agatheh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.5
lukija's review against another edition
3.0
Kolme kertojaa. Kolme miestä erilaisista taustoista Syyriasta pieneen maalaispaikkakuntaan Irlannin maadeudulla. Menetyksen haavoittamia ja vammauttamia miehiä. Pakkomielle, aggressio, epävarmuus. Tuntu kuin olisi lukenut kolme novellia.
gorecki's review against another edition
5.0
Three stories.
Three men.
One ending.
Donal Ryan is an incredible writer. The beauty of his words and the empathy in his writing is simply incredible. The way he is able to look into his characters' souls and write of events spanning from great loss to every-day, mundane things and events in such a lyrical way is just awe-inspiring.
Three men.
One ending.
Donal Ryan is an incredible writer. The beauty of his words and the empathy in his writing is simply incredible. The way he is able to look into his characters' souls and write of events spanning from great loss to every-day, mundane things and events in such a lyrical way is just awe-inspiring.
algadore's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
internationalkris's review against another edition
4.0
This short book opens with 3 tenderly written character studies beginning with the refuge Farouk who is attempting to get his family to safety, and then moving on to young Lampy who is struggling to grow up in Ireland with no father and finishing with John who is a master manipulator with a tragic past. As each character's story unfolds with such specific narration the reader wonders at connectors between them and finds some in universal places such as their self-doubt, guilt, heartache and humanity.
jayhall's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.75
An absolutely beautiful story, going through the trials of human experience from multiple perspectives. Just an absolutely gorgeous telling of three men's lives and how they intersect in the most peculiar of ways, and how life is all a matter of perspective.
gharness's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I loved these stories and was surprised by the way they came together. All the characters were extremely interesting in their own ways, although I didn't find anyone likeable. This one needs to go on a to-be-read-again shelf.
livspencerr's review against another edition
1.0
I’ve thought about how I felt about this book for awhile and ultimately found that it was a big let down (I dnfed part way through the third part). I loved the writing style, and the first few pages were absolutely stunning, but the treatment of the female characters in the story left me feeling grotty.
The male characters perceived the women in their life as selfish and uncaring and felt threatened by them (especially the wife in the first story, ex-girlfriend in the second).
I can sympathise with a husband wanting to keep his wife and young daughter safe, but to go so far as to say that he could sympathise with the terrorists covering up and locking away their daughters and that he sometimes wanted to do that to the women in his life!? None of the characters showed growth or empathy.
I would like to try to read more work from this author as I love his style, but I didn’t enjoy this book.
The male characters perceived the women in their life as selfish and uncaring and felt threatened by them (especially the wife in the first story, ex-girlfriend in the second).
I can sympathise with a husband wanting to keep his wife and young daughter safe, but to go so far as to say that he could sympathise with the terrorists covering up and locking away their daughters and that he sometimes wanted to do that to the women in his life!? None of the characters showed growth or empathy.
I would like to try to read more work from this author as I love his style, but I didn’t enjoy this book.