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historysworstmonster's review against another edition
4.0
My first from the long list of nominees for the Man Booker Prize. Reads like a short story where you spend a long time getting to know the full backstory of the different characters, so that when the plot of the current story comes together you feel everything that is happening in a deep real way. It would be a good one to read a second time.
natalie_zander's review
2.0
cant tell if i’m just burnt out on contemporary irish writing or if this genuinely wasn’t that great (the ending was slightly redeeming though)
rebuiltbybooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ileanav's review against another edition
3.0
Part 1 was the best. The way things came tidily together at the end was silly.
lottie1803's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
beanbeakandbug's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
charllllotte's review against another edition
3.0
The prose was beautiful and the voices stood out from each other. It gets you thinking.
The audiobook was narrated by different VCs, which added to the story nicely.
The audiobook was narrated by different VCs, which added to the story nicely.
nancy_pocono50's review
4.0
The writing is absolutely beautiful. How the main characters would weave together became obvious to me about three quarters of the way through (maybe I should have been more alert??? :-))
blairmahoney's review against another edition
5.0
Long listed for this year's Man Booker Prize, this book has a structure that struck me as being somewhat similar to Richard Powers' The Overstory, also long listed for the prize. Ryan introduces different characters who are seemingly unconnected and have their own stories before a narrative that exposes the connections. This book is about a quarter of the length of Powers' epic and it has only the three main characters, but it's similarly accomplished. I really liked it and I'll be looking out for more by Ryan.