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Liked It2 of 2 members found this review helpful “Such is the skill of the author Sebastian Barry that I easily found myself reading most of the book in a warm and rich Irish brogue, he writes so skillfully that it rolls naturally off your tongue (minds tongue, unless you're reading out loud of course). The story is written in journal form and...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Beautifully written, well structured double helix story of loss, memory, redemption.”
Greg DP wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Beschrijving
Janneke H wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Nearing her hundredth birthday, and still living in the mental hospital where she was committed as a young woman, Roseanne looks back on the tragedies and passions of her life through her secret journals. Growing up in rural Ireland in the 1930s, her adolescence is marked by civil war and a turbulent family life. When she marries Tom McNulty, she believes she has found love and security – only for a terrible misunderstanding, born of prejudice and deception, to threaten her fragile happiness.
NBD|Biblion recensie
Roseanne McNulty, bijna haar hele volwassen leven opgenomen in een psychiatrische kliniek in Ierland, wil in 2007 als ze bijna honderd is haar levensverhaal optekenen en verbergt dat in haar kamer. Omdat de kliniek gaat sluiten moet psychiater dr. Grene beslissen welke patienten worden overgeplaatst en welke kunnen terugkeren in de maatschappij. Hij denkt dat Roseanne nooit 'gek' is geweest en in gesprekken met haar wil hij haar levensverhaal achterhalen. Hij raakt geintrigeerd en vindt in een document van de vroegere kapelaan in Sligo, waar Roseanne opgroeide, de reden van haar verbanning. Tegelijkertijd vindt hij antwoorden over zijn eigen leven. De vorige roman van de Ierse toneel- en romanschrijver/dichter (1955) 'A long long way' ('De lange weg') werd genomineerd voor Man Booker Prize 2005. Ook de huidige roman kreeg een Man Booker Prize (2008) nominatie en werd onlangs bekroond met de Costa Book Award 2008 voor romans. Het indringende en in een mooie, poetische stijl geschreven verhaal beschrijft meesterlijk het leven van de hoofdpersonen in hun tijd. ”
“Chosen by Barbara
Stirling Book Group wrote this review Sunday, November 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Score - 78 out of 100”
“Madness and keeping someone institutionalized for the better part of her adult life because of the blundering of males, along with the redemption that comes with it.”
clyde m wrote this review Saturday, November 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Die 100-jährige Roseanne McNulty lebt in einer Irrenanstalt seit sie eine junge Frau war. Doch nun wird ihr Leben noch einmal auf den Kopf gestellt. Das Gebäude, in dem sich die Irrenanstalt befindet, soll nun abgerissen werden. Dr. Grene versucht nun zu evaluieren, was mit den einzelnen Patienten geschehen soll. Er ist der Überzeugung, dass Roseanne eigentlich nicht verrückt ist. Doch es ist nichts über sie bekannt, es existieren aufgrund ihres Alters so gut wie keine Aufzeichnungen mehr. Er versucht nun, die alte Dame zu interviewen und herauszufinden, ob sie entlassen werden kann. Er ahnt nicht, dass Roseanne gerade dabei ist, die Geschichte ihres Lebens aufzuschreiben. Sie versteckt ihre Aufzeichnungen jedoch. Derweil hat Dr. Grene eigene Sorgen, zerrissen von der Trauer über seine verstorbene Frau, hört er "Gespenster".
Enednoviel wrote this review Saturday, November 28 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Das Buch behandelt beide Schicksale parallel. Dr. Grene versucht mehr über Roseanne herauszufinden, doch die beiden kommen quasi zu verschiedenen Ergebnissen. Auch Erinnerung kann subjektiv sein. Wem soll man glauben? Der alten Frau, die selbst "dabei" war, jedoch in der Irrenanstalt gelandet ist? Oder dem Doktor, der die Fakten in den Aufzeichnungen sucht?”
“The blurb on the back of this drew me in straight away! I really enjoyed the way this was layed out and it really made you wonder the whole way through about what had really happened. A very sad tale. I did guess the outcome though which was a bit annoying, but I loved it nonetheless!”
Amy Paterson wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It was not wonderful but I did like the setting which was Ireland. any story set in Ireland will be something I want to read. It had a nice little twist to it.”
Elaine A wrote this review Wednesday, November 25 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“http://babbettesbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-review-secret-scripture.html”
Elisabeth W wrote this review Monday, November 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“This isn't a perfect book, but it's fairly enjoyable, and not just (I hope) by comparison to the fairly terrible string of novels I've read lately. Barry is an excellent storyteller, whose prose approaches poetry at times. He relies too much on fortuitously timed coincidence to drive the story forward, and this device rings particularly false at the end, which one can see coming a mile away (and I am not usually an especially perspicacious reader when it comes to such things). Another annoying element is the frequent reference to the titular character in another one of his novels, Eneas McNulty. If you haven't read that (I haven't), the references just seem murky and cryptic and bog down the current storyline. Maybe it works better if you have read EM -- I can't say. Detriments aside, the writing is lovely, the way the story build through alternation of different perspectives is expert, and the description of an era and a place in Irish history is unerring. Overall, I am willing to overlook the lazy reliance on "just in the nick of time!" coincidences, because the rest of the story is fairly engrossing, and mostly a pleasure to read. ”
Jenny B wrote this review Thursday, November 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Chosen by Barbara
Book Group wrote this review Wednesday, November 18 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Score - 78 out of 100”
