Reading the 20th Century discussion

Spotted a good deal at Audible that could be of interest to other Reading the 20th Century group members?

Please share the good news here

I was just investigating today's Audible deal of the day....



My Father's House (2022)

by

Joseph O'Connor


Lots of positive reviews, many five stars, and some fulsome praise in Susan's four star review too.

I was poised to purchase for £3 and then my eye was drawn to a one star rating from RC - no review 🤠

Can you remember what you hated so much about My Father's House RC?

Ah, yes, I'm an outlier on this one, I fear. I remember struggling with O'Connor's verbose style and switching between so many different narrators and timelines. But I also had a problem with the unnuanced politics.

Here's my Netgalley review if it helps:

I'm sorry, but this book and I just didn't gel. There's something about O'Connor's style that makes me feel I'm struggling through treacle - there's so much padding, so much that is irrelevant, so many switching voices between the host of 'quirky' characters reminiscing from the standpoint of the mid -1960s, interspersed with the 'present' in 1943. There's a countdown to a big mission, and the narrative moves between the Irish priest, the Nazi commander in Rome, and various other characters.

I'm no expert but I felt that the complicated history of Italy during WW2 wasn't done justice to. After all, Mussolini has founded the Italian fascist party in 1919, was Prime Minister of a fascist government from 1922 till he was removed by the fascist Grand Council in 1943 by an effective no confidence vote. The king of Italy agreed an armistice with the Allied forces and the Nazis invaded Italy later that year. Despite this long-time fascist history in Italy, I felt that this book gave the impression of it being a France or Netherlands where there was resistance against the Nazis - it was far more complex in Italy with something close to civil war.

So I'm afraid this didn't work for me in terms of writing style, or in the simplifying of complex politics.

Thanks RC


Very helpful

I'm conflicted now. I've only read one book by Joseph O'Connor. That was Shadowplay which I adored

I do need a plausible representation of the political context though

I always feel bad when a review/opinion of mine stops someone reading a book. As I say, I am an outlier. If you've tried the Amazon Look Inside and audio sample and like it then it could work for you as it has for so many others.

Great idea - I forget about Amazon Look Inside, and didn't know there were audio samples


Thanks

Nigeyb wrote: "Thanks RC


Very helpful

I'm conflicted now. I've only read one book by Joseph O'Connor. That was Shadowplay which I adored

I do need a plausible representation of ..."

I have his book Star of the Sea but still haven't read it.

Today's Audible deal of the day is...



Penance (2023)

by

Eliza Clark



https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Penance-...




I loved it....

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

4/5

I thought of it, Nigeyb. I got a copy at the Foyles Christmas Evening though, which I haven't read yet.

I've just signed up to Audible's new annual subscription


As an introductory offer their new Audible Premium Plus Membership is £49.99 today for your first year which increases to £69.99 a year thereafter. Compared with £7.99 a month. You get all 12 credits upfront. They're doubtless hoping you spend them quickly so need to buy yet more credits, or something...

I am forever getting new credits - Audible addict!
Mind you, it is great value. I mostly use it for podcasts as well now.

That sounds so tempting - I cancelled my membership as I get my audios from the library now, but may consider rejoining at this price.

Today's UK Audible deal is



The Glorious Heresies (Ryan Cusack #1) (2015)

by

Lisa McInerney



Yours for £1.99 today if you're an Audible member in the UK...

https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Glor...


I've snapped it up having seen favourable reviews from friends here on GR




The blurb...

One messy murder affects the lives of five misfits who exist on the fringes of Ireland's post-crash society. Ryan is a fifteen-year-old drug dealer desperate not to turn out like his alcoholic father Tony, whose obsession with his unhinged next-door neighbour threatens to ruin him and his family. Georgie is a prostitute whose willingness to feign a religious conversion has dangerous repercussions, while Maureen, the accidental murderer, has returned to Cork after forty years in exile to discover that Jimmy, the son she was forced to give up years before, has grown into the most fearsome gangster in the city. In seeking atonement for the murder and a multitude of other perceived sins, Maureen threatens to destroy everything her son has worked so hard for, while her actions risk bringing the intertwined lives of the Irish underworld into the spotlight . . .

Biting, moving and darkly funny, The Glorious Heresies explores salvation, shame and the legacy of Ireland's twentieth-century attitudes to sex and family.

I really enjoyed this one, Nigey, though some friends hated it. My review here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Thanks SL


I got a good feeling about it 🤠