Reviews with content warning for Medical content - A Ghost in the Throat

This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. Extraordinarily gorgeous writing. Visceral and moving. I teared up at so many moments.

Heavy content warning though for one chapter in particular with medical content. Still recommending wholeheartedly despite almost fainting while reading that bit.

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savvylit's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

Doireann Ni Ghriofa is an immensely talented author. Her past experience as a poet shines through in her lyrical and often rhythmic prose. Many of the sentences in this unique book are both delectable and gorgeous.

A Ghost in the Throat is an intertwining of personal memoir and embellished biography. The most powerful passages in this narrative are those that are the most personal. For instance, when Ni Ghriofa's daughter is born prematurely, Doireann spends a harrowing and fevered period at the NICU alongside other worried mothers. The sense of uncertainty and hope in that particular section was palpable and unforgettable.

Overall, the way in which Ni Ghriofa connects to her fellow mothers - whether it be Eibhlin Dubh or the women at the NICU - is what makes this book work. That being said, I personally struggled to be interested in following Eibhlin Dubh's story. Ni Ghriofa ultimately learns quite a lot about Dubh as time goes on, but not anything that seemed to me to be particularly enlightening. For that reason, I finished the book feeling like I had missed something. Ultimately, though, I loved Ni Ghriofa's writing style and skill. I'd love to read some of her poems at some point. Perhaps I'd enjoy those more!

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maddiep333's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

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snapshotsofabookishlass's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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yilliun's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

“This is a female text.”

I cried with Ní Ghríofa and I rejoiced with her as she followed the life of Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill. Adding in the Caoineadh at the end felt like such a triumph. The slow and circular writing always comes together and unlike many many other slowly paced books Ní Ghríofa pulls it off. She makes Ní Chonaill come to life again and seamlessly melds her modern life with her beloved poet.

Past becomes present again. Absolutely my favorite genre of modern literature.

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feralbookwife's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

Just when I was ready to take a break from memoirs, this one knocked my socks off. Went into this one completely blind, just liking the title and cover style, and could not have picked a more poignant book. This is a powerful, deeply honest text with lots of tears along the way.

CW: animal death, pregnancy, birth trauma, murder, violence, sexism, mental health, autopsy

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hanz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Interesting and strange book. I think the blurb is misleading and the book is more memoir than about Eibhlín Dubh, but it is partly about the authors relationship to Eibhlín Dubh and the poem Caoineadh Art Uí Laoghaire. It is also about motherhood, pregnancy and obsession and about connecting to women throughout history. I enjoyed it!

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