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What Members Thought
3.5* rounded up to 4 for uniqueness... Set in Belfast during the Troubles, we learn of the story of how it feels to be a teenage girl growing up in No. Ireland, and just how little respect, understanding, or helpful advice they received during this tumultuous time between the Irish Catholics and the Protestants. This wasn't an easy read via audiobook, and I'd probably recommend reading a hard copy or on an e-device to make it easier.
The narrator is the one who held it together for me with her e ...more
The narrator is the one who held it together for me with her e ...more
Oh wow. This book has so many important issues, from the war in Ireland in the 70s, the psychological effects as well as the socio-cultural effects of the war. It covered a fascinating array of problems, characters, and snippets of the stories of the people in Belfast.
But the writing style, OMG it's just torturous for me XD Half ingenious and half self indulgent, Anna Burns perhaps is a brilliant writer and deserved all the awards that she can get, BUT... her writing is not enjoyable at all. Ful ...more
But the writing style, OMG it's just torturous for me XD Half ingenious and half self indulgent, Anna Burns perhaps is a brilliant writer and deserved all the awards that she can get, BUT... her writing is not enjoyable at all. Ful ...more
4 stars for style, 2.5 stars for story
When I first started it, my mind visualised some civil-war-torn non-Western nation: violent and sexist.
Imagine my surprise on reading around the book (from places like goodreads) that it was set during Ireland during The Troubles. I read around the history and found it very relevant to today's politics (Brexit etc). I wish I could give it more stars because it introduced me to so much learning.
But this was just too difficult a book to read. There was a lot of slang that I didn't understand and ...more
Imagine my surprise on reading around the book (from places like goodreads) that it was set during Ireland during The Troubles. I read around the history and found it very relevant to today's politics (Brexit etc). I wish I could give it more stars because it introduced me to so much learning.
But this was just too difficult a book to read. There was a lot of slang that I didn't understand and ...more
Oct 17, 2018
Monica W.
marked it as to-read
Oct 17, 2018
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Jan 05, 2019
Jocelyn
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Feb 21, 2019
Ann
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Apr 20, 2019
Steph S
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Feb 02, 2020
Johan
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May 10, 2020
Grainne
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Aug 01, 2022
Jillian
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Feb 03, 2025
Tuck
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Sep 14, 2025
Tiffany
marked it as to-read
