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emjay2021's review
4.0
This book was my introduction to Colum McCann, and it has definitely made me want to read more by him. I loved the opening novella so much. The other short stories were good, but didn't grab me as much as the novella did. McCann's writing is beautiful and his characters are drawn so memorably that I almost started thinking of them as real people.
sarahbreeze's review
5.0
McCann is, I think, my very favorite, still alive author. If you're not reading his work, get to it.
jilliannichols's review
3.0
Beautifully written, but I struggle to not compare this to Let the Great World Spin, which I found to be so much more enjoyable to read.
meganpalmer731's review
5.0
Colum McCann's "Let the Great World Spin" is one of my all-time favorites, so I knew when he had a new book coming out I would have to read it. When I heard it was short stories, I wasn't sure how much I would like it, but as soon as I started reading, I was captivated again immediately by his description, figurative language and unique writing style. Each story is completely different and yet fits together perfectly. This is a must-read... don't let the short story format stop you!
ajitate's review against another edition
4.0
Clear, concise and deftly written. Evocative settings with real sensory experience: you feel the chill of the cold water off the coast of Galway and the muffled silence of the snow in New York. I picked up this book to see what McCann's writing was like as I am always reading his Letters to a Young Writer (when I get to the end, I simply start over again). I have a shelf full of books on writing, and this one is in my top 3. Sometimes you find good teachers who don't implement what they can impart...not in this case. I was not disappointed.
essjay1's review
4.0
The title story was compelling reading, about the murder of the old judge, and I enjoyed both Sh’kol about a mother whose son disappears in Galway, and Treaty, about a nun who was taken prisoner in her youth and sees her captor 30 years later on TV.
karenreads1000s's review
2.0
Well, this was depressing. And short stories. I struggle to follow short stories.