The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

This is the discussion thread for the Spring 2017 Group Read The Wonder. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

The journey was no worse than she expected.

When Elizabeth Wright agrees to oversee a young girl who has been believed to live on nothing but a bit of water for four months, she has no idea of what will be in store for her. From the beginning when she is sure that it will be a quick job of unmasking the hidden source of food that she is sure is being secreted to Anna O'Donnell to the end when she finally unravels what exactly is happening, and as importantly, why is as uncertain a journey as some of the daily rambles that Lib undertakes in the book. Like the deceptive, murky and oftentimes dangerous bog that is an underlying character in the book, the plot sucks a reader in while hiding more than it reveals at any one time. Never would I have picked this book up had it not been for this challenge. I cannot honestly say that I enjoyed reading it--but I was certainly drawn into the story and found I couldn't put it down for long...I had planned on reading it in slow bits in order to get through it, but I found that I needed answers even as I found myself generally maddened when they were revealed. Thus, this book was digested in one afternoon in one long gulp...I will also admit to having to look up more information on "fasting girls" after reading the author's note. All in all, a fascinating, if heartbreaking topic that I had not heard of before...much like the book itself.

I loved this book. In fact I thought it was wonderful. I got completely caught up with both the plot and the characters. A five

Well, this was a surprise! I chose this book as my Group Read choice as I've already read the others, but I wasn't very excited about it. Having been underwhelmed by a couple of Emma Donoghue's books in the past, I didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did. I found the plot and twists original and entertaining, and like the other readers here, I raced through it in one sitting on a chilly March afternoon. Most of the characters are utterly infuriating and deserve a hearty slap, but the characters of Lib and William are fairly sympathetic. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised.

I have to wonder though - what exactly is the definition required for LGBT Mystery? There's nothing in the plot that would fit the LGBT part (sorry if that's a spoiler) so I'm assuming it's linked to the author's sexuality. I'm including this wee query here because I felt I was waiting for the main character (or one of the characters) to reveal an LGBT element, and it blindsided me a bit.

I've just recently discovered Emma Donoghue and love her writing. This is the fourth book I've read of hers and, while it wasn't my favorite, I still really enjoyed it. I think Frog Music might have been a better fit for the category but I already was on a wait list for The Wonder so was delighted when it was selected as a group read. I wasn't raised in a particularly religious home so I wasn't sure if this book would be for me. But then I didn't think I would like The Room and I did. You certainly can't call Emma Donoghue a cookie cutter author. Her storytelling abilities are top notch.

I find it interesting...science vs religion vs facts vs blind faith. And then there are the people who fall somewhere in between and will fall for anything and don't have the sense or ability to research or figure out what is real. I cannot imagine the frustration of a trained medical professional battling both sexism and the religious fanaticism of 19th Century Ireland. The more I think about this book, the more it resonates with me. I am definitely glad I read it.

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I have to wonder though - what exactly is the definition required for LGBT Mystery?

Since I was the person who recommended this book, I will answer that. I wanted to recommend Canadian literature, so I went to a list of Canadian LGBTQ authors and searched until I found one that was a mystery and sounded interesting. I had not actually read the book, so I didn't know for sure whether or not there was an LGBTQ theme within the story.

Heather(Gibby) wrote: ".
I have to wonder though - what exactly is the definition required for LGBT Mystery?

Sine I was the person who recommended this book, I will answer that. I wanted to recommend Canadian literatur..."

Ah, ok! Thanks for clearing that up. :)

Here are my comments:
I have read several of Donoghue's books and enjoyed them all including this one. As others have already pointed out, the Gay Lesbian connection is not present in this books although it figures prominently in others she has written, but she does use some plot devices that intrigue me. In The Wonder, she only gradually reveals character traits of main characters which explain previous actions of that character that had me puzzled. Thus the depth of these characters grows as the book progresses . This always maintains my interest. The beauty of this book is not only the religious points she emphasizes, the depth of the characters and the overall point of the story that ensues as a result of this combination.
Andy P.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book after reading it. I found myself fairly intrigued by the story, and I love her writing style, though I found some of the plot somewhat disturbing. As someone who was raised in the Catholic faith and also as a new parent, I found it hard to relate to the parents in the not believing what happened with the son as well as allowing their child to slowly die while they stood by and watched. I sympathized with the role that Lib played during the whole ordeal, and in getting Anna out of the situation, though I would wonder if in a real situation the guilt of this situation would eventually weigh on her.
MelissaH

(I totally edited my review because I'm a perfectionist and it was bugging me!)

I really enjoyed this book and gave it four stars.

I know it was part of her character's development, but man, I spent much of the book being annoyed with the protagonist, Lib, and her preconceived, reductionist notions of Ireland and the Irish people. I especially hated the way she thought of Kitty as "slavey" instead of recognizing her as an individual member of the O'Donnell family.

I'm still not sure what to think of all the revelations of the last chapter. As readers, we're aware that Lib is misunderstanding the back story on the brother, but we're not aware of the extent to which he drives the entire plot.

I noticed a theme of entrapment, and even the atmosphere of the novel itself had a claustrophobic edge. The closed good room, the small village, a sprawling yet enclosing system of religion, inability to escape family circumstances, poverty. Definitely, a lot to think on.

I would like to read more of Donoghue's work, especially Room. I've picked up Frog Music before but didn't make it past a chapter or two.

About 2/3s of the way through this book, I began to wonder why it even qualified as a nominee. After checking up to see what exactly constitutes LGBT literature, I learned that a gay/lesbian author might qualify a book, even if the book itself has no LGBT themes or characters. Even so, I don’t think this book is a great example of an LGBT mystery. Laurie R. King’s A Grave Talent (Kate Martinelli series) would have been an excellent choice for this genre.

That said, I found this book totally compelling. In places where the plot moved along fairly slowly, the ambiance of the Irish village setting remained interesting: the family’s cottage, their country traditions, the dark fanaticism of their religious devotion, all very evocative of the time and place. There was actually a mystery to solve, though not the traditional murder mystery.

I’ve enjoyed one previous book by Emma Donoghue, Frog Music, and despite the fact that I would quibble a bit about the designation of The Wonder as an LGBT mystery, I’m happy to have read it and look forward to reading more from this author.

i ended up liking this more than i thought i would, but still didn't love it. Lib was annoying and self-righteous. Anna's family sucked, pretty much. Anna was sweet, and when the secret was revealed my heart broke for her, but i still didn't like her very much! i was pleasantly surprised with the ending. honestly, i don't usually like "happy endings," i prefer realism, but i was HAPPY about this happy ending.

kiki wrote: "i ended up liking this more than i thought i would, but still didn't love it. Lib was annoying and self-righteous. Anna's family sucked, pretty much. Anna was sweet, and when the secret was reveale..."

I agree! I was surprised—and delighted—by the ending. I did not see how it could end well for any of them. Anna seemed far too ill from starvation to survive by the time action was actually taken to save her. It was hard to predict a plot turn that would work out satisfactorily for everyone.

Lois wrote: "kiki wrote: "i ended up liking this more than i thought i would, but still didn't love it. Lib was annoying and self-righteous. Anna's family sucked, pretty much. Anna was sweet, and when the secre..."

yeah, realistically, would she really have survived considering how far along she was??? but i'll take it! :)

The author did a beautiful job of building the mood. I appreciated that Lib's attitude and feelings changed during the book because I found her hard to like in the beginning. I was surprised by Anna's confession to Lib although it all fits together. I also did not see this ending well so I especially like how she pulled it out.

I wanted to share a recommendation if you liked the Wonder, I just finished The Good People and it reminded me a lot of the Wonder because it was also historical magical realism set in Ireland. I loved it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was surprised by that because, I wasn't a big fan of the only other work I've read by Emma Donoghue; Room. I am a fan of books involving religious devotion and/or fanaticism and this book did deliver in that aspect. As others have said, the author did a wonderful job with the atmosphere of the book.

I found the book very engrossing, and read it in a oner. I thought the 'happy' ending was maybe a bit too pat in view of what had gone before. I was brought up in a very traditional French catholic way (and this was in the 70's, 80's) and in the fanaticism and 'twisted' logic of some of the characters I can see echoes of people I 've met in my youth - so I was not put off by that. I was disappointed when the incest came out. This was not necessary to the story. I find that sexual abuse is commonly used in this kind of novel to ramp up the 'horror' factor, and I was disappointed that such an accomplished writer resorted to this. All in all though, I gave it 4 stars.

Although I am one of the few not enamored by Room, I love The Wonder. The atmosphere, the characters, the suspense are each integral elements to this novel's success. And although Lib Wright isn't a likable character at the beginning of the book, she does become a lovely, strong woman by the conclusion. Despicable characters abound throughout the book, but that makes it all the more interesting. I kept wondering what would cause an eleven-year-old child starve herself (religious zeal didn't seem to be enough without an underlying reason) and was glad that the author provided a satisfying answer. The author uses the superstition, fast faith, and culture of the Irish as a successful backdrop for the story and uses William Byrne and Sister Michael well to explain the unfamiliar culture and faith to Lib (and thereby the reading audience). While reading The Wonder, I kept thinking of the similarities to Burial Rites, another favorite of mine, and hoping I find a comparable book soon.

This wasn't my first choice, but a second choice available from my library. 4* for the author's writing; I found it a quick & engrossing read. Zero mystery for me...it was all obvious, from the mouth feeding to the incest. I wouldn't read more of this author or recommend it. I found no pleasure in reading it, even though it was written well.

I enjoyed this i thought it was very well written and for me there was enough mystery in it - i don't think it was meant to be as dark as some mysteries and I certainly never saw the incest coming. I thought the storyline was different and applaud the author for coming up with something new when so many books re-hash the same old plot lines. I thought the mixing in of moral beliefs whether it be church or the lady of the lamp gave us a real window into the minds of the characters. I thought the scene setting was excellent i rely felt myself in the Irish character

I thought this was a very good story, and it was very well written. I was invested enough that I wanted to smack some of the characters at various points. I can't say that I enjoyed it, because the subject matter was difficult and heart wrenching. I will have to think about this one for a while, because there is a lot about religion, faith, belief, family, and other themes packed in there pretty densely!

This book was fairly slow in the beginning, but it slowly builds to hook the reader. I love reading historical fiction from Ireland as that is where my family roots lie. As in most Irish stories, religion plays a pivotal role. I enjoyed the references to Florence Nightingale's professional teachings.

The only other book I had read by Emma Donahue was ROOM, and I had enjoyed that one as well. The variety of subject matter really shows her diversity.

I put off completing this task for ages because I'm nervous about writing a review, so please forgive me if my comments don't add much to the discussion - I'm very new to the idea of group reads and writing reviews like this.

Overall I really enjoyed the book. I found the story captured my interest and I was very keen to find out how the mystery would conclude so I raced through the book in less than a day.

I found the character of Lib a little bit unsympathetic. Her attitude towards Irish people and Catholicism was unpleasant, although I did keep reminding myself that those attitudes were common in England at this time so it's not surprising that she would hold these views. I also found it quite hard to believe that it wouldn't have occurred to her that Anna was starving as soon as she saw her - signs like lanugo (the fine hair she saw on Anna's body), swollen stomach and oedema made me assume she *was* starving so it didn't quite ring true that an experienced nurse would have missed this.

I found it interesting that Lib eventually ended up questioning whether she was making the situation worse for Anna in her determination to prove that Anna was a fraud. Before that point it seemed like her prejudices about Irish people and Catholicism clouded her judgment so much that she couldn't see that she was contributing to Anna's desperate situation.

Overall I thought this was a good read and I'll probably check out some of the author's other books - starting with Room as I've heard so many positive reviews - in the future.

Bryony, that's a great review! You made good points, and I agree about Lib initially being unsympathetic because of her overt prejudices. I do think she began to question her prejudices at least somewhat and became more likeable as the story progressed.

It's won many awards. So many people were on the library's hold list it took seven weeks to arrive. Everyone else seems to have loved it. My DNF shelf is overflowing with bestsellers--I think The Wonder is just one more book that proves that I'm more a dime-novel gal than a fan of literature, or quinoa or raw kale. Task 20.10 is the only thing that got me to the last page.

So I thought that The Wonder was MUCH better than Frog Music, but less good than Room.
I enjoyed the exploration of that changing period with the growth and development of medical skills, and the challenges of fitting religion in with changing moral standards. Plus the evocation of an Ireland, post-famine was very good.

I didn't believe Lib's complete lack of knowledge of biblical tales, though - the story of manna from heaven is hardly one of the more obscure ones, and I'd've thought that any educated person would've known about it.

Overall, a good book, but not outstanding for me.

TessaVanessa
I just finished The Wonder last night. It started out a little slow for me, plus the book I read right before this was also Irish Literature, which I love, but it was also a dreary read. I didn’t know what to expect when I first found out that Anna had not been eating for 4 months, because of course, how could that be? I was hesitant to believe that divine intervention was the reason that she was still surviving. After getting into the book, I started becoming invested in the characters. The whole family seemed tired and weary and except for Anna, not very likable. How could you let your child wither away like that? After finding out what truly happened to Anna and how her mother disregarded her claim and even encouraged her fasting, it made me dislike her even more. As a mother your job is to protect your children, whether that is from outside dangers or dangers within the family. Add to that the priest was also aware of the information and did little to stop her, it made me angry. The ending I thought was perfect—A new life for Anna and a true love for Lib. I choose the book discussion selections for 3 book groups at my library, this would definitely be on my list of possible reads.

I just finished The Wonder. Echoing other's thoughts here, it is very different from Room and it is also much different that I expected for this category. I was expecting something much closer to a thriller.

Lib was very strange to me as a character. Donoghue clearly did her research with respect to Florence Nightingale's advances within nursing and the casualties of the Crimean War. But in the Victorian era, it would have been extremely rare to grow up in a "good" family in England without receiving some sort of religious education. Church of England isn't that different from Catholicism so I found it a stretch to believe Lib when she didn't know anything about manna. Beyond that, her English attitudes to "popery" and the Irish seemed very typical.

I thought the writing was very good. The plotting struck me as very slow, but then again it seemed to mimic Lib's long watch over Anna, particularly when she began to panic over Anna's possible death. I think, had I not been listening to an audiobook in 20-30 minute stretches, that I might have stopped reading in paper.

Emma Donoghue's writing is what carried me through - and the hope that somehow there would be a positive resolution to this incredibly frustrating dilemma. I had to remind myself that this took place in deeply religious 19th century Ireland and therefore people's beliefs and ways of interacting so very different, more magical, and much more repressed. Overall, I actually liked the book. I think there are still parallels in some societies today.

There are many, many things that I liked about this book, but I found the ending so completely ridiculous that I have lowered my rating from four stars to three.

Elizabeth "Lib" Wright is an English nurse trained by Florence Nightingale. She is a veteran of the Crimea who has come home to a position as a hospital nurse. When she is asked to serve as an observer to an 11-year-old Irish girl whose family claims she has not eaten in four months, Lib assumes a hoax that will be easily uncovered. But once she arrives in the isolated community she realizes that nothing about the child's story or her family will be easy.

Donoghue does a brilliant job of slowly revealing details, leaving the reader hungry for more—just as we're sure that little Anna must be really hungry, too. Over everything hangs the family's Roman Catholicism, which circumscribes every aspect of their lives. It is immediately clear that Anna believes she has a special relationship with God and that her fast has some special purpose, but what? And why will none of the adults around Anna, her parents, the local priest, or the doctor, make any move try to talk some sense into the girl? What ulterior motives do each of them have? Lib becomes in turn enraged and beaten down as the girl's condition worsens to the point that death seems inevitable, and maybe even to be wished for.

Lib is an interesting character in that there is much to like about her and more than a few things to question. She arrives in Ireland with all the prejudices that the English had for the Irish. Even though she was raised an Anglican, her war experiences have left her opposed to religion and strongly antagonistic toward the superstitions of the Irish and many of the aspects of their faith. This ignorance frequently catches Lib "wrong footed" as she fails to understand or misunderstands something. Donoghue offers the character of William Byrne, an Irish journalist, as a counterpoint. He makes Lib question many of her suppositions and prejudices while also explaining some of the essential nature of his countrymen. But the character of Byrne was problematic for me. I just didn't believe that someone like Lib would have really had anything to do with someone like him.

(The following contains information which may be a slight spoiler, although I'm trying very hard not to say too much.)



Which takes us to the book's ending. The solution to the mystery is rather astounding and yet makes complete sense in light of all that we've learned before. Then the story takes several ludicrous turn that makes no sense at all. While Donoghue tried to lay a basis for Lib's actions by revealing more of her past, I still find Anna's actions hard to believe. It seems unlikely that such strong convictions can be swept away so easily - not to mention the fact that I have a few medical questions about all of this. That left me with a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the story.

Donoghue's characterizations were the most interesting point to me. I started out really disliking Lib (while also finding her a very interesting character) and feeling sympathetic for her parents, despite not really trusting them. By the end I hated her parents and though Lib and Sister Michael were strong women in their own, different ways.

While I can see the source of tedium that many other readers felt, it didn't seem to effect me. I can't say the plot fully dragged me in, but it was relatively compelling for me.

My biggest issue with the book is actually something touched on by Chris above and some of the other reviews. The ending seemed really contrived and disparate from the rest of the book. Not only does Anna give up all her convictions for a simple switch that was never hinted at through the rest of the book, but then she fully recovers and helps her new adult caretakers lie to those around them about how they met, who her father is, etc.? There are so many aspects of this that hit a sour note with me. If I missed hints about name changing being a way to release sins or something, can someone let me know? I also don't believe that she was recoverable, which broke the realism for me.

All in all, I did enjoy this more than Room, which was compelling, but frustrating and emotionally bereft. It was also already in my TBR list because I got it from Book of the Month, so I was really happy to finally read it!

READERBOARD NAME: witchygal

I finished reading "The Wonder" yesterday and needed to give my brain a little bit of time before I posted a response to the book.

I had the same confusion that others had in regards to the genre. I didn't realise that the genre included the orientation of the author so kept expecting the LGBT themes to emerge in the story. I had many theories about how this was going to happen i.e. Lib was going to fall in love with Maggie (from the inn), Lib was going to fall in love with Kitty (Anna's cousin), Lib was transgender and the "widow" label was her way of changing from male to female in a less accepting world, Anna was starving herself because the big secret/ sin of Pat's life was that he was in a homosexual relationship with someone, Anna was starving herself because she was having sexual thoughts about another woman among many others. I only stopped making my outlandish suggestions once I had about 20 pages to go and I figured that I had misunderstood the genre.

I did enjoy the book but must say that it was quite a "slow burn". It wasn't a book that I felt absolutely addicted to and needed to keep reading. I was happy to hear more about the story and to eventually hear the resolution to the mystery but did not feel compelled. I think I really struggled to relate to the characters, really any of them. Lib was very harsh and clinical (which I understand there is background & reason for this) which did not make me want to be inside her head. I generally like main characters who are flawed, but I found Lib to be a little bit too guarded and suspicious for my liking. Conversely, Anna seemed too pure, too religious, too good.

I enjoyed the way that the author set the scene. I really did feel like I was back in the middle of Ireland (having had an amazing holiday in ireland back in 2014, I loved revisiting it even in fiction). I also enjoyed learning more about the idea of the fasting girls and the Nightingale nurses.

Overall, I rated it 3 stars. I do plan to read more from this author as I have a friend who has been bugging me for months to read "room" and I would like to give her another chance. That said, this wasn't one of my favourite reads and I probably wouldn't recommend it to others.

I finished this book earlier this week and I'm still trying to figure out how I really felt about this book. The book started out really slow. In fact, I had thought about abandoning it. The characters seemed disjointed but there was a story there and a bit of a mystery that I did want to see how it was going to end.

The science vs religion theme was intriguing but yet, everyone was so set in their ways that they didn't want to see any other side except their own. I do want to look a little more into fasting girls and even the Nightingale nurses as those bits of history are unknown to me.

I ended up giving it 3 stars.

Hamda wrote: "rebecca-nj, what was the story called?"

This entire thread is about the book The Wonder by Emma Donoghue

In a way, this reminded me of The Exorcist, if that book had gone a different way. (I reread it not that long ago for another challenge, so it's fresh in my mind as I read The Wonder.)

The Exorcist gave us a prepubescent girl in a shockingly extreme physical state; the priest/psychiatrist called in on the case weighs two explanations, outside supernatural interference or an extreme psychosis manifesting psychosomatically. That book threw its narrative weight on the supernatural side, and Karras turned to his role as priest with the full weight of Church history and ritual to try to save the girl.

In The Wonder we've also got a little girl in extreme physical jeopardy and a strong suspicion of supernatural interference - so much so a committee hires a hard, practical war nurse and a nun-nurse to observe her for proof of a possible miracle. But this book throws its narrative weight very quickly on the side of the psychological: Anna has deliberately chosen a course of pious fasting and means to see it through to its bitter end.

It falls to war nurse Lib to try to save Anna - the rest, for a complicated web of reasons, would prefer a dead martyr to a live child - and the only way for her to do so is to pick through the tangle of child-logic driving Anna to her death in hopes of turning her back toward life. (If it can be done at all, and if Anna's physical decline hasn't gone past the point of no return.)

I really enjoyed the puzzle aspect of the book, and I liked Lib very much, fish out of water in a devoutly Catholic Irish village that she was.

In October of last year I was fortunate to be able to attend a luncheon in Seattle where Emma Donoghue spoke about The Wonder. She began with a lot more background about the actual "Fasting Girls", the inspiration for her story. She mentions in the Author's Note that there were 50 cases reported, so much of the book was rooted in research of these cases. Her talk about the book allowed me to know what to expect and to buy into the "truth" of the story from the beginning. Donoghue is a gifted writer and I was engaged throughout. I liked that a fairy tale ending happened on a personal level, but like others have mentioned, I didn't feel that it quite jived with the rest of the book. All in all, though, it was a definite 4 star read for me!

This was a well written book, but it was so darn frustrating! The characters who allowed a little girl to die still makes me angry thinking about it. Emma Donoghue balanced her criticisms of religion through the townspeople/family with the witty voice of Byrne (he was my favorite character). I loved that Lib and Byrne were matched and respected each other even though they did not quite agree through most of the story. The epilogue might be a bit too happy, but I did not feel the last chapter was predictable as so many mysteries are these days.

I felt the book started off a bit slow and I wasn't really liking it until about half way through. I have read a few of Emma's books and this always seems to be the way I feel about them.

This was my first book by Emma Donoghue, and some of the reviews made me worry that it would be too slow and tedious. I found it to be excellently written and plotted. It reads like a Gothic novel. Ireland itself is as much of a character as any of the people in the book. I enjoyed the excellent criticism of religious mania beyond common sense, which still persists today - the recent cases where people let their children die of curable diseases in the US come to mind. I could barely put it down to go to work, and I would give it a solid 4.5 stars (rounding up to 5) only because the ending was a little bit TOO positive to fit with the rest of the book. I'm definitely interested in checking out more of Donoghue's writing!

Imagine yourself arriving in a forlorn village right in the heart of Ireland that barely survived the great famine just after the Crimean war. To really settle the mood the driver of the horse cart you’re in speaks in an unintelligible accent and it drizzles. You are not there to feed the hunger, but you are there to make sure Anna, a girl of eleven years, does not eat for two weeks. It is true that the girl had not been eating for four months already, but still, as a nurse this goes right against your principles.
This is the situation Mrs. Wright, or Lib later in the book, finds herself in at the start of the book. She is hired to watch Anna, who believes she is fed manna from heaven and therefore does not have to eat. This is proclaimed a wonder by many people who visit to worship with her. It is Lib’s job to confirm whether Anna’s fast is truly a wonder or a fraud. She watches over Anna 24/7 alternating shifts with an Irish nun. This book is based on the historical occurring of fasting girls.

This is a book about people and why they do the things they do. There are many themes, such as religion, superstition, feminism, nursing and grief. Donoghue weaves those themes nicely together. This is a difficult book to talk about without giving too much away because motifs and mysteries are unfolded very slowly allowing the reader to figure them out for herself while reading. I do not want to ruin that experience for anyone. This is the first book from Donoghue I’ve read. I am not sure if I will read another one though, because it took me quite a while to get into it. It did help with this book that I really liked the subject matter.

For me this felt like a very strange book in the beginning. It took me quite a while to get into it, because of Emma’s writing style. She does not explain that much at the beginning, which makes it difficult to grasp the kind of book you’re reading. I expected an easier book, so I probably did not pick up on all the hints immediately, which did not improve my enjoyment for about the first fifty pages. Once I was fully engrossed in the book that style of writing became commendable, because all events unfold at a natural pace. Also I always like it that, when a book is writing from a single character’s point of view, you, as a reader, now as much as the character. The story unfolds itself as a combination between a psychological drama and a thriller while Lib attempts to find out who is feeding Anna. The development of Lib’s psyche is really fascinating to read because she goes from sceptical, to almost believer to advocate regarding. As a bonus with this book the reader is also a witness of Irish religious life in the later halve of the 19th century.

The thing that fascinated me the most in this book where the characters and how they behaved towards each other, especially the dynamics between Lib and a visiting journalist, William Byrne. William Bryne visits the small village to report about the alleged wonder. They come from completely different lives, and still they manage to somehow form a friendship. Also Rosaleen, Anna’s mother cold attitude towards Anna makes a lot of sense when later events unfold. In general Lib is very much a stranger in the Irish village, something she notices daily when interacting with everyone they meet. All these nuances between character’s connections makes me believe Donoghue thought about them a lot, which is important for a book so strongly driver by the interaction between the people in it.

The one thing I want to applaud Emma Donoghue the most for in this book was her handling of religion. Usually, religion is used a quirk for bad guys who frown upon sex, or it is portrayed as something inherently backwards and illogical and as something no logical character could led herself in with. In this book Donoghue found an excellent different way to talk about the ways in which people can believe. There is Lib the heretic; the pragmatic, no-nonsense journalist; Rosaleen, Anna’s mother, who is pragmatic and action oriented; the nun is above all obedient; the maid is superstitious and as last Anna, who is pious and sincere. The diversity of characters, and the fact that people’s religious actions are only discredited from a character’s point of view, makes this one of the sincerest portrayals of religion in pop culture I have read. I am very curious what people with the religious catholic upbringing as is portrayed in the book will think about it.

The only thing I can not talk about unfortunately is the ending. But be assured that the mystery will keep you engrossed until almost the end. Fortunately, by then you’ll have other more important worries to keep you occupied. I guess I just want to conclude that the ending of this book was totally bad-ass and even if you are not liking the book, makes it worth the read.

Maria award: For a fair portrayal of religion, making this a religion inspired suspense novel!

Also published on my blog: https://bookwormsshallruletheworld.wo...

I wasn't particularly fussed about Room so I haven't really bothered about reading any other Donoghue's books. I wasn't even going to do this task until I realised that if I do, I'm actually going to complete this season... so I read this book and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. The atmosphere, the setting, and despite the frustrating characters at the start, they developed well (mostly) and I did expect that little twist, (view spoiler)[incest - from the way she delved into the living arrangement and I mean the boy was 15(?) and also, how Lib thought he looked unappealing (despite the photo taken posthumously) (hide spoiler)]. But what's important to me is that the book ends well and that makes me happy :) I rated this 4 stars (only 2 for Room)

KATIEGIRL

I saved the Group Read for the last book of my SRC because I couldn't get excited about any of the options. I initially wrote this book off because I tried to read Room a few years ago and just couldn't get through it. But I really, really enjoyed this one. I finished it in one day.

At the beginning of the novel, when Lib is watching Anna hour after hour, I felt like I was sitting through every boring hour, and I wondered how and where the action of the novel would take us. I really feel like BriKie was spot on in referring to the story as claustrophobic. For me, that claustrophobia drove me to finish it quickly. I needed to break out of that tiny sick room and what Lib saw as the provincialism of the Irish people.

I thought the author's treatment of religion was excellent, but I did have a hard time getting behind the rather pat ending. Overall quite enjoyable.

Like Katie, I also read this book in one day! I was forced to because the library wanted it back. :) I always find that reading a book in one day seems like such a different experience than reading it spread out over time. Since I read the book in one day, the pacing of the book felt pretty fast, for the most part.

I haven't ready much Irish literature, so I enjoyed kind of picking up on speech patterns and cultural customs. I also really liked the many references to Florence Nightingale without her actually being a character present in the action. I always think it's neat when authors can make a character felt known when they aren't really there.

I enjoyed Room by this author so I put this book on my TBR when I found out it was being released. I liked it, but not as much as Room. It was a slow start for me and took me a while to become invested in the story. I did not find any of the characters all that likeable, but I did feel sorry for Anna. The religious aspects of the story were interesting. I liked the happy ending, but I agree with others that it seemed contrived after the rest of the book. I will read other books by Emma Donoghue because I like her writing style.