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71st out of 233 books
—
257 voters
Wild Decembers
by
Edna O'Brien
"With a mood akin to WUTHERING HEIGHTS--and indeed the spirit of Emily Bronte" (Irish Times), Edna O'Brien's critically acclaimed novel WILD DECEMBERS charts the quick but sure demise of relations between "the warring sons of warring sons." Here in the countryside of western Ireland, "ancient feuds, romantic passions, and misguided ideas of fidelity blend together in . . ....more
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
May 14th 2001
by Mariner Books
(first published 1999)
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“One half of the field had been ploughed and the earth looked cross and disgruntled at being overturned” (84).
“…two corncrakes had either been serenading or outwitting each other minutes before” (143).
“He saw his own face guilty and enlarged in the back of a ladle that was on the kitchen table, near where he stood” (146).
“…the sky all pageant, clouds of every denomination, their pink-frilled edges overlapping, like the waves of a sea” (211).
“A stubby woman in black boots with a shovel. If you di...more
“…two corncrakes had either been serenading or outwitting each other minutes before” (143).
“He saw his own face guilty and enlarged in the back of a ladle that was on the kitchen table, near where he stood” (146).
“…the sky all pageant, clouds of every denomination, their pink-frilled edges overlapping, like the waves of a sea” (211).
“A stubby woman in black boots with a shovel. If you di...more
Eine kleine Dorfgemeinschaft in Irland wird durch die Ankunft eines Fremden aus der Ruhe gebracht. Michel Bugler kehrt aus Australien in das Land seiner Vorfahren zurück und bringt zunächst mit seinem Traktor eine willkommene Abwechslung in das Leben der Dorfbewohner. Mit seinen Nachbarn, den Geschwistern Joseph und Breege Brennan, beginnt er freundschaftliche Bande zu knüpfen. Doch als es um Felder, Weiderechte und Torfstich geht, werden aus ihnen erbitterte Feinde. Sie prozessieren um das Land...more
Having enjoyed The House of Splendid Isolation, I took O'Brien's Wild Decembers (a quotation from Brontë) to Dublin on a long weekend vacation. Although it provided a pleasant enough counterpoint to my experience of that culture- and history-rich city, this book is distinctly less good. Set in the remote mountain village of Cloontha, it is a story of power, men's power over the land and men's power over women, both of which ultimately prove illusory. The tragedy inherent in this theme is offset...more
What beautiful prose. I'm not fond of Irish lit, but Wild Decembers made me forget I was reading Irish English. I give it three stars solely for the language - if not the language, I would have stopped reading the story. I could not feel a single ounce of sympathy for Bugler who I thought was a smug bastard even as he was in the right. Neither did I feel moved by Breege's plight - I did not understand why she would fall for a callow bugger like Mick, to the extent of going hysterical, and no, th...more
Edna O'Brien's prose reads like poetry. She conjures images from the mists of Irish mountains and the thick skin of peat bogs, her characters appearing wraith-like in a land of ancient legends and living superstitions. Her style lends a sense of timelessness to her stories and their settings and characters. With a few tweaks of detail, Wild Decembers could be set in late 19th century or pre-World War II Ireland as easily as the end of the 20th century.
O'Brien's affinity for lyricism can distance...more
O'Brien's affinity for lyricism can distance...more
Nov 15, 2008
Ruth
marked it as to-read
A few years ago I was fortunate enough to tour parts of Western Ireland. I fell in love with a brief story I read on a momument to Grace O'Malley in Westport. In that town, there were also a few pubs named after her in some way. What a gal. She defeated the balance of the Spanish Armada after the British Navy had warded them off. She was offered titles and rewards by Queen Elizabeth I, but declined them stating she was an Irish Queen and didn't require anything further.
This book is a great ac...more
This book is a great ac...more
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Even though I quite enjoyed the story line and the setting in Ireland, I found it a very "slow" read. But I finished the book and it did get better towards the end. I just might try and read another book by Edna O'Brien before deciding I don't like her style of writing.
This book really gives an insight into the daily lives and complications of a small Welsh village in the sixties. The characters are complex and very earthy as well. A little hard to get into, but worth it if you persevere. Not a typical style of writing.
If you like poetry or finding a story through symbolism, you might like this book. The last 50 pages were "good" only because the first 209 were so excruciatingly hard to get through.
I generally liked it. Loved and rooted for the main female protagonist, Breege. The prose was beautiful and O'Brien excelled in building up the climax, though it was predictable. My main gripe with the novel was I did not know what time period it was set in; others in my book club could not discern a time either. Shifts in narration also made it difficult to follow. Oftentimes, I found myself re-reading passages to fully grasp what was going on. However, I also re-read passages because they were...more
Jan 20, 2013
Becca
added it
Didn't get very far into it. It was mildly liked by our book group from what I hear.
I loved this book. I could have done with a happier ending, but it was a great read nonetheless.
I found this a hard book to get into.
Yet again I was hoping for another Maeve Binchy-like author and didn't find one. This book was actually a little disturbing...really unhealthy people and relationships. I stopped after the first couple of chapters. I just like books that are enjoyable and not so deep and raw and "real" AKA worldly that I feel dragged down. I wouldn't recommend this book and I'm not sure I'll try another of her books.
Review to come!
I didn't like it as much as the same author's "The Light of Evening,"
but want to read some of her short stories and see if the people in
them show some signs of a sense of humor, some sense of perspective
on what fate has handed them.
but want to read some of her short stories and see if the people in
them show some signs of a sense of humor, some sense of perspective
on what fate has handed them.
Wow. What a book. This is a lyrical, poetic, utterly engaging book. The theme is as old as books - star crosses would be lovers. But she just nails it. A story of the warring sons of warring sons in rural Ireland.
Enjoyed this book very much...
I held my breath reading this book. Not that I didn't know it couldn't have a good ending.
It's a timeless story, probably as old as humankind.
Good read!
It's a timeless story, probably as old as humankind.
Good read!
Very interesting writing style. Rather than starting out with character development, you just drop right into the story. Just as sad, but not the best of her books.
*sigh* Ay mi gente....
The story felt like a Greek tragedy. The end was inevitable from the beginning, but the writing ..... beautiful. Poetic.
Apr 20, 2009
Karen
marked it as to-read
Has anyone read this? Recommend?
Good read if not a little depressing.
May 16, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2013
Eileen
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Julie Mcnally
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Leonardo
marked it as to-read
May 08, 2013
Scarlett Emma
marked it as to-read
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Edna O’Brien (b. 1930), an award-winning Irish author of novels, plays, and short stories, has been hailed as one of the greatest chroniclers of the female experience in the twentieth century. She is the 2011 recipient of the Frank O’Connor Prize, awarded for her short story collection Saints and Sinners. She has also received, among other honors, the Irish PEN Award for Literature, the Ulysses Me...more
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