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Astray
Astray | Emma Donoghue
The fascinating characters that roam across the pages of Emma Donoghue's stories have all gone astray: they are emigrants, runaways, drifters, lovers old and new. They are gold miners and counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves. They cross other borders too: those of race, law, sex, and sanity. They travel for love or money, incognito or under duress. With rich historical detail, the celebrated author of Room takes us from puritan Massachusetts to revolutionary New Jersey, antebellum Louisiana to the Toronto highway, lighting up four centuries of wanderings that have profound echoes in the present. Astray offers us a surprising and moving history for restless times.
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ManyWordsLater
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Whenever I post a TBR stack there‘s always one book that does NOT get read.

Any guesses for this stack?

41 likes1 comment
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Sweettartlaura
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Pickpick

This was a really great book. A series of historical fiction short stories, Donoghue explores migration - across oceans, racial barriers, & the gender divide. Each is based on a true account, some well-documented. Donoghue delves into the psyches & motivations of the migrants, & of those left in their wake.
Definitely worth reading 📖

Sweettartlaura @Megabooks 🙌🏻. Enjoy! 5y
30 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Pandalibrarian
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Pickpick

I had no idea what to expect with this book - it‘s part of this year‘s #syncya program. Once I figured it out, I enjoyed the stories and the explanations about them. I do like hearing how authors take inspiration from the smallest detail and expand it to a story or novel. The use of multiple narrators added to the experience of the audiobook.

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suzisteffen
Astray | Emma Donoghue
Pickpick

Fourteen tasty, often hard or sad, historical fiction short stories about strangers coming to town. Loved the transcript of a Melissa Block NPR interview with Donoghue as well - fantastic. Ebook from my #library! #shortstories

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suzisteffen
Astray | Emma Donoghue

About to start this one. Love me some Emma Donoghue! I‘ve heard nothing about this one. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #amreading

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Tamra
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Pickpick

I REALLY enjoyed this book. I imagine in being a historical fiction or non-fiction writer you come across really interesting events and characters in research and travels that may not make for a full length book, so you end up with a lot of intriguing bits & pierces. This book is a collection of stories that Emma has fleshed out from those historical bits. The concise afterwards she includes following each ⬇️⬇️

Tamra story are just as intriguing for the background. The full afterward at the end is wonderful too, she explains why she put the collection together. The theme is people gone astray over boundaries: race, geography, culture, gender, etc. I liked it so much I‘m going to have my eye out for a paper copy! 👍🏾👍🏾 (edited) 6y
87 likes6 stack adds1 comment
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Tamra
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Tasty summer lunch to accompany the tagged audiobook. I am loving Donoghue‘s writing!

Cathythoughts Looks delicious 😋 6y
Tamra @Cathythoughts it was! Then I ate Oreos. 😑 6y
Velvetfur That looks so amazing that you deserved those Oreos afterwards 😊 6y
Cinfhen Yum 😋 vibrant colors 6y
86 likes4 comments
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Hooked_on_books
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Pickpick

To craft the stories in this collection, Donoghue drew inspiration from historical documents or news articles. After each story, the source material is briefly discussed, which I felt added a layer of interest. There were 2 stories I didn‘t care as much for, but I really enjoyed the rest.

47 likes1 stack add
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RidgewayGirl
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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This weekend, the local Friends of the Library held a booksale. I dropped in to see if I could find a book or maybe two and things went seriously Astray. The top four books are ones I‘ve read, but loved so much I wanted to have my own copies. Does anyone else do this?

Tonton Oh yes! 6y
bnp Oh yes! 6y
Liz_M Absolutely, my wishlist is mostly books I've read and want to own. 6y
Crazeedi Wow, you did just fine!😁 6y
23 likes4 comments
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SusanLee
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Panpan

Another book which is not my cup of tea. A collection of short stories but I‘ve only enjoyed The Gift

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huntersmom1977
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Pickpick

A book of short stories that involved emigrants, runaways, drifters,lovers old and new, gold miners, counterfeiters, attorneys and slaves. Historical fiction at its finest. 5/5

4 likes1 stack add
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shawnmooney
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Bailedbailed

In bailing on this after the first two stories, I am entertaining two reading-related hypotheses: (1) I just don't do well with most fiction that's based on real-life historical people, and (2) this being the second Donoghue book I've bailed on this month, maybe my deep love for 'Room' was the beginning and the end of things for Emma and me. I am certainly not going to try another of hers for a loooong time.

Cinfhen 😂at least you tried! 7y
zsuzsanna_reads I loved Room too and then bailed on both Slammerkin and The Sealed Letter 😑 7y
LitHousewife I enjoyed this in audio. It's about the only way I read short stories. 7y
See All 9 Comments
8little_paws I'm wondering if you read this and if you didn't like it either? 7y
shawnmooney @Cinfhen I did my best, and failed – or was failed… :-) @zsuzsanna_reads The other one I bailed on this month was Frog Music @LitHousewife Actually, I was doing it on audio too, and that didn't work for me at all. Not with this one. @8little_paws No, I've never read it – I heard a little bit about it though - is it similar to this? 7y
8little_paws @shawnmooney no, but it's historical fiction based off a real person. Generally I would rather just read the true story, but I really, really enjoyed that novel. 7y
shawnmooney @8little_paws Well, I might like to give it a try some day too! Thanks! 7y
8little_paws @shawnmooney it's a very character driven book--about this woman and her relationship with her closest female friend, and her husband with whom she has a somewhat "arranged" marriage. The two of them are spies in the Galapagos, but really the time on the islands is a small part of the book. The tug between solitude and emotional connection is what drives the book. It was very off the radar last year, I learned of it through BOTM. 7y
Suet624 I was sad when I realized Room might just be the best she could offer me. 7y
36 likes9 comments
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JackOBotts
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Mehso-so

Donoghue interweaves fact and fiction to highlight the book's theme: travel, both in the literal and figurative sense. The vignettes are intriguing, their characters are dynamic (and real...). I appreciated her overview of the source material at the end of each story.

Lacythebookworm I have a copy of this. Glad to read a review! I might try a couple of stories and see how I fare 😊 (edited) 7y
9 likes1 comment
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MicheleinPhilly
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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#booktober #shortstories I didn't look terribly carefully but these might be the only short story collections I own. 😬

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MrsCappuccina
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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New addition to my TBR 😁

21 likes1 stack add
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HotCocoaReads
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Writing stories is my way of scratching that itch: my escape from the claustrophobia of individuality. It lets me, at least for a while, live more than one life, walk more than one path. Reading, of course, can do the same.

6 likes2 stack adds
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Chronoreading
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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Panpan

This book is made up of short stories of people from the 19th century. I was not able to connect with the characters. I don't have many reasons besides that as to why I didn't like the book, it just wasn't a good fit for me.

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aNeedforReads
Astray | Emma Donoghue
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This week's currently reading and to-read. My taste is nothing if not eclectic.

1 like1 stack add