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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
3.5 stars
Hmm, enjoyed the first and last parts the most, the middle 2 were okay. Great writing overall.
Hmm, enjoyed the first and last parts the most, the middle 2 were okay. Great writing overall.
Didn't always get on with this one but it had a very clever ending pulling all the characters together
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Donal Ryan is without a doubt one of the great writers of our time. I have read all of this books and have been blown away on every occasion, and From a Low and Quiet Sea is no different (this was my second reading of this book).
It is structured as three separate novellas and based on three very different characters whose storylines interweave unexpectedly in a final fourth section. In something of a departure from Ryan's previous work, the first section is from the point of view of Farouk, a Syrian refugee, whose story is truly powerful and heartbreaking yet manages to avoid sentimentality - a real achievement. A always Ryan's portrayal of Irish male psyche is expertly tuned, you can feel the repression, the anger, the weight of responsibility and expectation and the depth of feeling just below the surface.
Ryan's books are not plot driven but the themes of belonging and connectedness are told through beautiful understated prose, spare yet poignant and with real emotional depth - an absolute treat.
It is structured as three separate novellas and based on three very different characters whose storylines interweave unexpectedly in a final fourth section. In something of a departure from Ryan's previous work, the first section is from the point of view of Farouk, a Syrian refugee, whose story is truly powerful and heartbreaking yet manages to avoid sentimentality - a real achievement. A always Ryan's portrayal of Irish male psyche is expertly tuned, you can feel the repression, the anger, the weight of responsibility and expectation and the depth of feeling just below the surface.
Ryan's books are not plot driven but the themes of belonging and connectedness are told through beautiful understated prose, spare yet poignant and with real emotional depth - an absolute treat.
The main characters in this novel live with tragedy. Horrible things happen to them. The author establishes a very gloomy tone, lyrical and dark, yet easily accessible, because this is mostly a story about families. Ryan goes here for the blue notes - sitting by the dock of the bay... He has a definite grasp of the sorrowful lyre. No interspersed accusations, no offhanded irony, but always an exploration of pain. The most acute for me was Lampy's grandfather's. Farouk's pain was of an entire another level, yet the author failed to convey it - it would deserve a different kind of book. Farouk's pain remained foreign. Through all this gloom, there were for me things that saved the book from becoming maudlin: the puzzle of the structure and the amazing ear Ryan has for colloquial speech.
This is a very cleverly written novel which comes together in the final chapter in ways most unexpected to me. This is the second of the 2018 Man Booker Prize longlisters that I have read, and I found it enjoyable.
The first three chapters follow the lives of three very different characters: A Syrian refugee, a man who has tendencies to dream about women, and a man who was a former bully, lobbyist, and is now a penitent. Of the three, I cared most about Farouk, the refugee. The way in which the author describes atrocities in his homeland, and his search for a better life for his family (and the methods that are undertaken to ensure this, and the consequences) were very heartfelt, and I thus I found this chapter to be the strongest in the whole book. The second and third characters I had trouble relating to, not liking them much at all, but the way in which all three lives touch each other in the end provide the novel with a satisfying conclusion.
There are expletives and episodes of frequent swearing within the book which, while not a fan of swearing, I can see the author has used to effectively paint portraits of his characters. On the whole, it's a very clever book and is one I will re-read again in the future - I'm almost certain that I will discover things I missed this time.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
The first three chapters follow the lives of three very different characters: A Syrian refugee, a man who has tendencies to dream about women, and a man who was a former bully, lobbyist, and is now a penitent. Of the three, I cared most about Farouk, the refugee. The way in which the author describes atrocities in his homeland, and his search for a better life for his family (and the methods that are undertaken to ensure this, and the consequences) were very heartfelt, and I thus I found this chapter to be the strongest in the whole book. The second and third characters I had trouble relating to, not liking them much at all, but the way in which all three lives touch each other in the end provide the novel with a satisfying conclusion.
There are expletives and episodes of frequent swearing within the book which, while not a fan of swearing, I can see the author has used to effectively paint portraits of his characters. On the whole, it's a very clever book and is one I will re-read again in the future - I'm almost certain that I will discover things I missed this time.
My rating: 3.5 stars.
4.5
This was so beautiful and amazing and I couldn’t breathe properly trying to finish it
This was so beautiful and amazing and I couldn’t breathe properly trying to finish it
I wish I could say I loved this book because I was very excited for it... but I didn’t. It is written in a creative style that is impressive but just not for me. It reminded me of other books I’ve read that I just felt like “heh?” while reading them. It’s one of those books where sometimes I would realize I had ZERO idea what was going on. I enjoyed how it ended and the idea of the book. I was drawn to it because I was eager to read a book that had to do with what has happened in Syria and I still really appreciate that aspect. I can see why others would love it; it just wasn’t for me. Sigh.
It was fine. The writing was good. The ending was deeply annoying.