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A review by rosepoints
A Ghost In The Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa
3.0
this was a book i picked up largely because i was intrigued by the cover and the title, and i started it without knowing anything about the author or the plot. doireann ní ghríofa is an irish writer and the book is essentially about her tracing through the life of an obscure irish poet named eibhlín dubh ní chonaill. the book is half about eibhlín and half about doireann herself, and it covers themes regarding motherhood, invisibility, and female labor. doireann ní ghríofan also translates the original gaelic poem into english and although i don't know any gaelic, i found the final translated poem to be beautiful.
the prose and writing style itself is quite lyrical, and at times, i felt like doireann was writing poetry rather than a memoir. this can either be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of books you prefer. personally, i enjoyed the writing style but not the content. i am just not interested in the ordeals of motherhood, being pregnant, breastfeeding and milk, all that. nearly the entire book is about mothering and having children, especially since doireann is a mother of four and her experience with being pregnant and raising her children is intricately tied to her search for eibhlín's history. that being said, if you are a mother or are interested in having children, i could see this being a great book for you. i'm just not the right target audience for this book and that's okay.
the prose and writing style itself is quite lyrical, and at times, i felt like doireann was writing poetry rather than a memoir. this can either be a good or bad thing depending on what kind of books you prefer. personally, i enjoyed the writing style but not the content. i am just not interested in the ordeals of motherhood, being pregnant, breastfeeding and milk, all that. nearly the entire book is about mothering and having children, especially since doireann is a mother of four and her experience with being pregnant and raising her children is intricately tied to her search for eibhlín's history. that being said, if you are a mother or are interested in having children, i could see this being a great book for you. i'm just not the right target audience for this book and that's okay.