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lesbrarycard's review
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
“I loved her then, my sister, in a way that held my whole body captive, a straitjacket embrace. Her being beautiful had nothing to do with it; I loved her when she was least beautiful. Her eyebrows grown wild and her face bare of makeup. She would look at me like a child, like the girl I had taught to walk, holding her wet hand as she tried to find her footing, again and again, until she could do it on her own.”
i’m sick after a bender of joyful weekend-into-week events, so i decided to spend a dreary day devouring this debut masterpiece. i’m glad i saved it for restful downtime because there was no way on earth i could have put it down after starting—Trouble the Living is a sweeping, harrowing, tender, violent, adoring work of art that feels like being told a piece of your history by a family member after begging to know where they came from, and being awed by what you uncover.
Trouble the Living is told from two perspectives: Bríd is a teenage girl growing up in 90s Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Bernie is her teenage daughter living in LA and exploring her burgeoning sexuality. the two of them are coming to terms with different but aligned struggles—their codependent relationship, the effects of violence in their communities, and the war of motherhood. what unfolds is a story of mothers, daughters, and sisters that brought me to tears and had me texting my sister about it within the first 20 pages.
i feel so lucky to have a talented friend that wrote an incredible book because now i get to gush about it to her (and to all of you) forever! ❤️🔥 if you don’t pick up this one up, you are doing yourself a disservice. it’s a moving novel pack with love that deserves to be held close.
“Swans mate for life,” she said. “You never see one without the other.”
“We weren’t swans, Ma,” I said finally. “We were girls.”
i’m sick after a bender of joyful weekend-into-week events, so i decided to spend a dreary day devouring this debut masterpiece. i’m glad i saved it for restful downtime because there was no way on earth i could have put it down after starting—Trouble the Living is a sweeping, harrowing, tender, violent, adoring work of art that feels like being told a piece of your history by a family member after begging to know where they came from, and being awed by what you uncover.
Trouble the Living is told from two perspectives: Bríd is a teenage girl growing up in 90s Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and Bernie is her teenage daughter living in LA and exploring her burgeoning sexuality. the two of them are coming to terms with different but aligned struggles—their codependent relationship, the effects of violence in their communities, and the war of motherhood. what unfolds is a story of mothers, daughters, and sisters that brought me to tears and had me texting my sister about it within the first 20 pages.
i feel so lucky to have a talented friend that wrote an incredible book because now i get to gush about it to her (and to all of you) forever! ❤️🔥 if you don’t pick up this one up, you are doing yourself a disservice. it’s a moving novel pack with love that deserves to be held close.
“Swans mate for life,” she said. “You never see one without the other.”
“We weren’t swans, Ma,” I said finally. “We were girls.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion
df_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found the Irish writing style and the historical/political plot just wasn’t for me. I did enjoy the depth of character development and the exploration of generational trauma, trauma bonds, body autonomy & rebirth; spiritually, physically, metaphorically.
callareads69's review
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
ananascanread's review
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
beatlejr's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
taywu91's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
m_elissa_m's review against another edition
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kkm0112's review
3.75
3.75/5. Generally good and a good structure. Only small quibble is that it seemed like they were trying to get SO many plot points in - I almost wish 1 or 2 had been dropped so we could dive deeper on other ones.
bellsb00ksandwritings's review
4.0
Trouble the Living is a good book. For some reason, I can't seem to add much after this sentence because it's just true. It is a good book. There is no but, and I can't think of a better word to describe it.
Some of my thoughts while/after reading:
- Writing style. This was perfect for me. The chapters weren't too long, and there wasn't too much description, but enough to get a clear image of what was happening.
- Dual timeline. At first, I liked the present more than the past, but later on, I enjoyed both as much.
- Characters. I didn’t have a favorite, but I enjoyed reading about both women. They made some questionable decisions (some I would have made myself under the circumstances, others probably not), but I could understand where they were coming from most of the time.
- History. I learned quite a bit about the historical events. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know much about the events in Ireland at all when I started reading, and it's always good to learn.
Many thanks to Pride Book Tours and the author for the paperback in exchange for an honest review ✨
Some of my thoughts while/after reading:
- Writing style. This was perfect for me. The chapters weren't too long, and there wasn't too much description, but enough to get a clear image of what was happening.
- Dual timeline. At first, I liked the present more than the past, but later on, I enjoyed both as much.
- Characters. I didn’t have a favorite, but I enjoyed reading about both women. They made some questionable decisions (some I would have made myself under the circumstances, others probably not), but I could understand where they were coming from most of the time.
- History. I learned quite a bit about the historical events. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't know much about the events in Ireland at all when I started reading, and it's always good to learn.
Many thanks to Pride Book Tours and the author for the paperback in exchange for an honest review ✨
emily2348's review against another edition
4.0
loving historical fiction lately, and this was so well written.