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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide attempt
Minor: Car accident
I don't think I can describe this better than Roddy Doyle does on the cover. 'Mad and wonderful'
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Debbie is 18 and lives on a dairy farm in Ireland with her mother and uncle. She is thrust into another world when she starts studying at Trinity College in Dublin. At home, both her mother and uncle have mental health issues; at university she feels like a fish out of water although she forms a close friendship with Xanthe. Debbie thinks Xanthe has a perfect life, despite it being clear to the reader that Xanthe does not.
It's very hard to describe this book. I changing my mind about how to categorise it - is it a coming of age book, or a book about mental health issues within a family like [b:Sorrow and Bliss|49110165|Sorrow and Bliss|Meg Mason|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583726104l/49110165._SY75_.jpg|74553109], or a book about whipsmart students finding their way in life like [b:Normal People|41057294|Normal People|Sally Rooney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294._SY75_.jpg|59141209]? It has all of those elements but it's not neatly any one of those things. What is IS however is terrifically readable and quite unique.
It's very hard to describe this book. I changing my mind about how to categorise it - is it a coming of age book, or a book about mental health issues within a family like [b:Sorrow and Bliss|49110165|Sorrow and Bliss|Meg Mason|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583726104l/49110165._SY75_.jpg|74553109], or a book about whipsmart students finding their way in life like [b:Normal People|41057294|Normal People|Sally Rooney|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294._SY75_.jpg|59141209]? It has all of those elements but it's not neatly any one of those things. What is IS however is terrifically readable and quite unique.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When Debbie is accepted into Trinity College, Dublin, she's thrilled and envisions a world of like-minded friends and a sense of belonging she never found in her small Irish village, where her mother is both mentally ill and known for sleeping with a number of the village's men. Her bedrock is her uncle, who lives in a trailer behind the house and who runs the dairy farm. But university isn't what she'd dreamt of. It's a lot harder than she thought and she's only managed to make one friend, a well-off girl named Xanthe who finds Debbie to be refreshingly "authentic."
Louise Nealon's debut novel is, on the one hand, another coming-of-age novel by a young Irish woman and, on the other, a refreshing angle on that flooded genre. Debbie is a mess, but she's also got better reasons for it than general ennui and despite the huge problems in her family, she has more support than many of the wealthier versions of this character. It was interesting to see how a culchie, someone from rural Ireland, experiences Dublin and the people who live there, and how they, or at least Xanthe, experience rural Ireland. And the writing is far better than one usually finds in a debut novel. Even if you've tired of [[Sally Rooney]], or if you love her and want something similar from a different angle, this book is worth reading.
Louise Nealon's debut novel is, on the one hand, another coming-of-age novel by a young Irish woman and, on the other, a refreshing angle on that flooded genre. Debbie is a mess, but she's also got better reasons for it than general ennui and despite the huge problems in her family, she has more support than many of the wealthier versions of this character. It was interesting to see how a culchie, someone from rural Ireland, experiences Dublin and the people who live there, and how they, or at least Xanthe, experience rural Ireland. And the writing is far better than one usually finds in a debut novel. Even if you've tired of [[Sally Rooney]], or if you love her and want something similar from a different angle, this book is worth reading.
I kept waiting for something to happen and it didn't I was just bored to be honest but in all fairness Contemporary with me is like marmite. I either love it or hate it
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A complex but beautiful story that blew me away. It only didn’t get 5 stars because it didn’t make me want to rush to read more but when I started, I didn’t want to stop.
I could imagine myself in this world and feel what the characters would have felt and was almost nostalgic for a life that I felt I could have lived.
Many great quotes and little things that made me smile will stay with me for months to come.
I could imagine myself in this world and feel what the characters would have felt and was almost nostalgic for a life that I felt I could have lived.
Many great quotes and little things that made me smile will stay with me for months to come.