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borbala_17's review
3.0
"... my emotions at that moment were indescribable."
Thanks to Heaven that they were, otherwise I really don't know how I would have been able to finish this novel.
I'm not saying it's bad, but I am saying that the excessively sentimentalist narration (and I'm not exactly a beginner at reading this kind of fiction) and the stereotyping and myth-imbued-history-making did make me roll my eyes every two minutes. The constant mentions of the Milesians and the Greek made me feel as if I was watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I could hear the father saying, "Tell me one word, any word, and I'll show you how the root of that word is Greek"...
So, I found it hard to choose a rating, because I'm the kind of person who gives out ratings below 3 very rarely, for surely, there might be some redeeming qualities, and anyways, based on what are you supposed to rate a book, and other people say it's good and, and, and... So. 3 it is for now.
Not going to lie, the last few chapters had me in a chokehold, so much so, that I kept reading it on the bus to, and before the beginning of a Stabat Mater concert I went to (in a Gothic church, if I may add...).
Thanks to Heaven that they were, otherwise I really don't know how I would have been able to finish this novel.
I'm not saying it's bad, but I am saying that the excessively sentimentalist narration (and I'm not exactly a beginner at reading this kind of fiction) and the stereotyping and myth-imbued-history-making did make me roll my eyes every two minutes. The constant mentions of the Milesians and the Greek made me feel as if I was watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and I could hear the father saying, "Tell me one word, any word, and I'll show you how the root of that word is Greek"...
So, I found it hard to choose a rating, because I'm the kind of person who gives out ratings below 3 very rarely, for surely, there might be some redeeming qualities, and anyways, based on what are you supposed to rate a book, and other people say it's good and, and, and... So. 3 it is for now.
Not going to lie, the last few chapters had me in a chokehold, so much so, that I kept reading it on the bus to, and before the beginning of a Stabat Mater concert I went to (in a Gothic church, if I may add...).
aliteraryprincess's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
katie1775's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
language_loving_amateur's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.25
My copy of this epistolary novel is 252 pages, but it felt like a 500 page slog. A surprising percentage of the book is spent on telling readers how every Irish tradition or artifact actually has its roots in Greek antiquity in an effort to convince English readers of the time that Ireland had some worth. Watch out for how often the words "nature," "natural," "national," and "national character" are used. They are very much used in the sense of "all people from (pick an ethnicity) are born (natal shares an etymological root with nation) with shared (X) characteristics." So get ready for W.A.S.P. on not-white-enough-people racism. The Wild Irish Girl makes a point of saying that that "national character" of the Irish has some really good stuff in it, but it fully buys into the idea that a person's character is 99% predetermined by their pedigree.
The Wild Irish Girl is half pseudo-anthropology and half messed up romance. I could in no way root for these characters to get together, but in an almost Schadenfreude way it is kind of interesting to watch.
Horatio M., aka Mr. Mortimer, writes flowery descriptions of Ireland and of Glorvina to his best friend back in England. He is a voyeur, and treats 90% of the Irish people he meets as if they were particularly interesting middle schoolers. We never get any perspective from Glorvina, and she spends most of the book silently blushing and sighing. Do you think that isn't a clear, effective medium for conveying thoughts, feelings, and objectives? Never fear! Horatio, whose real identity is not revealed until the last 10 pages, is an expert at interpreting every silent but telling blush (they all mean that she is in love with him). As a metaphor for possible better English - Irish relations, she does love him, and they bring together the best of both countries.
I want to tell Glorvina, "I know it is not your fault you were written this way."
When I finally got to the end, my opinion was that Horatio, his father the Earl, and the power they had, were really fucked up. I originally started this for a class, and did not finish it. But as part of Book Riot's 2023 challenge, #6 is finish a book you DNFed
The Wild Irish Girl is half pseudo-anthropology and half messed up romance. I could in no way root for these characters to get together, but in an almost Schadenfreude way it is kind of interesting to watch.
Horatio M., aka Mr. Mortimer, writes flowery descriptions of Ireland and of Glorvina to his best friend back in England. He is a voyeur, and treats 90% of the Irish people he meets as if they were particularly interesting middle schoolers. We never get any perspective from Glorvina, and she spends most of the book silently blushing and sighing. Do you think that isn't a clear, effective medium for conveying thoughts, feelings, and objectives? Never fear! Horatio, whose real identity is not revealed until the last 10 pages, is an expert at interpreting every silent but telling blush (they all mean that she is in love with him). As a metaphor for possible better English - Irish relations, she does love him, and they bring together the best of both countries.
I want to tell Glorvina, "I know it is not your fault you were written this way."
When I finally got to the end, my opinion was that Horatio, his father the Earl, and the power they had, were really fucked up. I originally started this for a class, and did not finish it. But as part of Book Riot's 2023 challenge, #6 is finish a book you DNFed
proffy's review against another edition
3.0
The Short and Sweet of It
Horatio has been a bad boy, and as his punishment, he is sent to his father's estate in Ireland. While there, he infiltrates the residence of the local Irish royalty his family displaced. He quickly becomes enamored of the family and their
A Bit of a Ramble
This story's subtitle is "A National Tale" and I think that subtitle is more relevant than the title itself. Much of this book is focused on A Look at the Legend of Ireland: History, Culture, and Politics. The "wild Irish girl" in question, Glorvina, is certainly a focal point as she is the vehicle through which much of the Irish culture is filtered for our English protagonist, Horatio. While the romance between Horatio and Glorvina remains at the forefront of Horatio's letters, it is the reversal of Horatio's biased opinions of the Irish and the breakdown of Irish stereotypes that really takes center stage (and comprises the majority of the text).
I think if I was in the right mood while reading this, I could have learned a crapton about Ireland, especially if I had done further research on some of the information. I really am interested to know if the history presented is in fact true. Unfortunately, I do not currently have the time to delve into a project of this sort, so I took the lessons learned at face value and maintained my focus on the story rather than the national history.
And the "story" - the romance - is certainly worthy of attention. Horatio and Glorvina have a slow, understated courtship which is sweet in its subtlety (a type of romance not popular in contemporary lit). Their love is practically unsaid, a connection of minds and personality. To add a twist to the tale, the reader receives the plot through letters Horatio is writing to one of his friends back in England. I find epistolary novels interesting in that they have such a unique point of view - so focused on the thoughts of the protagonist.
Something I didn't like: I would like to start by saying that I adore footnotes. I like annotated copies of works. I actually enjoy reading books about books. And yet, I was annoyed with the footnotes in this book, and pretty much skimmed them (okay, I may even have just completely skipped a few). I couldn't fully explain why these footnotes are so different from those I adore. I guess, in part, I didn't understand why some of the footnotes were footnotes. So much of the text is taken up with discussing Irish history and culture that the separate footnotes for certain historical/cultural tidbits confused me. And I wasn't too impressed with the tone of the footnotes; they weren't that interestingly written (and many footnotes I have really enjoyed are brimming with personality). I guess I need a unique separation and a real voice for my footnotes.
The Wild Irish Girl was a wee bit entertaining and a wee bit informative but didn't wow me on either count. I will say, though, that I really mean it when I say if you get the chance, you should read it.
Horatio has been a bad boy, and as his punishment, he is sent to his father's estate in Ireland. While there, he infiltrates the residence of the local Irish royalty his family displaced. He quickly becomes enamored of the family and their
A Bit of a Ramble
This story's subtitle is "A National Tale" and I think that subtitle is more relevant than the title itself. Much of this book is focused on A Look at the Legend of Ireland: History, Culture, and Politics. The "wild Irish girl" in question, Glorvina, is certainly a focal point as she is the vehicle through which much of the Irish culture is filtered for our English protagonist, Horatio. While the romance between Horatio and Glorvina remains at the forefront of Horatio's letters, it is the reversal of Horatio's biased opinions of the Irish and the breakdown of Irish stereotypes that really takes center stage (and comprises the majority of the text).
I think if I was in the right mood while reading this, I could have learned a crapton about Ireland, especially if I had done further research on some of the information. I really am interested to know if the history presented is in fact true. Unfortunately, I do not currently have the time to delve into a project of this sort, so I took the lessons learned at face value and maintained my focus on the story rather than the national history.
And the "story" - the romance - is certainly worthy of attention. Horatio and Glorvina have a slow, understated courtship which is sweet in its subtlety (a type of romance not popular in contemporary lit). Their love is practically unsaid, a connection of minds and personality. To add a twist to the tale, the reader receives the plot through letters Horatio is writing to one of his friends back in England. I find epistolary novels interesting in that they have such a unique point of view - so focused on the thoughts of the protagonist.
Something I didn't like: I would like to start by saying that I adore footnotes. I like annotated copies of works. I actually enjoy reading books about books. And yet, I was annoyed with the footnotes in this book, and pretty much skimmed them (okay, I may even have just completely skipped a few). I couldn't fully explain why these footnotes are so different from those I adore. I guess, in part, I didn't understand why some of the footnotes were footnotes. So much of the text is taken up with discussing Irish history and culture that the separate footnotes for certain historical/cultural tidbits confused me. And I wasn't too impressed with the tone of the footnotes; they weren't that interestingly written (and many footnotes I have really enjoyed are brimming with personality). I guess I need a unique separation and a real voice for my footnotes.
The Wild Irish Girl was a wee bit entertaining and a wee bit informative but didn't wow me on either count. I will say, though, that I really mean it when I say if you get the chance, you should read it.
bigtomlaff's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Not really one to read for a gripping story, the plot is a very simple romance one between unlikely lovers who slowly come together and end up married, with a decent red herring near the end. However, I must praise this book for it being so informative about Irish literary and historical culture, so informative at times it becomes more of an essay than a fiction. Now, the author does have a somewhat bias towards the Irish, but when this was written there was a lot of discrimination against Irish in England, and Ireland was England's colonial farmland, so it is honourable that Owenson chose to write this defence of Ireland, and provides the other side of the argument in the Anglo-Irish relationship of the time. Despite the bias, the book is covered in footnotes, some referenced, by the author, so the text does work as an informative one, and is worth reading for this alone.
mikayllawilson's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0