Reviews

Her writing is superb, a master of show don’t tell. Not many authors can say so much with so few words, Enright paints the scene for you but let’s you wander through by yourself. A portrait of a family, with all their hurts and hopes and desires, the main story seems to be about their complex relationship with their mother. But also too, perhaps it’s about all our complex relationships - with our family, our country, our friends and our neighbours. And with our own unique history.

ridgewaygirl's review against another edition

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5.0

This is one of those quiet, understated novels that I always have trouble reviewing. It's centered around a family of grown children and their widowed mother, and it's written so plainly and effortlessly that I suspect quite a lot of work went into the writing. The first section of the book is a collection of short stories, each centering on a different member of the family. They stand alone, except that the reader knows that each protagonist is a member of the Madigan family, and each is very different from the others. The second section of the book brings them together for a final Christmas in the family home, in which old patterns continue to hold steady, even as new conflicts arise.

The Green Road has been long listed for the Man Booker Prize and it is well deserved.

johndiconsiglio's review against another edition

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3.0

Even a dedicated Hemingwayan minimalist needs to whet his Blarney Stone now & again with a Yeats-to-Toibin-ish Irish scribe. Enright fits the bill. A melodramatic matriarch and her brood scatter from Dublin to NY to Africa before one last Christmas reunion—with plenty of booze & bitterness & dashes of poetry. You’ve taken this road before. All Irish writers have to be described as “lyrical,” & I guess it works here too. The early shifting settings & stories are very effective; the cartoonish family row less so. Daft ol’ Ma’s malarkey wears thin.

verenaahartmann's review against another edition

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5.0

An amazingly written, brilliantly told story that leaves you at times simply devasted.
Anne Enright is a stunning storyteller. This book had been recommended to me, but I was not prepared of how wonderful it would be.
The book is divided into two parts, the first consisting of chapters each letting us get to know the characters. Skillfully crafted! Basically in the first part, every chapter could easily stand alone and work as a intriguing short story.
In the second part of the book all these characters come together for what is called a "one last christmas in the old family home" where the mother of the dysfunctional family wants to reunited one last time all her children. What follows is a brutal and clear look at a family's innerworkings.
Anne Enright created a wonderful piece of literature with this book. I highly recommend "The Green Road", it is the best book I read in years!!

ja3m3's review against another edition

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2.0

Another depressing story about selfish, boring adult children and the overbearing, self-absorbed mother who raised them. Are there any happy endings and nice characters out in book land anymore?

estrela_starpower's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

“As for the rest of us, the wine went down and the volume went up and the question that idled around the table was: Who has slept with whom?”

Erst lernen wir die einzelnen Mitglieder kennen, dann erleben wir die Dynamik einer Familie beim weihnachtlichen Treffen. Ein eher ruhiges Buch, das doch einiges an Drama bereithält.

macbeckyton's review against another edition

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4.0

Anne Enright writes about family and place like no other author I know, with rich Irish landscapes and characters who are infuriating and relatable and flawed and gloriously human.

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