gorecki's review against another edition
4.0
Me before starting the book: I’m not a huge fan of the gangster-dealer-prostitute-crime genre, but I got it from a good friend, and he’s never been wrong so far.
Me 50 pages in: All my prejudices surface - of course you’re a super intelligent 14-year-old drug dealer with daddy issues, playing the piano; sure, you’re a gangster with a heart of gold, lovingly caring for his mammy; and yes of course you’re a prostitute who has a family sitting somewhere in the country side, worrying sick, while you do tricks in town because “you have no other option”. At least it’s going fast, I’ll finish it relatively quickly.
Me 150 pages in: Oh my god, I don’t care it’s past midnight, I can’t stop reading now, I don’t want this book to end.
I admit I was prejudiced. I believed I will not like this book because I’m not a fan of the genre. Contemporary topics such as gangsters, drug dealers, and prostitution do not fall in my circle of interest when it comes to fiction. I always feel that such characters cannot be portrayed as anything but clichés – they are either extremely crude and cruel, or sensitive and genius, but unappreciated. The latter was a bit true for Glorious Heresies, but somehow, I ended up loving the book anyway.
After the murder of Robbie O’Donovan, his body disappears, but his name doesn’t. Maureen Phelan, 59 and my favourite character in this novel, accidentally kills a man who’s broken into her home in Cork, and this sets off a series of events that will change the lives of a few people: a teenage runaway prostitute (Georgie), a teenage drug dealer (Ryan), his alcoholic father (Tony), and their neighbor (Tara), who is the living proof for the saying that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. And even though the victim has been considered a nobody, a person of such low status, that even the police doesn’t want to investigate his disappearance, he still meant something to someone. And so in the span of five years, he becomes a ghost haunting all of the characters in the book and setting them against each other even when they’re working together to cover or uncover the story. This is a book of people unconsciously wrecking each other’s lives, while at the same time believing they’re actually doing good. That they are making things better. But as Atwood puts it perfectly in her “Handmaid’s Tale” – “Better is never better for everyone.”
McInerney does an incredible job creating her characters. Not only are they easily distinguishable and come to life on the pages of the book with their own personalities. Her writing often makes a difference and contrast between how they perceive themselves and how others see them. I was pleasantly surprised by Glorious Heresies. It taught me not to judge a book not only by its cover, but also by its plot summary.
Me 50 pages in: All my prejudices surface - of course you’re a super intelligent 14-year-old drug dealer with daddy issues, playing the piano; sure, you’re a gangster with a heart of gold, lovingly caring for his mammy; and yes of course you’re a prostitute who has a family sitting somewhere in the country side, worrying sick, while you do tricks in town because “you have no other option”. At least it’s going fast, I’ll finish it relatively quickly.
Me 150 pages in: Oh my god, I don’t care it’s past midnight, I can’t stop reading now, I don’t want this book to end.
I admit I was prejudiced. I believed I will not like this book because I’m not a fan of the genre. Contemporary topics such as gangsters, drug dealers, and prostitution do not fall in my circle of interest when it comes to fiction. I always feel that such characters cannot be portrayed as anything but clichés – they are either extremely crude and cruel, or sensitive and genius, but unappreciated. The latter was a bit true for Glorious Heresies, but somehow, I ended up loving the book anyway.
After the murder of Robbie O’Donovan, his body disappears, but his name doesn’t. Maureen Phelan, 59 and my favourite character in this novel, accidentally kills a man who’s broken into her home in Cork, and this sets off a series of events that will change the lives of a few people: a teenage runaway prostitute (Georgie), a teenage drug dealer (Ryan), his alcoholic father (Tony), and their neighbor (Tara), who is the living proof for the saying that “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”. And even though the victim has been considered a nobody, a person of such low status, that even the police doesn’t want to investigate his disappearance, he still meant something to someone. And so in the span of five years, he becomes a ghost haunting all of the characters in the book and setting them against each other even when they’re working together to cover or uncover the story. This is a book of people unconsciously wrecking each other’s lives, while at the same time believing they’re actually doing good. That they are making things better. But as Atwood puts it perfectly in her “Handmaid’s Tale” – “Better is never better for everyone.”
McInerney does an incredible job creating her characters. Not only are they easily distinguishable and come to life on the pages of the book with their own personalities. Her writing often makes a difference and contrast between how they perceive themselves and how others see them. I was pleasantly surprised by Glorious Heresies. It taught me not to judge a book not only by its cover, but also by its plot summary.
shannen_m's review against another edition
3.75
Very funny and utterly bleak. It's Cork in paperback.
giselav's review against another edition
4.0
Not a book I could relate to in terms of plot or characters so I found it hard to really get into it. The story is quite gritty: murder, drugs, prostitution, addiction; you name it and it probably features. It is quite well-written, dramatic without ever going over the top, but overall I felt disconnected from it.
gnothiseauton's review
challenging
dark
sad
slow-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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Rape
Moderate: Trafficking and Suicide attempt
keehansmith's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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
jlong021's review
dark
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0