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vireogirl's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This author is very good at finding perspectives I’ve never contemplated before.
Lots of birds mentioned.
Lots of birds mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Confinement
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, and Outing
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 • W O R D S
Patient • Timely • Riveting
📖 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.
💭 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.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue devotees
• readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • 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 • W O R D S
Patient • Timely • Riveting
📖 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.
💭 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.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• Emma Donoghue devotees
• readers who enjoy isolated stories of survival
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • 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
rosiecockshutt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
5.0
This was a true boiling frog novel, in the best way possible. I loved what it was and how it was written at the beginning, and also at the end, but they had two very separate vibes! Personally I really prefer this style of tension buildup to books that are just high anxiety from page one -
Haven got me get invested before giving me absolute heart palpitations!
Definitely check trigger warnings for this one, especially anything regarding religion.
And all of that’s not even getting into the brilliance of Donoghue’s characters. From how we first meet them to the way we last see them, it’s a seamless but astonishing transition for each and every one of them. Amazing!
Haven got me get invested before giving me absolute heart palpitations!
Definitely check trigger warnings for this one, especially anything regarding religion.
And all of that’s not even getting into the brilliance of Donoghue’s characters. From how we first meet them to the way we last see them, it’s a seamless but astonishing transition for each and every one of them. Amazing!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
bookinthebath's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse and Religious bigotry
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