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afion's review against another edition
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Vomit
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Self harm
hmatt's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.0
Fantastic characterization and a deliberately slow-moving plot that really serves its purpose of putting you in the headspace of (well, two of) the monks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Vomit, Body shaming, Confinement, Homophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Blood and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Self harm
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 β’ W O R D S
Patient β’ Timely β’ Riveting
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ Emma Donoghue devotees
β’ readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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 β’ W O R D S
Patient β’ Timely β’ Riveting
π 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.
π 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.
π R E C O M M E N D β’ T O
β’ Emma Donoghue devotees
β’ readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
π F A V O U R I T E β’ 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
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 itβs a survival story, but the killing seemed gratuitous.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Medical trauma and Homophobia
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