The Maker of Swans

by Paraic O'Donnell

A New York Times BEST BOOK OF THE SUMMER 


A CrimeReads & Book and Film Globe BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR



A Tor.com BEST BOOK OF JUNE 


 “Truly bewitching.” —David Mitchell


It is no small matter, after all, to create something—to make it so only by setting down the words. We forget the magnitude, sometimes, of that miracle. 


In the dead of night, shots ring out over the grounds of a sprawling English estate. The world-weary butler Eustace recognizes the gunman—his longtime employer, Mr. Crowe—and knows he must think and act quickly. Who is the man lying dead on the lawn? Who is the woman in his company? Can he clean up his master’s mess like he always has before? Or will this bring a new kind of reckoning? 


Mr. Crowe was once famed for his gifts—unaccountable gifts, known only to the members of a secretive order. Protected and privileged, he was courted by countesses and great men of letters. But he has long since retreated from that glittering world, living alone but for Eustace and Clara, his mysterious young ward. He has been content to live quietly, his great library gathering dust and his once magnificent gardens growing wild. He has left the past behind. Until now. 


Because there are rules, even for Mr. Crowe and his kind, that cannot be broken. And this single night of passion and violence will have consequences, stirring shadows from the past and threatening those he now cares for. He and the faithful Eustace will be tested as never before. So too will Clara, whose own extraordinary gifts remain hidden, even from herself. If she is to save them all, she must learn to use them quickly and unlock the secret of who she is. 


It is a secret beyond imagining. A secret that will change everything.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery, Gothic, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 11, 2016

About the author

Paraic O’Donnell's first novel, The Maker of Swans, was named the Amazon Rising Stars Debut of the Month for February 2016, and was shortlisted for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in the Newcomer of the Year category.

Praise for The Maker of Swans

‘Lavishly entertaining…strange and captivating.’

– The Independent

‘At its best, the prose is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision…O’Donnell is clearly a major talent.’

– The Guardian

‘A vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy.’

– Financial Times

‘Ambitious and original.’

– The Irish Times

‘Extraordinarily readable…almost cinematic.’

– Irish Independent

‘There’s sufficient invention and engaging strangeness to keep the reader enfolded, though it is O’Donnell’s arresting descriptions of the natural world that are likely to live longest in the mind.’

– Daily Mail

‘A dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words.’

– Sunday Express

‘A powerful thriller.’

– Vogue

‘An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art.’

– The Bookseller

‘Compulsive reading…rich, strange, beautiful.’

– Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk

‘I devoured this book, and it kept me guessing right to the very end. Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while.’

– Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us

‘Combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity…a mesmerising book whose prose absolutely soars.’

– Sandra Newman, author of The Country of Ice Cream Star

‘Exquisite.’

– Liz Nugent, author of Unravelling Oliver

‘Dazzlingly inventive.’

– Jane Casey

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

One of those litfic fantasy novels where there's so much Beautiful Prose that you never actually find out what's going on. You say atmosphere of numinous mystery, I say a sphinx without a secret.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am madly in love with this book. It is strange and wonderful, mad and compelling and the writing is absolutely utterly divine.

This is a story about Mr Crowe, about his ward Clara and at its heart it is about the beauty and power of language, given a little twist and a touch of whimsy and written with a fine eye for capturing the reader and enthralling absolutely.

A tale of two halves, in a way it is the imperfections which make it perfect – not all questions are answered, not everything needs to be known, The Maker of Swans has a rich, gothic feel and a deeply delicious story seen mostly through the eyes of a third. Mr Crowe and Clara are both intensely engaging characters and Paraic O’Donnell has created a brilliantly imaginative mythology.

It is actually quite a difficult one to review – not only because I do not want to give anything away, but because it has its own rhythm and sense of feeling, it rewards you in unexpected ways and at unexpected times. I can see that it won’t be for everyone (mind you which book would be?) but for me it was enchanting, different and fascinating – this is one of those times that I was as much enjoying how the words fell off the page as I was the story they were telling. Which I guess is an odd way of putting it but hopefully will make a kind of sense.

With a positively ingenious ending and a wonderful way with words, Paraic O’Donnell has written a novel which is highly likely to be in my top ten of the year even though we are only in January. Sometimes you just know.

Highly Recommended.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr Crowe is a man with a mysterious (now mostly unused) talent. When his butler Eustace is awakened by gunshots, it seems that the talent has resurfaced. It is up to Eustace to clean up the mess that Crowe has made, including protecting Crowe and his mute young ward Clara from impending dangers. The book is more about Eustace and Clara than it is about Crowe. Fortunately, they are both interesting characters. Eustace’s dialogue was particularly sharp.

I really liked the gothic atmosphere of this beautifully written fantasy novel. What I didn’t like so much is that the “talent” is so vaguely described that I don’t really know what it was, just that it had something to do with the power of literature. The backstories were also vaguely described, and told in an intentionally fragmented manner. Don’t expect any tidy summations from this book. 3.5 stars which I am rounding up because I liked the general feel of the book.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher. Each of the narrators, Mike Grady and Imogen Wilde, did a fine job.

[Constantine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction + Magical Realism

Clara is a mute girl living in her own quiet world under the care of Mr. Crowe and his very faithful servant, Eustace. Mr. Crowe as Clara’s guardian provides her all that she needs especially books that are added to his huge library. Once other characters enter their lives things change substantially. I find the plot hard to explain as it is complex and involves so many genres and elements like mystery, magical realism, murder, and kidnapping.

This is one of those books that I find very difficult to rate and review. I’m quite conflicted about the pros and cons of the story. On one side I find the writing to be beautiful despite the excessive use of prose and on the other side, I feel the story is confusing and there are many questions left unanswered. If you enjoy flowery writing this one might appeal to you provided you are OK with the convoluted and lack of a defined plot. For a debut novel, I think the author did a good job despite some of the drawbacks hence I’m keeping my rating positive.

[Adrian at Bookshelfdiscovery · Rating 2 out of 5]

Could not get into this at all, never engaged me. The prose is so overdone at times - at one stage Eustace goes to get a bottle of wine from the cellar and it must take three pages of overblown prose and endless ruminations before he finds it. You just long for some of the characters to get to the point. I kept reading because I wanted to find out more about these mysterious gifts that some of the characters have but by the end I didn't really care.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderfully strange novel written gorgeously. I do think the clarity of the story gets a bit lost in the writing at times and the ending felt rushed and confusing, but for a first novel, this is really something.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Maker of Swans is an unusual novel, set in an other worldly place of this earth, yet not. With people of our knowing, yet not. The world has been created from ours and populated with beings like us as well as some who are definitely other. It reminds me of the world building of Jonathan Strange and Mister Norrell…except that this world feels incomplete which leaves gaps in our knowledge, but left a novel I enjoyed.

Mr. Crowe, Eustace and the mute child, Clara, live together at a large English estate in a seemingly perfect existence until one incident begins to undo their idyllic world. There are hints that Mr. Crowe has been leading a less than perfect life, as we know he courts beauties frequently. What he “does” we don’t know, but there is an aura of mystery about him and his household, that he performed marvelous things in the past.

We are often in the mind of Clara, tuned in to the world around her … the flora and fauna. She loses herself in it at times. She absorbs everything she reads and communicates through writing. Who is she?

There are gothic tones and magical moments throughout this novel. The weakest area is the narrative thread….where does it lead? I wonder if that is a weakness or intentional. I have my own thoughts for The Who and What of Crowe and Clara, the very essence of world-building itself. And I enjoyed the mystery, the prose, the emotional involvement of this book. Perhaps not entirely successful, but a good read!

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story wasn't what I was expecting and I'm finding it difficult writing a review of it. I think it's an debut and the writing was surprisingly good. It's quite an different novel and I would definitely pick something else up by Paraic O'Donnell

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel begins with the sound of gunshots. Eustace, faithful servant of Mr Crowe is awakened to find his employer arguing outside his country estate. There is a young woman involved – a beautiful actress named Arabella – whose admirer now lies dead in the drive. This action is at the heart of the novel, as it brings Mr Crowe to the attention of Dr Chastern and his sinister assistant, Nazaire.

As the story unfolds, we gradually learn of the elusive Mr Crowe. Crowe belongs to an Order, for he and his kind. However, despite his powers, he has to answer to Dr Chastern, who has power over the members of this elusive Order. Now, with the murder of a young man, Mr Crowe has brought unwanted attention to himself.

This novel is full of fantasy and Gothic atmosphere. You have the huge, rambling house and grounds. Mr Crowe has a young ward, a mute girl named Clara, who roams her realm with confidence. She is closest to Eustace and delights in leaving him stories to enchant him. However, with Dr Chastern comes change and it remains to be seen whether the measures Eustace puts in place will protect the inhabitants of this house and the people he tries his best to care for.

There are two parts to this novel and I will admit that I enjoyed the first part more than the second. However, this was an interesting read, with great atmosphere and good characters. I cared what happened to them and enjoyed discovering their history. Certainly, I would like to read more by this author; this is a self assured debut with beautiful, atmospheric writing.

[Mads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still have so many questions...

Maker of Swans had writing that was often very beautiful (though it frequently veered toward purple prose), and that is why my review is 3 stars and not 2 (for now). In order for me to explain this book, I would need to constantly use the words "I think..." or "I presume based on..." because a great deal of the story's quirks were never actually addressed.

O'Donnell has constructed a complex, supernatural gift for some of his characters. He has clearly thought up how these people have blended or existed in the world as we know it for hundreds of years ... but we honestly never figure out what exactly this gift is, let alone any history or detail. It is implied toward the end, (mostly through Clara, rather than Mr Crowe) and just as I started to weave what few threads I could gather, the story had an odd and abrupt ending. There was a great deal more that O'Donnell could have told us, I believe, and still retained Maker of Swans magical quality. We were so far removed from the context of the story that I felt as though I were on the outside looking in, permanently. I never got the satisfaction of questions answered. It was as if the reader were never there.

Maker of Swans had at least one line per page or two that really grabbed my attention as creative, poetic writing. Other times, I found O'Donnell went a bit too far. Quite often I felt like shouting at the characters, "Speak plainly, won't you?!" There was far too much pretension in 90% of the dialogue. I gather this was deliberate for characterisation, but as a reader, it got old fast. I could get through it, for the sake of learning more about this intriguing, strange story ... but I could forgive other readers for giving up sooner.

This leads me to another quarrel: Mr Crowe. The blurb of this story implies that we are learning about mysterious Mr Crowe, when I found that this wasn't the case at all. Maker of Swans is, (if anything) the story of his manservant Eustace, who I believe is pitched equally if not more deeply mysterious.

Another qualm was the era. At first I pictured 1920s America, but clues told me that it was much later. Someone's turtleneck caused me to think it was the 1960s Ireland, or somewhere in Europe. There was a quality to the atmosphere that caused me to think it was not present day. I later learned we were looking at England - however the era is still a mystery to me.

I personally really loved Clara. Without her, I fear I might have given up earlier - or at least found the story more difficult to bear. That she is mute and still very engaging is also a testament to O'Donnell's fine writing skills.
At halfway through the novel we start to learn about another character, though their relevance is not yet clear. I found the editing of this new tangent well placed, for it spurred the story on from the halfway point.

Unfortunately, Maker of Swans left me scratching my head. I wish I had someone to discuss this with, for surely there is something I'm missing. I mean... at the end of the story, when Mr Crowe sets out to torture Chastern, is it because what he has written is so horrifying? Did Mr Crowe write something like "the walls close in on Chastern and he is destroyed in a sudden, raging fire"? Am I also correct in assuming that the passage Clara wrote under her bed while she was being held hostage went something like "Nazaire will develop a painful and fatal tumour/ulcer in his gut that will debilitate and possibly kill him"? Am I correct in these assumptions or did I totally miss the mark? If anyone has the answers or a clarifying understanding of this story, please feel free to PM or comment as I am eager to discuss this. Be wary of spoiling it for other readers if you post publicly.

At the end of the day, a quality story will always win over fine prose. Maker of Swans is a curious case, as the prose is quite attractive, and the story is quite fascinating--only, the prose often became overbearing, and we barely got a shaving of that story. I have mixed feelings about Maker of Swans, and while I certainly didn't hate it, I think I will find it hard to recommend.

[Daniel]

DNF @ pg 38. 2019/02/02

How to guarantee I will DNF your book in one step:

1. Have any portion of it be a dream.

You're welcome.

I ordered this less than a month ago and given no one I follow on GR has reviewed or shelved it, I've got no idea what possessed me to do so. The are glints of something interesting hidden under the fog of the prose style, but I am unwilling to push my way past a prose style that is decidedly not to my liking if there are going to be dream sequences. I can't stand dream sequences in fiction. Any layers of unreality or "meta" really, but dreams in particular.

[Danielle Trussoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Paraic O’Donnell’s darkly gorgeous novel of intrigue and secrets, The Maker of Swans, a child named Clara possesses a magical gift. Each morning, she sets “down the stories that sometimes crowd her thoughts,” a ritual that turns the imaginary into reality, making “it so only by setting down the words.”

Clara is not alone in her abilities. Mr. Crowe, her benefactor, has a similar gift, and is part of a covenant of shadowy figures formed to protect and codify it. When Mr. Crowe uses his sacred knowledge to kill a man, a “cardinal misuse” of magic, Eustace, Mr. Crowe’s dedicated butler — a man who had learned to “see things coming” — steps in to stop the worst from happening.

“The Maker of Swans” asserts the alchemical power of language, and each sentence sets out to prove it. O’Donnell’s prose is lyric, almost Nabokovian in its ability to encompass the cerebral and the sensual at once. Descriptions of Clara’s gift are particularly haunting. Here she is in the act of creating a swan: “She can see fine details now, like the tissue of flaws at the core of an ice cube. For a while, it swells slowly, increasing itself in small surges. Then it branches and ramifies, taking on a spreading symmetry. And there is a pattern. It is becoming something.”

While Clara is the maker of swans, Eustace is the hero of the novel; his past, his motivations, his great passions and sorrows drive the novel forward. The other characters, while deeply intriguing, remain shadowy. We never fully understand Mr. Crowe’s magic, and even Clara, “a rare and lucent treasure” whose gifts are described at length, isn’t fully formed. Eustace, standing in service to the inexplicable, emerges as the emotional heart of the novel. Speaking of Mr. Crowe’s powers, Eustace says, “We forget the magnitude, sometimes, of that miracle.” And yet it is Eustace, with his deeply human flaws, who is unforgettable.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t quite remember who recommended this so if you’re reading this, thank you!! While The Maker of Swans was somewhat frustrating in its lack of information about the magic system, I still enjoyed this well-written tale very much.

The Maker of Swans is a strange book. There are words, beautifully written words, and a type of magic system based on words. How the magic works, however, I can’t really tell you. I know that Clara, our protagonist, is considered to be gifted. Why or how gifted, however, I can’t tell you.

What I can tell you is that Clara can’t speak. But although she can’t form words with her mouth, her head is full of them – she can reproduce passages from almost any book perfectly and she writes the most enchanting passages for Eustace, the butler and person she is closest to, to find. Her actual guardian, Mr Crowe, is rather absent but she prefers it that way.

Sadly, everything changes one night when Mr Crowe brings home a young woman, Arabella, and possibly shoots a young man to death. We’re not too sure, the book tells us he’s dead, but not by the guns fired. Eustace, keenly aware of the consequences, immediately takes action to protect Crowe and Clara.

Honestly, I think I should be more frustrated with the book, but I’m not. I should be frustrated at how little information we’re given, at how little we know about the world by the end, but I was caught up in the drama of the moment. Even if I didn’t know why, I felt Eustace’s urgency and panic as he made plans to protect the people in his family. I felt Clara’s confusion as her world was upturned and then taken away. And on the strength of these two characters, I was carried to the end of the book.

So there you have it: The Maker of Swans is a paradox. I’ll probably end up rating it fairly highly on Goodreads because despite the lack of information, I really enjoyed the book. For me, the prose and atmosphere, together with the characters, helped to overcome the lack of information regarding the magical setting. If you’re a reader that needs a concrete magic system and a bit more of a plot (I still don’t know why Eustace was so panicked and what Crowe actually did while trying to get Clara back), you may want to avoid this, but if you’d like to just float on words and characters, you might want to read this.

This review was first posted at Eustea Reads

[Cai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled with this book and I am disappointed that I did when I see all the reviews raving on about how good this book is. For a month I could read no more than maybe 10-15 pages before putting it down. It just didn’t draw me in.

I found the characters confusing, I couldn’t keep up with who was who. It wasn’t till the end of the book that I realized Cromer wasn’t a Crouch brother. Just then I actually had to check that it was the Crouch brothers because there was also Mr. Crowe.

I actually found the book confusing. It jumped a bit from present to past and then eventually from character to character. Whilst I eventually got the drift of who and when the book was focused, I still have no idea what the book was about. I don’t entirely understand what it is that Crowe and Clara actually did that was so valuable. I actually don’t know how it is that I finished the book.

The only thing about the whole book that I liked was Eustace. I loved this character and I loved his story of pain and compassion. I loved how much he loved Clara, how his primary objective was Clara’s safety and he would do anything for her.

My recommendation: Give it a miss.

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway

[Callum McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told in rich prose, this is a gothic and atmospheric tale full of intrigue. The characters are fascinating, particularly Clara, whose story I wish had been explored a lot more. Definitely a slow burner, much of its strangeness is left unexplained, and I suspect this will put a lot of people off.

So much is hinted at and yet O'Donnell provides so few concrete answers, but I feel this is ultimately a story about the power of language and the futility in trying to supress or control someone's creativity.

[Chris DiFazio · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing is pretty, but the absolutely glacial pacing and the confused, almost nonexistant plot really brought this down for me. Usually I'm a big defender of the "no plot, just vibes" genre but it just wasn't doing enough work here.

[Charles]

I've no idea what to say about this book. I question whether the prose is so verbose because there's little plot and the writer wrote himself into a maze.

[Matt Quann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to stew on this one before gathering my thoughts.

The Pros:
-Luxurious, baroque prose and whip-smart dialogue.
-Nuanced character portraits.
-An intriguing mystery.

The Cons:
-The mysteries are not solved, the questions I had are left with answers of varying opacity.
-The final 100 pages feel a tad rushed. They would have benefitted from some expansion.

The Verdict:
I’m not sorry that I read this weird little fantasy novel, but I wish I’d been more satisfied by the time I closed the back cover. Come for the great writing, but don’t stay for the plot.

[Maya Panika · Rating 5 out of 5]

The very strange tale of Mr Crowe, his mute ward Clara, his powerful adversaries and his loyal servant Eustace. Told almost entirely from Eustace’s point of view, The Maker of Swans is Gothic, dark, strange – when is it set? At times it feels like the distant past, at others, very contemporary (and this is explained in the conclusion – a delightful surprise). Mr. Crowe appears to be a very rich man. He lives a peculiar and isolated life in his castle with Clara, Eustace, a few retainers, a girlfriend of sorts. There’s a powerful thread of fantasy woven through, an odd magic centred around the mute girl Clara and her love of writing and Mr. Crowe’s library which she knows intimately.
The language is poetic – sometimes rather densely so, making or a difficult read. Sometimes the words dance on the page with passages like, “we must visit Debussy… You have never heard music, Eustace, until you have heard him. It is made of starlight and of first kisses. It seems scarcely to belong to our world.”
It is extremely slow to get going. I almost gave up on it around page 100; the rich density of language coupled with the oddness of the tale and the fact that the story is exceptionally slow moving made it very hard going for a good third of its length. It does begin to pick up steam around the time that Clara is abducted (I hope that’s not a spoiler. I don’t think so, since she is a prisoner for most of the tale). I enjoyed it very much from this point on, but I suspect the dreadful slowness of the start will put off a good many readers. And so much remains unexplained – frustratingly so. Why the swans - they only appear twice but they are in the title and are obviously significant. And Clara: who is she? What is her point and purpose in the lives of Mr. Crowe and Eustace? I'm clearly missing something - lots of things. I assumed Clara's story would be the point of the story and all would be revealed and it never was and I found this inexcusable and fantastically annoying! But the book is full of puzzles – the names of the sections, for example, and some anagram – I probably haven’t figured it all out yet. It is complex, slippery, full of uncertainly; a book that I would guess really needs more than one read to really understand quite what is going on.There’s a strong sense of Gormenghast in this novel, and a meddling with time and space that is almost Whovian at times. There's a delicious twist (in the origins of Mr. Crowe) that I adored - but even this is not brought out on a platter, you have to think; you have to work at it. I'm inclined to think this book may be altogether too much work for some readers but for those willing to make the effort, this book offers huge rewards.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seen largely from the point of view of his servant, Eustace, The Maker Of Swans is the story of Mr Crowe, a remarkable individual who seems to have existed for many centuries and who has secretly been the author of many of the world's greatest works of literature.

It is also the story of Clara, a child in Crowe's charge. Clara's abilities will surpass her guardian's by as much as his own abilities outstrip those of ordinary mortals. Despite being mute, she will learn how to use written language to alter and to create reality and her developing talent will attract the attention of those who seek to use her as a gambit in a long-standing power game.

It is not a perfect fantasy. There are gaps in the backstory that left me slightly dissatisfied. We never learn much about Mr Crowe's origins, for example, or those of his young ward.

What makes this novel stand out, however, is the boldness of the language which richly compensates for the author's apparent disinterest in the finer details of his overarching mythos. Here, for example, is the appearance of one of the minor characters, materialising out of the Gothic twilight in which so much of the action seems to take place:

'He appeared at the far end of the street, having rounded the corner, and stood for a moment in the gown of decaying light that hung beneath a street lamp.'

Poetic and elegantly mannered, The Maker of Swans is an impressive piece of literary fantasy.

[Kaleigh C · Rating 1 out of 5]

This man spent so long flipping through his thesaurus that he forgot to write a compelling and character-filled plot.

[Ann Dudzinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book sounded intriguing. It opens with a murder on an English country estate and promised to reveal “a secret beyond imagining. A secret that would change everything.” Okay, I was in.

The first half of the book lived up to its promise. Mr. Crowe, the reclusive owner of the estate, did indeed kill the victim. But upon investigation by his butler, Mr. Eustace, it appears the man wasn’t killed by bullets, yet Mr. Crowe killed him all the same. Interesting - and brings into question what abilities Mr. Crowe possesses that he can shoot several times at someone, miss, yet still kill him without touching him?

Alas, the book never quite answers that question. Nor does it answer what abilities Clara, Mr. Crowe’s mute ward, possesses that are in such demand by the men who come to hold Mr. Crowe accountable for taking a life.

For the first half of the book, I assumed everything was leading up to these revelations. The clues were there, if somewhat vague. The characters of Mr. Eustace and Clara were intriguing and held my interest. The pacing and tension picked up as Mr. Eustace prepared for the arrival of the men who would demand retribution. Everything is ready. Dinner is tense and filled with threatening vibes. Mr. Eustace is pulled aside just long enough for a kidnapping to occur. A car chase. A fatality. And then…the novel jumps to an apparently unrelated story about a nameless boy helping his father run a ferry in an unnamed location during an unspecified time period.

The change was abrupt and unwelcome. While the plot did eventually come back around to the original storyline, I’d lost the momentum and it never really picked up again. In the end, I had more questions than answers and the story felt incomplete. While I had a better understanding of Mr. Crowe, Clara remained a mystery and Mr. Eustace practically fell off the radar, as far as his usefulness went.

The prose was excellent and I remained immersed in the writing, even if I wasn’t terribly enthralled with the storyline. The sentence structure in the scene where Clara falls ill with a fever is nothing short of spectacular. But still, I was left wanting more.

I rated this novel 3 stars. ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Tin House for providing the ARC copy of this novel. I have left my review voluntarily and honestly.

[Keith Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The magpie

The mysterious Mr Crowe idles his days and nights at his vast dilapidated estate, his huge library neglected, his ward, the mute child Clara, permitted to wander the house and estate at will, conjuring her fantasies from her imagination and recorded by the written word. Protecting his master and the girl is the loyal Eustace, who plans and prepares for trouble. And trouble comes; in response to the breaking of a taboo important to Mr Crowe and his kind, the sinister Mr Chastern and his ally, the lethal Naziere, come calling, ready to exact retribution for Crowe’s transgression.

Have you ever enjoyed any of Alice through the Looking Glass, Swan Lake, Gormenghast, Grimms’ Tales, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Wilkie Collins’ The Woman in White? This novel is suffused with their echoes – and, no doubt, others I did not spot myself. There are all the conventions of the Gothic novel, but their subversion too. Filled with literary trickery, wordplay, linguistic games, reflecting the theme – what might be created in writing, could be created in fact. Try solving the anagram of Chastern’s name. Consider why the two parts of the novel are entitled, first Lamentation, second Whiteness. Admire the persistent avian imagery, the atmosphere of menace, mystery and threat, the metaphor of lightness and dark.

As for the plot, it is good, especially the first half. I did feel the second half did not live up to the promise of the first, but I read this with much enjoyment to its end. It is much more than a beautifully written piece of whimsy. The author’s first novel; I will look forward to his next.

[David Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Maker of Swans has a glorious Gothic and atmospheric feel to it, which is haunting and ghostly.

The story opens at the grand eerie old manor house with its expansive grounds set by the river. Shots ring out in the night and Eustace, the faithful manservant, is left with the task of clearing up the mess left by his master, the mysterious Mr Crowe. Events of the night will have consequences for all on the estate as Mr Crowe has broken the rules of the secret society to which he belongs.

Young Clara does not speak, everything she wishes to communicate is written down and she is happy with her books and her secrets. She lives at the manor house and under the care of Mr Crowe and looked after by Eustace. Clara has gifts, she is special and a little unworldly, but she is only slowly becoming aware these abilities. We don’t know where she comes from or whose child she is but we find her elusive and beautifully magical.

Author Paraic O’Donnell book is a lovely read and he makes all the characters intriguing, often seeming above the law, and the reader is never quite sure what they will do next. There is always the air of mystery and uncertainty around them which begins to clear somewhat as their fascinating pasts are revealed. Good writing and a captivatingly unusual story this is a worthwhile read and an excellent debut from Mr O’Donnell. (ARC Received)

[Eric Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the past year, I’ve been captivated by a series of impressive new books by Irish authors. There has been powerful fiction from debut authors like Danielle McLaughlin and Gavin McCrea as well as exciting new novels from established voices like Edna O’Brien, John Banville and Anne Enright. Not only have novels by writers such as Gavin Corbett, Belinda McKeon, Kevin Barry and Sara Baume delivered powerful stories, but these books meaningfully break form to fashion a new kind of writing. Paraic O’Donnell’s writing in “The Maker of Swans” is also resolutely its own thing. I wouldn’t exactly categorize it under that flabby moniker ‘experimental’ – nor would I categorize it as anything except a novel. A grand rural house presided over by a mysterious man may sound like a set up straight out of classic fiction, but the way O’Donnell tells it makes this story so strikingly compelling.

Read my full review on LonesomeReader review of The Maker of Swans by Paraic O’Donnell

[Sorcha O'Dowd · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant, compelling, magical and gorgeously written book 'The Maker of Swans' is. I am utterly speechless because of just how much this book captivated me.

The storyline is fantastic, slow-burning and mysterious it grows throughout and has you hooked as soon as you meet the characters and start to realise that they are more than they seem.

With richly evocative prose that is so lyrical you feel you are swaying alongside it, Paraic O'Donnell has created one incredibly accomplished debut novel. The writing style was just so stunning that as an author myself, I felt myself in awe one moment and then green with envy the next. How I wish I could write so well as him!

Told in two parts, 'The Maker of Crows' tells the story of Mr. Crowe and his mute ward Clara. Magic and power is everywhere, and I turned the page frantically, desperate to know more about the gifts of these characters and how their lives would change because of them.


5 Stars!

[Kaitlin Ross · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved The House on Vesper Sands and The Maker of Swans had some similar qualities - atmosphere, mystery, and hints of the supernatural. However, the plot was hard to follow in a way that made it boring to read, almost as if things were shrouded in TOO much mystery. I also struggled through the long, descriptive dream passages. At the end of the day, I wasn't really sure what this book was about or what message the author was trying to convey. This one was definitely not my cup of tea!

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poetic, delicate, gothic story that looks at the idea of creating art, transcending your preordained place in the world, and biding your time. It's the closest I've ever come to understanding how people feel about gardening.

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

THE MAKER of SWANS
Paraic O'Donnell

OK, so this is not what I expected and I am not a fan of plots that are hard to follow, overwordy passages, long remunerations, foggily shrouded meanings, and characters that are hazy and difficult to see.

NOPE, not for me.

DNF

Happy Reading!

[Rogue Male · Rating 3 out of 5]

6/10