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sandiet's review against another edition
4.0
I really like Linden MacIntyre's style of writing. This book stickes with the characters from his previous two books The Long Stretch and The Bishop's Man. This time in Why Men Lie the story is told from a woman's point of view and he does an excellent job of making you feel what Effie is feeling. In fact, I think you can identify with all of the characters especially if you've read the other two. It is a standalone novel but it does make for a better read if you have the background of the characters.
Really liked it and recommend it.
Really liked it and recommend it.
christajls's review against another edition
3.0
Originally reviewed on Christa's Hooked on Books
After spending a few days with this novel, reading and rereading passages, I can honestly say it is one interesting experiment of a book.
Once you crack open Why Men Lie, it won't take long for you to realize that Linden MacIntyre is trying to make a point. It wasn't always clear to me what that point was but there was definitely more than a simple story here. This wasn't really a surprise to me, his earlier book The Bishop's Man, also carried a strong message and after years on the fifth estate I imagine he probably has a lot of points/ideas he wants to get out. Trying to figure out, just what exactly he was trying to communicate was probably my favourite part of the entire novel.
I hadn't realized right away that this book is a companion novel of sorts to The Bishop's Men. Effie is the sister of Duncan, the protagonist of The Bishop's Man. She's not a major player in the first novel but it's interesting to see how MacIntyre expands on her story. If you ever find yourself wondering what happens to a specific character after a story ends, you may be interested in Why Men Lie. It gives life to characters who otherwise would have be forgotten.
MacIntyre also makes the daring move of writing this new novel from a women's point-of-view. I say daring because I can't even begin to count the number of male authors who have fallen flat on their face when trying to attempt this feat. I have to admit he pulls it off pretty well. Effie has a strong voice and a somewhat overbearing attitude. And I think MacIntyre captures it perfectly. At times she drove me crazy and made me want to hit her over the head with the very book I was reading, but in the back of the head I knew I was supposed to feel that way.
This is a novel that gave me pause and still has me mulling over the question of "Why Men Lie?" That being said, despite the interesting premise and the strong narrative voice, this book is no Bishop's Man. It was just missing that captivating quality that made me want to keep reading and cast aside all the other books in favour of this one. Maybe that's asking too much? But that's how I want every book to make me feel - and having read and loved The Bishop's Man, I know Linden MacIntyre is capable of writing a book that makes me feel that way.
An interesting novel, that I recommend to those who are already fans of Linden MacIntyre, as well as those who love Canadian literary fiction. There's some good stuff here, it's worth taking a look at.
After spending a few days with this novel, reading and rereading passages, I can honestly say it is one interesting experiment of a book.
Once you crack open Why Men Lie, it won't take long for you to realize that Linden MacIntyre is trying to make a point. It wasn't always clear to me what that point was but there was definitely more than a simple story here. This wasn't really a surprise to me, his earlier book The Bishop's Man, also carried a strong message and after years on the fifth estate I imagine he probably has a lot of points/ideas he wants to get out. Trying to figure out, just what exactly he was trying to communicate was probably my favourite part of the entire novel.
I hadn't realized right away that this book is a companion novel of sorts to The Bishop's Men. Effie is the sister of Duncan, the protagonist of The Bishop's Man. She's not a major player in the first novel but it's interesting to see how MacIntyre expands on her story. If you ever find yourself wondering what happens to a specific character after a story ends, you may be interested in Why Men Lie. It gives life to characters who otherwise would have be forgotten.
MacIntyre also makes the daring move of writing this new novel from a women's point-of-view. I say daring because I can't even begin to count the number of male authors who have fallen flat on their face when trying to attempt this feat. I have to admit he pulls it off pretty well. Effie has a strong voice and a somewhat overbearing attitude. And I think MacIntyre captures it perfectly. At times she drove me crazy and made me want to hit her over the head with the very book I was reading, but in the back of the head I knew I was supposed to feel that way.
This is a novel that gave me pause and still has me mulling over the question of "Why Men Lie?" That being said, despite the interesting premise and the strong narrative voice, this book is no Bishop's Man. It was just missing that captivating quality that made me want to keep reading and cast aside all the other books in favour of this one. Maybe that's asking too much? But that's how I want every book to make me feel - and having read and loved The Bishop's Man, I know Linden MacIntyre is capable of writing a book that makes me feel that way.
An interesting novel, that I recommend to those who are already fans of Linden MacIntyre, as well as those who love Canadian literary fiction. There's some good stuff here, it's worth taking a look at.
blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
Disappointing, especially after The Bishop's Man. I didn't find the protagonist to be the least bit sympathetic, and the storyline didn't draw me in. The historical flashbacks and plethora of former husbands did little to enlighten me. About anything.
justinecm's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book for free through good reads first reads.
I quite enjoyed this book, though I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. In the beginning I found reading this book slow going. The dialogue between the characters seemed choppy and impersonal. The scenes changed abruptly and nothing much seemed to happened. When I was about half way through I found it much more intriguing and was much more drawn to the characters. I found them to be actually quite vivid. After the mid way point I began to understand the characters and the plot line became more intense. I felt this book seemed to be more about the things Effie learned as she aged about herself, then it was about why the men in her life lie. I felt this book had a bit of a depressing theme, with only brief moments of happiness. I was glad that I kept reading this book despite not being intrigues with the beginning and found it well worth it.
I quite enjoyed this book, though I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. In the beginning I found reading this book slow going. The dialogue between the characters seemed choppy and impersonal. The scenes changed abruptly and nothing much seemed to happened. When I was about half way through I found it much more intriguing and was much more drawn to the characters. I found them to be actually quite vivid. After the mid way point I began to understand the characters and the plot line became more intense. I felt this book seemed to be more about the things Effie learned as she aged about herself, then it was about why the men in her life lie. I felt this book had a bit of a depressing theme, with only brief moments of happiness. I was glad that I kept reading this book despite not being intrigues with the beginning and found it well worth it.
macwoods's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
It's the third in a series of books that I've enjoyed. I enjoyed this book. It really picked up part way through and was written in a way that made me want to keep reading. The book appears to question how well we can know others and whether this is important in loving them. There is the ever present well of Cape Breton sadness that I seem to like to wallow in as well.
The book is mostly from the perspective of Effie, who seems to be an interesting and accomplished woman...It's funny though that her whole life and all her interactions and most of her thoughts are all about the men in her life, which I think is common blind spot for male authors. Even in thiking about her own daughter she is almost invariably thinking about her daughter's relationship with an older man. Weird.
The book is mostly from the perspective of Effie, who seems to be an interesting and accomplished woman...
writer_matt's review against another edition
5.0
This is the third book in MacIntyre's trilogy about a family from Nova Scotia, and it certainly lived up to it's predecessor The Bishop's Man. I was enthralled from page one as these characters slowly move through two years learning what it means to remember past pain and familial horrors as well as how to really love one another.
I loved The Bishop's Man and easily include it in my top 10 books, so I had really high expectations for this book. I am so glad it lived up to them.
I feel as through this book was more about memory than anything else - one passage sums it up quite nicely for me, and stays with me as I finished the novel:
"She thought of all the photos that litter people's lives, stored in envelopes, inside boxes. No names or dates. People captured in moments thwt seemed important at the time. Moments of transient happiness , recorded as specific images, particulars of life that someone thought should be indelible; but without words are only mortal, as fragile as the subjects and the living memory."
Highly recommended.
I loved The Bishop's Man and easily include it in my top 10 books, so I had really high expectations for this book. I am so glad it lived up to them.
I feel as through this book was more about memory than anything else - one passage sums it up quite nicely for me, and stays with me as I finished the novel:
"She thought of all the photos that litter people's lives, stored in envelopes, inside boxes. No names or dates. People captured in moments thwt seemed important at the time. Moments of transient happiness , recorded as specific images, particulars of life that someone thought should be indelible; but without words are only mortal, as fragile as the subjects and the living memory."
Highly recommended.
justinecw's review against another edition
2.0
I received this book for free through good reads first reads.
I quite enjoyed this book, though I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. In the beginning I found reading this book slow going. The dialogue between the characters seemed choppy and impersonal. The scenes changed abruptly and nothing much seemed to happened. When I was about half way through I found it much more intriguing and was much more drawn to the characters. I found them to be actually quite vivid. After the mid way point I began to understand the characters and the plot line became more intense. I felt this book seemed to be more about the things Effie learned as she aged about herself, then it was about why the men in her life lie. I felt this book had a bit of a depressing theme, with only brief moments of happiness. I was glad that I kept reading this book despite not being intrigues with the beginning and found it well worth it.
I quite enjoyed this book, though I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. In the beginning I found reading this book slow going. The dialogue between the characters seemed choppy and impersonal. The scenes changed abruptly and nothing much seemed to happened. When I was about half way through I found it much more intriguing and was much more drawn to the characters. I found them to be actually quite vivid. After the mid way point I began to understand the characters and the plot line became more intense. I felt this book seemed to be more about the things Effie learned as she aged about herself, then it was about why the men in her life lie. I felt this book had a bit of a depressing theme, with only brief moments of happiness. I was glad that I kept reading this book despite not being intrigues with the beginning and found it well worth it.
amsquared's review against another edition
4.0
I liked "The Long Stretch" and "The Bishop's Man", the two books connected to "Why Men Lie", and I was impressed by Linden Macintyre's interview on "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight", so I've been looking forward to reading this novel for a while. The themes were well-developed: memory, power, autonomy, ageing. One weakness of the novel, though, is character development. The readers are not always privy to the motives of some of the important characters. This, though, may have been intentional, as one of the themes is the idea that we struggle to truly understand each other. I did feel that a couple of the characters were flat and added little to the plot. Overall, a good read.
chantale's review against another edition
4.0
Effie is a woman who doesn't want to depend on or trust men any longer after being married twice. She is a strong woman who knows what she wants, until she meets JC, she tries not to get too attached to him at first. This is a book about relationships between men and women and their children, but it also has a mystery. Who is JC, what is he hiding, is he lying? The ending will shock you because nothing in the dust jacket suggests such a gripping plot 3/4 of the way into the book - a page turner to the end!
I don't think you need to read the first two in the trilogy to read this one. But I would probably recommend it as it is very character driven and the extra background might have enlightened me more about the characters relationships to and history with one another and revealed more about the characters individually as they are very secretive
I don't think you need to read the first two in the trilogy to read this one. But I would probably recommend it as it is very character driven and the extra background might have enlightened me more about the characters relationships to and history with one another and revealed more about the characters individually as they are very secretive