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tpanik's review
3.0
Cooney’s writing maintains a tight line of contemplative melancholy throughout this piece.
shalms's review
4.0
Less a plot-driven novel, than meditations on what it is to live in this world and leave it, One Night features a hospital chaplain, those she ministers to, her family, her lovers, and two very important dogs. It made me realize that even the most ordinary of us has extraordinary stories to tell.
carolinamom's review
5.0
A female chaplain’s journey of discovery of where does ones soul reside told through her experiences with different patients in her capacity as a hospital chaplain. Absolutely beautiful language, it reads as a memoir, when in fact, it is fiction. Also overlaid is her relationship with “Plummy” who, even though she seems to be in love with him, believes she is too old for him and tells him one day she will “officiate his wedding.”
theinvisiblecosmo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
marleyrichmond's review
4.0
"One Night Two Souls Went Walking" is an ode to souls—who and what they are, how they are taken care of and broken, and where they go when their bodies stop living. An interfaith chaplain on the night shift encounters such souls in moments of recovery or passage, and her encounters show both her own perception of and experience in the world, and the many faiths of those with whom she communes. Cooney's prose is delightfully wandering, resting with humor and sincerity on each character who brings this story to life. For a novel holding plenty of death and loss, "One Night Two Souls Went Walking" is hopeful and compassionate, told with a lovely lyricism.
kehei225's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
cherlenetay's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Hmmmm this was a little hard to get through personally, I found every story interesting, but none riveting enough to keep me going. Then again I don't think the point of this book was to have a riveting storyline, it was a very slice-of-life kind of book! I have to also admit that I lost track of who the author was writing about sometimes... Definitely a book that requires me to be in a certain introspective mood to persevere through.
aewingate's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wildflower37's review
4.0
How could I not love a book that has this exquisite paragraph on page 2? "In the stacks of the library where I wandered, where almost no one went, where everything was old and a little beat up, a ray of sunshine came in, filled with swirling bits of dust, when nothing else was moving, and I saw it wasn't dust but particles of the spirits of those books, free and out playing around, like no one was watching."
Just as the main character, a hospital chaplain, sees these dust motes, she also sees and knows her own soul and those of the people she ministers to. There is a dreamy quality to the writing; most of the patients are known by their role or occupation - the lawyer, the librarian, the teller. The few named characters include dogs, who also play an important role in the stories of the overnight shift spent tending to others while trying to make sense of the decisions that have led her to this place.
Not strictly linear, the story is layered and intriguing and beautiful.
Just as the main character, a hospital chaplain, sees these dust motes, she also sees and knows her own soul and those of the people she ministers to. There is a dreamy quality to the writing; most of the patients are known by their role or occupation - the lawyer, the librarian, the teller. The few named characters include dogs, who also play an important role in the stories of the overnight shift spent tending to others while trying to make sense of the decisions that have led her to this place.
Not strictly linear, the story is layered and intriguing and beautiful.
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