2rebeccanyc
I can highly recommend Troubles by J. G. Farrell which is about the "troubles" in Ireland although not by an Irish author.
By the way, that link doesn't work -- it comes back to this page.
By the way, that link doesn't work -- it comes back to this page.
3frithuswith
The creation of this group is ideally timed - I've recently read Long Time, No See by Dermot Healy, which I got through the Early Reviewer programme. Lots of reviewers have complained that they don't think there's enough plot in it - I tend to disagree, but the plot is sparse. What that leaves space for is a fascinating look at the weird juxtapositions that exist in rural Ireland at the start of this millennium - some aspects of Uncle JoeJoe and The Blackbird's lives could be unchanged from their ancestors' lives a hundred years ago, and yet they drink Malibu, Mister Psyche checks his Leaving Certficate results on the internet and calls his girlfriend Anna on his mobile. It also paints a bleak picture of employment in rural Northwest Ireland - Psyche and his father rely on odd jobs on the land to make ends meet. Healy's pictures of the landscape in all its beauty and destructiveness, and the fundamental link between the changing of the seasons and their changing livelihoods added to what I think is a fascinating portrait of rural Ireland, quite apart from the moving narrative and its meditation on grief, coming of age and family.
4Samantha_kathy
The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer is also highly recommended. I loved each and every book from that series. It's a fast read for adults, but no less enjoyable for it.
5Trifolia
Ireland: Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín - 3 stars
This book has been praised for its gentle and subtle tone but I thought it was a bit too gentle, even trite to be called great literature. The story is about a young, Irish woman who emigrates to America to work in a shop (good, honest work), who takes courses in book-keeping to better her prospects and meets a nice Italian man who she rather likes and gets married to, although she's not really sure she sees a future with him.
Along the way, she meets good and bad people, she's homesick, does some charity, has to come to terms with the sudden death of her perfect sister in Ireland, returns to Ireland where a man notices her as a a potential wife and undergoes a difficult relationship with a distant mother. Added to that are added a few flavours of racism, jealousy, seduction in all shapes and sizes.
This may all sound exciting and it could have been. However, it was all a bit too shallow to really grab me. Furthermore, the main character Eilish seemed a bit numb to me. She let events and people decide for her all the time, although I don't think the author did this on purpose.
I think this book comes very close to being a chicklit-book and I think it's amazing that it was written by a man.
However, many people seem to like the book for what it is and everybody needs a book like this now and then. Now, I can go on to other books, seriously...
This book has been praised for its gentle and subtle tone but I thought it was a bit too gentle, even trite to be called great literature. The story is about a young, Irish woman who emigrates to America to work in a shop (good, honest work), who takes courses in book-keeping to better her prospects and meets a nice Italian man who she rather likes and gets married to, although she's not really sure she sees a future with him.
Along the way, she meets good and bad people, she's homesick, does some charity, has to come to terms with the sudden death of her perfect sister in Ireland, returns to Ireland where a man notices her as a a potential wife and undergoes a difficult relationship with a distant mother. Added to that are added a few flavours of racism, jealousy, seduction in all shapes and sizes.
This may all sound exciting and it could have been. However, it was all a bit too shallow to really grab me. Furthermore, the main character Eilish seemed a bit numb to me. She let events and people decide for her all the time, although I don't think the author did this on purpose.
I think this book comes very close to being a chicklit-book and I think it's amazing that it was written by a man.
However, many people seem to like the book for what it is and everybody needs a book like this now and then. Now, I can go on to other books, seriously...
6rebeccanyc
IRELAND Originally published 1979
The Mangan Inheritance by Brian Moore
I wish I liked this book better than I did. Brian Moore is an excellent writer and knows how to pace his story and keep the reader intrigued, and for much of the novel I was right there with him as he takes the protagonist, insecure lapsed poet James Mangan, from New York City and the end of his marriage to movie star Beatrice Abbot (which led the doorman to call him "Mr. Abbot") to Montreal, where he grew up, where his father still lives, and where he finds a trove of information about his family history including his possible relationship to noted 19th century Irish poet James Clarence Mangan, and from there to Ireland where he encounters the contemporary Mangans, two families who have little but contempt for each other, as well as the nature of life in a remote Irish village As Mangan gets involved in the life of Drishane, where everybody knows everybody's business, it becomes clear that there's a lot he doesn't know and that some people don't want him to know it, especially when they meet him and see his face which, as he discovered in Montreal, is practically a double of that shown in an old photo that may be of the poet. The plot, with sidetracks into Mangan's erotic obsession with his 18-year-old distant cousin, then becomes distinctly melodramatic as the main secret is dramatically revealed (and somewhat credulity-stretching it is) and Mangan returns to Montreal where his search for identity comes to a close. I didn't dislike this book; in fact, it was a fun read in some ways, and maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it.
The Mangan Inheritance by Brian Moore
I wish I liked this book better than I did. Brian Moore is an excellent writer and knows how to pace his story and keep the reader intrigued, and for much of the novel I was right there with him as he takes the protagonist, insecure lapsed poet James Mangan, from New York City and the end of his marriage to movie star Beatrice Abbot (which led the doorman to call him "Mr. Abbot") to Montreal, where he grew up, where his father still lives, and where he finds a trove of information about his family history including his possible relationship to noted 19th century Irish poet James Clarence Mangan, and from there to Ireland where he encounters the contemporary Mangans, two families who have little but contempt for each other, as well as the nature of life in a remote Irish village As Mangan gets involved in the life of Drishane, where everybody knows everybody's business, it becomes clear that there's a lot he doesn't know and that some people don't want him to know it, especially when they meet him and see his face which, as he discovered in Montreal, is practically a double of that shown in an old photo that may be of the poet. The plot, with sidetracks into Mangan's erotic obsession with his 18-year-old distant cousin, then becomes distinctly melodramatic as the main secret is dramatically revealed (and somewhat credulity-stretching it is) and Mangan returns to Montreal where his search for identity comes to a close. I didn't dislike this book; in fact, it was a fun read in some ways, and maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for it.
7berthirsch
as a young adult (teenager) i was enthralled by Studs Lonigan by James Farrell. Does anyone still read this classic coming of age?
It also reminds one that the cross country experiences- the Irish-American experience, for instance, points to another factor in the English speaking worls. Our cultures have been adopted across boundaries. How many great Irish-American authors are there?
F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Kennedy, Flannery O'Conner, Eugene O'Neill.
When Ireland is mentioned I think, too, of Roddy Doyle who is a favorite of mine. His Henry Smart character of A Star Called Henry travels in the 2nd novel Oh Play That Thing to America. Henry Smart is another literary invention that travels well.
It also reminds one that the cross country experiences- the Irish-American experience, for instance, points to another factor in the English speaking worls. Our cultures have been adopted across boundaries. How many great Irish-American authors are there?
F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Kennedy, Flannery O'Conner, Eugene O'Neill.
When Ireland is mentioned I think, too, of Roddy Doyle who is a favorite of mine. His Henry Smart character of A Star Called Henry travels in the 2nd novel Oh Play That Thing to America. Henry Smart is another literary invention that travels well.
8Nickelini
In the Forest, Edna O'Brien, 2002
I like this cover—the brooding dark green, the sweeping typeface—and the figure: why is she lying there? Is she enchanted? Sleeping? Dead? It makes me want to read the book and find out what happened to her In the Forest.
Comments: In Ireland, Michen O’Kane suffers through a sad childhood of abuse. Returning to County Clare on the west coast after a stint in prison, he is now a psychopath, and begins to menace and terrorize the residents of the area. Even the police are afraid of him. He stalks Ely, a young free spirited mother of four-year-old Maddie, who have taken up residence in a ramshackle remote cottage. When they go missing, Ely’s friends immediately suspect O’Kane (aka “the Kinderschreck,” or “children scarer”) but the authorities are slow to react.
The story is told through the eyes of many characters who witnessed the events. This is the books strength, but also its weakness, as in the beginning it was difficult to figure out what is happening and how it relates to the story. For example, when Ely and Maddie are introduced, I have no idea what gender Ely is, and that Maddie is her son. But after a while everything clicked and then the technique worked well. (I wish authors would do a better job of giving readers some markers, and not be so damn cryptically clever.). Apart from that criticism though, I enjoyed this novel. O’Brien doesn’t spend much time with flowery descriptions or melodrama—for such a dark, creepy story, it’s rather understated.
In the Forest is based on a similar story that actually happened in Ireland in the 1990s, and apparently many in the country were outraged by this novel, as they saw this ex-pat writer as simply cashing in on their local tragedy.The Guardian calls In the Forest one of those “state of the nation” books, and so this book is not just a retelling of horrific murders, but a story about modern Irish society as well. I’m sure that made some people there uncomfortable.
Why I Read This Now: it was my second Orange January read, and the book was also on the 2006 Must Read.... list. And lately I’ve been interested in reading about forests. And lastly, I’m trying to read more Irish literature.
Rating: 4 stars
Recommended for: not sure—I liked it, and it garnered some good reviews, so if it sounds interesting, give it a try.
County Clare looks so bucolic and idyllic--surely nothing bad has happened there? (wrong)
I like this cover—the brooding dark green, the sweeping typeface—and the figure: why is she lying there? Is she enchanted? Sleeping? Dead? It makes me want to read the book and find out what happened to her In the Forest.
Comments: In Ireland, Michen O’Kane suffers through a sad childhood of abuse. Returning to County Clare on the west coast after a stint in prison, he is now a psychopath, and begins to menace and terrorize the residents of the area. Even the police are afraid of him. He stalks Ely, a young free spirited mother of four-year-old Maddie, who have taken up residence in a ramshackle remote cottage. When they go missing, Ely’s friends immediately suspect O’Kane (aka “the Kinderschreck,” or “children scarer”) but the authorities are slow to react.
The story is told through the eyes of many characters who witnessed the events. This is the books strength, but also its weakness, as in the beginning it was difficult to figure out what is happening and how it relates to the story. For example, when Ely and Maddie are introduced, I have no idea what gender Ely is, and that Maddie is her son. But after a while everything clicked and then the technique worked well. (I wish authors would do a better job of giving readers some markers, and not be so damn cryptically clever.). Apart from that criticism though, I enjoyed this novel. O’Brien doesn’t spend much time with flowery descriptions or melodrama—for such a dark, creepy story, it’s rather understated.
In the Forest is based on a similar story that actually happened in Ireland in the 1990s, and apparently many in the country were outraged by this novel, as they saw this ex-pat writer as simply cashing in on their local tragedy.The Guardian calls In the Forest one of those “state of the nation” books, and so this book is not just a retelling of horrific murders, but a story about modern Irish society as well. I’m sure that made some people there uncomfortable.
Why I Read This Now: it was my second Orange January read, and the book was also on the 2006 Must Read.... list. And lately I’ve been interested in reading about forests. And lastly, I’m trying to read more Irish literature.
Rating: 4 stars
Recommended for: not sure—I liked it, and it garnered some good reviews, so if it sounds interesting, give it a try.
County Clare looks so bucolic and idyllic--surely nothing bad has happened there? (wrong)
9Nickelini
Country Girls, Edna O’Brien, 1960
Cover comments: I have no opinion on this cover one way or another.
Comments Set in 1950s Ireland, The Country Girls is a short novel that feels like a memoir. Teenage Caithleen and her supposed best friend Baba are about 14, and attend school together in a rural community. The story follows them through a convent boarding school where the nuns are one part stupid and the other part inhumane, and then ends up with Cait and Baba sharing a room in a Dublin boarding house where they finally get to let down their hair a little.
Edna O’Brien is a deceptively subtle writer, fooling readers with her seemingly simple sentence structure. Cait is a naive narrator whose innocent observations illuminate the restrained society of mid-century Ireland.
Rating: I would have raved about his novel but for one thing that irritated me throughout—the character of Baba. From the beginning, she is clearly the second Country Girl, and is described bas the best friend. But she is rarely a friend, and is consistently a nasty bully. She’s a selfish, unlikable character from age 14 through 18, and hardly friend material for my enemy’s dog. But I guess there wasn’t’ much to choose from in Ciat’s small community, so Baba gets the position from being in the vicinity. She’s an interesting character, but in most novels she’d be the antagonist. Here I just wanted Cait to stand up to her and verbally smack her down.
Why I Read This Now: I was looking for something in my tbr stack from the 1001 books list.
Recommended for O’Brien is the reigning queen of Irish lit, the Catholic Church banned this book . . . what else do you need?
Cover comments: I have no opinion on this cover one way or another.
Comments Set in 1950s Ireland, The Country Girls is a short novel that feels like a memoir. Teenage Caithleen and her supposed best friend Baba are about 14, and attend school together in a rural community. The story follows them through a convent boarding school where the nuns are one part stupid and the other part inhumane, and then ends up with Cait and Baba sharing a room in a Dublin boarding house where they finally get to let down their hair a little.
Edna O’Brien is a deceptively subtle writer, fooling readers with her seemingly simple sentence structure. Cait is a naive narrator whose innocent observations illuminate the restrained society of mid-century Ireland.
Rating: I would have raved about his novel but for one thing that irritated me throughout—the character of Baba. From the beginning, she is clearly the second Country Girl, and is described bas the best friend. But she is rarely a friend, and is consistently a nasty bully. She’s a selfish, unlikable character from age 14 through 18, and hardly friend material for my enemy’s dog. But I guess there wasn’t’ much to choose from in Ciat’s small community, so Baba gets the position from being in the vicinity. She’s an interesting character, but in most novels she’d be the antagonist. Here I just wanted Cait to stand up to her and verbally smack her down.
Why I Read This Now: I was looking for something in my tbr stack from the 1001 books list.
Recommended for O’Brien is the reigning queen of Irish lit, the Catholic Church banned this book . . . what else do you need?
10rocketjk
Just dropping in to highly recommend Roddy Doyle's A Star Called Henry, a compelling, though often brutal, fictionalized account of the Irish rebellion against the English in the 20th century, told through the eyes of a somewhat larger than life protagonist and including just a touch of magical realism.
11rebeccanyc
>9 Nickelini: I've had The Country Girls on the TBR for years; thanks for reminding me of it.
12Mercury57
you can find a list of 100 Irish noels on this blog site
https://746books.com/100-irish-novels-writers-literature/
https://746books.com/100-irish-novels-writers-literature/
13MissBrangwen
I read The Ruin by Dervla McTiernan last year and loved it. It is the first book in the Cormac Reilly series, a police procedural taking place in Dublin. The Sisters is one of two prequels to the series that sadly, as far as I know, are Audible exclusives at the moment.
The author is Irish, but moved to Australia in 2011 because of the financial crisis.
"The Sisters" by Dervla McTiernan
Series: Cormac Reilly (Prequel 1)
First published in 2019
Rating: 4 stars - ****
This short novel is set in 2004. The main characters are a young police woman, Carrie, who ten years later also appears in "The Ruin", and her sister Aifric, who has just started her career as a barrister. The two sisters have very different personalities, but they also have one similarity: They are both trying to start a successful career and to break into the boys' club.
Aifric is assigned a difficult case: A young man is being accused of murdering his girlfriend after a night out, and he doesn't have an alibi. But Aifric has a gut feeling that something is not right, and Carrie is drawn into the case when she reads the file.
Of course this story is short and thus, the characters are not as developed as in a longer novel and the ending comes a bit sudden. But still, I loved the author's style, I was pulled into the story at once, and could hardly stop listening. The people seemed real to me and the obstacles that the two young sisters encounter are all too credible. The narrator, Aoife McMahon, does an excellent job.
I plan to listen to the second prequel, "The Roommate", very soon.
The author is Irish, but moved to Australia in 2011 because of the financial crisis.
"The Sisters" by Dervla McTiernan
Series: Cormac Reilly (Prequel 1)
First published in 2019
Rating: 4 stars - ****
This short novel is set in 2004. The main characters are a young police woman, Carrie, who ten years later also appears in "The Ruin", and her sister Aifric, who has just started her career as a barrister. The two sisters have very different personalities, but they also have one similarity: They are both trying to start a successful career and to break into the boys' club.
Aifric is assigned a difficult case: A young man is being accused of murdering his girlfriend after a night out, and he doesn't have an alibi. But Aifric has a gut feeling that something is not right, and Carrie is drawn into the case when she reads the file.
Of course this story is short and thus, the characters are not as developed as in a longer novel and the ending comes a bit sudden. But still, I loved the author's style, I was pulled into the story at once, and could hardly stop listening. The people seemed real to me and the obstacles that the two young sisters encounter are all too credible. The narrator, Aoife McMahon, does an excellent job.
I plan to listen to the second prequel, "The Roommate", very soon.
15Tess_W
Maybe I went too fast and skimmed; but I don't think I did. When I started reading Ulysses, by James Joyce, I had intended on reading with a group (#80daysofulysses) and take it slowly. However, my thinking after the first five episodes was that it was so bad that I could not imprison myself in this book for 80 days! I was not prepared to read this book as each section (chapter) was entitled with the name of a Greek myth of which I was not aware. I had read Homer's Ulysses some 50 years ago in college and don't remember it being "too bad." I have never liked to read mythology so I had to look up every mythological event or person and get some background to try to understand the section. It didn't work. As much as I want to experience broad types of literature, I can honestly say I will never read a book written in stream of consciousness again! This book was nothing more than blathering to me. It reminded me of the Marx Brothers and slap-stick comedy, which I don't find funny. I can honestly say that I am not a better person for reading this. Since I'm in the minority, I'll admit it must have gone right over my head! I even used SparkNotes to help me try to understand each unit. I understood what I read in SparkNotes, but how that was deduced from what Joyce wrote, I am unable to understand. I won't be reading anymore Joyce! 768 pages 2.5 stars (only because I finished it). This was published in 1920. (Banned in the U.S. until 1933 when the Supreme Court allowed it to be published)
Bliv medlem af gruppen, hvis du vil skrive et indlæg
