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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
emotional
funny
informative
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:
Yes
Another re-read straight after reading Girl With Green Eyes, which meant I read them in the wrong order. I didn't like this one quite as much, but still loved it.
I heard about this book on the Guardian Books Podcast and knew right away I'd like it. Coming from an Irish author from the 50s, this book challenged society of the day in a way taken for granted today. Yet, O'Brien manages this without being vulgar or explicit at any point.
The book really captures rural Ireland, even an Ireland I can remember and have seen despite being quite so old. The back-biting nature of the small village and those in it was just so accurate as to be scary. From the girls asking "What is he?" about the mysterious handsome blacksmith who's still single well past marriage age, right up to the dressmaker's potential destroying of Caithleen's pieces of fabric out of sheer badness. From this to the expectations placed on the girls to carry everyone along all the time while still being shut behind doors, in convents, or locked into loveless marriages, the book really portrays the Ireland of the day stripped of romanticism.
However, as much of a social commentary the book was, it also captured the beauty of Ireland. Living outside the island I did feel super nostalgic for the fields and the smell of the country. I really enjoyed picking it up every time and didn't want to put it down. All in all it was a 5-star read from start to finish.
The book really captures rural Ireland, even an Ireland I can remember and have seen despite being quite so old. The back-biting nature of the small village and those in it was just so accurate as to be scary. From the girls asking "What is he?" about the mysterious handsome blacksmith who's still single well past marriage age, right up to the dressmaker's potential destroying of Caithleen's pieces of fabric out of sheer badness. From this to the expectations placed on the girls to carry everyone along all the time while still being shut behind doors, in convents, or locked into loveless marriages, the book really portrays the Ireland of the day stripped of romanticism.
However, as much of a social commentary the book was, it also captured the beauty of Ireland. Living outside the island I did feel super nostalgic for the fields and the smell of the country. I really enjoyed picking it up every time and didn't want to put it down. All in all it was a 5-star read from start to finish.
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
A deft and endearing portrait of precocious, amoral innocence.
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes