mathildeanker's review
5.0
Took me a good 40 pages to understand what was going on. I wasn't aware it was written in prose when I bought it and I found it extremely difficult in the beginning. However, I gave it a chance and it definitely got easier so don't be put off by the writing! It's very dark and emotional and it's a love story between two very damaged people. I thought it was an interesting read but not completely blown away by it. Sometimes I felt it was a little too: "oh I had a hard life so I treat everyone like shit and make all the wrong choices". Like come on, get some help or something. Just because you've been through stuff doesn't mean you can treat everyone like shit.
But again, very beautiful language and definitely different from anything I've read before. Also liked the explicit sex scenes. Very descriptive but also beautiful and emotional.
But again, very beautiful language and definitely different from anything I've read before. Also liked the explicit sex scenes. Very descriptive but also beautiful and emotional.
breadandmushrooms's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
sophiefrancoiselucie's review against another edition
I DID NOT FINISH READING THIS BOOK!
I usually enjoy challenging things to read, and let my imagination do the work. But here, it just didn't work very well. My imagination had so much space for itself, it took me completely else where when I saw the name of a place or a street in London.
I think the problem is the story. Of course, it's been seen before etc. But I haven't finished the book so maybe it took an expected turn or whatever. No, to me, the problem is that there is an actual story behind this unique style. It just didn't suit the writing. I would've loved to read something a little bit like Ulysses - just the random thoughts and wonders of a young Irish girl moving to London in the 1990s. And really, just that. No dialogues or proper plot. I know that it's a very personal opinion, and many people wouldn't agree with me, but that's something I would've really enjoyed reading.
Edit: Gave it another try two years later, and I still couldn’t finish this book. I no longer think the problem is the plot, though. I find the style too unnatural and I can see the author behind every single word... it just doesn’t work for me.
I usually enjoy challenging things to read, and let my imagination do the work. But here, it just didn't work very well. My imagination had so much space for itself, it took me completely else where when I saw the name of a place or a street in London.
I think the problem is the story. Of course, it's been seen before etc. But I haven't finished the book so maybe it took an expected turn or whatever. No, to me, the problem is that there is an actual story behind this unique style. It just didn't suit the writing. I would've loved to read something a little bit like Ulysses - just the random thoughts and wonders of a young Irish girl moving to London in the 1990s. And really, just that. No dialogues or proper plot. I know that it's a very personal opinion, and many people wouldn't agree with me, but that's something I would've really enjoyed reading.
Edit: Gave it another try two years later, and I still couldn’t finish this book. I no longer think the problem is the plot, though. I find the style too unnatural and I can see the author behind every single word... it just doesn’t work for me.
booitsnathalie's review against another edition
dark
slow-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
3.0
A really challenging read. The prose is astounding and some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read, but the narrative it's in service of is troubling. Broadly about how trauma becomes a constant lens through which you view relationships, and the difficulty of ever coming out of it, mediated through a 20 year age gap relationship. The degree to which the dynamics are addressed was never particularly satisfying to me, and becomes very explicitly romanticized as if the problems were purely historical.
There is so much I love about this book - its tenderness, intimacy, and willingness to engage bluntly with challenging topics - but by the end it becomes too infatuated with its characters to commit to the end that's coming. Will be thinking about it for a long time all the same, please do read the content warnings if you are considering picking this up.
There is so much I love about this book - its tenderness, intimacy, and willingness to engage bluntly with challenging topics - but by the end it becomes too infatuated with its characters to commit to the end that's coming. Will be thinking about it for a long time all the same, please do read the content warnings if you are considering picking this up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Incest, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Vomit and Death of parent
ksiazkostany's review against another edition
4.0
Jestem niesamowicie ciekawa, czy ta pozycja zostanie ze mną na dłużej. Z pozoru jest to przecież coś w moim guście- dosadna literatura o niebanalnej formie, kolejna książka, która literaturę irlandzką stawia w moich oczach jako… przełomową? Ciężko jest mi sprecyzować, na czym polega świeżość tego tekstu, skoro tak wielką rolę, w mojej opinii, odgrywa w nim brud. Kiedy myślę o relacji głównych bohaterów, czuję jednocześnie niesmak i ukojenie. Niesmak- ze względu na cały syf, z którym obydwoje muszą się mierzyć tylko dlatego ze inaczej nie umieją. Ukojenie- dzięki temu, jak siebie uzdrawiają.
Z drugiej strony, w pewnym momencie czułam już znużenie tą historią. Nie chciałam czytać tego, co musiało zostać napisane. Ale czy to wada?
Z drugiej strony, w pewnym momencie czułam już znużenie tą historią. Nie chciałam czytać tego, co musiało zostać napisane. Ale czy to wada?
elliehamilton38's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
5.0
dreamylotti's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
2.5
infrequency's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
cwalsh's review against another edition
5.0
At first glance, I found the style of this book to be challenging; it's entirely composed of fragmented sentences and there are no quotations to suggest when dialogue begins or ends. However, as I made my way through the novel, I realized how much the style of the book influenced the reader. To me, each fragment of a sentence - especially those relating to self-esteem and blatant uncertainty - felt like the real, natural reaction to the situation at hand. Also, let me just put it out there: the sex in this book is the best sex I've ever read; it was awkward, it was vulnerable, it was steamy, and it felt real.
We follow Eily, an 18 year old student studying theater in London, who meets an older gentleman, Matthew, at a pub in town. At first she is a bit weary about their 20 year age difference, but gradually warms up to the idea of being intimate with a man with experience who appears to have it all together. She eventually learns more about Matthew and the two begin to see each other frequently. As the book progresses, it's clear that both Eily and Matthew have troubled pasts that are negatively influencing their current relationship.
I won't lie, this book really threw me for a loop; I was so surprised to see how emotionally invested I was in a story that exhibited the well overused "young girl falls for an older man" trope. I actually had to stop and put the book down a few times to cry... there was just something that was so beautifully intimate and vulnerable about the experimental writing in this book that completely tugged at my heartstrings.
We follow Eily, an 18 year old student studying theater in London, who meets an older gentleman, Matthew, at a pub in town. At first she is a bit weary about their 20 year age difference, but gradually warms up to the idea of being intimate with a man with experience who appears to have it all together. She eventually learns more about Matthew and the two begin to see each other frequently. As the book progresses, it's clear that both Eily and Matthew have troubled pasts that are negatively influencing their current relationship.
I won't lie, this book really threw me for a loop; I was so surprised to see how emotionally invested I was in a story that exhibited the well overused "young girl falls for an older man" trope. I actually had to stop and put the book down a few times to cry... there was just something that was so beautifully intimate and vulnerable about the experimental writing in this book that completely tugged at my heartstrings.