We Are Not Ourselves in Bookmarks Subscribers

Jan 30, 2014 Denise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kindle, favorite-books, knocked-my-socks-off, fiction, arc, 2014-reading-challenge

I wish I was a professional writer or reviewer so I could give this novel the brilliant review it deserves. But, alas, I am just a reader who is still processing and recovering from the last highly emotional pages of it. This is about as perfectly written as a novel can be.

Eileen Tumulty is born to Irish immigrants in Queens, New York. Her childhood was tumultuous, and she was forced to grow up sooner than most girls her age. She knew early on that she wanted more of a life for herself. She tho ...more

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Aug 19, 2014 Linda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, audio, ohio-e-book-project, 2015

(This was so weird, I was just reading Jana's review and my phone rang and guess who was on the other end?)

I really, really loved this book. It's long, yes. Nothing monumental happens, at least compared to most of my reading experiences, But often the ordinary can be monumental to those who are experiencing it.
I listened to the book (narrated by Mare Winningham) and the narration was as quiet and subtle as the writer. The entire experience was similar to finding a penny on the ground. Then anot ...more

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Aug 15, 2014 Karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, best-of-the-best, very-best-of-2014

This book was recommended to me by two of my Goodreads friends-thanks Bruno and thanks Michael!
What a fantastic read! The story was at times heartbreaking, I'm not one to cry when reading but my eyes welled up a bit. Matthew Thomas is a gifted writer and I look forward to reading his next novel. I select this book as the best book of 2014. ...more

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May 23, 2014 Kate rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 07, 2014 Patty rated it it was amazing

We Are Not Ourselves
By
Matthew Thomas

My " in a nutshell" summary...

This is the story of an Irish American family that begins in 1941. Most of what we learn is told by following the life of Eileen to its truly profound ending.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Wow...I am almost speechless about this book...almost! I actually began reading this book when we started an 8 hour car trip. I truly could not put this book aside...only when we were on winding country roads did I even once think about p We Are Not Ourselves
By
Matthew Thomas

My " in a nutshell" summary...

This is the story of an Irish American family that begins in 1941. Most of what we learn is told by following the life of Eileen to its truly profound ending.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Wow...I am almost speechless about this book...almost! I actually began reading this book when we started an 8 hour car trip. I truly could not put this book aside...only when we were on winding country roads did I even once think about putting it down. I would call Eileen the pivotal character in this story. Her early childhood with her parents...both alcoholics...was different. Her parents' relationship was so sad...so dysfunctional...both drank...her father gambled...but she had a relatively normal abnormal childhood. Eileen was determined to make something of her life...to go to college...get a house...have a normal life. When she meets Ed...marries...has her son Connell...gets that house that she wants...everything in her life seems perfect.

What I loved about this book...

Eileen always seemed not quite a normal character but not that abnormal of a character to me. Her upbringing was strained...especially her relationship with her mother. Her relationship with her father...was strained...but I loved the way he taught her how not to drink. Eileen and Ed...OMG...I can't even go down this road with anyone. It was unreal...yet it happens...it was so sad...I cried...my heart was so sad because what Ed went through happens to so many people. The letter he wrote to his son...touching...monumental...so heartfelt.

Final thoughts...

This is a big book...a big bold book. It's a saga that goes through generations. It's about Irish families and being sent to America and helping others in your family get here. It's about strained relationships and working hard and frustrations. It's about seeing something happening to someone you love and not really knowing why. This book was like nothing I have ever read before and I loved every single word.

...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Kathy rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-book

Matthew Thomas writes with such compassion for his heroine, Eileen Leary, that reading this book is akin to peering into her brain and heart, as a child, a young wife, a middle aged mother, and then a widow. "We Are Not Ourselves" manages to out-Franzen the literary darling, which is all the more remarkable considering this is his first book, and his day job was teaching high school English.

Eileen is a prickly protagonist, one who suppresses herself in many ways but then lashes out with a viciou ...more

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May 24, 2015 Kirsten rated it really liked it

Brilliantly written, very moving. A bit long in the middle. Insightful, poignant, real. 60 years (1951-2011)through the life of an Irish-American family. The characters will stay with me a long time.

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Jun 05, 2014 Betsy rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, on-audio, debuts, 2015, own-audio

A well written story of a family living an ordinary life with all its disappointments, small and large, petty resentments, and hopefully at the end, the wisdom and perspective to understand what it all means. I teetered throughout the book between respecting Eileen Tumulty Leary and wanting to slap her silly. At the end, I happily felt more of the former than the latter. The audio version is expertly read by Mare Winningham.

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