Scan barcode
celticthistle's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.0
kba76's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Historical fiction set during The Troubles and exploring the impact of this situation on the people living in the area.
Cushla is twenty-four, her family run a local pub and she teaches in a local school. A good Catholic family, so it is surprising that Cushla takes up with Michael Agnew, an older married man. And a Protestant.
The book shows us the start of their affair, and takes us through to its dramatic conclusion.
Most of the focus is on Cushla and her feelings about the relationship.
While the historical background was interesting, I couldn’t help but feel that our key characters were rather flat and didn’t particularly interest me. The details that were of most interest were kept in the background, and even the crucial details regarding Michael seemed to be nothing more than an unfortunate issue with timing.
Cushla is twenty-four, her family run a local pub and she teaches in a local school. A good Catholic family, so it is surprising that Cushla takes up with Michael Agnew, an older married man. And a Protestant.
The book shows us the start of their affair, and takes us through to its dramatic conclusion.
Most of the focus is on Cushla and her feelings about the relationship.
While the historical background was interesting, I couldn’t help but feel that our key characters were rather flat and didn’t particularly interest me. The details that were of most interest were kept in the background, and even the crucial details regarding Michael seemed to be nothing more than an unfortunate issue with timing.
lks904's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
laurahastoomanywips's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
This was an OK read. Not 100% sure what all the hype was about, though.
It did convey the atmosphere of Northern Ireland during the Troubles, that something hanging over you/ anything could happen feeling.
I felt like it wasn't sure what sort of book it wanted to be: was it a literary fiction style about life then, was it a love story (albeit a weird, controlling relationship given how Michael acted, constantly wanting to know what she was doing, not liking others spend time with Cushla) or was it about the poverty and difficulties of a "mixed" family and what they had to endure or was it about Tommy's unrequited love for Cushla?
My favourite character was Davy, he was such a "tryer", doing his best in the situation his family was in, trying to be positive even after his dad's punnishment beating. I was glad he was found by Cushla at the end, even if it was 40 odd years later.
I also really struggled with the lack of speech marks, it really affected the flow of my reading and caused me to get confused a lot at who was actually speaking.
It did convey the atmosphere of Northern Ireland during the Troubles, that something hanging over you/ anything could happen feeling.
I felt like it wasn't sure what sort of book it wanted to be: was it a literary fiction style about life then, was it a love story (albeit a weird, controlling relationship given how Michael acted, constantly wanting to know what she was doing, not liking others spend time with Cushla) or was it about the poverty and difficulties of a "mixed" family and what they had to endure or was it about Tommy's unrequited love for Cushla?
My favourite character was Davy, he was such a "tryer", doing his best in the situation his family was in, trying to be positive even after his dad's punnishment beating. I was glad he was found by Cushla at the end, even if it was 40 odd years later.
I also really struggled with the lack of speech marks, it really affected the flow of my reading and caused me to get confused a lot at who was actually speaking.
almakos's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nicisomm's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
whirl'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Infidelity, Gun violence, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Bullying