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A review by sarahbowman101
Away by Jane Urquhart
1.0
Ug. Let me start by saying that I really loved Jane Urquhart's The Stone Carvers. So when I was browsing recently for something short to read (in English, not exactly easy in my neighborhood), I came across a few of her other novels. This is the story of Irish immigrants who move to Canada during the famine. Haunting and lyrical! Sounds great! I'm game!
But once you add in the magical realism aspect of "away", I got lost. Not just lost, but annoyed. And because so much time is spent on the concept of away, the pacing is crap and the characterization is really hard to grasp. I don't get it, and maybe that makes me a lazy reader or not smart enough to make comparisons to Irish lore, but I can't continue. I am about 1/4 of the way into this and I am not going to read anymore. You can't make me finish this book!
On the plus side, the landowning brothers, Osbert and Granville Sedgwick are excellent and I would read a whole book about them.
But once you add in the magical realism aspect of "away", I got lost. Not just lost, but annoyed. And because so much time is spent on the concept of away, the pacing is crap and the characterization is really hard to grasp. I don't get it, and maybe that makes me a lazy reader or not smart enough to make comparisons to Irish lore, but I can't continue. I am about 1/4 of the way into this and I am not going to read anymore. You can't make me finish this book!
On the plus side, the landowning brothers, Osbert and Granville Sedgwick are excellent and I would read a whole book about them.