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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
This book was horrible.
Truthfully.
I loved room, but this book was a challenge to finish.
Truthfully.
I loved room, but this book was a challenge to finish.
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In a nutshell: Libby, a nurse apprentice of Florence Nightingale, is sent on a mysterious assignment in Ireland to watch Anna, a girl fasting whose family insists she has been living without solid food for 4 months.
Recommendation: I don’t understand why there are so many positive reviews... I found this story quite boring and it did not keep my interest. I recommend Room by the same author instead.
I loved Donoghue’s Room and I also like reading Canadian authors. This disappointed me greatly.
This is a historical fiction book about “fasting girls” in Ireland. Anna’s family is saying she hasn’t eaten for months and the girl herself is gaining a reputation as a martyr. Libby, a nurse apprentice of Florence Nightingale, is called to observe Libby’s fast and to be by her side, observing any medical conditions caused by the fast. Libby is skeptical and insists that it is impossible for Anna to survive so long without food, but she quickly sees Anna’s diminishing health. Libby must decide what to do as an impartial observer as she desperately tries discover why Anna is fasting.
I get that this story is supposed to be historical fiction, but the book bored me beyond belief. I couldn’t wait to be finished! The book is described as a “thriller” but it really wasn’t.
The only real interesting parts of this book are when we finally learn why Anna is fasting and what Libby decides to do about it. Other than that, the book is literally just about a nurse watching a little girl starve herself and read and knit all day. That’s about it.
I should also mention that I was looking forward to this book because Emma Donoghue wrote one of my favourite books: Room. So I recommend that book instead. It’s much more interesting.
Recommendation: I don’t understand why there are so many positive reviews... I found this story quite boring and it did not keep my interest. I recommend Room by the same author instead.
I loved Donoghue’s Room and I also like reading Canadian authors. This disappointed me greatly.
“Other eleven-year-olds knew when they'd eaten and when they hadn't; they were old enough to tell make-believe from fact. There was something very different about - very wrong with - Anna O'Donnell.”
This is a historical fiction book about “fasting girls” in Ireland. Anna’s family is saying she hasn’t eaten for months and the girl herself is gaining a reputation as a martyr. Libby, a nurse apprentice of Florence Nightingale, is called to observe Libby’s fast and to be by her side, observing any medical conditions caused by the fast. Libby is skeptical and insists that it is impossible for Anna to survive so long without food, but she quickly sees Anna’s diminishing health. Libby must decide what to do as an impartial observer as she desperately tries discover why Anna is fasting.
I get that this story is supposed to be historical fiction, but the book bored me beyond belief. I couldn’t wait to be finished! The book is described as a “thriller” but it really wasn’t.
The only real interesting parts of this book are when we finally learn why Anna is fasting and what Libby decides to do about it. Other than that, the book is literally just about a nurse watching a little girl starve herself and read and knit all day. That’s about it.
I should also mention that I was looking forward to this book because Emma Donoghue wrote one of my favourite books: Room. So I recommend that book instead. It’s much more interesting.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Woah! I did not think I would enjoy this as much as I did! I read this for my book club (which I unfortunately can't even go to), it was available on BorrowBox as soon as I was leaving April's book club meeting so I began listening straight away and I was immediately engrossed. The audiobook read by Tara Egan-Langely was truly fantastic and I feel it is a big reason why I enjoyed the book so much. It is gripping, thought provoking, everything that I love and expect from an Emma Donoghue novel. I'm really looking forward to watching the film to see how it compares.
This book would have worked better as a novella. It's far too long, bloated, and repetitive. I finally got tired of the foot-dragging and skipped a large chunk in the middle.
I LOVED this book. It took me awhile to get through...I rented the audiobook from the library, then the rental expired, and I had to wait to get it again, and during that time, I went through a litany of feelings about the characters and story.
But in the end, I think The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue, has the potential to be a classic. Towards the end of the novel, I had a moment where I realized..."this book is brilliant!" I can imagine students reading this in high school English class 20 years from now, and analyzing it as great literature.
So, with that preamble...here are a few more specifics about what I thought of The Wonder.
The setup for the story is that Lib, an English nurse, is hired to go spend two weeks in Ireland watching over a young girl who reportedly is able to exist without eating any food. Lib doesn't know anything about her position beforehand. She arrives in Ireland with all kinds of preconceptions about Ireland as a place of ignorance, poverty, sloth, and slovenliness. As an agnostic/atheist, she also finds Catholic religious beliefs and practices incomprehensible. So Lib, to say the least, does not have a high opinion of the family she is working for, or the girl who is, purportedly, "a wonder." However, as the story progresses, Lib's understanding of what is really happening around her will shift dramatically. The Wonder is spectacular in its subtlety. Without you as the reader realizing, it takes you into this deep examination of a whole lot of stuff...guilt, love, the long term impacts of suffering, the impacts of famine on a country, gender inequality. And, a whole lot more. The novel is this complex interweaving of a character study, as well as the study of a country, and a culture, and a historic time period.
There were times...perhaps half way through, in which I felt very frustrated and even depressed and disturbed. But I'm really glad I stuck with this. As the story progresses there is an increasing sense of urgency, and by the end, I was holding my breath. Ultimately, The Wonder left me very satisfied and with a lot to think about. It is definitely a story that is about so much more that any summary could contain. I'd highly recommend this and place it as one of my favorite books of the year.
But in the end, I think The Wonder, by Emma Donoghue, has the potential to be a classic. Towards the end of the novel, I had a moment where I realized..."this book is brilliant!" I can imagine students reading this in high school English class 20 years from now, and analyzing it as great literature.
So, with that preamble...here are a few more specifics about what I thought of The Wonder.
The setup for the story is that Lib, an English nurse, is hired to go spend two weeks in Ireland watching over a young girl who reportedly is able to exist without eating any food. Lib doesn't know anything about her position beforehand. She arrives in Ireland with all kinds of preconceptions about Ireland as a place of ignorance, poverty, sloth, and slovenliness. As an agnostic/atheist, she also finds Catholic religious beliefs and practices incomprehensible. So Lib, to say the least, does not have a high opinion of the family she is working for, or the girl who is, purportedly, "a wonder." However, as the story progresses, Lib's understanding of what is really happening around her will shift dramatically. The Wonder is spectacular in its subtlety. Without you as the reader realizing, it takes you into this deep examination of a whole lot of stuff...guilt, love, the long term impacts of suffering, the impacts of famine on a country, gender inequality. And, a whole lot more. The novel is this complex interweaving of a character study, as well as the study of a country, and a culture, and a historic time period.
There were times...perhaps half way through, in which I felt very frustrated and even depressed and disturbed. But I'm really glad I stuck with this. As the story progresses there is an increasing sense of urgency, and by the end, I was holding my breath. Ultimately, The Wonder left me very satisfied and with a lot to think about. It is definitely a story that is about so much more that any summary could contain. I'd highly recommend this and place it as one of my favorite books of the year.
I had trouble getting into it because Lib is a hard character to get to know, but it was worth continuing. Both she and Anna are more interesting and believable than they seem at first. Strange, moving, and ultimately satisfying.
3.5 stars. Nurse Lib must find out if Anna is a miracle child or a scammer but faces superstitious community members who view the miracle through a different lens (is Anna is changing from mammalian to reptilian?). Emma Donoghue writes beautifully; it's like a movie running through my mind's eye.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes