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The Wooden Hill
As we climb the wooden hill to bed each night we trace our life’s journey from birth, then each step toward death, the final sleep.
This collection of short stories, by Jamie Guiney, explores what it is to be human at every stage of life, from the imminence of a new birth in ‘We Knew You Before You Were Born’, through to adolescence and the camaraderie of youthful friendships as portrayed in ‘Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup’.
Ultimately, all of our lives stride towards old age and the certainty of death, as poignantly evoked in the title story, ‘The Wooden Hill’.
This collection of short stories, by Jamie Guiney, explores what it is to be human at every stage of life, from the imminence of a new birth in ‘We Knew You Before You Were Born’, through to adolescence and the camaraderie of youthful friendships as portrayed in ‘Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup’.
Ultimately, all of our lives stride towards old age and the certainty of death, as poignantly evoked in the title story, ‘The Wooden Hill’.
- GenresShort Stories
Paperback
Published November 30, 2018
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26 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Guiney
3 books11 followersJamie Guiney is a literary fiction writer from County Armagh, Northern Ireland. His debut short story collection 'The Wooden Hill' (published by Epoque Press) was shortlisted under Best Short Story Collection, in the 2019 Saboteur Awards. Jamie's short stories have been published internationally and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. He has also been nominated four times for The Pushcart Prize, long-listed for 'Irish Short Story of the Year' in the 2021 An Post Book Awards, and short-listed for the Best in Rural Writing Contest 2023.
Jamie is a graduate of the Faber & Faber Writing Academy and his work has been backed by the Northern Ireland Arts Council through several Individual Artist Awards, including ACES 2022/2023. He favours the short story genre, believing it to be the closest written prose to the traditional art of storytelling.
He tweets as @jamesgwriter
PRAISE FOR THE WOODEN HILL:
‘Jamie Guiney’s stories feel like classics read by the fireside on dark, winter nights. Tales of ordinary people and their everyday lives are illuminated and elevated by Guiney’s keen eye and gentle empathy.'
Paul McVeigh, winner of The Polari Prize and The McCrea Literary Award
‘Evocative, lyrical and touching, The Wooden Hill is a stunning collection. Under Jamie Guiney’s pen the smallest detail becomes cinematic; characters breathe; landscapes live. Intensely personal, unflinchingly human, these are stories to savour, lingering long after the end. Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times Bestseller
Jamie is a graduate of the Faber & Faber Writing Academy and his work has been backed by the Northern Ireland Arts Council through several Individual Artist Awards, including ACES 2022/2023. He favours the short story genre, believing it to be the closest written prose to the traditional art of storytelling.
He tweets as @jamesgwriter
PRAISE FOR THE WOODEN HILL:
‘Jamie Guiney’s stories feel like classics read by the fireside on dark, winter nights. Tales of ordinary people and their everyday lives are illuminated and elevated by Guiney’s keen eye and gentle empathy.'
Paul McVeigh, winner of The Polari Prize and The McCrea Literary Award
‘Evocative, lyrical and touching, The Wooden Hill is a stunning collection. Under Jamie Guiney’s pen the smallest detail becomes cinematic; characters breathe; landscapes live. Intensely personal, unflinchingly human, these are stories to savour, lingering long after the end. Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times Bestseller
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 10, 2022
Not so long ago, I realised that all the books I had read that were published by époque press had been excellent, so I decided to read my way through the remaining ones. This one was number 7 of the ten books listed on their website and it’s yet another that does not disappoint.
The Wooden Hill is a collection of 18 short stories. Some are short enough to be called flash fiction, one is 28 pages long. As the book blurb makes clear, the stories are about life as it heads towards its inevitable ending and the book starts with a birth and ends with a death. The ages of the stories’ protagonists gradually increase as the book progresses.
The opening story is one of the most affecting, I think. If you have had children (I have two plus, now, a granddaughter with another grandchild on the way) I don’t think you can fail to relate to Guiney’s observations and emotion as he writes to his daughter about the life she had before she could remember it - when she was in the womb and a very young child. At one point he observes
”You get excited when you see bananas. They are your favourite.
One morning you unexpectedly said Mumbai.
You have mum’s blue eyes, and her dimples too, and can make a heart glad with just a smile.”
Given that the parents in this story call their daughter Scout and Guiney’s acknowledgements at the end of the book thank his daughter Scout, it’s hard to think that this opening story is fictional.
Many of the stories have a feel good factor. “Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup” evokes memories of being a young boy in 1990 and has a feel of Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine” with its nostalgic look back at childhood rituals (visits to the local sweetshop, running away from the local supposed “bad man”, football). One story (“The Cowboy”) is darker than the others and sits in the centre of the book. Other stories aren’t dark but are sad, especially towards the end as death approaches.
Guiney’s writing is easy on the eye. The book is 159 pages long but flies by. Guiney often writes in short or even partial sentences in stories that are more like a friend talking to you about something they remember than they are like a written narrative.
As with all short story collections, some are stronger than others. But this is a personal judgement. I read the review in The Irish Times and the ones that reviewer picks out as weak ones were ones I thought were strong. In fact, for me it wasn’t a case of strong vs. weak, more a case of excellent vs. very good.
A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a day’s reading.
The Wooden Hill is a collection of 18 short stories. Some are short enough to be called flash fiction, one is 28 pages long. As the book blurb makes clear, the stories are about life as it heads towards its inevitable ending and the book starts with a birth and ends with a death. The ages of the stories’ protagonists gradually increase as the book progresses.
The opening story is one of the most affecting, I think. If you have had children (I have two plus, now, a granddaughter with another grandchild on the way) I don’t think you can fail to relate to Guiney’s observations and emotion as he writes to his daughter about the life she had before she could remember it - when she was in the womb and a very young child. At one point he observes
”You get excited when you see bananas. They are your favourite.
One morning you unexpectedly said Mumbai.
You have mum’s blue eyes, and her dimples too, and can make a heart glad with just a smile.”
Given that the parents in this story call their daughter Scout and Guiney’s acknowledgements at the end of the book thank his daughter Scout, it’s hard to think that this opening story is fictional.
Many of the stories have a feel good factor. “Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup” evokes memories of being a young boy in 1990 and has a feel of Ray Bradbury’s “Dandelion Wine” with its nostalgic look back at childhood rituals (visits to the local sweetshop, running away from the local supposed “bad man”, football). One story (“The Cowboy”) is darker than the others and sits in the centre of the book. Other stories aren’t dark but are sad, especially towards the end as death approaches.
Guiney’s writing is easy on the eye. The book is 159 pages long but flies by. Guiney often writes in short or even partial sentences in stories that are more like a friend talking to you about something they remember than they are like a written narrative.
As with all short story collections, some are stronger than others. But this is a personal judgement. I read the review in The Irish Times and the ones that reviewer picks out as weak ones were ones I thought were strong. In fact, for me it wasn’t a case of strong vs. weak, more a case of excellent vs. very good.
A thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a day’s reading.
November 30, 2018
Although I was drawn to some of the stories in this collection more than others (as is often the way with short story collections), I found something to admire in all of them: a thoughtful idea, a descriptive phrase, an imaginative metaphor or something that provoked a personal memory. I also enjoyed the use of different points of view – first, second and third person – to provide variety.
If pushed to pick favourites, I’d probably go for the touching ‘We Knew You Before You Were Born’ and the deeply felt and lyrical ‘She Will Be My Joy’ – which just goes to prove what an incurable old romantic I am. Other highlights:
‘Peas’ – a Christmas Eve ritual, including Dad watching a film version of what sounds to me like A Christmas Carol (an annual favourite of mine)
‘Sam Watson and the Penny World Cup’ – featuring the weekly ritual of ‘mushy tomato soup’ (it was tomato soup with baked beans in our house) followed by a visit to the local sweet shop, requiring the thoughtful allocation of pocket money worthy of a Chancellor of the Exchequer
‘The Cowboy’ – in which what seems like a tall tale proves to be possibly dark reality
‘Window’ – slight in length but full of impact with an unsettling atmosphere
‘Ultreia’ – descriptive and reflective and which conjured up for me thoughts of The Pilgrim’s Progress
‘Christmas’ – heart-warming but tinged with melancholy
I also enjoyed the imaginative use of language to describe objects, landscape and weather. A few examples:
‘Night birthed its morning.’
‘The clothesline is dancing. A tiny, imaginary tightrope walker is stepping amongst the pegs.’
‘Notice the awakening sky, its slow yawn into pastel blue, its broad halo of orange and yellow.’
‘It was a hot smudge of an afternoon…’
‘Winter’s raw exhale flogs his face and body.’
Although the title of the collection evokes the childhood phrase ‘up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire’, the stories in The Wooden Hill are definitely not bedtime stories. They explore all aspects of our lives from ‘cradle to grave’: coming to terms with confusing or unfamiliar feelings, testing boundaries, bonds of friendship and shared experiences, romantic and familial love, fear and loss. The stories chart the steps we all take in life – tentative sometimes, requiring a firm hold of the banister on occasions or a gentle push from behind to get us to the next step.
If pushed to pick favourites, I’d probably go for the touching ‘We Knew You Before You Were Born’ and the deeply felt and lyrical ‘She Will Be My Joy’ – which just goes to prove what an incurable old romantic I am. Other highlights:
‘Peas’ – a Christmas Eve ritual, including Dad watching a film version of what sounds to me like A Christmas Carol (an annual favourite of mine)
‘Sam Watson and the Penny World Cup’ – featuring the weekly ritual of ‘mushy tomato soup’ (it was tomato soup with baked beans in our house) followed by a visit to the local sweet shop, requiring the thoughtful allocation of pocket money worthy of a Chancellor of the Exchequer
‘The Cowboy’ – in which what seems like a tall tale proves to be possibly dark reality
‘Window’ – slight in length but full of impact with an unsettling atmosphere
‘Ultreia’ – descriptive and reflective and which conjured up for me thoughts of The Pilgrim’s Progress
‘Christmas’ – heart-warming but tinged with melancholy
I also enjoyed the imaginative use of language to describe objects, landscape and weather. A few examples:
‘Night birthed its morning.’
‘The clothesline is dancing. A tiny, imaginary tightrope walker is stepping amongst the pegs.’
‘Notice the awakening sky, its slow yawn into pastel blue, its broad halo of orange and yellow.’
‘It was a hot smudge of an afternoon…’
‘Winter’s raw exhale flogs his face and body.’
Although the title of the collection evokes the childhood phrase ‘up the wooden hill to Bedfordshire’, the stories in The Wooden Hill are definitely not bedtime stories. They explore all aspects of our lives from ‘cradle to grave’: coming to terms with confusing or unfamiliar feelings, testing boundaries, bonds of friendship and shared experiences, romantic and familial love, fear and loss. The stories chart the steps we all take in life – tentative sometimes, requiring a firm hold of the banister on occasions or a gentle push from behind to get us to the next step.
February 9, 2019
This book was kindly gifted to the Swansea Blogger Collective at Waterstones Swansea by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Well, this book will do things to your heart. It will make it sad, happy, nostalgic. Although the short stories are not directly linked, they all come together as a story from birth to death through childhood and adolescence. The very first story titled, 'We Knew You Before You Were Born' is told through the eyes of a father as he and his partner get ready to have their first child all the way to the final story, 'The Wooden Hill' which deals with the death of a loved one. This book explores steps we will all travel in life but in a fast-paced world, we do sometimes forget the miracle of life and the beauty it contains. This book will remind you.
As with all short stories, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others but it doesn't take away from the overall experience, as like I said, it came together as one big story in the end. It is clear Jamie is a very talented writer and create moments of empathy for these characters that we know for only a short while. Not anybody could pull this off. This is also a read that I see myself picking up again in the future and I urge everybody to read it.
Well, this book will do things to your heart. It will make it sad, happy, nostalgic. Although the short stories are not directly linked, they all come together as a story from birth to death through childhood and adolescence. The very first story titled, 'We Knew You Before You Were Born' is told through the eyes of a father as he and his partner get ready to have their first child all the way to the final story, 'The Wooden Hill' which deals with the death of a loved one. This book explores steps we will all travel in life but in a fast-paced world, we do sometimes forget the miracle of life and the beauty it contains. This book will remind you.
As with all short stories, there were some stories I enjoyed more than others but it doesn't take away from the overall experience, as like I said, it came together as one big story in the end. It is clear Jamie is a very talented writer and create moments of empathy for these characters that we know for only a short while. Not anybody could pull this off. This is also a read that I see myself picking up again in the future and I urge everybody to read it.
February 3, 2019
This short story collection comprises of 18 stories which cover all of the procession of life from before birth, to after death. Divided into 3 parts which cover loosely states childhood, adulthood and being elderly, they are bite sized snapshots that form the steps from womb to tomb.
Lyrical and poetic, the stories build upon each other without being directly connected to each other although, I felt a thread ran from story 1 to story 18, and that they were perhaps autobiographical in nature (based on the author dedication and notes at the end).
Each covers a moment in time which could be memories,could be happening right now or what lies ahead of us. They are experiences within most of us to envisage such as waiting for Father Christmas, visiting the corner shop, doing something that seems like a herculean task with great satisfaction,only for the bigger kid, or adult, to come along and ruin it.
Friendship, neighbourly-ness, work and play are all under the microscope in these tales reassessing and reaffirming life with each step.
Lyrical and poetic, the stories build upon each other without being directly connected to each other although, I felt a thread ran from story 1 to story 18, and that they were perhaps autobiographical in nature (based on the author dedication and notes at the end).
Each covers a moment in time which could be memories,could be happening right now or what lies ahead of us. They are experiences within most of us to envisage such as waiting for Father Christmas, visiting the corner shop, doing something that seems like a herculean task with great satisfaction,only for the bigger kid, or adult, to come along and ruin it.
Friendship, neighbourly-ness, work and play are all under the microscope in these tales reassessing and reaffirming life with each step.
October 30, 2022
The Wooden Hill is a brilliant short story collection. Some tales were Dickensian I felt, not necessarily by subject matter, rather, feeling. The overarching metaphor though, shines through throughout.
Recommended.
Recommended.
October 22, 2019
I wrote it! I'm biased!
April 8, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, which was a bit of a change from what I normally read. Each story had its own positives and negatives, but that made the whole thing worth the read.
March 5, 2019
The Wooden Hill by Jamie Guiney landed on shelves as international news reels played out the shambolic Brexit antics of Teresa May and the DUP. My heart smarted as an all too familiar narrative played out about my beautiful homeland- backward, entrenched, prone to irrational acts of violence….and so it goes on. I recalled arriving in England 22 years ago to study and make a life here, my first time off Irish soil. A homesickness set as I started to miss the stuff you miss when you rip up your roots and plant them in new ground. The homesickness deepened as people told me the story the rest of the world tell about Northern Ireland, they described a Northern Ireland I just didn’t recognise, a cartoon version without any of the heart, humour and joy.
The Wooden Hill is a beautiful and necessary diversion from the Northern Ireland of stereotype and pitch perfect in its gentle and elegant depiction of our culture. The 18 stories in the collection occur in a time and place impacted by political violence however that violence never seeps into the narrative. These are stories of human beings just getting through their days with all the love, grace, humour and suffering that comes with this life we are gifted. The stories chart the life course from birth through to death with an extraordinary reverence for each of the phases we encounter.
Jamie’s writing is marked by his attention to the very small seemingly insignificant details which when observed up close remind us of the universality of our experience- some things are the same regardless of where or how you grow up, age or die. Summer Stones, with heart-breaking clarity, charts the feelings of a child as her all-consuming project is written off/ destroyed by an adult who cannot see the beauty in what looks like pointless timewasting. Jamie writes childhood brilliantly, I defy anyone not to nod and laugh out loud with recognition at Peas, the story of a Christmas Eve or Sam Watson and The Penny World Cup, a yarn centred around a small village sweet shop. Guiney has a razor sharp attention to the sensory experience of being a child. Smell, sights and sounds are dialled up in this set of stories.
It is in his dealing of human suffering that Jamie shines as a writer. The lives that unfold throughout the collection are woven with an understated suffering- plans fail, bodies get ill, people die. There is no drama to the suffering in this book, no wailing or gnashing of teeth but a gentle acceptance. Jamie demonstrates beautifully that to live is to suffer and that there is grace to be had in our suffering. In his subtle, matter of fact treatment of human pain Jamie’s work reminded me of Raymond Carver. The final story, The Wooden Hill, epitomises his talent in this regard. In the midst of grief a family set about finding the perfect match for a piece of ripped wallpaper in their granny’s home prior to the funeral. Jamie shows an acute awareness that in our pain we simply need something to do, something to control, some small act to cling to.
Northern Irish literature is having a real moment at present and The Wooden Hill is a welcome and worthy addition to the canon.
The Wooden Hill is a beautiful and necessary diversion from the Northern Ireland of stereotype and pitch perfect in its gentle and elegant depiction of our culture. The 18 stories in the collection occur in a time and place impacted by political violence however that violence never seeps into the narrative. These are stories of human beings just getting through their days with all the love, grace, humour and suffering that comes with this life we are gifted. The stories chart the life course from birth through to death with an extraordinary reverence for each of the phases we encounter.
Jamie’s writing is marked by his attention to the very small seemingly insignificant details which when observed up close remind us of the universality of our experience- some things are the same regardless of where or how you grow up, age or die. Summer Stones, with heart-breaking clarity, charts the feelings of a child as her all-consuming project is written off/ destroyed by an adult who cannot see the beauty in what looks like pointless timewasting. Jamie writes childhood brilliantly, I defy anyone not to nod and laugh out loud with recognition at Peas, the story of a Christmas Eve or Sam Watson and The Penny World Cup, a yarn centred around a small village sweet shop. Guiney has a razor sharp attention to the sensory experience of being a child. Smell, sights and sounds are dialled up in this set of stories.
It is in his dealing of human suffering that Jamie shines as a writer. The lives that unfold throughout the collection are woven with an understated suffering- plans fail, bodies get ill, people die. There is no drama to the suffering in this book, no wailing or gnashing of teeth but a gentle acceptance. Jamie demonstrates beautifully that to live is to suffer and that there is grace to be had in our suffering. In his subtle, matter of fact treatment of human pain Jamie’s work reminded me of Raymond Carver. The final story, The Wooden Hill, epitomises his talent in this regard. In the midst of grief a family set about finding the perfect match for a piece of ripped wallpaper in their granny’s home prior to the funeral. Jamie shows an acute awareness that in our pain we simply need something to do, something to control, some small act to cling to.
Northern Irish literature is having a real moment at present and The Wooden Hill is a welcome and worthy addition to the canon.
July 22, 2019
The Wooden Hill is a section of short stories told in three parts. The stories tell the process of life; birth, growing up, and finally death. We are all slowly climbing the steps up the wooden hill, the metaphor of life till we reach the top and that hill becomes our final resting place. With each step we face a new challenge, steeper than the last. It’s how we choose to conquer these hurdles that shape us into the people we are today. Guiney holds up a mirror to the reader and is not afraid to show us the cold harsh reality of the world we inhabit. I am always fascinated by human behaviour and these short stories were truly enjoyable to read.
I felt a warm sense of comfort as I was reading The Wooden Hill. It brought back my own nostalgia of my childhood like going to the sweet shop with friends and hanging out on a bored Saturday afternoon. Guiney’s writing gets in your head and invokes the readers memories. It’s a interesting place to be when you start reminiscing your own life while reading a book. An experience I would highly recommend and encourage. It forces the reader to look at their own lives with the decisions and mistakes they’ve made. The whole process of learning and experiencing life as they have up until the present day. A clever skill to entwine within a story and used effectively throughout. I approve and applaud it: highly.
There is a dominant theme of honest, brutal truth in The Wooden Hill. The reality of life and the world we live in. For example in Summer Stones a little girl works hard everyday to look after her pebbles only for her grandfather to come along and throw them away. All that love and hard work she has poured into her precious pebbles is destroyed in a second by the cruel hand of fate. A truth that we all know too well happens in life. You work hard only to have it all crumble to ash in front of you. Guiney tells the story in such a beautiful innocent way that makes the reader realise that life is a fragile vulnerable thing that can smash to pieces in a heartbeat. Hold tightly onto those you love and never let anyone disregard them to the winds.
Guiney has a natural way with words and can imprint tranquil images into the reader’s head. He draws upon the scenes and pure beauty of the world which intrigues the reader and guides us willing through each story. You can almost taste the air the characters are breathing, the reader is fully immersed in each story. Each one intensifying after the next till they reach the end and come full circle of a human life. It’s strong storytelling at its best and leaves the reader fully satisfied with their eye-opening journey.
I give The Wooden Hill By Jamie Guiney a Four out of Five paw rating.
A fantastic selection of stories that will make you laugh, reminisce and cry with such joy that will encourage you to take a look at your own life and the direction you are heading. Are you still crawling around aimlessly at the bottom or are you ascending to the top, knowing that the life you leave behind is the life you chose to live. Full of love, mistakes, hardship and wonder. If you could, would you do it all again the same? What memories and life lessons will The Wooden Hill invoke for you.
I felt a warm sense of comfort as I was reading The Wooden Hill. It brought back my own nostalgia of my childhood like going to the sweet shop with friends and hanging out on a bored Saturday afternoon. Guiney’s writing gets in your head and invokes the readers memories. It’s a interesting place to be when you start reminiscing your own life while reading a book. An experience I would highly recommend and encourage. It forces the reader to look at their own lives with the decisions and mistakes they’ve made. The whole process of learning and experiencing life as they have up until the present day. A clever skill to entwine within a story and used effectively throughout. I approve and applaud it: highly.
There is a dominant theme of honest, brutal truth in The Wooden Hill. The reality of life and the world we live in. For example in Summer Stones a little girl works hard everyday to look after her pebbles only for her grandfather to come along and throw them away. All that love and hard work she has poured into her precious pebbles is destroyed in a second by the cruel hand of fate. A truth that we all know too well happens in life. You work hard only to have it all crumble to ash in front of you. Guiney tells the story in such a beautiful innocent way that makes the reader realise that life is a fragile vulnerable thing that can smash to pieces in a heartbeat. Hold tightly onto those you love and never let anyone disregard them to the winds.
Guiney has a natural way with words and can imprint tranquil images into the reader’s head. He draws upon the scenes and pure beauty of the world which intrigues the reader and guides us willing through each story. You can almost taste the air the characters are breathing, the reader is fully immersed in each story. Each one intensifying after the next till they reach the end and come full circle of a human life. It’s strong storytelling at its best and leaves the reader fully satisfied with their eye-opening journey.
I give The Wooden Hill By Jamie Guiney a Four out of Five paw rating.
A fantastic selection of stories that will make you laugh, reminisce and cry with such joy that will encourage you to take a look at your own life and the direction you are heading. Are you still crawling around aimlessly at the bottom or are you ascending to the top, knowing that the life you leave behind is the life you chose to live. Full of love, mistakes, hardship and wonder. If you could, would you do it all again the same? What memories and life lessons will The Wooden Hill invoke for you.
February 15, 2019
I really enjoyed these stories, a journey through life, seen through different lenses. There is great poignancy in many of them. I felt for the child in 'Summer Stones', who at the end of the story 'sits by the side of the road with an empty cart. Lip shaking. Quiet.' That perfectly evokes her mood. 'She Will Be My Joy' was another I loved, both for what it says and for the space it gives to the reader to think and feel beyond those words.
There is humour in this collection too - oh, the sweeties of childhood in 'Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup'! Paul McVeigh speaks in his endorsement for the book about Jamie Guiney's 'keen eye and gentle empathy'. I feel the same and for me the 'Sam Watson' story has the liveliness, which is at the same time gentle, of McVeigh's book 'The Good Son'.
This is a book I will keep and, I think, return to. With pleasure.
There is humour in this collection too - oh, the sweeties of childhood in 'Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup'! Paul McVeigh speaks in his endorsement for the book about Jamie Guiney's 'keen eye and gentle empathy'. I feel the same and for me the 'Sam Watson' story has the liveliness, which is at the same time gentle, of McVeigh's book 'The Good Son'.
This is a book I will keep and, I think, return to. With pleasure.
February 8, 2019
This book was kindly gifted to me from the publisher in return for an honest review through the Swansea Blogger Collective.
This was a great little collection of short stories spanning the lifespan from birth to death. As usual with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others but overall I loved it as a collection. Some brought back memories from my past and others brought insight into other people's lives. I really loved this little book and would recommend it.
This was a great little collection of short stories spanning the lifespan from birth to death. As usual with any short story collection I enjoyed some more than others but overall I loved it as a collection. Some brought back memories from my past and others brought insight into other people's lives. I really loved this little book and would recommend it.
August 20, 2019
I had the pleasure of hearing the author read from his book and it all made sense in his glorious Irish accent. Wonderful stories about life’s journeys. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
October 7, 2019
Brilliant. Review to come.....
December 22, 2021
Awonderful collection of short stories that cohere into an exploration of life’s passage. Touching, tender, funny, sad, it’s an absorbing read. Especially liked Summer Stones and Christmas.
June 5, 2024
There are some lovely images and phrases in these stories, and some memorable characters. There was also some writing I found a bit flat and some stories were more anecdotal with less arc than is my preference. I like the idea of life as stairs, and the division of the book into stages of life. This was better realised in the first and last sections than in the middle one.
The most memorable and moving stories for me were A Quarter Yellow Sun and Summer Stones. I liked the unrealised menace of Plenty of Salt, and the humour of A Woman Named Celie, too.
The most memorable and moving stories for me were A Quarter Yellow Sun and Summer Stones. I liked the unrealised menace of Plenty of Salt, and the humour of A Woman Named Celie, too.
October 27, 2025
Reading The Wooden Hill felt like listening to an old friend tell stories by the fire, nostalgic, heartfelt, and profound. Each story captures a different stage of life with honesty and compassion. Guiney has a gift for finding beauty in the everyday. This is storytelling at its purest and most human.
September 30, 2025
I loved this. A charming journey through life from different perspectives
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews