Goodreads Ireland discussion
This topic is about
Unspoken
Buddy Reads
>
Unspoken: Unofficial/Buddy Read
message 1:
by
[deleted user]
(new)
Jun 08, 2014 10:36AM
Nice one, Emma! I'll jump in here soon enough.
reply
|
flag
I loved this book, the characters were so enjoyable. The devilment the kids got up to was hilarious at times. I thought it showed the development in Irish politics and religion quite well. And of course I loved recognising the different areas of Limerick such as donkey fords and roxboro which he described perfectly.I'll eventually get around to the effect of her. Too many books....
A perfect excuse for a reread methinks! :)
It now has its own dedicated folder as well as being on our bookshelf.
Emma, I'm glad you enjoyed the podcast. I know from it that he seems to be famous for writing for 'Scrap Saturday', which is a programme that I assume must've been big in ROI. Have you ever heard of it? Or has anyone else? I've got a teetering TBR pile, but think I'll aim to refresh my memory as to the finer details of the novel sooner rather than later.
@Allan. It considered by many to be RTE's best ever comedy series and it's famous for launching Dermot Morgan's TV career. ( Or was it for making him a household name? I'm little sketchy with that part. I was a baby when it finished.)
@Emma. I liked the portrayal of the Strongs too. They really felt like the typical working class Irish family. They really could have been from anywhere.
I'll more to say once I've reread it.
@Emma. I liked the portrayal of the Strongs too. They really felt like the typical working class Irish family. They really could have been from anywhere.
I'll more to say once I've reread it.
Oh, and I loved how no-one seemed to like The Lizard. It feelse right that everyone should hate Haughey. ;)
Thanks for the info, Declan!Emma, wait until you read The Effect of Her re 'the lizard'-I'm sure you heard from the extract from it that Stembridge read on the podcast that Haughey doesn't come across too well!
Emma wrote: "It predates me. Think it was on in the 80s given Dermot Morgan was in it because he died in the mid 90s"Poor Dermot Morgan. :( Can still remember the shock of hearing about his death.
Emma wrote: "@Isabella Same. I was only 9 but I was already familiar with Father Ted."Father Ted is such a classic. I can read quotes from it all the time, and laugh at them all, not matter how often I've heard them.
This is such a help to have all of this background information included here. It's Friday afternoon, it's raining cats and dogs, so I intend to curl up on the couch and get much further in the book.
Sounds like a plan, Cathleen! I love the new profile pic by the way-is that a picture from your recent Dublin trip by any chance? :)
Allan wrote: "Sounds like a plan, Cathleen! I love the new profile pic by the way-is that a picture from your recent Dublin trip by any chance? :)"Hi Allan--yes it is :) I'm sure you recognize Declan, and that's my friend/colleague Kim on the left and me on the right.
Emma wrote: "@Isabella It is amazing how one tv show has become so engrained in our culture. People are forever quoting it."I'm feeling nostalgic now. WIll have to watch my Father Ted DVDs!
@Cathleen. I love the picture. It brings back fond memories of a great day out. And remember to say hi to Kim for me. :)
@Isabella. You'll probably be able to get them on YouTube. I often watch it there when I'm traveling.
@Isabella. You'll probably be able to get them on YouTube. I often watch it there when I'm traveling.
Declan wrote: "@Cathleen. I love the picture. It brings back fond memories of a great day out. And remember to say hi to Kim for me. :)@Isabella. You'll probably be able to get them on YouTube. I often watch it..."
Hi Declan :) I just found photobucket, so I'll post some more. That was such a fun day. It was like a week's worth of sights in one afternoon :)
Well, when you know a local you can get around so much more quickly.
Can't wait to see the photos. :)
Can't wait to see the photos. :)
It's here, Cathleen! :)
Allan wrote: "It's here, Cathleen! :)"Thank you! I found it :)
I'm sure I'll need to finish the novel to understand the epigraph's meaning, but I'm struck so far by how it frames the narrative. I really enjoyed the scene of the New Year's Eve party, with everyone taking their turn with a song. But since I'm not familiar with any of the songs, I'll have to look them up. Were they/are they all very familiar songs in Ireland? Would most everyone know those songs by heart?
Emma wrote: "I wasn't familiar with those songs Cathleen. Sadly the tradition of having a sing song at parties is kind of dying out. We had one at my Grandads 90th last year and it was great craic but that's ..."
That is sad, isn't it? I wondered if it was that--a sign of the times. There was something striking about the way that everyone was expected to have a song to share--whether he or she had a lovely singing voice or not--and that it was the idea of connecting through your own voice and song that was the important bit, not so much whether you'd be a solo artist.
I'm also wondering about the significance of the songs chosen, although I'll have to look those songs up and get further along to figure that out. This scene reminded me of scenes from Dubliners.
So I managed to finish my reread of Unspoken this weekend, and once I got a bit of peace to sit down with it for an extended period, I flew through it and loved it just as much as I did last time. I loved the different strands of the book tackling the different aspects of Irish life at the time: the challenges of family life for the Strongs from the viewpoint of Fonsie and Ann, and the changes for the new generation through the eyes of the younger Strongs; the political aspirations of Dom and the political manoeuvring with the indirect advice of Lemass that changed the life of future generations in the country; the developments in entertainment with the establishment of RTE through the eyes of Baz Malloy and Gavin Bloom; and the experience of being a gay man, by default living invisibly, through the eyes of Brendan Barry and aforementioned Gavin, as the decade progresses.
On second reading, I'm even more convinced that Frances is Stembridge-the fact that he features so heavily, and was born in Limerick at the same time as Frances makes me believe that the book is at least partially autobiographical. There certainly seems to be a lot of authentic detail that research alone would be have been hard to produce. What does everyone else think on this point?
Anyway, as I approached the end, I became more and more keen to go straight on to a reread of The Effect of Her, one of my favourite books of last year, and I think I will go for it. I think having the characters as fresh in my mind as they are now, will make reading it an even more enjoyable experience than it was last year.
It's just a shame that there won't be a third in the series!
He mentioned at last years Hay Festival that there was only to be two book as they were set around the rise of Haughey.
I agree that it must be influence by real people and experiences. It feels to real to be completely pulled from his head.
I agree that it must be influence by real people and experiences. It feels to real to be completely pulled from his head.
I'm about a hundred pages in and love the family parts. I just loved the reference to 'I love Lucy' and the singing at parties. Since my singing sounds about as charming as Lucy's, I would have been a big hit. haha I am a bit confused by the political parts but have looked up some of the the terms, ie. Taoiseach. At least now I know the functions of the various party members.
You won't need to know much about the politics involved Diane. The inclusion of Dom and The Lizard will become clearer later on. I'm glad you're enjoying it do far.
Allan - I now understand why you hold on to your books:) I gave Sara my copies of Unspoken and The Effect of Her, both of which I enjoyed immensely. As we've said, it is helpful to know Irish history of the time, and Stembridge picks key events so knowing the significance of them is also important. I may have said this before, but I suspect the reason these books haven't been released in the U.S. is that they are too specifically Irish. I have a theory about books and films. I believe that some of the best do not have universal appeal but rather speak to a specific time and place that not everyone knows. This makes them even more special to those who share the experiences that the film or book describes.
I just finished reading the novel, and I really enjoyed it. I, like Theresa, tried to figure out my way through the political strands of the novel. I wasn't familiar at all with the political shuffling of that time. I ended up looking some things up just to get a better handle on the political landscape. How much of what Stembridge wrote about those men is true?
The outline of their careers is true and De Valera's declining faculties is true as well. Apart from that I couldn't say anything about Donogh O'Malley's personal conduct or motivations behind introducing free education.
We can thank Lemass for the boom of the nineties. Thirty years later we had a large, educated workforce who had degrees or technical diplomas.
I like how the Lemass Stembridge depicts is like the Lemass people remember: an idealist.
I like how the Lemass Stembridge depicts is like the Lemass people remember: an idealist.
I might have a look for the Ferriter book myself-I've only ever learned social history of this period via Reeling in the Years, but it'd be interesting to find out a bit more depth wise. Oh, by the way, nice new profile picture, Theresa! :)
Yeah, it's a lovely photo, Theresa. :-)
Emma wrote: "Actually Theresa I remember you mentioning you were looking for a book on modern irish history. I believe Ferriter wrote a book a few years ago on modern Irish history and politics though I can't r..."I'd be interested in reading a book on modern Irish history, especially since finishing Unspoken. Even though I wasn't familiar with the particulars of Irish politics at that time, I think Stembridge gave enough details so that I could recognize the political archetypes, but knowing more would give me that much more context.
I'm looking forward to reading The Effect of Her. I'll have to order it since it's not available in my local library or bookstores.
Very nice photo, Theresa--and I love your scarf :)
Emma, I have a digital copy of reeling in the years up to the nineties. They really were great
My ma once recorded Reeling in the Years for me about the year of my birth: 1979. What a miserable year that was. Recession, industrial disputes, Charles Haughey and the Pope. Not how I like to think of my birth year.
I have a full set of Reeling in the Years, from 1962 to 2009 on DVD, having recorded them off my Sky+. I still always set them to record when I see them come on-you normally get a run of them in the summer, so keep an eye on the schedules!Emma, BBCNI did a selection of programmes in the format of Reeling in the Years called 'Pop Goes NI'. They took seminal years in NI-1968, 1972, 1981, 1985 and 1993 if memory serves me right. What a bundle of laughs those programmes were. I became instantly depressed watching them, but at the same time, it made me appreciate how far we've come!
I went ahead and ordered ''The Transformation of Ireland' by Diarmaid Ferriter off Amazon, second hand in hardback for £6 including postage. I have read and really enjoyed the Dominic Sandbrook British 20th century social and political histories, so hope this one is as good!
Lovely pic Theresa, soon I'll be the only one without one. I think I'll stay hidden behind Sherlock for now :-)
Theresa, the reviews of the book on Amazon seem to indicate that it's a very readable book, which is one of the reasons why I decided to take the plunge with it. Whether I read it all at once, or dip in and out remains to be seen, given that it's almost 900 pages long. My Atlas has been dispatched but hasn't arrived yet-I'm looking forward to dipping into it as well, and will post my thoughts!
The TBR pile grows ever larger....!
I finally finished and liked it, really liked it. The family was great and, of course,Francie was my favorite. The politics did unfold itself just as was mentioned here. I do have a question though.1. Where can I find the podcast of Gerard Stembridge that many of you were talking about?
2. I know that Gerard was being a bit of a smart aleck but I had to laugh when Couthard noticed "priests everywhere in every hole and corner at every activity, gathering and bunfight." What's a bunfight? And I don't mean to be disrespectful at all but I'm curious. Are there still so many priests in Dublin?
It was Allan who originally posted the Hay Festival podcast,Diane. But if he's too busy to repost it later/tomorrow I'll find it and post it. There aren't many priests in Ireland now, and that's taking into consideration the number of Eastern European priest who have come over to hold masses in their native languages. I don't remember reading about bunfights but if memory serves me it's a kind of posh tea party.
Here's the podcast, Diane-listen to the stream as opposed to the download. http://www.hayfestival.com/p-6718-ger...
It's actually more to do with the next book in the series, but covers Unspoken as well and is well worth the listen. Let me know if you have any issues listening and I'll look for alternative links. :)
@Theresa. I'd never heard of the 'petty squabble' definition. I like it, I have to say.
@Emma. Not to mention every nun under the age of sixty is African.
@Emma. Not to mention every nun under the age of sixty is African.
@allan. Thank you. It streamed perfectly and was very entertaining. You Irish are so lucky to have such charming accents. When I was reading Unspoken I had, in my mind at least, an Irish accent.
I already bought the next book and hope we do another Unofficial read.
Emma wrote: "@Diane We actually should start a thread of the Effect of Her too given how many people have read it or have it on their TBR pile"That's a good idea, Emma. I'm eager to read The Effect of Her. I'll have to order it, like Unspoken, since it's unavailable here.
Everyone should read Strumpett City Emma. its amazing
Paul is occasionally right, usually when he is agreeing with me :-) Strumpet City is fantastic though and I have to admit it was Paul who got me to read it.
