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28th out of 65 books
—
54 voters
The Misremembered Man
by
Christina McKenna (Goodreads Author)
This beautifully rendered portrait of life in rural Ireland charms and delights with its authentic characters and gentle humor. This vivid portrayal of the universal search for love brings with it a darker tale, one that is heartbreaking in its poignancy.
Hardcover, 309 pages
Published
March 1st 2008
by Toby Press
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When the cover of the The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna flashed up on the Kindle's screensaver two things happened:
1. I bought the book based on the interesting title and pretty cover and;
2. Amazon's ad executives had another reason to pat themselves on the back for orchestrating another successful attack on my wallet.
If you'll notice, at no time during the buying process did I stop to read the book description, check the genre or read any of the existing reviews which, at least in this...more
1. I bought the book based on the interesting title and pretty cover and;
2. Amazon's ad executives had another reason to pat themselves on the back for orchestrating another successful attack on my wallet.
If you'll notice, at no time during the buying process did I stop to read the book description, check the genre or read any of the existing reviews which, at least in this...more
May 24, 2013
Anneliese
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
commentaries-on-life,
literature
This is not a romance... however it may be presented. (To be fair, I was actually hoping for a nice chewy romance novel - and lo and behold I came away with something different!) What it is, is a story of James and Lydia - our two protagonists who came from very different backgrounds. James is a 40-some-odd-year-old bachelor, and Lydia is a 40-some-odd-year-old "spinster." Jamie's hellacious history in the orphanage is terrible and terrifying, and explains easily how he has fallen into isolated...more
A short while into this book I did roll my eyes and wonder if everyone in Ireland had a terrible childhood filled with Catholic-fuelled abuse. And then I began to care about the characters and got really caught up in their simple rural Irish lives.
Jamie, one of the two main characters is a lonely and sad man with very few social skills. The cause of this becomes apparent throughout the book and the sense of hopeless he feels is very believable and real.
Lydia, the other main character, is a woman...more
Jamie, one of the two main characters is a lonely and sad man with very few social skills. The cause of this becomes apparent throughout the book and the sense of hopeless he feels is very believable and real.
Lydia, the other main character, is a woman...more
Apr 24, 2013
Megan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
women
Recommended to Megan by:
Amazon Daily Deals
An Irish romance with a really interesting ending. Remember that movie with Helen Hunt and Jack Nicholson—“As Good As It Gets?” where you really don’t want them to get together, because Jack’s character was such a miserable mess that you felt like Helen was really settling? He was just such a bad package for her. This is how I felt about this book. While I felt for Jamie, the main character, I was so concerned for his lack of hygiene, his troubled background, his years of emotional, physical, se...more
This book was very well written. The Irish brogue was not over the top and easy to follow. The subject matter was a little tough. I had seen a documentary before on the work camps and all those little graves, It is hard to digest and harder still to realize how long it went on.
Jamie is a lovable character and his social flaws are totally endearing. You want to take him by the hand and clean his house, pick his clothes and teach him to drive. It becomes amazing how he continued to survive after e...more
Jamie is a lovable character and his social flaws are totally endearing. You want to take him by the hand and clean his house, pick his clothes and teach him to drive. It becomes amazing how he continued to survive after e...more
a very emotional and thought provoking read.
Really two stories in one. The chapters alternate between the cruel, oppresive catholic orphange and the comically farcical adventures of two "lonely hearts"
I originally found the alternating chapters of chuckle out loud comedy and heartbreaking tragedy a little odd. It was difficult to have such a sudden wide swing of emotion. However once used to the literal technique I saw that there was a sort of balance with the emotions much like a see saw. I b...more
Really two stories in one. The chapters alternate between the cruel, oppresive catholic orphange and the comically farcical adventures of two "lonely hearts"
I originally found the alternating chapters of chuckle out loud comedy and heartbreaking tragedy a little odd. It was difficult to have such a sudden wide swing of emotion. However once used to the literal technique I saw that there was a sort of balance with the emotions much like a see saw. I b...more
17 likes · like · see review
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This is a harsh story of abuse in the Catholic orphanages of mid-century Ireland. But the delightfully and sympathetically depicted characters of 1970 "present" time soften the difficult subject matter and pull the reader into the lives of the lonelyhearts at the core of the story. Jaimie leads a careful life, set in a secure pattern where he minimizes interactions with others. He is recovering from the death of his loving, adoptive father, and even at the age of 40, carries the deepest wounds o...more
This is wonderful book is really two stories with an unexpected ending. The time is 1976 and the two main characters are two lonely people with almost nothing in common. Jamie is bachelor farmer who was raised in a bleak and extremely cruel orphanage in Northern Ireland. He is perpetually depressed because of his lost childhood and the recent death of his adopted father who he refers to as Uncle Mick. Lydia is a sheltered school teacher still living with her mother at age 41. The mother is whini...more
I am not from Ireland, and have never been there. I am sure this novel is not representative of rural Ireland. I am sure that there were wonderful orphanges which sheltered Irish children.
But that is not the point of this story.
Yes, the orphanage portrayed in the book was cruel and inhumane. However, it is a sad reality of life that places like this exist up to now for children around the world. It is a sad reality of life that the adults in the story still look at unwanted children in the same...more
But that is not the point of this story.
Yes, the orphanage portrayed in the book was cruel and inhumane. However, it is a sad reality of life that places like this exist up to now for children around the world. It is a sad reality of life that the adults in the story still look at unwanted children in the same...more
This book is an excellent read.
Ms. McKenna does a wonderful job defining her characters. I know them as well as I might know my neighbors. I can see the Irish setting, hear the lilting speech patterns, visualize even the minor characters...all from her writing.
There were terrible parts of the story I didn't enjoy. Such places as the horrific orphanages actually existed, and the ugliness of that reality isn't easy to read about. But to balance out, there were times I laughed out loud.
When farmer...more
Ms. McKenna does a wonderful job defining her characters. I know them as well as I might know my neighbors. I can see the Irish setting, hear the lilting speech patterns, visualize even the minor characters...all from her writing.
There were terrible parts of the story I didn't enjoy. Such places as the horrific orphanages actually existed, and the ugliness of that reality isn't easy to read about. But to balance out, there were times I laughed out loud.
When farmer...more
I very much enjoyed reading this book. Ms. McKenna's style of writing is very engaging; I enjoyed her colorful metaphors. Her characters seem genuine. While the accounts of Jamie's abuse are disturbing to read, her narrative ends with a positive message, that with time and love there is a light at the end of the tunnel; there is hope and joy to be found for victims of verbal, physical and sexual abuse. There is reason for living even when a person is in the depths of despair.
While the character...more
While the character...more
The Misremembered Man is misrepresented in it’s descriptive blurb from the publisher. This beautifully rendered portrait of life in rural Ireland charms and delights with its authentic characters and gentle humor. This vivid portrayal of the universal search for love brings with it a darker tale, one that is heartbreaking in its poignancy.
It’s a brief and simple description that might lead you to think of a light romance or maybe even a romantic comedy. This book couldn’t be further from either...more
Set in 1970s rural Ireland, The Misremembered Man is an insightful tale of two lonely hearts looking for love. Jamie McCloone, is 41 and a bachelor farmer, still mourning the death of his adoptive parents but his neighbours Paddy and Rose convince him that all he needs is the love of a good woman. Forty year old teacher Lydia Devine feels stifled looking after her cantankerous elderly mother and longs to be happily wed. Their courtship is filled with comic moments as Rose imparts her pearls of w...more
This was a really good book. It could have been an astounding book but apparently the author's house caught on fire and she didn't have time to properly end it. Had she chosen to do so I would have given this book 5 stars. It had excellent character development and wonderful interactions between the characters.
(view spoiler)...more
(view spoiler)...more
This wonderful first novel was a lovely read, with a heart-breaking portrayal of viciously oppressive Irish orphanages as a key part of character development. Don't believe those who say the horrors committed against children in Ireland couldn't possibly have happened: they are well documented from late 20th century investigations and testimonies. Jamie, a 40 year old victim of that brutality, must navigate life alone after his adoptive father dies. Lydia, a sheltered spinster, may not be ready...more
I liked this book because it portrayed a child's need to be loved above all and how that plays in future years. It is set in rural Ireland in the 1970s with flashbacks to the 1940s. James or number '86', as he was called in the draconian Catholic orphanage where he was left by his mother, longs for her return. Lydia is stifled by her controlling father, a minister, and her demanding mother who can't see beyond instilling her with their strict values and personal choices about how life should be...more
Jan 05, 2012
Rosa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction,
fiction
This was a fortunate find for me: I’d set about loading up my Kindle with new reads before our Christmas vacation, and The Misremembered Man was on $0.99 special at the time, for a dose of fiction mixed into my usual choices.
If you aren’t a habitual reader, this book is one which can remind you of the simple pleasures a good story can bless your time with. I’m usually bothered by having to read English written in another country’s dialect, but McKenna’s main characters are all so likeable (and...more
If you aren’t a habitual reader, this book is one which can remind you of the simple pleasures a good story can bless your time with. I’m usually bothered by having to read English written in another country’s dialect, but McKenna’s main characters are all so likeable (and...more
I bought this book solely because it was $1 on Amazon (and I had just bought a Kindle Fire). I started reading it and thought it was going in one direction, and that direction was boring, but it was a lovely read (though it's written with a lot of Irish dialect, so be prepared to hear the accent in your head) nonetheless. The book has two storylines, with the first primarily about a lonely man looking for love and companionship. The second storyline, however, was much darker, about the horrible,...more
I love this book about two lonely people who meet through newspaper dating.
Jamie, a farmer, is damaged from his upbringing in an Irish orphanage and still suffering from the deaths of his aunt and uncle. When his friends encourage him to seek a mate through the newspaper, he complies because he has a deep desire for love and joy in his life.
Lydia, a teacher, is a spinster who has spent her life caring for her demanding mother. Since her father died last year, her mother is even more harsh and g...more
Jamie, a farmer, is damaged from his upbringing in an Irish orphanage and still suffering from the deaths of his aunt and uncle. When his friends encourage him to seek a mate through the newspaper, he complies because he has a deep desire for love and joy in his life.
Lydia, a teacher, is a spinster who has spent her life caring for her demanding mother. Since her father died last year, her mother is even more harsh and g...more
4 likes · like · see review
What a book! And what a range of emotions that I traveled through during it's course.
I am horrified that children were treated so terribly as they were in some of the orphanages. To not even have a name... to only be a number. I do realize that this was a fictional account -- but to know that the author based the treatment of the children on real accounts of survivors of these orphanages... well, there has to be a special place in hell for the nuns and priests and families who took part in this...more
I am horrified that children were treated so terribly as they were in some of the orphanages. To not even have a name... to only be a number. I do realize that this was a fictional account -- but to know that the author based the treatment of the children on real accounts of survivors of these orphanages... well, there has to be a special place in hell for the nuns and priests and families who took part in this...more
This is a book about a 40 something man who finds himself basically alone and decides to find some one to share his life with. He was raised in an Irish orphanage so cruel they didn't even bother giving the children names, they just numbered them.
I found Jamie to be a very compelling character. He is very sweet on the inside but full of repressed anger as well. He is socially awkward and the author does a great job of portraying him with a little humor and a lot of sensitivity and understanding...more
I found Jamie to be a very compelling character. He is very sweet on the inside but full of repressed anger as well. He is socially awkward and the author does a great job of portraying him with a little humor and a lot of sensitivity and understanding...more
I am thoroughly satisfied after reading this novel. One of its charms, and one I've always enjoyed with literature by Irish authors, is the language. I love to navigate the local dialect and learn how people communicate in a world that seems so far away to me. The rambling conversation pieces of several characters in this novel were both funny at times, and other times long and drawn out. On another note, what left a most lasting and unexpected impression on me from reading The Misremembered Man...more
Wow, what a book, it wasn't what I expected at all.
It tells the story of a man and woman, both in their forties, both looking for love. Each of them decide to place an advert in a local newspaper's lonely heart section. Although, they come from different backgrounds, both share a lot in common and they agree to meet for dinner.
What adds to the novel is the story of boy Eight-Six. He is just a number, growing up in a cruel orphanage where punishment is meted out more than food. Although those par...more
It tells the story of a man and woman, both in their forties, both looking for love. Each of them decide to place an advert in a local newspaper's lonely heart section. Although, they come from different backgrounds, both share a lot in common and they agree to meet for dinner.
What adds to the novel is the story of boy Eight-Six. He is just a number, growing up in a cruel orphanage where punishment is meted out more than food. Although those par...more
Absolutely beautiful writing. I love the slightly quirky tone of the author's prose. The characters are wonderfully drawn, and although there is very little happening much of the time, I never felt the story was lacking in pace.
I was very close to giving the book five stars, but found a few things that didn't quite hit a perfect note:
1. Sometimes overlong descriptions.
2. The coincidence towards the end is too fantastic to be credible.
3. The ending is a bit sudden - I felt the swing in the hero'...more
I was very close to giving the book five stars, but found a few things that didn't quite hit a perfect note:
1. Sometimes overlong descriptions.
2. The coincidence towards the end is too fantastic to be credible.
3. The ending is a bit sudden - I felt the swing in the hero'...more
McKenna is a gifted writer, with prose that's so smooth and persuasive it's easy to overlook any flaws in the story telling. In fact, this historical novel tells a very good story, and it's not one I'm going to forget quickly. So why only three stars? Hmm. This is a little hard to explain, but the narrative veered so dramatically between the comic and the tragic--the pathetic, really, in which an abused character suffers almost more than can be believed--that the read made me feel a bit seasick....more
The Kindle version of this book was being offered for $2 thru Amazon...and the review sounded interesting...so I figured "what the heck." I'm not quite finished yet (just a few pages to go) but I'm lovin' it. The story is very regional, taking place in a small town in Ireland. The author is quite adept at conveying the local dialect in the dialogue...but not to the point that we Americans get lost in it. The humor is innocent and sweet, but the overall story is not so sanguine...the back stories...more
Jamie, a shambolic 40ish Irish farmer, seeks female companionship via lonely hearts advertisements and eventually finds more than he bargains for with Lydia. The tale is interwoven with the back story of Number 86, an orphan terribly mistreated in the care of nuns. The brutality (based on true accounts) contrasts vehemently with the mild humour of Jamie’s current life and also explains much of his behaviour.
The novel is to a degree spoilt by the use of heavily accented dialogue, which I did not...more
The novel is to a degree spoilt by the use of heavily accented dialogue, which I did not...more
Amazon made me an offer I couldn't refuse and I am glad I fell for it. This novel is a wonderful blend of comedy, social class (or lack of it) and a wrenching backstory, all set in Ireland in the 1970s. Jamie is a fortysomething farmer who has just lost his uncle. Alone and depressed, he takes the advice of a wise neighbor and decided to check the matchmaking column of the area newspaper. Lydia, a woman who takes care of her demanding mother, has placed an ad. Jamie answers, setting into motion...more
The Misremembered Man is James McCloone, a 41 year old bachelor who lives a chaotic and slovenly life on a small Irish farm. Lydia Devine is a spinster of a similar age, brow-beaten by her aging mother. Both James and Lydia are convinced by their friends to place an ad in the lonely hearts column, and commence an awkward correspondence.
As McKenna relates their story, she also explores James' past life in a Catholic orphanage, explaining why he struggles so much with life, and has difficulties wi...more
As McKenna relates their story, she also explores James' past life in a Catholic orphanage, explaining why he struggles so much with life, and has difficulties wi...more
A wonderfully sympathetic story of two characters forever impacted by the harsh orphanages of the Catholic Church in Ireland during the mid-1900's. The story moves seamlessly between memories of the cruel treatment in the orphanage and the early 1970's as Lydia and Jamie try to find companionship.
Both middle-aged, one emotionally scarred by the orphanage, the other lonely and unmarried, they turn to ads in the newspaper to find a partner.
It's a great credit to the author that she makes Jamie a...more
Both middle-aged, one emotionally scarred by the orphanage, the other lonely and unmarried, they turn to ads in the newspaper to find a partner.
It's a great credit to the author that she makes Jamie a...more
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“[Lydia tut-tutted on seeing the grocer's apostrophe]”
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