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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
This novel has so many resonances of The Gathering and yet, for me, it goes that bit further.
Th Green Road is, in many ways, everyone's story - a family, its individuals and its tripping over each other followed by their totality crash-landing for Christmas. Enright's grasp on the venomous charges that interplay are just magical, subtle or overt they all (comically) ring equally true for this Irish diaspora and everyone's enforced family occasions too.
Enright is masterly in getting to the nub of things in a circuitous way, the way life generally takes us and I love the way she may be writing in real time - no tied-up ends, no happily ever after...just this is how life goes on...and on...
Th Green Road is, in many ways, everyone's story - a family, its individuals and its tripping over each other followed by their totality crash-landing for Christmas. Enright's grasp on the venomous charges that interplay are just magical, subtle or overt they all (comically) ring equally true for this Irish diaspora and everyone's enforced family occasions too.
Enright is masterly in getting to the nub of things in a circuitous way, the way life generally takes us and I love the way she may be writing in real time - no tied-up ends, no happily ever after...just this is how life goes on...and on...
It's a rambling kind of story about a family with members that ring true, shortcomings and all. The pace picks up when they all get together over Christmas (as it does for some families). Overall, kind of quiet, but moving.
I "reread" this book this month to prepare for a book club. A great review by Savidge Reads inspired me. It does well on a second reading and I probably appreciate it more the second go round.
This novel is a departure from [b:The Gathering|998133|The Gathering|Anne Enright|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442862724s/998133.jpg|2513655] which was more literary and less of a story. The Green Road is the story of a family from County Clare. Based on the mention of nearby places - Cliffs of Moher, The Flaggy Shore (setting of one of my favorite Heaney poems 'Postscript'), and views of the Aran Islands, I placed the setting in north Clare. Rosaleen Madigan is the mother of four children - Dan, Constance, Emmett, and Hanna. The story opens in 1980 and follows the mother and children for 25 years to 2005. The father, Pat, is a shadow figure, and by the end of the novel, long dead. Three of the children leave Clare; Constance remains there and married a local builder. In 2005, they are riding the boom, just before the economic collapse. Dan is living in Canada, Hanna is Dublin, and Emmett jumps from disaster to disaster in Africa and Asia. Dan was my favorite, and the segments on his life in New York, the best developed segments in their bittersweet depictions of the city in the 1980's and early 1990's. At the end of the novel, Rosaleen, the difficult matriarch, reflects that none of her children have been successful. This is a shock to them, but as she holds up a mirror to their lives, they realize she may be right. The title The Green Road is taken from the place Rosaleen, who loves to walk, finds herself on Christmas night. Rosaleen who is portrayed as impossible to please, is, nonetheless, the glue that holds this family together.
This novel is a departure from [b:The Gathering|998133|The Gathering|Anne Enright|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442862724s/998133.jpg|2513655] which was more literary and less of a story. The Green Road is the story of a family from County Clare. Based on the mention of nearby places - Cliffs of Moher, The Flaggy Shore (setting of one of my favorite Heaney poems 'Postscript'), and views of the Aran Islands, I placed the setting in north Clare. Rosaleen Madigan is the mother of four children - Dan, Constance, Emmett, and Hanna. The story opens in 1980 and follows the mother and children for 25 years to 2005. The father, Pat, is a shadow figure, and by the end of the novel, long dead. Three of the children leave Clare; Constance remains there and married a local builder. In 2005, they are riding the boom, just before the economic collapse. Dan is living in Canada, Hanna is Dublin, and Emmett jumps from disaster to disaster in Africa and Asia. Dan was my favorite, and the segments on his life in New York, the best developed segments in their bittersweet depictions of the city in the 1980's and early 1990's. At the end of the novel, Rosaleen, the difficult matriarch, reflects that none of her children have been successful. This is a shock to them, but as she holds up a mirror to their lives, they realize she may be right. The title The Green Road is taken from the place Rosaleen, who loves to walk, finds herself on Christmas night. Rosaleen who is portrayed as impossible to please, is, nonetheless, the glue that holds this family together.
The Green Road is (I think) my first novel by Anne Enright although I've heard a lot of great things about her other novels, especially The Gathering which won the Man Booker Prize back in 2007 and is on my radar to read. The Green Road came to my attention when I attended the Baileys Women's Prize For Fiction 2016 shortlist readings as it was one of the short-listed books. After a reading from the novel, I was determined to check it out as the passage read was absolutely hilarious and made the audience howl. I'm eventually getting round to reading it (in early 2018 - shame on me!) and generally, I really enjoyed it but not quite as much as I was expecting to. This is a categorically Irish story about members of a typical Irish family and how the mother of this family copes when all her chicks fly the nest. It was gorgeously written and parts of it still play on my mind long after finishing, as do many of the characters.
Our story begins in 1980 and we follow the youngest daughter of this family, Hanna as a young girl. Furthermore, the following chapters follow a single character of the family in a different city at a particular struggle of their life. For example, the chapter immediately following Hanna is one of the sons, Dan in 1991, New York as he battles with the American way of life, finding a job and most importantly, his sexuality. Then we see the oldest daughter, Constance in 1997 as she is attending a very crucial hospital appointment, desperately worrying that she might have breast cancer. The penultimate chapter in the first half of the novel is the other son, Emmet in 2002 as helps the sick and injured in Mali, Africa and experiences difficulties in his relationship with a young woman. Finally we see the mother, Rosaleen in 2005 as she writes Christmas cards to her children, desperately hoping they will all come home for Christmas and worries that the relationships she has with them are all disintegrating. In the second half of the narrative, we see all the children back home with their mother for Christmas but realise how fractured their relationships and indeed their lives actually are.
Essentially, this is a quintessential family saga with all the major and minor dramas that large personalities in a family can bring. It's written at points almost like a stream of consciousness, particularly when characters are speaking to each other with classic Irish phrasing and slang. I loved this latter part, it was so visceral I could almost imagine myself in Ireland, listening to people speaking but unfortunately the stream of consciousness part didn't work so well for me, it was sometimes a bit difficult to follow and it made me want to skip entire parts of the narrative. However, I was surprised at the range of emotions this novel elicited from me. I felt such sadness for Constance when she was in the hospital and for Hanna as she struggled with alcohol, her relationship with her husband and being a mother of a young baby (potentially post-natal depression?).
I was also touched by Dan's story as he was so horribly determined not to be homosexual in the beginning but ended up finding happiness, and of course Emmet and the good he did in Africa whilst never really managing to love anyone. As I'm writing this, I'm remembering how wonderful parts of this novel really were but unfortunately there were other parts that I didn't love so much and just didn't flow for me the way I wanted. Perhaps from the reading I mentioned early at the Baileys short-list event I was expecting this novel to be a lot funnier that it actually was and wasn't anticipating the seriousness I discovered so was slightly taken aback. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this novel, I did very much but I think expectations are strange things and I am a bit of a slave to them, once I've made up my mind how I might feel about a novel prior to reading it. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the slow pace and the intricate character studies which I always appreciate in a good literary fiction.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Our story begins in 1980 and we follow the youngest daughter of this family, Hanna as a young girl. Furthermore, the following chapters follow a single character of the family in a different city at a particular struggle of their life. For example, the chapter immediately following Hanna is one of the sons, Dan in 1991, New York as he battles with the American way of life, finding a job and most importantly, his sexuality. Then we see the oldest daughter, Constance in 1997 as she is attending a very crucial hospital appointment, desperately worrying that she might have breast cancer. The penultimate chapter in the first half of the novel is the other son, Emmet in 2002 as helps the sick and injured in Mali, Africa and experiences difficulties in his relationship with a young woman. Finally we see the mother, Rosaleen in 2005 as she writes Christmas cards to her children, desperately hoping they will all come home for Christmas and worries that the relationships she has with them are all disintegrating. In the second half of the narrative, we see all the children back home with their mother for Christmas but realise how fractured their relationships and indeed their lives actually are.
Essentially, this is a quintessential family saga with all the major and minor dramas that large personalities in a family can bring. It's written at points almost like a stream of consciousness, particularly when characters are speaking to each other with classic Irish phrasing and slang. I loved this latter part, it was so visceral I could almost imagine myself in Ireland, listening to people speaking but unfortunately the stream of consciousness part didn't work so well for me, it was sometimes a bit difficult to follow and it made me want to skip entire parts of the narrative. However, I was surprised at the range of emotions this novel elicited from me. I felt such sadness for Constance when she was in the hospital and for Hanna as she struggled with alcohol, her relationship with her husband and being a mother of a young baby (potentially post-natal depression?).
I was also touched by Dan's story as he was so horribly determined not to be homosexual in the beginning but ended up finding happiness, and of course Emmet and the good he did in Africa whilst never really managing to love anyone. As I'm writing this, I'm remembering how wonderful parts of this novel really were but unfortunately there were other parts that I didn't love so much and just didn't flow for me the way I wanted. Perhaps from the reading I mentioned early at the Baileys short-list event I was expecting this novel to be a lot funnier that it actually was and wasn't anticipating the seriousness I discovered so was slightly taken aback. That's not to say I didn't enjoy this novel, I did very much but I think expectations are strange things and I am a bit of a slave to them, once I've made up my mind how I might feel about a novel prior to reading it. Nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised by the slow pace and the intricate character studies which I always appreciate in a good literary fiction.
For my full review and many more please visit my blog at http://www.bibliobeth.com
A really brutal character book, sharp edges and corners everywhere, and the whole doesn’t quite equal the parts for me, but still a worthwhile, haunting read.
One of my friends thoughtfully picked this book up for me as a Christmas gift and I read it over the Christmas and New Year period. There was something vaguely satisfying about reading a book about coming home to Ireland for Christmas while being at home in Ireland for Christmas.
I have to say, I thought this book was really very good. I can see why it was nominated for the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction (and I wouldn't mind reading some of the others, particularly the winner since this was only a runner-up). It's literary fiction at its most accessible. It tells the saga of one particular family in Ireland, mostly told in multiple narratives from the perspective of the four children, in both flashbacks and present-day narratives. At the centre of all is the elusive figure of the mother, and the children's complicated relationships to each other, but mostly to their mother, is the main exploration of the book.
This book is typical of Irish fiction in its mix of comedy and poignancy. It feels very authentic as someone who grew up in Derry/Donegal and I did have some laugh out loud and wry smile moments. The story of Dan, the eldest son who emigrates to America was probably the part I found most moving, but all of the children's lives are extremely interesting and touching.
The ending is somewhat typical of literary fiction in that there is no real conclusivity and there could easily be another book afterwards. But the book begins at an arbitrary moment in their lives and its fitting that it ends in a similar way. The book is very much a slice of life, a little intervention or window into the life of an Irish family- like the windows Hannah remembers peering into as a child, and you only see what is happening from the moment you begin to pass it by, to the moment you have fully passed it.
Five stars though, I thoroughly recommend!
I have to say, I thought this book was really very good. I can see why it was nominated for the Bailey's Prize for Women's Fiction (and I wouldn't mind reading some of the others, particularly the winner since this was only a runner-up). It's literary fiction at its most accessible. It tells the saga of one particular family in Ireland, mostly told in multiple narratives from the perspective of the four children, in both flashbacks and present-day narratives. At the centre of all is the elusive figure of the mother, and the children's complicated relationships to each other, but mostly to their mother, is the main exploration of the book.
This book is typical of Irish fiction in its mix of comedy and poignancy. It feels very authentic as someone who grew up in Derry/Donegal and I did have some laugh out loud and wry smile moments. The story of Dan, the eldest son who emigrates to America was probably the part I found most moving, but all of the children's lives are extremely interesting and touching.
The ending is somewhat typical of literary fiction in that there is no real conclusivity and there could easily be another book afterwards. But the book begins at an arbitrary moment in their lives and its fitting that it ends in a similar way. The book is very much a slice of life, a little intervention or window into the life of an Irish family- like the windows Hannah remembers peering into as a child, and you only see what is happening from the moment you begin to pass it by, to the moment you have fully passed it.
Five stars though, I thoroughly recommend!
*** 1/2 What I could appreciate the most about this book is all the family dysfunction. What little they seemed to bond over was completely lost in adulthood, along with the aging matriarch who seemed bitter at her family or what remained of it. Not a fun read, but a realistic one.
I normally love Anne Enright, I've loved both of her other books -- but I wasn't super thrilled with this one. I never really connected with any of the characters, or the story. I did finish it but I'd much rather read The Gathering than this one.
I wanted to enjoy this book but found it full of incredibly self-absorbed characters with no redeeming traits and disjointed chapters that were hard to piece together. Didn't work for me.
This review originally appeared on Everyday eBook
No Place like Home: Anne Enright's Affecting Irish Family Saga
Anne Enright's writing résumé is among the most elite: her novel The Gathering won the Man Booker Prize, her novel The Forgotten Waltz won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and she is the first ever Laureate for Irish Fiction. Her new novel, The Green Road, is a beautiful family saga set mainly on Ireland's west coast in County Clare and centers on Rosaleen Madigan and her four children: Dan, Constance, Hanna, and Emmet.
Our first encounter with the Madigan family is in 1980, when Hanna is twelve. Her older brother Dan announces to the family that he is going to join the priesthood; Rosaleen reacts peculiarly--howling in angst and taking to her bed (apparently not for the first time). From there, we move through time and characters to 2005, when the Madigan children return home for Christmas.
Enright's structure for telling their story is linear yet reminiscent of linked stories. As we move through time, the book focuses on one child in a particular period of time. After Hanna, we see Dan in New York City, 1991. He is not a priest, but rather struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality at the dawn of HIV. We then jump to 1997 and Constance, who is at the doctor for a mammogram. She is married with children and living in County Limerick. Our next stop is Segou, Mali, where Emmet is now doing humanitarian work and living with a woman named Alice. He is also trying to convince himself that he is marriage material and that Alice is the one. The last half of the book brings us back to County Clare and Rosaleen, as she awaits her children's arrivals.
Through these touch points, we never see much of a background, only the current moments defining the characters. And we don't see the rest of the family for any other context. It makes the reader feel as though the family is not extremely close -- not to their mother or to each other.
This makes their convergence on the family home that much more interesting to observe. We watch them regress to childhood mentalities of trying to hide failings and faults, while at the same time vying for Rosaleen's attention and approval. When Rosaleen drops a bomb on the family, it shatters the fragile peace in the house. As we have witnessed in the past, Rosaleen's reaction to the fallout is dramatic, causing waves throughout the county. It also forces all five members of the Madigan family to confront their history and family binds, however tenuous they may seem.
While this is the story of an Irish family, it is also a universal story about family, growing up, growing apart, and coming back together. This is not a new plotline to tackle, but Enright has done it in such a realistic way, it is not stale or rote. The characters, despite the brief introductions, are whole and identifiable. It reminds us that however far we drift, home can be found.
No Place like Home: Anne Enright's Affecting Irish Family Saga
Anne Enright's writing résumé is among the most elite: her novel The Gathering won the Man Booker Prize, her novel The Forgotten Waltz won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence, and she is the first ever Laureate for Irish Fiction. Her new novel, The Green Road, is a beautiful family saga set mainly on Ireland's west coast in County Clare and centers on Rosaleen Madigan and her four children: Dan, Constance, Hanna, and Emmet.
Our first encounter with the Madigan family is in 1980, when Hanna is twelve. Her older brother Dan announces to the family that he is going to join the priesthood; Rosaleen reacts peculiarly--howling in angst and taking to her bed (apparently not for the first time). From there, we move through time and characters to 2005, when the Madigan children return home for Christmas.
Enright's structure for telling their story is linear yet reminiscent of linked stories. As we move through time, the book focuses on one child in a particular period of time. After Hanna, we see Dan in New York City, 1991. He is not a priest, but rather struggling to come to terms with his homosexuality at the dawn of HIV. We then jump to 1997 and Constance, who is at the doctor for a mammogram. She is married with children and living in County Limerick. Our next stop is Segou, Mali, where Emmet is now doing humanitarian work and living with a woman named Alice. He is also trying to convince himself that he is marriage material and that Alice is the one. The last half of the book brings us back to County Clare and Rosaleen, as she awaits her children's arrivals.
Through these touch points, we never see much of a background, only the current moments defining the characters. And we don't see the rest of the family for any other context. It makes the reader feel as though the family is not extremely close -- not to their mother or to each other.
This makes their convergence on the family home that much more interesting to observe. We watch them regress to childhood mentalities of trying to hide failings and faults, while at the same time vying for Rosaleen's attention and approval. When Rosaleen drops a bomb on the family, it shatters the fragile peace in the house. As we have witnessed in the past, Rosaleen's reaction to the fallout is dramatic, causing waves throughout the county. It also forces all five members of the Madigan family to confront their history and family binds, however tenuous they may seem.
While this is the story of an Irish family, it is also a universal story about family, growing up, growing apart, and coming back together. This is not a new plotline to tackle, but Enright has done it in such a realistic way, it is not stale or rote. The characters, despite the brief introductions, are whole and identifiable. It reminds us that however far we drift, home can be found.