Reviews

Calea cea lungă by Cătălina Chiriac, Sebastian Barry

liziev's review against another edition

3.0

I'm a bit torn about how I feel about the book. I'll preface this by saying that I read the Kindle version, so maybe the formatting is different from the print version. The Kindle version had quite a few formatting errors (spacing between words, missing quotations, line brakes in the middle of a line, etc). Also, there was double spacing between each paragraph, which made things very choppy visually, and I felt broke up the pace of the book. Often times the author would skip from one thought to another without any transition. Paired with the visual choppiness of the formatting, the first half of the book felt like a string of thoughts with no connection.

The saving grace of the book was that it was vividly told, and historically accurate. I happened to be in Flanders, Belgium, while reading this book, so it really brought the book to life. Willie Dunne was a relate-able character, and the story was haunting. But I wasn't a fan of the writing style overall.

burrowsi1's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.75

ipb1's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed [b:Annie Dunne|137450|Annie Dunne (Dunne Family #2)|Sebastian Barry|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348535114l/137450._SY75_.jpg|1839091] so much that I waded straight into this and was rewarded with another fantastic character study, this time against the harrowing backdrop of the trenches of WW1. Absolutely brilliant.

jerry_beansman's review against another edition

5.0

This was my first Seb Barry book and the way he writes a story about one of the most awful moments in history with aching tenderness was revolutionary for me.

g_everitt01's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

claredesausmarez's review against another edition

challenging 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? No

4.5

sarahkenning's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

isabel05claire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

mary412's review against another edition

5.0

Irish soldier fighting in the British army during World War I is torn because the fight for freedom is going on at home.

After a second reading, I'm changing my rating to five stars.

lyndsaybh's review against another edition

5.0

I read this just after finishing Wounds by Fergal Keane, which I think was helpful in giving me some context to the events happening in Ireland during the First World War. I have read Sebastian Barry only once before, in Days Without End (which I also loved) and I will now make a point to read everything he has ever written. Simply the most beautiful modern writer I've ever read. I have read many fictional and autobiographical accounts of WW1 and this is up there with the best.