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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
A masterfully told story, but I felt somewhat bereft when finishing it, and I'm not sure the whole was quite the sum of its parts.
Her writing is always good but this didn't do it for me; I felt nothing for any of the characters.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. And the first chapter was along the lines of what I expected; 1980s Catholic rural Ireland with a lot of stark, read-between-the-lines language and I thought ‘Oh no’. But then chapter 2; we switch to an early 90s HIV/AIDS ravaged gay community in NYC and the whole feel of the book changes, and I loved it. It switches again as we go through all 4 adult children of Rosaleen Madigan before the story comes back to Co. Clare in 2005 where they are all back in the family home for the first time in a long time, and what turns out to be the last time. What I loved about Enright’s writing was the emotional #detail (aha!); it wasn’t always clear to me what was going on or what a particular conversation meant but the description of emotions was always spot on. And she really captured how complex sibling and child/mother relationships are. The parts where Rosaleen is reflecting on her two sons when they were young boys had me in tears. There were sentences bordering on Toni Morrison type beauty, and that is the highest praise I can give Enright.
An intriguing novel about family, identity and the disconcerting relationships between the two.
A great book. But like all Irish books it is a wee bit on the sad and depressing side. I highly recommend it though.
The children of Rosaleen and the late Pat Madigan have grown up and scattered from the nest. They have roamed near and far from their home; reaching Canada, third world countries and down the road in Dublin. After she announces that she wishes to sell the family home, the children, Dan, Emmet, Constance and Hanna are drawn back for one last Christmas. This final celebration with their challenging but difficult mother will bring to the surface the tensions that have always been there as the children face a change that none of them expected.
The quality of the writing is excellent, making it effortless to read. Enright has managed to capture perfectly the mood and moments of the era. The characters of the four children are briefly sketched in individual chapters before they are thrust together in the family reunion in the second part of the story, where the strains in the relationships are tested. If you are looking for a complex plot then this might not be the book for you as not a lot happens; just the deeply fragmented layers of family sagas. It did feel a bit clichéd though, otherwise it was a fine read.
The quality of the writing is excellent, making it effortless to read. Enright has managed to capture perfectly the mood and moments of the era. The characters of the four children are briefly sketched in individual chapters before they are thrust together in the family reunion in the second part of the story, where the strains in the relationships are tested. If you are looking for a complex plot then this might not be the book for you as not a lot happens; just the deeply fragmented layers of family sagas. It did feel a bit clichéd though, otherwise it was a fine read.
I wanted to really like this book and the first part, where the author introduces the 4 children in the family, was very enjoyable. Set during my lifetime, I could relate to the time periods in which the kids grew up, 1970's and 1980's. But I was so annoyed with the matriarch of the family. She is immature, self-absorbed, demanding, overly dramatic and I spent too much of my life living with somebody quite like her so I wasn't very tolerant of her! So, I guess it wasn't the story so much as my reaction to one of the main characters that made this book just 2 stars. The author's descriptions of the Irish coast only made that part of the world more appealing to me.
I read this book in tandem with John. He disliked the author's writing style and almost didn't finish the book because of it.
I read this book in tandem with John. He disliked the author's writing style and almost didn't finish the book because of it.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
