Reading the 20th Century discussion
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The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne
Buddy Reads
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The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore (March 2023)
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Ben has express some interest over on the buddy reads thread
Who else is tempted by this buddy read?
I have mean meaning to read thiis for a long time. March suits me, but any time is good.
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Getting better all the time
Inspired idea Brian 👏🏼
I don't think I can resist this. Been on my radar for a very long time! March is good for me too, but am flexible. Thanks for suggesting this, Brian!
Yay! I will happily reread the gem. I have no preference on which month.
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Let's agree March 2023
Brian is particularly keen on doing it in March to coincide with St Patrick's Day
March makes sense to me. 🍀
I'm going to join you guys for this one. :)
I hope I haven’t raised expectations that will leave others disappointed!
Thanks, you’re too kind, Dianne.
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I’m glad, Nigeyb. I hope it doesn’t disappoint.
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The portraits of the two main characters, Judith Hearne and James Madden, are well observed.
I love good descriptions of guest house life too.
Interested to discover how it plays out
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We’re all victims of circumstance but poor old Judith Hearn really has been dealt a bad hand. Still things can only get better, right? At page 70, I suspect probably not
I'm enjoying and appreciating the black comedy and the wonderful characterisation. In particular Judith, James Madden, and Bernie, the landlady's spoiled son.
Thanks Wndy and Brian for inspiring me to read it
Looking forward to discovering what everyone else makes of this
I just started, and am thinking this is SO my kind of novel. :-) I'll have a lot of books going in March, so will be dipping in and out, but am pretty sure every page of this will be a pleasure.
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I’m so pleased this wasn’t a dud for everyone. I look forward to rereading it when I finish The World My Wildnerness.
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I’ve just read about the Sunday visit to the O’Neill’s which is the highlight of Judith’s week. Life can be very cruel
I will be reading this later so I can be sure that I have some of it to read ON St. Patrick's Day itself. I have just finished The World My Wilderness and will be starting Troy Chimneys tomorrow and may also fit in The Long Goodbye - really I WILL fit it in this month as I just ordered it and so have committed to read it and every book "tastes" better when read in a RTTC group read.
I'm looking forward to this book but don't worry Wndy, I don't have inflated expectations; I just expect it not to suck big time so will be satisfied with slightly less than mediocre. :) ;)
Phew. I think it will pass muster as slightly less than mediocre, Brian.
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"I will be reading this later so I can be sure that I have some of it to read ON St. Patrick's Day itself"
The perfect way to mark the big day
Yes, as tempting as it is to read this through, I'm going to make it last till St. Paddy's day, as Brian says.
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I’m going to reread it. It is one of my favorite books.
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Will review tomorrow
Powerful, but oh so bleak
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https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I can't wait to discuss this with the rest of you
I’m so glad you liked it, Nigeyb.
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I'm reading this slowly and think the characterization is first rate, as Nigeyb says above. I love the details, especially what goes on at breakfast and at church. Fascinating, and absolutely heartbreaking.
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I forgot how bleak it is, but I loved it. I looked at the YouTube trailer for the film with Maggie Smith and saw that a young Ian McNeice-Bert Large from Doc Martin, plays the repulsive man-baby Bernard.
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I'll go and have a look at the trailer
I didn’t watch the film, just the trailer.
This is powerful writing. I found myself reaching for something I shouldn't eat yesterday, and, thinking of Judy's struggles, decided, "No. Don't do it. One cookie might not be enough, and pretty soon you'll be down some dark alley buying a bag of Oreos on the sly."This is bleak though, so I decided to add a lighter St. Patrick's Day read to go with it. Will start an Oscar Wilde play soon, Lady Windermere's Fan.
I found Judith Hearne such a pitiable character. I still think about the book five years after reading it.
Brian E wrote: "I'm looking forward to this book but don't worry Wndy, I don't have inflated expectations; I just expect it not to suck big time so will be satisfied with slightly less than mediocre. :) ;).."WndyJW wrote: "Phew. I think it will pass muster as slightly less than mediocre, Brian."
I have finished the book. It exceeded my expectations as it did not "suck big time..." and was better than "slightly less than mediocre."
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I’m so glad you found that it was better then slightly less than mediocre, Brian! Is there a joy more profound than discovering a book that doesn’t suck big time?
WndyJW wrote: "I’m so glad you found that it was better then slightly less than mediocre, Brian! Is there a joy more profound than discovering a book that doesn’t suck big time?"No. The non-sucking was simply rapturous.
I enjoyed your review, Brian, and the stream of consciousness parts were a highlight for me too. I felt that technique allowed him to go really deep, but he did it in a way that wasn't confusing and didn't take me out of the story as sometimes happens with stream of consciousness writing.This is my first time reading Moore, and I'm very impressed.
Kathleen wrote: "... the stream of consciousness parts were a highlight for me too. I felt that technique allowed him to go really deep, but he did it in a way that wasn't confusing and didn't take me out of the story as sometimes happens with stream of consciousness writing..."The stream of consciousness did help provide for an interesting story. It also helped that the mind of Judith was a stream with an often-changing course.
I found Judith entertaining and sympathetic, but so pathetic at times that I didn't find her endearing.
The stream of consciousness into the minds of Bernard and James also helped the storytelling. Often, when their spoken words would obfuscate their true character, their interior monologues would then serve to clarify their true natures.
The two, especially Bernard, were wonderfully creepy creations. The conflict between them was one crying out for a resolution with two losers.
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The inner monologues and shifting perspectives are very helpful to understanding motivation and personality.
Such a bleak book but, as we have all discovered, one that is well worth reading. This powerful story will certainly stay with me.
I wouldn't be in a hurry to read it again but I am very glad to have experienced it
Before reading The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne I was aware of Brian Moore as the author of the 1985 novel Black Robe. I haven't read "Black Robe" but I had seen the dark and haunting 1991 movie version https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_R..., described in Wikiedia as:"Set in the 17th century, it depicts the adventures of a Jesuit missionary tasked with founding a mission in New France. To do so, he must traverse 1500 miles of harsh wilderness with the help of a group of Algonquins, facing danger from both the unfamiliar environment and rival tribes. The title refers to the nickname given to the Jesuits by the Algonquins, referring to his black cassock."
I thought Black Robe and Judith Hearne were worlds apart in their subject matter and setting and admired Moore's ability to write well about such different subjects and settings. However, after reading The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne I realized that it and Black Robe actually share a common theme; both have aspects of the Catholic experience at their core.
Thanks for the Black Robe summary, Brian. I was fascinated by Moore's treatment of Catholicism, and I'm tempted! Sounds like it's along similar lines to a fantastic book I'm reading right now: The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse.
Reading the 20th Century
Books mentioned in this topic
The Rector's Daughter (other topics)The Magician's Wife (other topics)
The Mangan Inheritance (other topics)
The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse (other topics)
Black Robe (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Brian Moore (other topics)Brian Moore (other topics)
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (1955)
by
Brian Moore
We are reading this together in March 2023 although please feel free to comment before and after this time
More about The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne....
The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne is an unflinching and deeply sympathetic portrait of a woman destroyed by self and circumstance. First published in 1955, it marked Brian Moore as a major figure in English literature (he would go on to be short-listed three times for the Booker Prize) and established him as an astute chronicler of the human soul.
Judith Hearne is an unmarried woman of a certain age who has come down in society. She has few skills and is full of the prejudices and pieties of her genteel Belfast upbringing. But Judith has a secret life. And she is just one heartbreak away from revealing it to the world.