Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
dark
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:
Complicated
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
From a Low and Quiet Sea tells the stories of three very different men. Farouk, a refugee, is fleeing a fundamentalist regime with his family. John, not an evil man but by no means a good one, is giving his final confession and Lampy is a young man at the start of his adult life who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend. All three stories are equally absorbing, but they are so disparate that it is impossible to see what they have in common with each other and how they will come together - if indeed they do.
Then in the final section, Donal Ryan knits all the strands together with exceptional skill. His prose is beautiful and the storytelling is exquisite. Utterly fabulous.
Then in the final section, Donal Ryan knits all the strands together with exceptional skill. His prose is beautiful and the storytelling is exquisite. Utterly fabulous.
medium-paced
Donal Ryan deserves all the recognition his latest novel has received. Sparingly written, From a Low and Quiet Sea tells three stories of loss and reflection. In a form that seems to be the trend of 2018, all three stories come together at the end in an intensely emotional final scene. This is definitely a favourite from the longlist, and I will be going back to Ryan’s earlier novels.
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Three stories, one of guilt and grief, Farouk - a refugee from Syria; one of desolation and anger from Lampey, an Irish man in his 20s; and the last John, who you realize is confessing his remorse and guilt over the sins of his lifetime .
The anguished, searing prose (especially of Farouk) pulls you into this astounding novel. The lives have a connection that is revealed in the last few pages.
The tonal shifts between the stories can be disquieting. Farouk is articulate, and very self aware. Lampy is angry, terse and only has moments of instrospection. John is relective, unstinting in his confession, in his recognition of the many wrongs he committed (although also prideful in how he would manipulate people), yet not recognising the impact on his pyche of his childhood grief.
The anguished, searing prose (especially of Farouk) pulls you into this astounding novel. The lives have a connection that is revealed in the last few pages.
The tonal shifts between the stories can be disquieting. Farouk is articulate, and very self aware. Lampy is angry, terse and only has moments of instrospection. John is relective, unstinting in his confession, in his recognition of the many wrongs he committed (although also prideful in how he would manipulate people), yet not recognising the impact on his pyche of his childhood grief.