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The Saint of Lost Things
>I had dreams once, but never for anything as extravagant as happiness. Still, Auntie Bell and me have fresh cream cakes every Saturday. They're sweet enough to take the edge off. I hope they're enough to get me through being outed as a fraud. Turns out, I'm more my missing mother's daughter than anyone first suspected.
There was a time when Lindy Morris escaped to London and walked along the Thames in the moonlight. When life was full and exciting.
Decades later, Lindy lives back with her Auntie Bell on the edge: on the edge of Donegal and on the edge of Granda Morris's land. Granda Morris is a complicated man, a farmer who wanted sons but got two daughters: Auntie Bell and Lindy's mother, who disappeared long ago.
Now, Lindy and Bell live the smallest of lives, in a cottage filled with unfulfilled dreams. But when the secrets they have kept for thirty years emerge, everything is rewritten. Will Lindy grasp who she is again?
There was a time when Lindy Morris escaped to London and walked along the Thames in the moonlight. When life was full and exciting.
Decades later, Lindy lives back with her Auntie Bell on the edge: on the edge of Donegal and on the edge of Granda Morris's land. Granda Morris is a complicated man, a farmer who wanted sons but got two daughters: Auntie Bell and Lindy's mother, who disappeared long ago.
Now, Lindy and Bell live the smallest of lives, in a cottage filled with unfulfilled dreams. But when the secrets they have kept for thirty years emerge, everything is rewritten. Will Lindy grasp who she is again?
441 pages, Hardcover
First published June 30, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 154 reviews
April 22, 2022
*3.5 stars*
“I had dreams once, but never for anything as extravagant as happiness. Still, Auntie Bell and me have fresh cream cakes every Saturday. They're sweet enough to take the edge off. I hope they're enough to get me through being outed as a fraud. Turns out, I'm more my missing mother's daughter than anyone first suspected”.
Lindy Morris and auntie Bell live on the outskirts of Granda Morris’s farmland in Ballyglen, Ireland, as far away from his own farmhouse as he could put them. He and uncle Malachi built the flimsy little bungalow as cheaply as possible, and filled it with nasty old furniture that was only fit to be thrown out, but Granda Morris says they’re lucky to get even that as he “hates the bloody fucking women”!
There was a time when Lindy managed to escape the confines of her miserable life, when she was training to be a nurse in London. There were friends and boozy nights out, moonlit walks beside the mighty Thames, the lights reflecting on the water, making it all look quite magical. But then she ended up back in Ballyglen, and decades later she’s still there.
Tish Delaney presents the minutiae of small lives in such an evocative way, that you can actually imagine you’re living that life. The Morris’s are a completely dysfunctional family, and this was a time (and a place) when the head of the family dictated your everyday life, particularly so for the women of the family, who weren’t allowed an opinion, they literally had no voice, and were way down in the pecking order.
I have to admit to feeling irritated by fact that Lindy returned to her life of misery and constraints, although of course this is my view looking at it from a different period in history, and coloured by the very opposite way in which I was raised myself. I have to accept the fact that this was just how it was in rural Ireland at that particular time - this was the norm. A man could be as cruel and as brutal as he wished, and no one ever questioned it! Though it’s quite a sad and depressing storyline, it did have some amusing moments to lighten the gloom, and was extremely well written.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
“I had dreams once, but never for anything as extravagant as happiness. Still, Auntie Bell and me have fresh cream cakes every Saturday. They're sweet enough to take the edge off. I hope they're enough to get me through being outed as a fraud. Turns out, I'm more my missing mother's daughter than anyone first suspected”.
Lindy Morris and auntie Bell live on the outskirts of Granda Morris’s farmland in Ballyglen, Ireland, as far away from his own farmhouse as he could put them. He and uncle Malachi built the flimsy little bungalow as cheaply as possible, and filled it with nasty old furniture that was only fit to be thrown out, but Granda Morris says they’re lucky to get even that as he “hates the bloody fucking women”!
There was a time when Lindy managed to escape the confines of her miserable life, when she was training to be a nurse in London. There were friends and boozy nights out, moonlit walks beside the mighty Thames, the lights reflecting on the water, making it all look quite magical. But then she ended up back in Ballyglen, and decades later she’s still there.
Tish Delaney presents the minutiae of small lives in such an evocative way, that you can actually imagine you’re living that life. The Morris’s are a completely dysfunctional family, and this was a time (and a place) when the head of the family dictated your everyday life, particularly so for the women of the family, who weren’t allowed an opinion, they literally had no voice, and were way down in the pecking order.
I have to admit to feeling irritated by fact that Lindy returned to her life of misery and constraints, although of course this is my view looking at it from a different period in history, and coloured by the very opposite way in which I was raised myself. I have to accept the fact that this was just how it was in rural Ireland at that particular time - this was the norm. A man could be as cruel and as brutal as he wished, and no one ever questioned it! Though it’s quite a sad and depressing storyline, it did have some amusing moments to lighten the gloom, and was extremely well written.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
July 16, 2022
EXCERPT: Auntie's job was to keep me under surveillance. I was not to break free again, once was enough. I was too much like my mother, who abandoned the mothering ship early; too much like my father, who we don't talk about. He's a traveller, not of the world, just the roads of Ireland, a king of the long acre. I've never heard his name, though he has plenty of labels. He's a gypsy, a tinker, a knacker, a pikey, and plenty worse besides. I heard all of them from Granda, so I was well-prepared for what I was to hear at school. It bounced off me, the abuse of amateurs. Granda doesn't have any truck with men who don't own land, who don't work it but who want to borrow it from time to time without paying their proper dues. It's not decent to use land when it's not going to be handed on.
One of the things that will make his fists form fast is the reality that I am his rightful heir. Indeed, I am his only heir, but I'm so tainted that he's had to make alternative arrangements. He's against anything of mixed blood - mongrels, Catholic and Protestant unions of any kind, Romany filth coming anywhere near a girl who was raised to be good. That I'm a bastard born under his roof is more than he can stomach. That he kept me and my mother is the single thing I have never been able to understand. His threat to put me and her out to the open road where we belonged was part of our daily bread.
ABOUT 'THE SAINT OF LOST THINGS': There was a time when Lindy Morris escaped to London and walked along the Thames in the moonlight. When life was full and exciting.
Decades later, Lindy lives back with her Auntie Bell on the edge: on the edge of Donegal and on the edge of Granda Morris's land. Granda Morris is a complicated man, a farmer who wanted sons but got two daughters: Auntie Bell and Lindy's mother, who disappeared long ago.
Now, Lindy and Bell live the smallest of lives, in a cottage filled with unfulfilled dreams. But when the secrets they have kept for thirty years emerge, everything is rewritten. Will Lindy grasp who she is again?
MY THOUGHTS: Raw and brutal, but with a beauty all its own.
These characters got inside my head. Lindy with her freaky-deaky smile - I just cracked up at her description of her antics in the supermarket - and a wicked sense of humour, one that I admired; and Bell, full of rage and resentment, are confined together in a cold and desolate house on the edge of a bog. Their detente is not at all cordial. They take what pleasure they can in rubbing one another up the wrong way. The one thing that they are united on is their fear of Granda. Quick with his fists and sharp with his tongue he never lets them forget.
Lindy is the 'wrong child' - in more ways than one. Granda punishes her for being alive, he punishes her for her dead mother's sins, he punishes her because he can. Lindy uses her times of incarceration in 'the Clinic' to spread a little fear of her own.
But Lindy has a secret, one she has managed to keep from Bell and Granda, and the 'wimmen' who come to visit each week. Mrs. Martha Kennedy who is kind; Mrs. Kitty Barr, a 'bitchy bitch'; and Mrs. Deirdre McCrossan who likes nothing better than to rake muck on people's lives and spread it about. The sole light shining in Lindy's miserable life is her friend Miriam, a happy, settled woman, with grandchildren who will occasionally distract Bell so that Lindy can get up to a little mischief.
She is resigned to her life until the Parish Priest, who enjoys a good chinwag with Lindy, makes a discovery . . . and nothing will ever be the same again.
The characterisation is superb, but if you're looking for a joyous read, this isn't it. It is beautiful, sad and bleak; tales of hopes dashed and crushed, but with perhaps a little redemption in the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#TheSaintofLostThings #NetGalley
I: #tishdelaney @randomhouseuk
T: @TishDelaney2 @HutchinsonBooks
#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #familysaga #historicalfiction #irishfiction #mentalhealth #sliceoflife #smalltownfiction
THE AUTHOR: Tish Delaney was born and brought up in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Like a lot of people of her generation, she left the sectarian violence behind by moving to England. After graduating from Manchester University, she moved to London and worked on various magazines and broadsheets as a reporter, reviewer and sub-editor. She left the Financial Times in 2014 to live in the Channel Islands to pursue her career as a writer.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Saint of Lost Things by Tish Delaney for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
One of the things that will make his fists form fast is the reality that I am his rightful heir. Indeed, I am his only heir, but I'm so tainted that he's had to make alternative arrangements. He's against anything of mixed blood - mongrels, Catholic and Protestant unions of any kind, Romany filth coming anywhere near a girl who was raised to be good. That I'm a bastard born under his roof is more than he can stomach. That he kept me and my mother is the single thing I have never been able to understand. His threat to put me and her out to the open road where we belonged was part of our daily bread.
ABOUT 'THE SAINT OF LOST THINGS': There was a time when Lindy Morris escaped to London and walked along the Thames in the moonlight. When life was full and exciting.
Decades later, Lindy lives back with her Auntie Bell on the edge: on the edge of Donegal and on the edge of Granda Morris's land. Granda Morris is a complicated man, a farmer who wanted sons but got two daughters: Auntie Bell and Lindy's mother, who disappeared long ago.
Now, Lindy and Bell live the smallest of lives, in a cottage filled with unfulfilled dreams. But when the secrets they have kept for thirty years emerge, everything is rewritten. Will Lindy grasp who she is again?
MY THOUGHTS: Raw and brutal, but with a beauty all its own.
These characters got inside my head. Lindy with her freaky-deaky smile - I just cracked up at her description of her antics in the supermarket - and a wicked sense of humour, one that I admired; and Bell, full of rage and resentment, are confined together in a cold and desolate house on the edge of a bog. Their detente is not at all cordial. They take what pleasure they can in rubbing one another up the wrong way. The one thing that they are united on is their fear of Granda. Quick with his fists and sharp with his tongue he never lets them forget.
Lindy is the 'wrong child' - in more ways than one. Granda punishes her for being alive, he punishes her for her dead mother's sins, he punishes her because he can. Lindy uses her times of incarceration in 'the Clinic' to spread a little fear of her own.
But Lindy has a secret, one she has managed to keep from Bell and Granda, and the 'wimmen' who come to visit each week. Mrs. Martha Kennedy who is kind; Mrs. Kitty Barr, a 'bitchy bitch'; and Mrs. Deirdre McCrossan who likes nothing better than to rake muck on people's lives and spread it about. The sole light shining in Lindy's miserable life is her friend Miriam, a happy, settled woman, with grandchildren who will occasionally distract Bell so that Lindy can get up to a little mischief.
She is resigned to her life until the Parish Priest, who enjoys a good chinwag with Lindy, makes a discovery . . . and nothing will ever be the same again.
The characterisation is superb, but if you're looking for a joyous read, this isn't it. It is beautiful, sad and bleak; tales of hopes dashed and crushed, but with perhaps a little redemption in the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#TheSaintofLostThings #NetGalley
I: #tishdelaney @randomhouseuk
T: @TishDelaney2 @HutchinsonBooks
#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #familysaga #historicalfiction #irishfiction #mentalhealth #sliceoflife #smalltownfiction
THE AUTHOR: Tish Delaney was born and brought up in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles. Like a lot of people of her generation, she left the sectarian violence behind by moving to England. After graduating from Manchester University, she moved to London and worked on various magazines and broadsheets as a reporter, reviewer and sub-editor. She left the Financial Times in 2014 to live in the Channel Islands to pursue her career as a writer.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Saint of Lost Things by Tish Delaney for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
April 25, 2022
3.5 rounded down.
In a meagre bungalow on the edge of a bog in Carnsore, West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Aunt Bell and Lindy, who describes herself as a fully grown coward, are confined there by Granda Morris for which Bell blames Lindy. They live on their nerves, engaged in a polite war, united in hatred, resentment and misery. Granda is hateful, harsh, as mean as a snake and fast on his feet and quick with his fist for 90. Lindy plots her escape, she tried it once but that failed for a very particular reason. Why is Lindy the object of so much condemnation and punishment?
Despite the unmitigated misery of her life, the tone which Lindy uses to tell her story and that of her mother is often darkly wry and at times, genuinely funny with some wonderful turns of phase. It's full of well portrayed characters who you can picture with their pursed lip judgements. There's a good air of mystery surrounding Babs, Lindy's mother and there are huge and well concealed secrets which emerge a bit at a time. Part of the story backtracks to London in 1984 when Lindy esacpes Northern Ireland to work as a nurse and the excitement and joy of the escape contrasts sharply with the starkness of her life.
The first half is not a happy tale and you do question why Lindy and Bell put up with so much especially Lindy who is punished for things that are none of her doing although few stand up for her. The second half is much better and the pace is quicker and I really enjoy the ending.
However, it's clearly not a joyful tale and I think it feels too long and would probably have been much more powerful if shorter in length. There is absolutely no doubt though that Tish Delaney is a writer of considerable talent.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publishers for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
In a meagre bungalow on the edge of a bog in Carnsore, West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Aunt Bell and Lindy, who describes herself as a fully grown coward, are confined there by Granda Morris for which Bell blames Lindy. They live on their nerves, engaged in a polite war, united in hatred, resentment and misery. Granda is hateful, harsh, as mean as a snake and fast on his feet and quick with his fist for 90. Lindy plots her escape, she tried it once but that failed for a very particular reason. Why is Lindy the object of so much condemnation and punishment?
Despite the unmitigated misery of her life, the tone which Lindy uses to tell her story and that of her mother is often darkly wry and at times, genuinely funny with some wonderful turns of phase. It's full of well portrayed characters who you can picture with their pursed lip judgements. There's a good air of mystery surrounding Babs, Lindy's mother and there are huge and well concealed secrets which emerge a bit at a time. Part of the story backtracks to London in 1984 when Lindy esacpes Northern Ireland to work as a nurse and the excitement and joy of the escape contrasts sharply with the starkness of her life.
The first half is not a happy tale and you do question why Lindy and Bell put up with so much especially Lindy who is punished for things that are none of her doing although few stand up for her. The second half is much better and the pace is quicker and I really enjoy the ending.
However, it's clearly not a joyful tale and I think it feels too long and would probably have been much more powerful if shorter in length. There is absolutely no doubt though that Tish Delaney is a writer of considerable talent.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publishers for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
April 24, 2022
“Farming this land is the only thing that keeps him alive. Not because he loves it but because he’s too much of a hateful fucker to die and leave it to his brother”
——————
ok so i wasn’t sure at first. i couldn’t see where it was going and because most of the characters were so mean and hideous i was thinking that perhaps this book wasn’t for me, or, that because BMAHB is one of my favourite books ever, I was possibly expecting *too* much?
WELL! i was wrong and i’m BEYOND pleased that i carried on despite my hesitations because the final 300 or so pages were absolutely bloody phenomenal, I am blown away.
this certainly is a tough read, our protagonist is emotionally and physically beaten down by her family and constantly told she is not ‘right’ and not enough. she never truly gets to take hold of her life, decisions are made for her and it’s tough to read about.
something that is very clear is that character development is Tish Delaney’s CRAFT. i don’t want to say too much, but i felt cathartic by the end.
also, love that the protagonist is 6ft (as am i - tall girls, UNITE 🤝), her musings of being tall were so relatable and funny.
finally, whilst incredibly depressing… this book is FUNNY. Tish Delaney’s wit is razor sharp, she somehow manages to lift entirely somber passages just by using short and relatively simple anecdotes which left me howlingggggg.
overall, despite my rocky start, i’ve landed on a 5 because the writing was exquisite, the character development second-to-none, the humour was brilliant and i just simply adored the ending. love love love !
——————
ok so i wasn’t sure at first. i couldn’t see where it was going and because most of the characters were so mean and hideous i was thinking that perhaps this book wasn’t for me, or, that because BMAHB is one of my favourite books ever, I was possibly expecting *too* much?
WELL! i was wrong and i’m BEYOND pleased that i carried on despite my hesitations because the final 300 or so pages were absolutely bloody phenomenal, I am blown away.
this certainly is a tough read, our protagonist is emotionally and physically beaten down by her family and constantly told she is not ‘right’ and not enough. she never truly gets to take hold of her life, decisions are made for her and it’s tough to read about.
something that is very clear is that character development is Tish Delaney’s CRAFT. i don’t want to say too much, but i felt cathartic by the end.
also, love that the protagonist is 6ft (as am i - tall girls, UNITE 🤝), her musings of being tall were so relatable and funny.
finally, whilst incredibly depressing… this book is FUNNY. Tish Delaney’s wit is razor sharp, she somehow manages to lift entirely somber passages just by using short and relatively simple anecdotes which left me howlingggggg.
overall, despite my rocky start, i’ve landed on a 5 because the writing was exquisite, the character development second-to-none, the humour was brilliant and i just simply adored the ending. love love love !
January 29, 2023
The Saint Of Lost Things
Tish Delaney
“No one can help you grieve, it’s a traditionally lonesome activity.”
In all honesty, I have a whole notebook of highlighted quotes from this wonderful new novel by Tish Delaney. It was hard to narrow down to only a few.
Tish Delaney is definitely a bookstagram inspired author, one I might not have read, but for this wonderful place. I read and adored Before My Actual Heart Breaks, so it was a no brainer to pick this one up. I can confidently say, Ms Delaney is now an auto-buy author and firm favourite.
Narrated flawlessly in duel timelines - In the present and 1980’s London. We follow Lindy Morris, now in her 50’s living in a remote village in Northern Ireland with her scornful Auntie Bell. They rely on their misogynistic and condescending Granda Morris for the roof over their heads and his unsolicited opinions. I wholeheartedly sympathised with Lindy - she was belittled and considered worthless her whole life. Invariably she battles her own self worth and self doubt. Through her authentic, flawed character, Lindy uses her “freaky deaky” smile, keen observations, sharp wit and sarcasm to narrate herself.
Through sadness and abandonment issues, we are also shown Lindy’s dark humorous side. Told through Irish colloquialisms and eccentric phrases, it will have you laughing out loud and crying in equal measures. Its evocative, lyrical prose and first person narrative of Lindy was written superbly - outstanding - I couldn’t help but adore her!
A devastating story of familial abuse, loss, redemption and hope. Exploring the strict structures of Catholicism, it highlights and champions the resilience of women in the face of misogyny and antiquated societal norms. This story will captivate your heart from the onset.
An absolute total five stars from me! And another truly spectacular piece of work from Tish Delaney
Tish Delaney
“No one can help you grieve, it’s a traditionally lonesome activity.”
In all honesty, I have a whole notebook of highlighted quotes from this wonderful new novel by Tish Delaney. It was hard to narrow down to only a few.
Tish Delaney is definitely a bookstagram inspired author, one I might not have read, but for this wonderful place. I read and adored Before My Actual Heart Breaks, so it was a no brainer to pick this one up. I can confidently say, Ms Delaney is now an auto-buy author and firm favourite.
Narrated flawlessly in duel timelines - In the present and 1980’s London. We follow Lindy Morris, now in her 50’s living in a remote village in Northern Ireland with her scornful Auntie Bell. They rely on their misogynistic and condescending Granda Morris for the roof over their heads and his unsolicited opinions. I wholeheartedly sympathised with Lindy - she was belittled and considered worthless her whole life. Invariably she battles her own self worth and self doubt. Through her authentic, flawed character, Lindy uses her “freaky deaky” smile, keen observations, sharp wit and sarcasm to narrate herself.
Through sadness and abandonment issues, we are also shown Lindy’s dark humorous side. Told through Irish colloquialisms and eccentric phrases, it will have you laughing out loud and crying in equal measures. Its evocative, lyrical prose and first person narrative of Lindy was written superbly - outstanding - I couldn’t help but adore her!
A devastating story of familial abuse, loss, redemption and hope. Exploring the strict structures of Catholicism, it highlights and champions the resilience of women in the face of misogyny and antiquated societal norms. This story will captivate your heart from the onset.
An absolute total five stars from me! And another truly spectacular piece of work from Tish Delaney
July 7, 2022
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get these characters out of my head, Lindy and Bell are absolutely incredible. This book is haunting, sad, desolate, and yet, it’s beautiful and inspiring too. There’s touches of humour throughout so that it isn’t all doom and gloom with the subject matter. This isn’t a book you read lightly, or even a happy read for the most part, nevertheless it’s an incredible read worth every second of your time. F*ck oppressive men and the women that suffer through the dominant male bullying bullcr*p. I feel liberated. I feel lucky to live in the time period (and country…. Looking at you America…) that I do where women don’t have to put up with this sh*t (I know some still do unfortunately). This is a story of generations of women who are repressed by the “strong man of the house” and how unmarried mothers with offspring were treated by society (and men).
Thank you to @hutchheinemann for sending me a copy of this gorgeous gorgeous book.
Thank you to @hutchheinemann for sending me a copy of this gorgeous gorgeous book.
March 22, 2023
What started off as a beautifully written story with a fine balance between humour and bleakness quickly turned farcical and mundane. I’m sure it’s probably me, as this seems to be a fairly popular and loved book, but after a while I just had to force myself to get through the repetitiveness and the added layers of complications and extra characters that just seemed to pile up on top of the plot until it was completely buried.
Was this a comedy or a drama? Was it a satire about rural Irish life or was it supposed to be a realistic depiction of society at large between the Republic and Northern Ireland? I found myself jumping from one end of these questions to the other and being unable to find a position that I as a reader could comfortably take. Also the depiction of self-harm and consequences of psychological abuse seemed inappropriate when mixed together with this much humour and tomfoolery.
I don’t know, I’m just confused. And not in a good way.
Was this a comedy or a drama? Was it a satire about rural Irish life or was it supposed to be a realistic depiction of society at large between the Republic and Northern Ireland? I found myself jumping from one end of these questions to the other and being unable to find a position that I as a reader could comfortably take. Also the depiction of self-harm and consequences of psychological abuse seemed inappropriate when mixed together with this much humour and tomfoolery.
I don’t know, I’m just confused. And not in a good way.
September 25, 2023
⭐️ 4 ⭐️
Oh, how I loved the story of Lindy Morris and her 'freaky, deaky’ smile.
I thoroughly enjoyed Before My Actual Breaks by Tish Delaney, so I was very excited to read The Saint of Lost Things. I wasn’t disappointed.
Beautifully written by Delaney, her prose is lyrical, almost poetic, and a total joy to read. The characterisation is wonderful, and I had a vivid image of Lindy and her supporting cast in my mind’s eye.
The Saint of Lost Things is an emotive read, and I certainly shed the odd tear, but I also laughed out loud at the dark humour that flows throughout. The ending was the cherry on the cake for me — just perfect!
A memorable book — Lindy Morris isn’t a character I’ll forget in a hurry.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Oh, how I loved the story of Lindy Morris and her 'freaky, deaky’ smile.
I thoroughly enjoyed Before My Actual Breaks by Tish Delaney, so I was very excited to read The Saint of Lost Things. I wasn’t disappointed.
Beautifully written by Delaney, her prose is lyrical, almost poetic, and a total joy to read. The characterisation is wonderful, and I had a vivid image of Lindy and her supporting cast in my mind’s eye.
The Saint of Lost Things is an emotive read, and I certainly shed the odd tear, but I also laughed out loud at the dark humour that flows throughout. The ending was the cherry on the cake for me — just perfect!
A memorable book — Lindy Morris isn’t a character I’ll forget in a hurry.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
March 13, 2024
Lindy Morris and her Auntie Bell live on the edge of Granda Morris’s land. A formidable man who has controlled the women in his family for years, through his fists and his tongue.
Once, a long time ago, Lindy thought she had escaped. Her dreams of being far, far away in the big city briefly came true before it all went horribly wrong. Now, back home, under Granda’s watchful eye once more, Lindy reflects and wonders what the future will ever bring..
A wonderfully Irish book, with the most compelling and evocative characters, yet with a heartbreakingly sad story interwoven throughout.
Tish Delaney does an amazing job of creating such a sense of authenticity that I defy anyone not to fall in love with Lindy.
It’s a bleak tale but an absolutely riveting one.
Once, a long time ago, Lindy thought she had escaped. Her dreams of being far, far away in the big city briefly came true before it all went horribly wrong. Now, back home, under Granda’s watchful eye once more, Lindy reflects and wonders what the future will ever bring..
A wonderfully Irish book, with the most compelling and evocative characters, yet with a heartbreakingly sad story interwoven throughout.
Tish Delaney does an amazing job of creating such a sense of authenticity that I defy anyone not to fall in love with Lindy.
It’s a bleak tale but an absolutely riveting one.
September 14, 2022
Tish Delaney's Northern Ireland is a harsh place. The weather is cold and wet, relationships are cold and unloving, lives are sad and underlived, and gossip and judgement are the order of the day. The greatest sin is to be an unwed mother.
I loved her first book 'Before My Actual Heart Breaks' so much that I instantly snapped up her second, The Saint of Lost Things. It has many of the same themes as the first, but follows an older woman whose life has held very few pleasures. Lindy is the illegitimate daughter of a farmer's daughter and a gypsy. To her Granda, a violent, bitter old man, the only thing worse than being a girl is having gypsy blood. When Lindy's mother dies, she's given over to the care of her mother's twin sister, Bell; a woman whose life has been one long series of disappointments.
Locals think Lindy's a bit simple. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. Brought up in an environment of hatred and prejudice, I'm not sure any of us would come out 'normal' - whatever that might mean. She lives a very small life with Aunt Bell - one that has far more frustration than pleasure. It wasn't always so. Back in her teens, Lindy got a passport (a British one - now that also REALLY upset Granda) and went to work in London in a hospital for people with severe mental health problems. Outside work, she discovered bars and drinks and fun but it didn't last for long.
The book feels as long as a cold night on the sofa with Aunt Bell watching talent shows, as long as a wet Ulster afternoon, as cold as the judgement of several generations of gossips. I can understand that many people will be put off and might not stay the course. I urge you to stick with it. I hope you'll find it's worth it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy. I loved it. I knew that I would.
I loved her first book 'Before My Actual Heart Breaks' so much that I instantly snapped up her second, The Saint of Lost Things. It has many of the same themes as the first, but follows an older woman whose life has held very few pleasures. Lindy is the illegitimate daughter of a farmer's daughter and a gypsy. To her Granda, a violent, bitter old man, the only thing worse than being a girl is having gypsy blood. When Lindy's mother dies, she's given over to the care of her mother's twin sister, Bell; a woman whose life has been one long series of disappointments.
Locals think Lindy's a bit simple. I'm not sure whether it's true or not. Brought up in an environment of hatred and prejudice, I'm not sure any of us would come out 'normal' - whatever that might mean. She lives a very small life with Aunt Bell - one that has far more frustration than pleasure. It wasn't always so. Back in her teens, Lindy got a passport (a British one - now that also REALLY upset Granda) and went to work in London in a hospital for people with severe mental health problems. Outside work, she discovered bars and drinks and fun but it didn't last for long.
The book feels as long as a cold night on the sofa with Aunt Bell watching talent shows, as long as a wet Ulster afternoon, as cold as the judgement of several generations of gossips. I can understand that many people will be put off and might not stay the course. I urge you to stick with it. I hope you'll find it's worth it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy. I loved it. I knew that I would.
April 18, 2022
As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot...
This was a "mixed bag" read for me, as overall I found it made me feel quite downcast.
The writing is excellent, evocative, descriptive, filled with touches of wry humour, and "pulls" feelings out of you. At the same time, parts of the book are purely brutal - but from what I can gather, seem to paint an accurate picture of how "unmarried mothers" and their unfortunate offspring were treated (and indeed may still be treated) in the UK and Ireland, even by their own families.
I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the way Lindy and Bell lived their very small lives - but at the same time I was baffled as to why anyone would put up with (let alone return to) such circumstances, when there were clearly avenues of escape available!
The story picks up a lot in the second half of the book. The overall feeling I had in the second half is how the past, and what we are told of the past, can entirely influence our view, shrouding the truth with evasions and white lies. Finding out the truth can give one courage to face the past, change the present, and look to the future. An optimistic ending.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.
This was a "mixed bag" read for me, as overall I found it made me feel quite downcast.
The writing is excellent, evocative, descriptive, filled with touches of wry humour, and "pulls" feelings out of you. At the same time, parts of the book are purely brutal - but from what I can gather, seem to paint an accurate picture of how "unmarried mothers" and their unfortunate offspring were treated (and indeed may still be treated) in the UK and Ireland, even by their own families.
I couldn't help but feel sympathy for the way Lindy and Bell lived their very small lives - but at the same time I was baffled as to why anyone would put up with (let alone return to) such circumstances, when there were clearly avenues of escape available!
The story picks up a lot in the second half of the book. The overall feeling I had in the second half is how the past, and what we are told of the past, can entirely influence our view, shrouding the truth with evasions and white lies. Finding out the truth can give one courage to face the past, change the present, and look to the future. An optimistic ending.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.
April 14, 2024
Ну… я опять пролистала конец книги, потому что ужасно скучно и невозможно это читать… я не знаю, почему мне все книги сейчас скучные и неинтересные и что мне надо читать, чтобы я дочитала, а недолистала
Мне не понравились герои, сам сюжет какой-то ну ни о чем, не люблю когда книги пишу в. формате «неделю назад он мне сказал, что пошел туда-то», мне просто сложно такое читать и сложно воспринимать кто кому что сказал
ну есть же диалоги 🥲🥲🥲😭😭😭😭
Мне не понравились герои, сам сюжет какой-то ну ни о чем, не люблю когда книги пишу в. формате «неделю назад он мне сказал, что пошел туда-то», мне просто сложно такое читать и сложно воспринимать кто кому что сказал
ну есть же диалоги 🥲🥲🥲😭😭😭😭
August 13, 2023
Strange but entertaining book about shitty families also props to the narrator your irish accent is DELECTABLE
February 28, 2025
Slightly slow start but picked up speed and then I was hooked. Listened to this as an audiobook so the lilting Northern Irish accents made it even better. Although it was full of sadness there was enough hope to get you through!
May 22, 2022
I loved everything about this book: the story (a family mystery), the writing (absolutely beautiful), the pace (both a slow burn and a page turner), the characters (mostly women, all complex and fascinating), the setting and narrative structure (present day Northern Ireland and flashbacks of 80s London). It's one of those I couldn't put down, yet made myself read as slow as possible because I didn't want it to end.
50something Lindy Morris has been resented by her family and cast aside her entire life for her unforgivable ‘flaws’: she was born out of wedlock, and the daughter of an Irish traveller. From her miserable childhood, and other events revealed later in the book, Lindy has developed both a few mental health issues and a solid sense of humour, which makes her a deliciously unreliable narrator through which Delaney explores the complexity of family dynamics, the Troubles and the weight of religion - particularly on women.
While the book starts slow, the plot quickly develops suspense and hints that Lindy’s family story is much more complicated than we (and she) initially thought. I loved the back and forth stories of Lindy in rural N. Ireland and her time as a nurse in London, loaded with clues that only become apparent as Lindy’s past is slowly revealed. Delaney has a knack for making the various settings feel incredibly familiar, whether it’s the wild beauty of the surrounding forest or the local women who call in weekly for oppressive gossip.
Despite the heavy themes and Lindy's sad past, the book never delves into sordid details - which I really appreciated as a reader who avoids heavy trauma books. Instead the story finds humour in the most unexpected moments and revolves around fully realised characters. I especially loved the complicated dynamics between Lindy and her aunt Bell; their evolving relationship is portrayed in a nuanced, really beautiful way, and without getting into spoilers the final chapters made my heart swell.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy; I can't wait to get my own hard copy to re-read and lend to friends.
50something Lindy Morris has been resented by her family and cast aside her entire life for her unforgivable ‘flaws’: she was born out of wedlock, and the daughter of an Irish traveller. From her miserable childhood, and other events revealed later in the book, Lindy has developed both a few mental health issues and a solid sense of humour, which makes her a deliciously unreliable narrator through which Delaney explores the complexity of family dynamics, the Troubles and the weight of religion - particularly on women.
While the book starts slow, the plot quickly develops suspense and hints that Lindy’s family story is much more complicated than we (and she) initially thought. I loved the back and forth stories of Lindy in rural N. Ireland and her time as a nurse in London, loaded with clues that only become apparent as Lindy’s past is slowly revealed. Delaney has a knack for making the various settings feel incredibly familiar, whether it’s the wild beauty of the surrounding forest or the local women who call in weekly for oppressive gossip.
Despite the heavy themes and Lindy's sad past, the book never delves into sordid details - which I really appreciated as a reader who avoids heavy trauma books. Instead the story finds humour in the most unexpected moments and revolves around fully realised characters. I especially loved the complicated dynamics between Lindy and her aunt Bell; their evolving relationship is portrayed in a nuanced, really beautiful way, and without getting into spoilers the final chapters made my heart swell.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy; I can't wait to get my own hard copy to re-read and lend to friends.
June 1, 2022
The Saint of Lost Things by Tish Delaney
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lindy Morris and auntie Bell live on the boggy outskirts of Granda Morris’s farmland in Ballyglen, County Tyrone, as far away from his farmhouse as he could put them. He and uncle Malachi built the flimsy little bungalow as cheaply as possible and filled it with furniture that was only fit for throwing out. Still, in Granda Morris’ opinion, they’re lucky to get even that sure he hates the “wimmin”.
This downtrodden pair live on their nerves, engaged in a polite war, united in hatred, resentment and misery. Why is Lindy the object of so much condemnation and punishment? We learn early on that Lindy is the unfortunate offspring of her unmarried mother and an Irish Traveler father, and for this, her grandparents cannot forgive her. But, there’s much more to this story of woe.
There was a time when Lindy managed to escape the confines of this miserable life. When she turned 18, she obtained a passport and headed to London with her best friend to work as a nursing auxiliary. Lindy expected life to be magical, filled with friends, boozy nights out, and best of all, no nosey neighbours to pass comment back to Granda. But then she ended up back in Ballyglen, and decades later, she’s still there, paying for her perceived sins.
Delaney paints the lives of these women, particularly Lindy’s, in such an evocative way that you can easily imagine you’re living that life. The Morris’s are, to put it mildly, a dysfunctional family, stuck in a time when the head of the family dictated your everyday life, keeping up appearances and the family name in good standing was paramount.
While the pace starts slow, the plot develops quickly into suspense, and hints abound that Lindy’s family story is much more complicated than we (and she) initially thought. The back and forth stories of Lindy in rural Ireland and her time as a nurse in London are evocatively developed as Lindy’s past is slowly revealed.
Despite the rather heavy, depressing storyline, there were amusing moments aplenty to lighten the gloom. The novel was beautifully constructed, exploring the complexity of family dynamics, the Troubles, societal stigmas, mental health and much more.
Delaney is an astute storyteller of considerable talent.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for this ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lindy Morris and auntie Bell live on the boggy outskirts of Granda Morris’s farmland in Ballyglen, County Tyrone, as far away from his farmhouse as he could put them. He and uncle Malachi built the flimsy little bungalow as cheaply as possible and filled it with furniture that was only fit for throwing out. Still, in Granda Morris’ opinion, they’re lucky to get even that sure he hates the “wimmin”.
This downtrodden pair live on their nerves, engaged in a polite war, united in hatred, resentment and misery. Why is Lindy the object of so much condemnation and punishment? We learn early on that Lindy is the unfortunate offspring of her unmarried mother and an Irish Traveler father, and for this, her grandparents cannot forgive her. But, there’s much more to this story of woe.
There was a time when Lindy managed to escape the confines of this miserable life. When she turned 18, she obtained a passport and headed to London with her best friend to work as a nursing auxiliary. Lindy expected life to be magical, filled with friends, boozy nights out, and best of all, no nosey neighbours to pass comment back to Granda. But then she ended up back in Ballyglen, and decades later, she’s still there, paying for her perceived sins.
Delaney paints the lives of these women, particularly Lindy’s, in such an evocative way that you can easily imagine you’re living that life. The Morris’s are, to put it mildly, a dysfunctional family, stuck in a time when the head of the family dictated your everyday life, keeping up appearances and the family name in good standing was paramount.
While the pace starts slow, the plot develops quickly into suspense, and hints abound that Lindy’s family story is much more complicated than we (and she) initially thought. The back and forth stories of Lindy in rural Ireland and her time as a nurse in London are evocatively developed as Lindy’s past is slowly revealed.
Despite the rather heavy, depressing storyline, there were amusing moments aplenty to lighten the gloom. The novel was beautifully constructed, exploring the complexity of family dynamics, the Troubles, societal stigmas, mental health and much more.
Delaney is an astute storyteller of considerable talent.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann, for this ARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
July 15, 2023
Set on a farm in a place called Carnsore near a small town in the north west of Donegal, this book centres around the unhappy Morris family headed by the stern uncompromising and cruel patriarch ‘Granda’. The main character, and narrator, is his grand daughter Lindy who, from the outset, is an oddity of sorts with mental issues living on a remote bungalow on the outskirts of the farm with her aunt Bell. They are consigned to this bleak out-spot of the farm and isolated from the (heartless) hearth of the family at the old farmhouse. The book is divided into six sections jumping from Carnsore to London and spans a time frame roughly running from the 1960s to the early 2000s. It is a tick box of some key issues of Ireland of those times - Catholicism, moral rigidity, emigration, land, London, unmarried mothers, Travellers, priests, even tea and biscuits, and the pop music of the 80s. There is betrayal, death, grief, abandonment and shame. Despite the fact that the book is published by Penguin there are typos which is something that always annoys me. I found the characters a bit one dimensional - in particular ‘Granda’ who has no redeeming characteristics and to whom we are offered no insights into why he is such a despicable person, focused as he is on land and sons (or lack of). There is also some suicidality and self-harm - although I’m not sure that ‘cutting’ was in vogue during the time-frame that’s covered. The opening paragraph features a stone that has been worn down and hollowed out over the space of thirty three years by water dripping. Does stone erosion happen this quickly? Overall I found the book bleak and slightly torturous and whilst it may be interesting for people unfamiliar with the Ireland of those years, it was not my cup of tea. Too much unreal reality with generally unpleasant and unlikeable characters. The kind African priest, the honest Traveller man, and the chirpy Jamaican (?) nurse come out best with a few of the local women in the Carnsore area also having some likeable aspects to themselves. The writer certainly has skills as a writer but this book was just too doused in darkness for me.
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February 18, 2024First DNF of the year, my first DNF ever. After 100 pages... this isn't for me.
April 30, 2022
Without repeating what you will learn by reading the book description, the central story of this book has been told many many times. However, without giving too much away I would say that there some extra depth and dimension to this telling of the story. It is really a story of 2 generations of repressed mothers/daughters and the old fashioned notion of a dominant bullying male head of a family. It also throws in racist attitudes and discrimination against travellers and some very outdated views on women and family rifts due to land/farming. Although the book is set in the present (and goes back in time), it feels like it is set maybe in the 1970s. I found this a bit irritating as it’s not an Ireland I can relate too, even though I’m only about 10 years younger than Lindy, the central character.
The book is very well written and descriptive and it was easy to visualise and immerse yourself into the book. However, the book suffered from being a bit long and the pace of the book is very slow for the first half.
The book is very atmospheric, although it definitely doesn’t have a feel good factor to it. The central character Lindy suffered a lot in her life but I was a bit fustrated she didn’t stand up for herself more. She finally finds the courage to make her own decisions as the book progresses but it is a very drawn out process. There’s not one family member in this book with any likeable characteristics in my opinion.
The ending is a bit predictable but satisfactory.
The book is very well written and descriptive and it was easy to visualise and immerse yourself into the book. However, the book suffered from being a bit long and the pace of the book is very slow for the first half.
The book is very atmospheric, although it definitely doesn’t have a feel good factor to it. The central character Lindy suffered a lot in her life but I was a bit fustrated she didn’t stand up for herself more. She finally finds the courage to make her own decisions as the book progresses but it is a very drawn out process. There’s not one family member in this book with any likeable characteristics in my opinion.
The ending is a bit predictable but satisfactory.
May 18, 2022
A difficult book to review with a cast of mainly unlikeable characters. Lindy and her aunt Bell have been banished to a tiny cottage by her grandfather for whom all women are on the whole a waste of space unless of course they produce a male heir. I’m not sure I’ve met a character as ‘evil’ as Granda Morris and was initially couldn’t understand how Lindy let so much happen to her. The book deals with their everyday life but also the history of how Lindy ended up in this position. The writing and description in this book is at times beautiful especially as it deals with the small things and pleasures of life and it is not without humour to lighten an otherwise dark subject. A book about loss and grief, mothers and their children, prejudice but also friendship with a mystery at its heart. I found the start of the book rather slow especially when I really couldn’t see where the story was going but the end of the book had me captivated. Thank you NetGalley , the publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in return for a honest review.
April 17, 2022
A troubling read about a seriously dysfunctional family . I found the story to be baffling at first as to why Lindy lived as she did and I almost gave up reading as her whole predicament irritated me. I stuck it out to the end as I had too many unanswered questions to put it down but I can’t say it was my favourite book of the year. That said, it’s very well written and you can visualise the sadness and dreariness of her situation.
September 20, 2022
Not for me.
I hate it when I choose a book and discover that the blurb gives an outstanding view of what the book is going to be and then start reading and just know within the few pages that it’s not going to be to my taste.
I’m glad to see on NetGalley that I’m in the minority. Lots of reviewers loved the writing and I apologise if my tastes differ so much from others.
Elite Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
I hate it when I choose a book and discover that the blurb gives an outstanding view of what the book is going to be and then start reading and just know within the few pages that it’s not going to be to my taste.
I’m glad to see on NetGalley that I’m in the minority. Lots of reviewers loved the writing and I apologise if my tastes differ so much from others.
Elite Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
May 22, 2024
Like the story and the style of writing but two major issues that stopped me really enjoying: over writing (repeating the same ideas or going into too much detail about insignificant things) and underlying concept that the main character has been stuck for decades in that situation. Right at the beginning she seems pretty rebellious so like... Why not just leave? She should have been more downtrodden and had a gradual unfurling imo.
September 23, 2023
Enjoyed this book, very real, raw and down to earth. First time I’ve read a book by this author and I will definitely read more from her. Although it was an enjoyable read it’s not a book that I will remember for years to come.
July 5, 2022
I got lost reading this book and not in a good way. I feel the writing of this to be boring and bleak. This book actually made me feel slightly depressed.
July 21, 2022
"I had dreams once, but never for anything as extravagant as happiness."
This one is a 3.5 stars from me.
Lindy and auntie Bell are outcast to the furthest outskirts of Granda Morris's beloved Southfork estate. Lindy, now in her fifties, had a life once. Once upon a time, she managed to be like her mother and grab life by its horns for a chance to escape the Morrises toxic family dynamics. But Lindy returns to Ballyglen, Ireland, after what happened in London and remained ever since until the past came down calling. For so many reasons, Lindy was always the Wrong Child. She was the wrong sex and came from the wrong father and Granda Morris never let her forget that. She wasn't allowed to live like an ordinary child. She wasn't even allowed to grieve for her dead mother. So she carried on, a bundle of grief and shame.
"Grief is a room. Someone helpful told me that at the Clinic. we think we can escape it. We've locked it and walked away a hundred times, a thousand times, but the slightest nudge will have the door springing open and try as we might we still have to walk through it, The dark inside it beckons. Its ceilings are high and the walls are miles apart and the feel of it never changes. Its detail never fades, the edges only ever get sharper, the air thicker and harder to breathe."
To be honest I had a hard time getting into the book at the beginning. It was an unforgiving introduction to life in rural Ireland. Maybe this was done on purpose. But the emphasis on the dysfunctional family atmosphere instead of the characters made it difficult for me as a reader. In the first twenty pages or so I had to do a lot of guesswork about Lindy since I was swamped with minutiae of her life. There was a huge lump of literature before the narrative moved to 18-year-old Lindy and the story started to take shape. The chapters became mostly shorter and the time shifts were better paced.
To the author's credit, this book reminded me a lot of Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller, a book I very much loved. Despite being a literary fiction, the writing wasn't in any way pretentious. The wording befits a woman in rural Ireland trying to make the days goes by with minimal friction with the belligerent family patriarch. Here's a gem of writing (if you've been following my reviews enough, you'd know how much I love to share these lines that strike my insides):
"How does a woman who gives up a baby look? Just like a woman but with a chunk missing, a wound that no one can see, a wound that never heals but rots and leaves its poison in every corner you turn your face to."
So you see, the language isn't lofty, but practical. I just wished the plot was just as practical and didn't hang onto as many descriptive passages as it did.
Many thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone, Hutchinson Heinemann and NetGalley for my eARC.
July 8, 2022
Having enjoyed Tish Delaney’s debut novel last year, I was intrigued enough to give this new one a go. As with Before My Actual Heart Breaks, Delaney plays to her strengths here: haunting and lovely descriptions of her settings (in this case primarily rural Northern Ireland between the 60s and the recent present) and complicated female characters traumatised by the rigorous restrictions imposed upon their lives by the horrible patriarchal and Catholic structures of their society. The themes here are somewhat similar as in her first novel, with unwed motherhood and familial abuse playing a central part, but the overall tone is a lot darker, as the main character, Lindy, seems inescapably trapped in a never-ending cycle of abuse and emotional trauma. There are a few pockets of lightness and joy – I enjoyed the few friendships Lindy manages to forge along the way, along with her brief and riotous escape to London in the 1980s – but an uplifting story this is not, with multiple generations of the same family succumbing to decades-long misogynist misery imposed by their dreadful patriarch.
The book is saved from unrelenting misery by Lindy’s voice, which despite her dreary life is marked by a certain wicked humour (by necessity often skewing quite dark) and self-irony; no matter how grim things got, I quite enjoyed her POV. The non-linear structure was initially confusing, as the first part goes on for quite a while, teasing and hinting at reveals that take a long time to materialise. There’s more momentum in the 1980s storyline and I wish it had come into play sooner; with the structure being as it is, it automatically forestalls any real hope for the younger Lindy, as you already know her current situation.
In a nutshell: Accomplished, authentic, atmospheric, but hella bleak.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The book is saved from unrelenting misery by Lindy’s voice, which despite her dreary life is marked by a certain wicked humour (by necessity often skewing quite dark) and self-irony; no matter how grim things got, I quite enjoyed her POV. The non-linear structure was initially confusing, as the first part goes on for quite a while, teasing and hinting at reveals that take a long time to materialise. There’s more momentum in the 1980s storyline and I wish it had come into play sooner; with the structure being as it is, it automatically forestalls any real hope for the younger Lindy, as you already know her current situation.
In a nutshell: Accomplished, authentic, atmospheric, but hella bleak.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
July 8, 2022
After reading Delaney’s
Before My Actual Heart Breaks
, I considered her marvel. The raw emotion and trauma she depicted was something I remembered and carried with me for a while. Her evocative insight into the expectations set upon those born into devout Northern Irish families was acute, and I was looking forward to seeing what she’d bring forth next.
The Saint of Lost Things brings us back to all of these things, and definitely not with a softer hand. Lindy, born out of wedlock, lives with her aunt on her grandfather’s farm. He builds them a home at the furthest possible point from his own, as women cannot be trusted, will cause irritation, and are, as we will see, an embarrassment to him.
Throughout the novel we navigate Lindy’s complex family dynamic, and so very slowly, at the speed of a delectable dribble, we come to understand the reason for the varying emotions amongst them. Complex probably isn’t enough of a word - there are so many layers of historical regret, pain, guilt and hatred to work through - Lindy has been condemned her entire life.
Delaney’s characters have been perfectly carved. Entirely flawed, completely relatable, and utterly utterly recognisable, they augment the plot with incredible life. Whilst they behave in predictable ways based on how we’ve come to view them, we also see them take action entirely beyond anything we expected. It’s just life; it’s just people. I adored them all for their realities.
And despite the almost unrelenting bleakness and misery Delaney presents us with here, there is real joy in these pages. As Lindy narrates the turmoils of her life, we see a witty and sarcastic woman before us. Yes, she’s imprisoned in a life she didn’t choose, but by god she makes us love her for her story.
Another triumph here to solidify my reckoning that Delaney is a master at her craft. Everything delicately placed, everything perfectly true. I adored this book.
The Saint of Lost Things brings us back to all of these things, and definitely not with a softer hand. Lindy, born out of wedlock, lives with her aunt on her grandfather’s farm. He builds them a home at the furthest possible point from his own, as women cannot be trusted, will cause irritation, and are, as we will see, an embarrassment to him.
Throughout the novel we navigate Lindy’s complex family dynamic, and so very slowly, at the speed of a delectable dribble, we come to understand the reason for the varying emotions amongst them. Complex probably isn’t enough of a word - there are so many layers of historical regret, pain, guilt and hatred to work through - Lindy has been condemned her entire life.
Delaney’s characters have been perfectly carved. Entirely flawed, completely relatable, and utterly utterly recognisable, they augment the plot with incredible life. Whilst they behave in predictable ways based on how we’ve come to view them, we also see them take action entirely beyond anything we expected. It’s just life; it’s just people. I adored them all for their realities.
And despite the almost unrelenting bleakness and misery Delaney presents us with here, there is real joy in these pages. As Lindy narrates the turmoils of her life, we see a witty and sarcastic woman before us. Yes, she’s imprisoned in a life she didn’t choose, but by god she makes us love her for her story.
Another triumph here to solidify my reckoning that Delaney is a master at her craft. Everything delicately placed, everything perfectly true. I adored this book.
April 5, 2023
This is one of the saddest novels I have ever read, with one of the most uplifting endings.
It’s all too easy to think that the sort of lifestyle described - in which one man can have total power over his female relatives - disappeared with the 19th century, but, of course, that’s not true.
In The Saint of Lost Things we meet Lindy, an illegitimate child in small town Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s, who adores her mother, despises her Aunt, and loathes her Granda Morris.
She flees her unhappy home life for the big lights of London as soon as she can, and enjoys work as a nursing assistant. Her freedom is short-lived as her mental health falls apart after she is impregnated by a Catholic priest, worn down by the “care” in a home for unmarried mothers, and persuaded to give her son up for adoption.
She feels she has no option but to return home, and Granda Morris builds a horrible bungalow in which he all but imprisons her with her Aunt Belinda, whom she still despises.
It takes her till she’s 52 years old to find hope blossoming through her low self-esteem. A good female friend, a genuinely good Catholic priest, and a new perspective on her Aunt bring improve Lindy’s sense of opportunity, and we see her set out to find both her son and her father.
I hope it’s a helpful spoiler to say that 52 years old is not too late for Lindy. I’m saying that because I would have appreciated knowing that when I was about half way through this beautifully-crafted novel. My heart ached with longing for her and her Aunt to find some joy in their lives.
A difficult read because, deep down, we know there are downtrodden people like Lindy in the world, but a hopeful read because she finds her way in the end.
Would definitely recommend this book. It’s a five-star read. Just make sure you are braced for the impact.
Three Word Review: Hope springs eternal.
It’s all too easy to think that the sort of lifestyle described - in which one man can have total power over his female relatives - disappeared with the 19th century, but, of course, that’s not true.
In The Saint of Lost Things we meet Lindy, an illegitimate child in small town Northern Ireland in the 70s and 80s, who adores her mother, despises her Aunt, and loathes her Granda Morris.
She flees her unhappy home life for the big lights of London as soon as she can, and enjoys work as a nursing assistant. Her freedom is short-lived as her mental health falls apart after she is impregnated by a Catholic priest, worn down by the “care” in a home for unmarried mothers, and persuaded to give her son up for adoption.
She feels she has no option but to return home, and Granda Morris builds a horrible bungalow in which he all but imprisons her with her Aunt Belinda, whom she still despises.
It takes her till she’s 52 years old to find hope blossoming through her low self-esteem. A good female friend, a genuinely good Catholic priest, and a new perspective on her Aunt bring improve Lindy’s sense of opportunity, and we see her set out to find both her son and her father.
I hope it’s a helpful spoiler to say that 52 years old is not too late for Lindy. I’m saying that because I would have appreciated knowing that when I was about half way through this beautifully-crafted novel. My heart ached with longing for her and her Aunt to find some joy in their lives.
A difficult read because, deep down, we know there are downtrodden people like Lindy in the world, but a hopeful read because she finds her way in the end.
Would definitely recommend this book. It’s a five-star read. Just make sure you are braced for the impact.
Three Word Review: Hope springs eternal.
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