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issy_jacob's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
_inge's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Initially I couldn’t really get into this. The prose is heavily literary (the acknowledgements mention two poets who contributed, which doesn’t surprise me) and the inclusion of (to me) unknown Irish words made it a confusing read at times. On top of that, the story was very slow-paced and didn’t seem to have a clear direction. For a while I contemplated DNF’ing it, but when I’d put the book down after 40 pages or so I noticed I could easily remember every character afterwards. The Hill was easy to imagine, and I could still hear these characters in my head, which is usually my sign to keep on reading. After the 100 page mark, things started picking up more. I’d gotten used to Irish and the general writing style by that time as well. From that point onwards, I flew through this. I really appreciated that this novel stayed true to the time-period in particular. That might mean that these characters don’t do what we want them to do, but it does mean they’re very realistic.
It weirdly reminds me of Shuggie Bain? No one is particularly likeable, but their circumstances aren't either so you do understand why. Family dynamics and communities play a part here, too. The overall atmosphere might be a bit depressing at times, and yet there's always a flicker of hope that keeps you reading.
It weirdly reminds me of Shuggie Bain? No one is particularly likeable, but their circumstances aren't either so you do understand why. Family dynamics and communities play a part here, too. The overall atmosphere might be a bit depressing at times, and yet there's always a flicker of hope that keeps you reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
mimithorp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Rape, and Pregnancy
tesslw's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
TW; death of an infant, forced marriage, rape
I have no doubt that almost everyone on this corner of the internet has at least heard about this book - but, if you are like me and didn’t really have the foggiest what it was about beyond being (yep, you guessed it) another sad girl Irish debut (1000% my type on paper), then allow me to enlighten you.
Before My Actual Heart Breaks is the chronicles of Mary Rattigan; a young girl in the 1970s, growing up in a staunch Catholic family in Northern Ireland amidst The Troubles, she is constantly led to believe that she is of little worth or value to the world by her mother; yhet she is smart and dreams of leaving for America one day, to make a life for herself there. However, when she falls pregnant at the age of 16, not only out of wedlock but by a man who is not her sweetheart (the doctor’s son), she is forced into a wedding to an older man who is neither her boyfriend, or the father of her child. Moved in with her now-husband and estranged from her childhood / school friends, Mary is left to raise her child in a farmhouse with a family that is not all her own.
BMAHB is, at its core, Mary’s life story - but it is also a deep exploration of one couple’s marriage and their encounters with parenting, loneliness, communication (and regularly, miscommunication), stubbornness, resentment and compromise. Whilst by no means framing Mary and her husband, John’s relationship as exemplary, or even happy on many occasions, it captures the tireless ebb and flow of relationships; particularly the balance between physical and emotional intimacy, and illuminates the moments of joyful unity alongside the gaps in their shared understanding of the world, and of each other.
I really enjoyed this book throughout but for me the ending really made it - if this is one that you’ve been meaning to pick up for a while, I would absolutely recommend that you do.
I have no doubt that almost everyone on this corner of the internet has at least heard about this book - but, if you are like me and didn’t really have the foggiest what it was about beyond being (yep, you guessed it) another sad girl Irish debut (1000% my type on paper), then allow me to enlighten you.
Before My Actual Heart Breaks is the chronicles of Mary Rattigan; a young girl in the 1970s, growing up in a staunch Catholic family in Northern Ireland amidst The Troubles, she is constantly led to believe that she is of little worth or value to the world by her mother; yhet she is smart and dreams of leaving for America one day, to make a life for herself there. However, when she falls pregnant at the age of 16, not only out of wedlock but by a man who is not her sweetheart (the doctor’s son), she is forced into a wedding to an older man who is neither her boyfriend, or the father of her child. Moved in with her now-husband and estranged from her childhood / school friends, Mary is left to raise her child in a farmhouse with a family that is not all her own.
BMAHB is, at its core, Mary’s life story - but it is also a deep exploration of one couple’s marriage and their encounters with parenting, loneliness, communication (and regularly, miscommunication), stubbornness, resentment and compromise. Whilst by no means framing Mary and her husband, John’s relationship as exemplary, or even happy on many occasions, it captures the tireless ebb and flow of relationships; particularly the balance between physical and emotional intimacy, and illuminates the moments of joyful unity alongside the gaps in their shared understanding of the world, and of each other.
I really enjoyed this book throughout but for me the ending really made it - if this is one that you’ve been meaning to pick up for a while, I would absolutely recommend that you do.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Rape
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