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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
A brutal, post-Troubles look at Northern Ireland as the various factions move toward "peace." It's a fascinating reflection on the life of an IRA hit man after his services are no longer needed. Neville is a good writer, and even with the presence of "ghosts," there's never a loss of credibility. This is the first in his Belfast trilogy. I immediately ordered the next two upon finishing this.
This is the third time I have read this book and once again I couldn’t put it down. Fast paced and thrilling.
Debut novel which was nominated for the Anthony for Best First. Set in Belfast, the plot follows Gerry Fegan, former hard man and enforcer during "The Troubles", as he struggles to find redemption for his past deeds. Probably one of the darkest books I've read in quite a while, with lots of violence and a rather grim view of the politics of the peace process.
Interesting book. Demonstrates how a person lives with the decisions they have made. Also an interesting insight into Irish culture.
Started this about 3 days ago and couldn't put it down. The combination of actual events and issues in modern political history in Northern Ireland combined with a massively flawed and damaged protagonist trying to redeem his soul - altogether made for a great read. Modern day Belfast never looked so cold and corrupt as it does in this novel. Highly recommended especially if you have any interest in fiction based on The Troubles.
Superbly written - the rendering of Fegan's guilt is well done and the use of the ghosts as characters equally compelling. It's an interesting study of Belfast, too, as the city works to reinvent itself while the old sectarian past still rages.
That being said, this book is a thriller, and it's meant to be one. It's a terror trip through the IRA, the brutality of the old violence, and the demons that haunt Fegan, but not much more. I feel like the premise of the book lends itself to a variety of possibilities that don't pan out; instead, it just goes through the motions as he continues to avenge the various ghosts, as that's the straightest shot to a thriller. And while it's a fantastic mediation on the effects of the Troubles, the romantic subplots and the character development sometimes fall a bit flat - something here ends up taking a backseat.
That being said, this book is a thriller, and it's meant to be one. It's a terror trip through the IRA, the brutality of the old violence, and the demons that haunt Fegan, but not much more. I feel like the premise of the book lends itself to a variety of possibilities that don't pan out; instead, it just goes through the motions as he continues to avenge the various ghosts, as that's the straightest shot to a thriller. And while it's a fantastic mediation on the effects of the Troubles, the romantic subplots and the character development sometimes fall a bit flat - something here ends up taking a backseat.
Called The Twelve in uk. Excellent story no saints in this book. Great suspense and left me wanting to read more by Stuart Neville
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In some ways your classic post-Troubles Irish gangster book. But one that still has a compelling plot, but also
Provides insight into the post GFA north of Ireland.
Provides insight into the post GFA north of Ireland.
Political thriller set in post-Troubles Northern Ireland. Former IRA rank-and-file combatant is haunted by memories of those he killed, kind of loses it and/or starts seeing ghosts, and tries to get closure by taking revenge on the men who gave him his orders.
As a hard-boiled thriller, The Ghosts of Belfast is probably pretty good. That's not really my thing so I probably wouldn't normally have picked it up, but the reviews I read emphasized the politics and de-emphasized all the murdering.
The politics are unsettling. Neville's IRA and Sinn Féin resemble nothing so much as the mafia. Drug running, suitcases full of cash, human trafficking, personally motivated murders, seducing young people with no options into lives of crime as hired killers, politics as a cynical veneer to justify all of this. I don't doubt that some of that is accurate--quite possibly more than "some." In a way this book is a good slap in the face for any American who puts IRA violence in a different category from every other armed paramilitary group. Violence is violence, people.
However. Completely writing off Sinn Féin is a little harsh. By all accounts, many within the political party have worked admirably for peace and justice in Northern Ireland over the last fifteen years, just as many from the IRA appear to have genuinely renounced violence. Maybe I'm looking through rose colored American glasses at something I have no right to comment on, but it's just a little too easy to write--and read--a novel where the bad guys are so uniformly bad. And, I might add, where those bad guys all happen to fall on one side of political spectrum, and where no attention is given to why the IRA and Sinn Fein exist(ed). Yes, I know, it's a political thriller, not a history book. But I tend to think that a little background, context, political depth helps rather than hurts a story.
As a hard-boiled thriller, The Ghosts of Belfast is probably pretty good. That's not really my thing so I probably wouldn't normally have picked it up, but the reviews I read emphasized the politics and de-emphasized all the murdering.
The politics are unsettling. Neville's IRA and Sinn Féin resemble nothing so much as the mafia. Drug running, suitcases full of cash, human trafficking, personally motivated murders, seducing young people with no options into lives of crime as hired killers, politics as a cynical veneer to justify all of this. I don't doubt that some of that is accurate--quite possibly more than "some." In a way this book is a good slap in the face for any American who puts IRA violence in a different category from every other armed paramilitary group. Violence is violence, people.
However. Completely writing off Sinn Féin is a little harsh. By all accounts, many within the political party have worked admirably for peace and justice in Northern Ireland over the last fifteen years, just as many from the IRA appear to have genuinely renounced violence. Maybe I'm looking through rose colored American glasses at something I have no right to comment on, but it's just a little too easy to write--and read--a novel where the bad guys are so uniformly bad. And, I might add, where those bad guys all happen to fall on one side of political spectrum, and where no attention is given to why the IRA and Sinn Fein exist(ed). Yes, I know, it's a political thriller, not a history book. But I tend to think that a little background, context, political depth helps rather than hurts a story.