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ann_elizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
margaret21's review against another edition
5.0
I relished this book. In one way, it's a story in two halves - the earlier lives of four siblings and their mother: and then later, when this dispersed family returns for a family Christmas.
I loved the different voices in which this story is told. In part one, each chapter could stand as a self-contained novella. And each of the five characters is revealed not in a simple narrative, but through vignettes in which they may not even stand centre stage - the story of Dan is a particular triumph.
I loved the change of pace too. Those 'novellas' were rich explorations of five very different lives . But in the second part, the chapters become briefer, fractured, as the drama of unfolding events gathers pace.
We're left with a portrait of a disfunctional family unwittingly revealed with great clarity by the characters themselves.
I loved the different voices in which this story is told. In part one, each chapter could stand as a self-contained novella. And each of the five characters is revealed not in a simple narrative, but through vignettes in which they may not even stand centre stage - the story of Dan is a particular triumph.
I loved the change of pace too. Those 'novellas' were rich explorations of five very different lives . But in the second part, the chapters become briefer, fractured, as the drama of unfolding events gathers pace.
We're left with a portrait of a disfunctional family unwittingly revealed with great clarity by the characters themselves.
ddejong's review against another edition
4.0
A strange byproduct of my experience with this book was that I finished it and felt steadily more furious about Anne Tyler's A Spool of Blue Thread making not only the Man Booker longlist but also the shortlist while this novel didn't make the second cut. Anne Enright's far superior writing - both prose and plot - and the rich complexity of the Madigan family on display in this book just made Tyler's family novel even more woefully simplistic and wooden by comparison. We first experience the Madigans together briefly in the beginning of the novel but then the four children scatter into adulthood and each chapter is focused on one of them for a while. The siloed approach to telling each of their stories made the latter portion of the book when all of the grown children are home again together that much more satisfying for me. I found myself experiencing something akin to relief to have them all together again.
Enright operates in a relatively dark place--this book does not have the same level of darkness as her Man Booker Award winner, The Gathering, but it is still very bleak in many places and her characters are all tortured and intermittently grief-stricken in their own ways. Enright's ability to paint a scene - whether eventful or mundane - in rich detail is one of the major reasons I loved this novel. The chapter dedicated to Constance waiting for a breast exam and then waiting to find out if she has cancer was so poignant for me having personally spent far too much time sitting in radiology waiting rooms and then waiting for ultrasound results. I thought Enright captured the emotion and fear and vulnerability of this situation flawlessly and in a way that felt almost intrusively personal. The chapter about Dan Madigan during his early time in New York in the midst of the AIDS epidemic with gay men dying left and right was an admittedly hard and uncomfortable chapter to read but I forced myself to digest it slowly and just sit with it rather than racing through. When the Madigan children are all together again at Christmas towards the end of the novel, Enright's talent for capturing complex family dynamics is on full display. I actually went back and re-read a large portion of this section after finishing the book because one time through didn't feel like enough. I did feel like the ending of this book was a bit weak and unsatisfying--things got a little strange, the book lost its momentum, and the plot sort of stumbled abruptly and awkwardly across the finish line. Nevertheless, I think it's a great work of literature and it was entirely deserving of making it onto the MBA shortlist. (Still bitter.)
Enright operates in a relatively dark place--this book does not have the same level of darkness as her Man Booker Award winner, The Gathering, but it is still very bleak in many places and her characters are all tortured and intermittently grief-stricken in their own ways. Enright's ability to paint a scene - whether eventful or mundane - in rich detail is one of the major reasons I loved this novel. The chapter dedicated to Constance waiting for a breast exam and then waiting to find out if she has cancer was so poignant for me having personally spent far too much time sitting in radiology waiting rooms and then waiting for ultrasound results. I thought Enright captured the emotion and fear and vulnerability of this situation flawlessly and in a way that felt almost intrusively personal. The chapter about Dan Madigan during his early time in New York in the midst of the AIDS epidemic with gay men dying left and right was an admittedly hard and uncomfortable chapter to read but I forced myself to digest it slowly and just sit with it rather than racing through. When the Madigan children are all together again at Christmas towards the end of the novel, Enright's talent for capturing complex family dynamics is on full display. I actually went back and re-read a large portion of this section after finishing the book because one time through didn't feel like enough. I did feel like the ending of this book was a bit weak and unsatisfying--things got a little strange, the book lost its momentum, and the plot sort of stumbled abruptly and awkwardly across the finish line. Nevertheless, I think it's a great work of literature and it was entirely deserving of making it onto the MBA shortlist. (Still bitter.)
moirab71's review against another edition
3.0
While generally well written, this piece of work could have been whittled down by at least a third. The first half which deals with each individual family member is unnecessarily long winded with details that don't really have a bearing on the main story. It is in the second half when the family come together that the story begins to become any way interesting. While I felt no real connection with anyone in the book, Rosaleen Madigan and her daughter Constance are the only well drawn characters who had any real substance. This is my first time to read any of Anne Enright's work but sadly I think I won't be rushing to read her back catalogue.
sasmort's review against another edition
4.0
A family that you slowly meet and get to know then come together, rather reluctantly for Christmas. Rich characters and a brilliant view of the long stories that drive family relationships and tensions.
juliemsimons's review against another edition
2.0
A book club assignment. Excellent writing but story felt both heavy & empty at the same time.
elemmakil's review against another edition
3.0
Tämä oli ensimmäinen niistä kahdesta kirjasta, jotka tarttuivat mukaani divarista Kilkennyssä. Kirjan ensimmäisessä puoliskossa esitellään kirjan hahmot, jotka ovat neljä aikuista lasta ja heidän äitinsä, niin että jokaiselle heistä on omistettu oma lukunsa. Kerrontatyyli on aika vaivalloista lukea, kun lauseesta toiseen siirryttäessä aika ja paikka saattavat liikkua melko paljon, ja jopa se, kenen silmin tarinaa kerrotaan. Toisessa puoliskossa toimimaton perhe kokoontuu vuosien jälkeen jouluaterialle yhteen, ja siitä tietenkin seuraa kaikenlaista ongelmaa.
Melko kliseinen tarina keskinkertaisesti kerrottuna, mutta Irlannin länsirannikolle sijoittuvat kirjat ovat jotenkin aina lähellä sydäntäni.
Melko kliseinen tarina keskinkertaisesti kerrottuna, mutta Irlannin länsirannikolle sijoittuvat kirjat ovat jotenkin aina lähellä sydäntäni.
suria_go's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
kelbi's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. Very Irish but that is a compliment. Excellent characterisations, good story line. Very well read on Audible,