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dystopia's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Body shaming, Medical content, and Religious bigotry
azure_dreams's review against another edition
slow-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? Yes
1.5
I am the wrong audience for this book. I will have to go and find some author interviews to see if there's something I missed, but the extremely pious mindset just felt pointless to me.
I was expecting more on the survival side, how they carved a life on their new island, rather than just constant sacrifice and discomfort.
I was expecting more on the survival side, how they carved a life on their new island, rather than just constant sacrifice and discomfort.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
kelly_e's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Title: Haven
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: August 23, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Patient • Timely • Riveting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In seventh-century Ireland, three men vow to leave the world behind. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael. The steep, rocky terrain and bare island is unforgiving, and the three must band together in order to survive.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emma Donoghue is an auto-buy author for me, so it will be no surprise that Haven was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. If you'd have asked me if a book based in religion set in 600 AD would interest me, my first impulse would have been to say no. Yet, Donoghue has a way of taking the most uninteresting plot and making it shine.
The strength is in the evocative writing style and the vivid island atmosphere. This is a slow-moving narrative, where not a whole lot happens, yet I was captivated by the journey of these three characters. It is a story of faith and devotion, while also raising issues of gender, survival, and needs versus wants.
Haven was definitely not my favourite Emma Donoghue book, yet one of the reasons I love her writing is that each book is so different from the last. Don't let the synopsis keep you from picking up was is at its heart a story of isolation, spirituality and survival.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue devotees
• readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"To travel is to turn the pages of the great book of life."
Author: Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4.0
Pub Date: August 23, 2022
T H R E E • W O R D S
Patient • Timely • Riveting
📖 S Y N O P S I S
In seventh-century Ireland, three men vow to leave the world behind. They set out in a small boat for an island their leader has seen in a dream, with only faith to guide them. What they find is the extraordinary island now known as Skellig Michael. The steep, rocky terrain and bare island is unforgiving, and the three must band together in order to survive.
💭 T H O U G H T S
Emma Donoghue is an auto-buy author for me, so it will be no surprise that Haven was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. If you'd have asked me if a book based in religion set in 600 AD would interest me, my first impulse would have been to say no. Yet, Donoghue has a way of taking the most uninteresting plot and making it shine.
The strength is in the evocative writing style and the vivid island atmosphere. This is a slow-moving narrative, where not a whole lot happens, yet I was captivated by the journey of these three characters. It is a story of faith and devotion, while also raising issues of gender, survival, and needs versus wants.
Haven was definitely not my favourite Emma Donoghue book, yet one of the reasons I love her writing is that each book is so different from the last. Don't let the synopsis keep you from picking up was is at its heart a story of isolation, spirituality and survival.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue devotees
• readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"To travel is to turn the pages of the great book of life."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Body shaming
teresareads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Animal death
Moderate: Transphobia and Religious bigotry
tamara_joy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Body shaming
platypus1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I’m a Donoghue Fan but this book was disappointing. It was was slow and then ended in a superficial flash that fizzled out before the Bang. There is a twist that felt forced at the end and could have been introduced earlier In the book to build the story on. There are some religious thought provoking passages but overall not the usual great storyline I’m used to from this author. It could have been so much more given the location, the characters and the twist. Only 3.25 stars for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
wordsofclover's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
In 7th century Ireland, three monks leave a monastery to take on a journey unlike any other they have done. Eventually, following days on the river Shannon, the discover an isolated island perfect to found a new monastery - that on Skellig Michael. The three men, one old, two young, begin their new lives trying to exist on a bare scrap of land with only puffins for company. Will they survive the wilderness, and each other?
I'm so disappointed to say this book just didn't really do it for me at all - I found this one a tough read to connect to, and feel engaged with. I normally love Emma Donoghue's writing and I really loved how she used this story to not only travel way back into Irish history but explore religious fervor and idolatry, isolation and survival. But I think the story itself, and some of the characters just really left me wanting - I'm not a religious person but grew up going to church like many an Irish child, and I have religious family members but the religious sacraments and rituals in this left me feeling a bit bored, and while I enjoyed the different characters in the three monks, I also feel like we never really got to know them either.
My favourite character was probably Cormac, a quiet, older man who came to the religious life very late having lost a wife and children, and almost dying in various Clan battles. From his stories that all linked into Irish mythology to the tender way he looked after Trian, and eventually standing up to Artt's ridiculous ways, he was my stand up guy in this.
I found Artt very hard to read at times as he went from okay, to bad to worse. There's nothing I hate more than men heavy with religious pride using the 'god will provide' and 'look what god gave us' when it's actually just hard work that results in progress. It's kind of like the 7th century version of manifesting. I ended up becoming really angry and frustrated at Artt for all the other men, and religious people, who have acted in similar ways and think they are always right.
Trian was a lovely character and while I was convinced he may have been a woman in disguise for a large portion of the book, I'm not sure what we were suppose to do with the (view spoiler). It was really just used as a catalyst for Artt's nastiness to come out and Cormac finally standing up to him and that was it. I would have liked more exploration and discussion around the topic and possibly have it more clear but I'm not really sure what to think to be honest.
Also on a side note, for some reason I found the slaughter of the birds and chicks really hard to stomach in this one. I think because they had been left in peace for so long and suddenly these horrible men come and literally rob the babies from the nests, it was a tough one for me.
The writing in this was good like I would expect from this author. It just wasn't one for me unfortunately.
I'm so disappointed to say this book just didn't really do it for me at all - I found this one a tough read to connect to, and feel engaged with. I normally love Emma Donoghue's writing and I really loved how she used this story to not only travel way back into Irish history but explore religious fervor and idolatry, isolation and survival. But I think the story itself, and some of the characters just really left me wanting - I'm not a religious person but grew up going to church like many an Irish child, and I have religious family members but the religious sacraments and rituals in this left me feeling a bit bored, and while I enjoyed the different characters in the three monks, I also feel like we never really got to know them either.
My favourite character was probably Cormac, a quiet, older man who came to the religious life very late having lost a wife and children, and almost dying in various Clan battles. From his stories that all linked into Irish mythology to the tender way he looked after Trian, and eventually standing up to Artt's ridiculous ways, he was my stand up guy in this.
I found Artt very hard to read at times as he went from okay, to bad to worse. There's nothing I hate more than men heavy with religious pride using the 'god will provide' and 'look what god gave us' when it's actually just hard work that results in progress. It's kind of like the 7th century version of manifesting. I ended up becoming really angry and frustrated at Artt for all the other men, and religious people, who have acted in similar ways and think they are always right.
Trian was a lovely character and while I was convinced he may have been a woman in disguise for a large portion of the book, I'm not sure what we were suppose to do with the (view spoiler). It was really just used as a catalyst for Artt's nastiness to come out and Cormac finally standing up to him and that was it. I would have liked more exploration and discussion around the topic and possibly have it more clear but I'm not really sure what to think to be honest.
Also on a side note, for some reason I found the slaughter of the birds and chicks really hard to stomach in this one. I think because they had been left in peace for so long and suddenly these horrible men come and literally rob the babies from the nests, it was a tough one for me.
The writing in this was good like I would expect from this author. It just wasn't one for me unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death
rosiecockshutt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
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
5.0
This was a true boiling frog novel, in the best way possible. I loved what it was and how it was written at the beginning, and also at the end, but they had two very separate vibes! Personally I really prefer this style of tension buildup to books that are just high anxiety from page one -
Haven got me get invested before giving me absolute heart palpitations!
Definitely check trigger warnings for this one, especially anything regarding religion.
And all of that’s not even getting into the brilliance of Donoghue’s characters. From how we first meet them to the way we last see them, it’s a seamless but astonishing transition for each and every one of them. Amazing!
Haven got me get invested before giving me absolute heart palpitations!
Definitely check trigger warnings for this one, especially anything regarding religion.
And all of that’s not even getting into the brilliance of Donoghue’s characters. From how we first meet them to the way we last see them, it’s a seamless but astonishing transition for each and every one of them. Amazing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
kaitsteak's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.5
CW: religious trauma, animal death and cruelty to LGBTQIA character
Set on Skellig Michael, the book follows three monks in the 7th century as they withdraw from society to form a life of prayer on the skellig. Cormac and Trian are monks who are voluntold to leave with Artt, a cult-leader-wannabe to live on a remote island with little-to-no resources. Predictably, this causes hardship.
Cormac and Trian are thoughtful, well-constructed characters and I enjoyed the parts of the novel where we watch their attempts to make the island their home. I got a good sense of these characters and their motivations. The parts of the novel that center these characters really shine.
Artt is decidedly less of a well-rounded character. He seemed to be almost an archetype of religious mania, and I wish that we as readers got a better sense of his internal motivation.
Another issue I took with the book was the INTENSE amount of animal slaughter in the book. I understand it’s a survival story, but the killing seemed gratuitous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Medical trauma and Homophobia
redwrapped's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Haven is a rich, evocative meditation on the frailty and strength of mankind and the psychological effects of faith and isolation, bound by duty to God and each other, bolstered by crystalline, reflective descriptions, and a focus on the world and history of the setting. Always thoughtful and often breathtaking, Haven is a immense but fraught study on the intersection between history, nature, religion, and psychology.
One monk, Artt, has a dream that he takes to believe is a command from God to break away from the monastery and escape from sin and rote temptations and leave for a new world where he and two others will not be distracted from their holy work: copying a Bible by hand and building an altar and a church, surrounded only by nature and isolation.
Soon, Artt is sworn loyalty to by his two followers and they listen to his directives, even as he becomes more fervent in his desire for an ideal world and overzealous in religiosity, meting out punishment and sacrificing their safety for demonstrations of worship and penitence to God. As winter nears closer and they run out of wood to burn and food to eat, and Artt becomes more deluded and needy for absolution, will the three of them be able to survive the island and their own self-doubt?
Trian and Cormac are some of the most well-rounded, well-intentioned, and honest characters I've seen for some time. Their trust and eventual bond between each other is heartrending. The change in Artt is imperceptible; maybe because his drive and ambition at the cost of others was always there under his good works.
As the story goes on, layer after layer of reverberations and aftereffects are uncovered, and the centuries between when the story takes place and the contemporary time we live in dissolves into a translucent allegory and warning to us all.
Is Artt a man bent on destruction in his selfish quest for sainthood, or a man willing to do nearly anything to get closer to God? Is Haven an allegory on religious fanaticism to the point of endangering people, or the portrait of men seeking God regardless of personal risk? Does mankind always destroy nature in a personal quest, chasing fulfillment, or does nature have to dwindle and be destroyed before men can look around and realize their fulfillment? Are men in isolation only capable of destruction or are they reduced to destruction due to their own limitations? What drives a man to make himself be worthy of God, anyway?
Haven is an engrossing and mesmerizing look into humanity's greatest faults and strengths, and shows a world on the verge of change, just as the world is right now.
Thanks to Little, Brown and Company and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Outing, Animal death, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, and Self harm