Reviews

Mothers and Sons by Colm Tóibín

sm_moon's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

My only criticism of this book is that there were more son stories than mother ones. 
Like any short story collection some of these were magnificent and other were mid. I wouldn’t say that any were bad. My favorite was famous blue raincoat. 

ailegais's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

yilik's review against another edition

5.0

Haunting emotions deeply buried in subtle language.

mikewa14's review against another edition

4.0

Not normally a fan of short stories and some of these were a bit dull or pointless, but as the book progressed Colm seemed to hit his stride and overall it was a good and engaging read

full review here

http://0651frombrighton.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/mothers-and-sons-colm-toibin.html

colorfulleo92's review against another edition

2.0

DNF this in 68% Mark. When I found the book I couldn't really make out was it was exactly about. The back of the book where just quotes praising the book and what prizes it's almost one or actually wonn. And the blurb inside didn't say much either. Thought this was a full novel and if I had known it was short stories I would have probebly not picked it up. I didn't get with the writing at all. Feelt more pretentious then elegant and well written. Colm Toibin might not be an author for me, but maybe I should give him one last try before deciding

poetkatiev's review against another edition

3.0

To read my review from Time Out New York, please click on this link:

[http://www.timeoutny.com/newyork/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles2/588/books/mothers_and_sons.xml]

elemmakil's review against another edition

5.0

Jo lainatessani kirjan kirjastosta tiesin, että tämä on oleva erinomainen lukuelämys, sillä Colm Toíbínista on tullut nopeasti yksi niistä kirjailijoista, joiden jälkeen aina luotan. Yllätyksenä tuli kuitenkin se, että kyseessä oli romaanin sijaan novellikokoelma. En novelleista yleensä juuri perusta, mutta tämä kokoelma vei minut mukanaan. Yhdeksän novellia, joista jokainen kertoo tarinan joko äidin tai pojan näkökulmasta, ja jokainen novelli rakentuu jonkin heidän suhteessaan perustavanlaatuisen muutoksen ympärille, mutta eivät kuitenkaan jää vellomaan pelkästään siihen, vaan jokaisella hahmolla on kokonainen elämä jonka osa novellin tapahtumat ovat. Jos et mitään muuta lue, lue ainakin viimenen A Long Winter.

Äitini poika kun olen, useampi näistä novelleista osui ja upposi. Antaisin kuusi tähteä, jos vain voisin.

maijavalimaki's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.25

mamalemma's review against another edition

3.0

I don’t know if short stories are just not ideally suited to audiobooks, but this didn’t move me. There were a couple of stories that were really interesting. For example, one was a really moving story about a pedophile priest and his mother; another about a boy whose alcoholic mother leaves the family only to meet a tragic demise that is also very good. However, overall the collection didn’t impress me. It’s possible that I didn’t pay close enough attention to the stories because I was driving while listening and I’m normally able to get away with less careful listening with a novel because there is so much more time to catch up. Or maybe I’m just not a short story fan; I have often found them uneven and frequently unsatisfyingly ended. Too often, they feel like a description of a moment in time rather than a character growth story. So, not horrible, but not one I’ll be talking up.

tonyf111's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5