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mturner2's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
paddlefootbookwolf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hannicogood's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
A great grouping of short stories mostly centering on the Irish civil war. As someone who doesn’t always like short stories, these felt very complete. However, I feel the stories in the first half of the book were better than the last half.
autumsunity's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
thirstkirst's review
5.0
Wow. This review deserves a lot more than I have the time to give. The story is a realistic portrayal of what happens in war. We put our humanity second when it comes to our duty to our country, and we decide that that is the best thing to do in the situation, but is it? Just because you are told to kill your POWs, does that mean you have to? I mean, if you didn't, you would be accused of treason. Ah, the meaninglessness of war and the way it strips everyone of their humanity. Gotta love it.
nigellicus's review
5.0
It's impossible to deny the power of the title story, arguably one of the great short stories of the English language. An utterly devastating portrayal of the artificial and imposed morality of war and duty overcoming simple humanity. One might expect the rest of the stories are more of the same, but while they all have that distinct tone of tragic regret and loss of innocence, some are quite funny - 'a flippant attitude dominates' the blurb quotes reprovingly, but these are the stories that almost burst with life. It never gets very far from the sense of danger and the horror of the split - most of the stories, barring the first, are set during the Civil War rather than the War Of Independence, though it can be a few pages before this becomes clear. I wonder are there cues I as an Irish person should be picking up on quicker, or was O'Connor letting the information present in its own time? Anyway, some funny stories, some odd stories, some sad and poignant ones, and one puzzling one - I think I worked off the point of The Sisters, but I'm not sure.
They are wonderfully well written pieces of social realism, firmly, earthily grounded and full of Irish voices, mostly Corkonian, and Irish attitudes and their tiny squabbles and concerns set against the backdrop of a struggle that might not be epic but was certainly bitter and brutal. Certainly they are world class stories from a master of the form.
They are wonderfully well written pieces of social realism, firmly, earthily grounded and full of Irish voices, mostly Corkonian, and Irish attitudes and their tiny squabbles and concerns set against the backdrop of a struggle that might not be epic but was certainly bitter and brutal. Certainly they are world class stories from a master of the form.
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