What do you think?
Rate this book
Het kille oog van de hemel
Farley is een gepensioneerd juridisch medewerker, 75 jaar oud en woont in een buitenwijk van Dublin. Hij is lichamelijk zwak, maar zijn geest is nog scherp. Als hij op een nacht wakker wordt, ontdekt hij dat hij verlamd is en op de koude badkamervloer ligt. Zijn gedachten komen in de achteruit-versnelling en hij neemt ons met hem mee het verleden in. Tien jaar geleden, twintig jaar geleden, dertig jaar geleden, enzovoort. Farley herleeft zijn liefdes, zijn verliezen en het verraad met de zwarte humor van een echte Dubliner.
Naast het fraaie portret van de ups en downs in een ‘doorsnee’ mensenleven is Het kille oog van de hemel ook een bitterzoete lofzang op de stad Dublin.
Naast het fraaie portret van de ups en downs in een ‘doorsnee’ mensenleven is Het kille oog van de hemel ook een bitterzoete lofzang op de stad Dublin.
224 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
18 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Christine Dwyer Hickey
14 books109 followersChristine Dwyer Hickey is a novelist and short-story writer. Her novel Tatty was short-listed for Irish Book of the Year in 2005 and was also long-listed for The Orange Prize. Her novels, The Dancer, The Gambler and The Gatemaker were re-issued in 2006 as The Dublin Trilogy three novels which span the story of a Dublin family from 1913 to 1956.
Twice winner of the Listowel Writers Week short story competition, she was also a prize winner in the Observer/Penguin short-story competition. Her latest novel, Last Train from Liguria, is set in 1930’s Fascist Italy and Dublin in the 1990’s and will be published in June 2009.
Twice winner of the Listowel Writers Week short story competition, she was also a prize winner in the Observer/Penguin short-story competition. Her latest novel, Last Train from Liguria, is set in 1930’s Fascist Italy and Dublin in the 1990’s and will be published in June 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
Read
September 14, 2015Read this for the very deft handling of time in reverse. We meet the central character, Farley, at the end of his life and then time is rolled back, decade by decade, revealing more and more of his character and the motives for his actions. It's not an easy technique to manage as it depends on the slow and careful drip feeding of essential information to the reader but Christine Dwyer Hickey handles it really well. She also paints a detailed picture of a section of Dublin city and its inhabitants throughout the seven decades of the book's time span.
December 7, 2020
Nel gennaio del 2010 Farley si risveglia disteso sul pavimento del bagno, non riesce a muoversi, la testa gli duole, è ”arrotolato come un cane attorno al gabinetto, con le palle che penzolano fuori dal pigiama sporco. Un filo di bava che gli cola da una parte. Un occhio che lacrima.” Può essere un infarto o forse più probabilmente quell’ictus che aveva già stroncato suo padre, quel padre sempre assente, sempre a lavorare ma che odiava il suo lavoro, che amava praticare la pesca a mosca ma che non portava mai Farley con lui.
Farley si impone di rilassarsi per pensare a una strategia di salvezza. È un uomo anziano, ha settantacinque anni ed è solo, non è rimasto più nessuno che si ricordi di lui, è diffidente, parla da solo, si dimentica le cose, si stanca, ha paura. A Farley, disteso in bagno quasi paralizzato, cominciano a tornare alla memoria piccoli ricordi recenti, ”ha l’impressione di dover andare da qualche parte domani, o forse oggi dipende da che ora è. Una cosa importante. Gli sembra di ricordare di aver ritirato il suo completo in lavanderia.”
Incomincia a scavare nella memoria, a partire da ciò che è successo il giorno prima, sono frammenti significativi che piano, piano ricostruiscono ciò che Farley è stato. Ripercorre la vita all’indietro prima il giorno precedente, poi le tappe più significative, di dieci anni in dieci anni, fino a quando nel 1940 Farley aveva cinque anni, e si rivivono l’amore, i tradimenti, gli affetti, le amicizie, il lavoro, le relazioni sociali e i conflitti civili in una bella atmosfera dublinese. Tutti i tasselli sono legati da nessi di causalità, ne leggiamo prima le conseguenze e poi ne intuiamo l’origine. La vita che appare ordinaria, come quella di Howard Amberson, in L’ultima stagione di Don Robertson, o di William Stoner, ha una sua straordinarietà e più si torna indietro negli anni, più si sente Farley vicino, e questo vagare a ritroso con la mente forse aiuta anche lui a comprendersi e a ricomporsi, ”un uomo, un ragazzo, un bambino; di nuovo un uomo, tutto insieme.”
Un libro che mi ha sorpreso.
Farley si impone di rilassarsi per pensare a una strategia di salvezza. È un uomo anziano, ha settantacinque anni ed è solo, non è rimasto più nessuno che si ricordi di lui, è diffidente, parla da solo, si dimentica le cose, si stanca, ha paura. A Farley, disteso in bagno quasi paralizzato, cominciano a tornare alla memoria piccoli ricordi recenti, ”ha l’impressione di dover andare da qualche parte domani, o forse oggi dipende da che ora è. Una cosa importante. Gli sembra di ricordare di aver ritirato il suo completo in lavanderia.”
Incomincia a scavare nella memoria, a partire da ciò che è successo il giorno prima, sono frammenti significativi che piano, piano ricostruiscono ciò che Farley è stato. Ripercorre la vita all’indietro prima il giorno precedente, poi le tappe più significative, di dieci anni in dieci anni, fino a quando nel 1940 Farley aveva cinque anni, e si rivivono l’amore, i tradimenti, gli affetti, le amicizie, il lavoro, le relazioni sociali e i conflitti civili in una bella atmosfera dublinese. Tutti i tasselli sono legati da nessi di causalità, ne leggiamo prima le conseguenze e poi ne intuiamo l’origine. La vita che appare ordinaria, come quella di Howard Amberson, in L’ultima stagione di Don Robertson, o di William Stoner, ha una sua straordinarietà e più si torna indietro negli anni, più si sente Farley vicino, e questo vagare a ritroso con la mente forse aiuta anche lui a comprendersi e a ricomporsi, ”un uomo, un ragazzo, un bambino; di nuovo un uomo, tutto insieme.”
Un libro che mi ha sorpreso.
April 9, 2024
Een wonderlijk portret van een doorsneeman. Drie redenen waarom je dit boek leuk zou kunnen vinden.
1️⃣ Dit verhaal begint bij het eind. Het levenseind van de bejaarde Farley liggend op de koude tegelvloer van de badkamer. En door het boek heen ga je elke keer 10 jaar terug in de tijd. Met elk decennium leer je Farley steeds beter kennen en begrijp je waarom hij is zoals hij is. Een slimme en spannende opbouw.
2️⃣ Ierland. Ik heb er een zwak voor. De mensen, het landschap, de geschiedenis. Het heeft iets magisch en daarom lees ik graag verhaal die zich tegen de Ierse achtergrond afspeelt.
3️⃣ Er zit een zweem van melancholie over dit boek. Ik hou daar wel van zo nu en dan. Gemiste kansen, klein leed en stil verlangen. Het leven van Farley is bitterzoet. En dat voel je. De herfst in al zijn schoonheid.
Vier sterren voor het kille oog van de hemel. Met extra credits voor de cover. Dit schilderij zou ik zo in huis hangen. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
1️⃣ Dit verhaal begint bij het eind. Het levenseind van de bejaarde Farley liggend op de koude tegelvloer van de badkamer. En door het boek heen ga je elke keer 10 jaar terug in de tijd. Met elk decennium leer je Farley steeds beter kennen en begrijp je waarom hij is zoals hij is. Een slimme en spannende opbouw.
2️⃣ Ierland. Ik heb er een zwak voor. De mensen, het landschap, de geschiedenis. Het heeft iets magisch en daarom lees ik graag verhaal die zich tegen de Ierse achtergrond afspeelt.
3️⃣ Er zit een zweem van melancholie over dit boek. Ik hou daar wel van zo nu en dan. Gemiste kansen, klein leed en stil verlangen. Het leven van Farley is bitterzoet. En dat voel je. De herfst in al zijn schoonheid.
Vier sterren voor het kille oog van de hemel. Met extra credits voor de cover. Dit schilderij zou ik zo in huis hangen. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
July 18, 2012
This is the story of Farley, starting in his old age and working backwords through the decades of his life. The character development is fantastic- I suddenly realised I was getting to know and appreciate him more with every page as his story unfolded. A male character written by a woman at its best. The style reminded me of Graham Swift Last Orders.
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2013
I like the author a lot - both as a person (she spent a week or so in DC at the Irish Writers' Festival a couple of years ago) and her writing. At the time, she said if she hadn't published before the huge Irish chick lit boom, she'd never have been published.
This story tells the story of a life in reverse. The main character, Farley, is 75, and the book moves backwards from 2010, decade by decade. In his story, we see the story of modern Ireland and Dublin from a poor country to a country of excess during the Celtic Tiger. With these changes, values are lost, and Farley finds himself the victim of these changes. It is a sad story, beginning in his childhood, with unloving parents, to his lonely life after he leaves his life long employment.
This story tells the story of a life in reverse. The main character, Farley, is 75, and the book moves backwards from 2010, decade by decade. In his story, we see the story of modern Ireland and Dublin from a poor country to a country of excess during the Celtic Tiger. With these changes, values are lost, and Farley finds himself the victim of these changes. It is a sad story, beginning in his childhood, with unloving parents, to his lonely life after he leaves his life long employment.
November 9, 2021
Awesome. Gorgeous, profound, and moving.
Just as good the second time around…
Just as good the second time around…
November 3, 2020
Waar denk je aan vlak voordat je overlijdt? Voor deze vraag staat hoofdpersoon Farley als hij wordt getroffen door een hersenbloeding en bewegingloos op zijn badkamervloer ligt. Zijn leven trekt aan hem voorbij, maar herinnert hij zich juist de hoogte- of de dieptepunten?
Christine Dwyer-Hickey heeft in Het kille oog van de hemel, vertaald door Jetty Huisman, een ingenieuze manier gevonden om het levensverhaal van deze doodnormale man te vertellen. Met tijdsprongen van tien jaar blikt Farley terug op verschillende ups en downs, beginnend in 2010 en eindigend in 1940. Op deze manier grijpen de puzzelstukjes van zijn leven langzaam in elkaar, waardoor vooral zijn gedrag en emoties op latere leeftijd beter zijn te begrijpen. Het wordt bijvoorbeeld al snel duidelijk dat zijn vrouw jong is overleden, maar je krijgt pas echt de impact van dit voorval mee in de jaren zeventig, waarin haar dood pas achter hem ligt.
'Het is lang geleden dat hij in deze kamer is geweest – misschien wel maanden – en sowieso de eerste keer sinds haar overlijden dat hij hier nuchter binnenkomt. De deur van de kleerkast staat op een kier; er piepen mouwen van haar kleren naar buiten, een bruine leren laars is eronder gerold. Al het beddengoed is weg, en hij reageert geschokt als hij de kale matras ziet.'
Toch voelt dit boek bovenal als een geheel door de details die Dwyer-Hickey in de verschillende tijdsvakken laat terugkomen. Dit zijn vaak alledaagse voorwerpen, zoals een tasje van een bekend warenhuis in Dublin. In 2010 vervoert Farley hierin een pak naar de stomerij, in de jaren zeventig komt hetzelfde tasje terug wanneer zijn buurvrouw hierin een postpakketje voor hem heeft bewaard.
Dit soort kleine verwijzingen zijn niet voldoende om de verschillende tijdsvakken echt van elkaar te onderscheiden. Je merkt dat Farley jonger wordt door de beslissingen die hij neemt. Je krijgt zijn laatste werkdag voor zijn pensioen mee, maar ook de avond waarop hij zijn vrouw ontmoet, waardoor hij als twintiger zijn voorgenomen emigratie naar Australië afblaast. Toch merk je aan de wereld om hem heen nauwelijks dat er zeventig jaar zijn verstreken. Dwyer-Hickey verwijst op een gekunstelde en vluchtige manier naar belangrijke politieke gebeurtenissen om de lezer weer even te herinneren aan het desbetreffende tijdvak waarin het verhaal zich afspeelt. Zo ziet Farley in de jaren tachtig een collectebus ten bate van hongerende Afrikaanse kinderen op de toonbank van een snackbar staan en hebben personages het in de vijftiger jaren over de politieke onrust in Indochina en Korea.
Daarnaast wordt een andere belofte op de achterflap niet ingelost, want naast het levensverhaal van Farley wordt ‘een bitterzoete lofzang op de stad Dublin’ beloofd. Je moet de Ierse hoofdstad wel heel goed kennen om hier iets van mee te krijgen. Er wordt gestrooid met plekken waarop de hoofdpersoon zich op enig moment bevindt of gebouwen die in de loop der jaren zijn gesloopt of een andere functie hebben gekregen. Nergens worden de fysieke of maatschappelijke veranderingen in de Ierse samenleving echt uitgediept, want het boek is simpelweg te kort en compact om zowel een persoonlijke geschiedenis als de veranderingen van een stad goed uit de doeken te doen.
Dwyer-Hickey heeft de pech dat landgenoten als John Boyne (Wat het hart verwoest) en Anne Griffin (Als alles is gezegd) de afgelopen jaren een vergelijkbaar verhaal hebben verteld, waarin het leven van de hoofdpersoon natuurlijker is verbonden met de veranderingen in de twintigste-eeuwse Ierse samenleving. Door het succes van deze recente titels is het jammer dat we bijna tien jaar moesten wachten op de Nederlandse vertaling van Het kille oog van de hemel, want ondanks dat de lofzang op Dublin niet wordt waargemaakt, is de manier waarop het levensverhaal van hoofdpersoon Farley wordt verteld bijzonder lezenswaardig.
Christine Dwyer-Hickey heeft in Het kille oog van de hemel, vertaald door Jetty Huisman, een ingenieuze manier gevonden om het levensverhaal van deze doodnormale man te vertellen. Met tijdsprongen van tien jaar blikt Farley terug op verschillende ups en downs, beginnend in 2010 en eindigend in 1940. Op deze manier grijpen de puzzelstukjes van zijn leven langzaam in elkaar, waardoor vooral zijn gedrag en emoties op latere leeftijd beter zijn te begrijpen. Het wordt bijvoorbeeld al snel duidelijk dat zijn vrouw jong is overleden, maar je krijgt pas echt de impact van dit voorval mee in de jaren zeventig, waarin haar dood pas achter hem ligt.
'Het is lang geleden dat hij in deze kamer is geweest – misschien wel maanden – en sowieso de eerste keer sinds haar overlijden dat hij hier nuchter binnenkomt. De deur van de kleerkast staat op een kier; er piepen mouwen van haar kleren naar buiten, een bruine leren laars is eronder gerold. Al het beddengoed is weg, en hij reageert geschokt als hij de kale matras ziet.'
Toch voelt dit boek bovenal als een geheel door de details die Dwyer-Hickey in de verschillende tijdsvakken laat terugkomen. Dit zijn vaak alledaagse voorwerpen, zoals een tasje van een bekend warenhuis in Dublin. In 2010 vervoert Farley hierin een pak naar de stomerij, in de jaren zeventig komt hetzelfde tasje terug wanneer zijn buurvrouw hierin een postpakketje voor hem heeft bewaard.
Dit soort kleine verwijzingen zijn niet voldoende om de verschillende tijdsvakken echt van elkaar te onderscheiden. Je merkt dat Farley jonger wordt door de beslissingen die hij neemt. Je krijgt zijn laatste werkdag voor zijn pensioen mee, maar ook de avond waarop hij zijn vrouw ontmoet, waardoor hij als twintiger zijn voorgenomen emigratie naar Australië afblaast. Toch merk je aan de wereld om hem heen nauwelijks dat er zeventig jaar zijn verstreken. Dwyer-Hickey verwijst op een gekunstelde en vluchtige manier naar belangrijke politieke gebeurtenissen om de lezer weer even te herinneren aan het desbetreffende tijdvak waarin het verhaal zich afspeelt. Zo ziet Farley in de jaren tachtig een collectebus ten bate van hongerende Afrikaanse kinderen op de toonbank van een snackbar staan en hebben personages het in de vijftiger jaren over de politieke onrust in Indochina en Korea.
Daarnaast wordt een andere belofte op de achterflap niet ingelost, want naast het levensverhaal van Farley wordt ‘een bitterzoete lofzang op de stad Dublin’ beloofd. Je moet de Ierse hoofdstad wel heel goed kennen om hier iets van mee te krijgen. Er wordt gestrooid met plekken waarop de hoofdpersoon zich op enig moment bevindt of gebouwen die in de loop der jaren zijn gesloopt of een andere functie hebben gekregen. Nergens worden de fysieke of maatschappelijke veranderingen in de Ierse samenleving echt uitgediept, want het boek is simpelweg te kort en compact om zowel een persoonlijke geschiedenis als de veranderingen van een stad goed uit de doeken te doen.
Dwyer-Hickey heeft de pech dat landgenoten als John Boyne (Wat het hart verwoest) en Anne Griffin (Als alles is gezegd) de afgelopen jaren een vergelijkbaar verhaal hebben verteld, waarin het leven van de hoofdpersoon natuurlijker is verbonden met de veranderingen in de twintigste-eeuwse Ierse samenleving. Door het succes van deze recente titels is het jammer dat we bijna tien jaar moesten wachten op de Nederlandse vertaling van Het kille oog van de hemel, want ondanks dat de lofzang op Dublin niet wordt waargemaakt, is de manier waarop het levensverhaal van hoofdpersoon Farley wordt verteld bijzonder lezenswaardig.
March 21, 2016
The focus of this book is an old man named Farley who lives by himself in the suburbs of Dublin. When the book opens he is laying on his bathroom floor and it is evident from the symptoms he describes that he has suffered a stroke. He can’t move and is unable to call for help so it is terrifying for him that no one knows he has fallen. How long will he lay there before someone comes to his rescue? The rest of the book is a retelling of his life as each chapter reaches back another ten years in his story, leading us all the way back to his early childhood.
As the author reaches back into the decades to tell us Farley’s story the details of his life and how he ends up alone are slowly revealed. Farley was married to a woman whom he absolutely adored. He meets her in the 1960’s when he is a young man and is unsure of the path his life will take. He wants to move to Australia, much to the dismay of his widowed mother, and work as a car salesman. But Martina comes into Farley’s life just at the right time to give him direction and grounding. Farley gets a job as a clerk in an office, a job which he is proud of and does for the next forty years of his life.
A large part of Farley’s story is taken up with the grief he feels after the tragic death of his wife. From the details he gives us about the last hours of her life it seems that Martina suffered a painful bout of cancer. She was his whole life and he is completely devastated when she is taken from him. A few months after her death his Uncle Cal is so worried about him that he goes to Farley’s house and gets him out of bed and urges him to clean up his house and get back to work. Farley slowly begins to work his way out of his cloud of grief but he calls the entire year after Martina’s death his dark period. Farley never finds the kind of love he had with Martina ever again. Farley has an affair with Kathleen, Martina’s sister, who also happens to be married to his boss. They both realize that Farley is trying to use Kathleen as a poor substitute and the affair gradually fizzles out. Kathleen is worried that if her family finds out about the affair then she will lose all respect and love from her children.
So the pieces are gradually filled in to show us how Farley ends up alone at the end of his life on his bathroom floor. The theme of loneliness pervades this story as Farley tries to make connections with people in his life. But as an old man who is set in his ways this is no easy task. When his Polish immigrant neighbor offers to take a key to his house so she can check in on him he practically runs away from her. As he walks the streets of Dublin in search of a cobbler to fix his shoe he laments the changing landscape of a city he used to know so well. But it’s changing store fronts and differences make him feel even more lonely and isolated.
The details that are given by the author about Farley’s life caused me to become emotionally attached to this old man. I knew from the beginning that the story would not have a happy ending for Farley. But then again, he does live a rich, full life filled with love, friends, and hard work. The fact that I was sad when the book was over is a testament to the author’s talented, character-focused writing.
As the author reaches back into the decades to tell us Farley’s story the details of his life and how he ends up alone are slowly revealed. Farley was married to a woman whom he absolutely adored. He meets her in the 1960’s when he is a young man and is unsure of the path his life will take. He wants to move to Australia, much to the dismay of his widowed mother, and work as a car salesman. But Martina comes into Farley’s life just at the right time to give him direction and grounding. Farley gets a job as a clerk in an office, a job which he is proud of and does for the next forty years of his life.
A large part of Farley’s story is taken up with the grief he feels after the tragic death of his wife. From the details he gives us about the last hours of her life it seems that Martina suffered a painful bout of cancer. She was his whole life and he is completely devastated when she is taken from him. A few months after her death his Uncle Cal is so worried about him that he goes to Farley’s house and gets him out of bed and urges him to clean up his house and get back to work. Farley slowly begins to work his way out of his cloud of grief but he calls the entire year after Martina’s death his dark period. Farley never finds the kind of love he had with Martina ever again. Farley has an affair with Kathleen, Martina’s sister, who also happens to be married to his boss. They both realize that Farley is trying to use Kathleen as a poor substitute and the affair gradually fizzles out. Kathleen is worried that if her family finds out about the affair then she will lose all respect and love from her children.
So the pieces are gradually filled in to show us how Farley ends up alone at the end of his life on his bathroom floor. The theme of loneliness pervades this story as Farley tries to make connections with people in his life. But as an old man who is set in his ways this is no easy task. When his Polish immigrant neighbor offers to take a key to his house so she can check in on him he practically runs away from her. As he walks the streets of Dublin in search of a cobbler to fix his shoe he laments the changing landscape of a city he used to know so well. But it’s changing store fronts and differences make him feel even more lonely and isolated.
The details that are given by the author about Farley’s life caused me to become emotionally attached to this old man. I knew from the beginning that the story would not have a happy ending for Farley. But then again, he does live a rich, full life filled with love, friends, and hard work. The fact that I was sad when the book was over is a testament to the author’s talented, character-focused writing.
December 2, 2011
good read
October 1, 2017
The backwards-in-time style and the Irish setting of this book were definitely hurdles for me, so I feel like I didn't get as much out of the book as I could have. I imagine that this approach might be what it's like after we die and come to the judgment bar to review our lives. There is no internal dialogue or explanation here of why Farley is who he is or does what he does, just vignettes over the course of his life that show it.
So as you learn more about him, you wind up feeling bad for judging him a few pages before. I found it very sad and wonder now how many other Farleys are out there.
So as you learn more about him, you wind up feeling bad for judging him a few pages before. I found it very sad and wonder now how many other Farleys are out there.
October 1, 2019
I began reading this book because it promised to give "Dublin's story" through the eyes of one man. The story begins with Farley lying on his bathroom floor after having suffered a stroke. Each subsequent chapter goes back a decade. I'm halfway through the book, and I think I'll just skim the rest. The writing may be great, but the subject is very depressing, and it's sometimes confusing to go backward a decade at a time -- although, of course, each chapter goes forward. And then there's the constant very coarse language. Unpleasant.
May 6, 2024
This novel begins with a 75 year old man lying on his bathroom floor after a possible stroke, and each chapter goes back 10 years until he's five, so we see his life in reverse. This device is nicely handled as small things in earlier chapters are referenced in his earlier life later in the book. However, the main character is not very likeable and whilst I had sympathy for him at various stages of the novel, overall I struggled to connect with him and the disjointed narrative didn't help with this. Overall I thought it was clever but didn't necessarily like it.
January 27, 2025
Een 3? Toch maar niet. Het was mij te veel een puzzel. Ik had wat moeite de personages te onderscheiden. Dat is jammer wanneer ze wel regelmatig in andere jaren (hoofdstukken maken sprongen van 10 jaar) terugkomen.
Tip: hou een personagelijstje bij de hand bij het lezen.
Over Dublin heb ik niets geleerd. Een paar straatnamen maar toch nauwelijk een sfeerbeeld. Plot?
Tip: hou een personagelijstje bij de hand bij het lezen.
Over Dublin heb ik niets geleerd. Een paar straatnamen maar toch nauwelijk een sfeerbeeld. Plot?
June 19, 2017
I found this book, where the character goes further into his past, an interesting read. It's definitely not a happy read, and there is a lot of explicit language to cope with, but maybe that is the Irish way!
April 14, 2019
Enjoyed this book though it is one of those books that has a different date for every chapter, which I'm a bit over. This one follows the life of Farley in reverse, from years after he retired to wgen he was five years old.
October 19, 2021
Ik twijfelde een beetje tussen drie en vier sterren, maar dan toch drie. Het is een mooi en mooi geschreven verhaal, maar geen boek dat blijft hangen of waar ik nog een tijdje over bleef mijmeren en peinzen.
February 27, 2022
This book was sad, still, genuine, real and beautifully written. Melancholy, memories, regrets, friends, love, life. All is there. I wish more people were talking about Christine Dwyer Hickey, she is so consistent and exceptional in her writing. This was my second of hers and I will continue reading her novels.
July 8, 2025
Ik heb al meerdere boeken gelezen waar je iemands leven in volgt zonder dat er een plot was, maar ik vond dit boek ronduit saai. Het laatse hoofdstuk vond ik prachtig. Als alle hoofstukken zo waren zou ik het leuker hebben gevonden.
September 3, 2025
Not at all what I was expecting. A sensual slip-slide down the years of a man who chose the dirty aul town to live his lives. Love the scaffolding, love the talking, love the lived snippets, lovely.
December 7, 2018
Well written. Excellent character study of Farley.
May 26, 2025
Pp 170-172 braken echt mijn hart
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 29, 2025
Gaaf concept, mooi uitgewerkt.
March 13, 2017
Highly readable, beautifully versed and immersion focused, necessary for Dublin Farley's life tale in decade separated shots. Dwyer Hickey uses the gimmick of reverse chronology to evoke the terror of old age through to the fear of childhood including laugh, love, treachery and nobility. It's bloody good. and difficult not to identify with Farley. The more we get to know him, the less he knows himself and the world around. The novel is full of hooks of phrase and description and while best digested slowly I found the pages turning.
January 7, 2013
I had the pleasure of hearing the author read an extract from this book in November 2012. My delight at hearing Dwyer-Hickey read was not diminished by reading the whole book. An old man’s life story is told in reverse. We first meet him lying on the floor of his bathroom in the aftermath of a stroke on the day he is supposed to attend the funeral of a former colleague. He recalls the events of the previous day (this contains the very funny yet touching episode that Dwyer-Hickey read).
The action then travels back ten years to his retirement party. Chapter by chapter his life unfolds at ten year intervals. He is revealed as someone to whom life happens rather than one who makes things happen. His few risky decisions are revealed as having been flawed.
I found this a very entertaining read. The central character is fully realised complete with virtues and faults. Humour and tragedy are combined in a tale that is totally absorbing.
The action then travels back ten years to his retirement party. Chapter by chapter his life unfolds at ten year intervals. He is revealed as someone to whom life happens rather than one who makes things happen. His few risky decisions are revealed as having been flawed.
I found this a very entertaining read. The central character is fully realised complete with virtues and faults. Humour and tragedy are combined in a tale that is totally absorbing.
December 7, 2013
An elderly Dublin man wakes to find himself lying on the bathroom floor - partly paralised he is unable to get up and lying there his mind meanders over the years of his life, the heartbreaks, the friendships, betrayals, pains and sorrows but mostly the seemingly inconsequental events that resulted in the decisive decisions of his life.
Like most peoples his is a story of a simple life, an ordinary life but the book is also the story of Dublin, the city itself is as much a character in the story as Farley and his companions. This book reminded me a lot of the saying that for most people "life happens to them" seemingly unawares and without choices on their part.
Not as enthralling a read as her Last Train from Liguria (brilliant book) but an interesting, if somewhat sad, read nonetheless.
Like most peoples his is a story of a simple life, an ordinary life but the book is also the story of Dublin, the city itself is as much a character in the story as Farley and his companions. This book reminded me a lot of the saying that for most people "life happens to them" seemingly unawares and without choices on their part.
Not as enthralling a read as her Last Train from Liguria (brilliant book) but an interesting, if somewhat sad, read nonetheless.
January 15, 2014
I liked this book from the start. I found the way that the story was told - in reverse, a really interesting concept and one which made you think about the book after you had finished reading it, piecing together the stories from the end back to the beginning. As each new story evolved, so the previous story made more sense and had more depth. I liked the narration and the protagonist and I really enjoyed parts of the book which I found beautifully written. The reason I have given a three (and if I could I would have given 3.5) is that in some parts the details became a bit too much, I found myself enjoying a story but feeling that I didn't need to know all the information involved and subsequently I skipped a few bits which I didn't think add anything to the development of the character or the plot line, this happened on just a few occasions, but I still enjoyed the book nonetheless.
September 28, 2018
I didn’t like this book much. There was no plot to speak of, just a series of life vignettes; telling the story in reverse removed any suspense; and the conclusion was far too obvious, although at least you can say the ending was not clichéd. Hickey has a flair for description and dialogue, but I didn’t get the sense of Dublin that the book flap promised, and her protagonist was pathetically dull – he didn’t do anything important, was lacking a sense of humour, and lived his entire life in a kind of morose stupor. Perhaps that’s the “everyman” impression the author was trying to convey, but it contained no redeeming moral or inspiration and read like a sleepy Irish soap opera. Most of the reviews here are very positive. I’m afraid that, for my taste, I can’t give it a passing grade.
August 4, 2015
For book reviews and more, please visit my book blog, The Book Stop
What a brilliant writer. I loved this book and its storyline. The idea of the main character going back through his life as he is laying, close to death, on his bathroom floor is brilliant. It was all wrapped up nicely and I liked the ending. Not so much a page turner for me but definitely a book I'd read again. The author makes you connect with each character and makes you feel like you're in the story too. Overall, I thought this book was a brilliant read and one that I would reccommend.
What a brilliant writer. I loved this book and its storyline. The idea of the main character going back through his life as he is laying, close to death, on his bathroom floor is brilliant. It was all wrapped up nicely and I liked the ending. Not so much a page turner for me but definitely a book I'd read again. The author makes you connect with each character and makes you feel like you're in the story too. Overall, I thought this book was a brilliant read and one that I would reccommend.
August 23, 2012
Beautifully written, it begins with the elderly Farley's fall on his bathroom floor and moves back through the years of his life. I adore the structure: nine chapters over eight decades, and with the story being told in reverse, the more you read, the more sense it makes. The detail is exceptional: I can see and hear every character in it. It is heartbreaking without ever being maudlin, and ultimately, as it comes full circle, redemptive. It's a privilege to be told Farley's story. I feel like I know and miss him.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews