, but it would be alluded to it. Someone might stand in front of a house, for instance, but the next sentence describes how the doorknob feels. This character would be inside the house in the sentences that follow. So you don’t read about them twisting the doorknob themselves, or even stepping inside, but from the next few lines you get that they must now be inside the house. Every chapter started at a completely different point of the story too. In the previous chapter you may have read about the protagonist leaving one place, but the next chapter would cut to her being somewhere entirely different. This fragmented style sometimes means you have to actively work out what’s happening. It’s never too difficult, but I have had times where I got lost in the details of a certain place and got confused at the location of the next scene. The author doesn’t use quotation marks either, but because there’s quite a few characters in this you might have to work out who’s speaking, too.
I did find it interesting how every character is referred to by their first name. Even Cushla’s mum or brother are never referred to as being that to her. This makes for interesting writing concerning the affair; just like the protagonist you don’t know who Michael is to her. I don’t know whether this was a fully conscious choice, but I did like it.
This could’ve been a hard read, and I could get that this character focused story could make that even more so for some, but there was hope found within the pages. People were as horrible as they were kind to each other. Throughout reading you’re never too sure what the intentions of each character are, and if their actions are wrong or right. That makes for an interesting read.
The story mostly focuses on how The Troubles influenced people in their daily lives. This was visible at the start of every second chapter or so, for instance. It would start by summarising news from the area, and sometimes you’d get to hear how this news impacts the protagonist or if it’s connected to her in any way, yet other times this isn’t brought on as there’s no connection between her and the news whatsoever. This really showed how odd it must’ve been to live during this period; if the news doesn’t broadcast anything on someone you may now, you’d still be wary that this might happen another day. People try to go on with their daily lives but current affairs always seep through. I found this perspective refreshing.
The style of writing included a lot of shifts. Sometimes you’d not hear what a character is up to, but it would be alluded to it. Someone might stand in front of a house, for instance, but the next sentence describes how the doorknob feels. This character would be inside the house in the sentences that follow. So you don’t read about them twisting the doorknob themselves, or even stepping inside, but from the next few lines you get that they must now be inside the house. Every chapter started at a completely different point of the story too. In the previous chapter you may have read about the protagonist leaving one place, but the next chapter would cut to her being somewhere entirely different. This fragmented style sometimes means you have to actively work out what’s happening. It’s never too difficult, but I have had times where I got lost in the details of a certain place and got confused at the location of the next scene. The author doesn’t use quotation marks either, but because there’s quite a few characters in this you might have to work out who’s speaking, too.
I did find it interesting how every character is referred to by their first name. Even Cushla’s mum or brother are never referred to as being that to her. This makes for interesting writing concerning the affair; just like the protagonist you don’t know who Michael is to her. I don’t know whether this was a fully conscious choice, but I did like it.
This could’ve been a hard read, and I could get that this character focused story could make that even more so for some, but there was hope found within the pages. People were as horrible as they were kind to each other. Throughout reading you’re never too sure what the intentions of each character are, and if their actions are wrong or right. That makes for an interesting read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
madamelacy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Cushla befriends a Catholic family in need after the father of one of her pupils is severely beaten. The two strands of her life, as a teacher and as Michael’s lover, become inextricably linked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Religious bigotry
Minor: Death of parent
ineedmorecoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Damn you, Louise Kennedy, for making me feel things.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kjb2003's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Police brutality, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
suzsta's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A winding tale of life in Troubles-era Belfast, Trespasses offers an intimate image of an affair across political divides and it's fallout. Concerned at it's core with love, our choices, and the grey areas of morality in which life is lived, this book is in turns gut wrenching and painfully familiar. A loving yet stark portrayal of family life, addiction, and the complexities of relationships that could at any point be tainted by sectarian violence and prejudice, this book is a solid read for anyone with an interest in the day to day lives of those living in the shadow of the Troubles.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for access to this ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail