Reviews

So, some books just don’t work on audiobook and - for me - this is one of them. I liked the story but I didn’t keep concentration enough throughout to keep going. I’ll definitely try this as a book though in time.

melc's review against another edition

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I appreciate books that tackle hard issues but not at the expense of story and I'm afraid that this is where this novel fell down for me. I kept wondering if the plot would develop but just kept getting bored with the shoehorned diatribes about women's rights, the Irish small town life and pro-life Vs abortion. All noble debates, but this novel just lacked enough story and provided too much of a platform for fragmented discussion. The start of this was really muddled with the shift in character perspective happening initially after quite a short time and then a long stretch with no return to Nell. I kept persevering but in the end DNFd at 23%.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

siobhans_shelf's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

theabsolutegeekofit's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

The Amendments follows Nell, an Irish teenager, her mother Delores and Martina who Nell meets through joining the Movement. I don’t want to give the story away as it builds so brilliantly in the book, but Nell finds herself in position which changes the trajectory of her life and stays with her into adulthood.

Fundamental to the story is how the 8th amendment affected these women individually at different times of life. I found myself imagining what it would have been like to be any one of them and just couldn’t even comprehend living through this as a woman. I’m just so glad times have changed!!

This is quite a hard read, but it’s absolutely brilliant. Would 100% recommend!

I just reviewed The Amendments by Niamh Mulvey. #TheAmendments #NetGalley #bookstagram

recycledwords's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Spanning 3 generations, The Amendments gives insight into differing opinions on women's reproductive rights in Ireland in a way that I feel was sympathetic to both sides.

Being a novel about women's rights, the main focus is on the female characters. The men in their lives are not excluded from the novel, and we do sometimes hear their opinions, but they are not placed centre stage. I liked the presence of the men, sometimes they feel a bit forgotten in women's literature.

I loved this book, the women's stories were relatable, the characters developed in interesting ways and the central issues of faith and women's reproductive rights were handled with nuance and care.

taradelbay's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

mostardentlyalice's review against another edition

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Might return to it. Liked the premise, but then it felt like it skirted around specifics and lost momentum. Found the same with her short story collection.

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