Welcome to Litsy!

3 stories that the author connects at the end. There is nothing wrong with the stories, the writing, the characters, I just couldn't connect and didnt enjoy the book much.

This is a collation of four short stories that, at first seem separate from each other and oddly without that elegiac note that seems to be Ryan‘s signature. Then that last story wraps it all up and delivers the shiv to you where you stand!

There is a slight connection to “A Slanting of the Sun” (short in the collection of the same name) but you don‘t need to read either to enjoy the other.

Kindle UK deal of the day...

It's not just the story but also in the telling of it. The characters, setting and time are just part of the storyteller's craft but when they are are delicately woven together they elevate a few simple stories into something nearly sublime. Well done! Worth the read. Looking forward to reading another work by Donal Ryan. Any suggestions?

Finally, John. Three stories. Such different men. This one chooses power and then is powerless. "There's God...I feel the breath of angels on my neck. Their breath is foul. They're from the other legion, I'd say."

Another snowy weekend and the sound of a lilting Irish accent as a boy bemoans the death of snowflakes. "But, God rarely played ball when it came to snow." On that we can agree.

The beginning of Farouk's story immediately captured my attention. I loved that it spoke of trees and their ability to talk to each other. It reminded me of the most beautiful parts of Lab Girl. Farouk's story was darkly beautiful too.

“A stunning novel of three men, each searching for something they have lost.” -inside cover.

My wish is for every book to live up to the accolades. -me

Well since i'm trapped under a cat I might as well knock out one more short book in 2018 🤷‍♀️

I reluctantly put this down to attend work meetings this morning and couldn‘t wait for lunch so I could get back to it. Sadly, this didn‘t make the ToB short list (nor the Man Booker short list for that matter) but I‘m so grateful to the MB longlist for putting it on my radar & then a publishing rep‘s mention at my local indie for pushing me over the edge. This book is ringing all of my book bells and I can‘t wait to read more from this author.

I‘ve seen mixed reviews on this one, which I bought a few months ago when it made the Man Booker longlist. It‘s also on the Tournament of Books longlist, and thus far, it‘s leaps and bounds better than the other ToB longlister I‘m currently reading, French Exit by Patrick deWitt (whose Sisters Brothers I adored but this new one, not so much 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Ryan is very good at capturing his characters in surprisingly few words and pages. Each of his main characters in this novel are lost in some way—and he explains this all very well. But sometimes writing that is spare is too spare. These stories all connect in the last 10 pages. I felt it didn‘t really end. What happens to the characters? What are the ramifications? And I have one big question with a spoiler tag in my GR review. #bookerlonglist

Taking this one for airplane reading tomorrow. I‘m so behind on my ARCs. #packingforLondon.

New house that‘s closer to work means a new morning routine. Moving‘s a huge pain but more quiet morning reading time is totally worth it.

Donal Ryan does a good job writing the internal lives of his characters, but I really struggled to see the greater purpose of this book. Why these characters, why this story? I remember liking The Spinning Heart far better.

Away in Somerset for a wedding. Staying at a lovely little pub next door to the church.

August is always so crazy with prepping for the new semester, I hardly have time to read. But this weekend I made plans to read a book a day. Mission accomplished. ✔️✔️✔️

My 3rd read from the Man Booker Long List. This is a short book told by 3 narrators- 3 men who are drawn to the sea for different reasons. The final section is an omniscient narrator who pulls together their stories - splintered men, neither good nor evil but living their lives. My favorite was the young man Lampy and his grandfather- their relationship rang most true for me. Quiet book ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some books roar, this one whispers -- but what a whisper. Three individual stories all come together in one night's event -- a refugee from Syria and two men in Ireland. Such a well crated story with gorgeous writing that is achingly precise and evocative.

My 1st read from the booker longlist + i enjoyed it a lot. 3 stories of v different men seem unconnected until the final part draws them all together. A dr who escapes a country controlled by isis with his wife+dtr - heartbreaking and absorbing , a young irish man full of anger struggles with his emotions, and an older man who seems heartless deals with consequences of love,jealousy & violence .
a subtle picture of men and i liked the resolution.

Next up on my Man Booker Long List reading - as I have started reading this is not the book I thought it would be, cannot wait to see where it ends up.

This could have been great. It had so much going for it, but in the end, it turned out to be the beginning of three novels which got tied together in 20 pages or so.

This book tells the story of Fahrouk, a refugee, Lampy, a young man struggling, and John, a sort of bad guy. I was a lot more interested in Fahrouk‘s story but it felt like it was just added to the book for the drama and emotionality, not for its own sake.

#MBL2018 #ManBooker2018

I‘m home from my mom‘s and well and truly tired after a day full of preparations, celebrations and partying yesterday! 🎉🎉

Now I‘m ready to just relax on the couch and hopefully finish this #ManBooker longlist book. Or maybe I‘ll just nap 😴

#currentlyreading

I‘m quite #headoverheels in love with these #MBL2018 covers 😍 Although I wasn‘t a huge fan of The Water Cure, and I have seen mixed reviews for the tagged book and Everything Under, I‘m still pretty excited to read them all. I really hope I‘ll like some of them at least! 🤞

#ABBAinAugust

This is undoubtedly a lovely and well written book, but I found myself admiring it rather than falling in love with it. If I had read it a month ago (before Booker madness began) I might have liked it more, but now it just isn't making the impression on me that several others on the list have. That said, I would have a beer with Pop any time! Booker longlist 6/13

Three unrelated short stories about three men who in their own way are fighting with losses, sorrow and regret. All three of them are distinguished by excellent prose, the first, Farouk‘s story is outstanding excellent. Just because of this story, the book is worth reading. And how do we get a novel from three short stories? By adding a fourth ... in which characters are loosely connected... Enough for a novel? Apparently yes... ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#manbooker2018 book 2

How can a book that starts so strong (with the story of Farouk, a Syrian refugee) become so utterly boring? I was drawn in immediately by Farouk‘s story and Ryan‘s style, but Lampy‘s story was disappointing and the last one I could only skim. In the end the three stories come together in a forced way. Too late for me, I wasn‘t interested anymore. Definitely not Booker worthy in my opinion.

Ryan‘s prose is undoubtably beautiful. His writing is considered, and lyrical at times. This novella is a sad story, each central character grappling with the reality of their lives which have taken traumatic, unexpected turns. Normally this is absolutely my kind of read, but for some reason I felt very distant from these characters and this world. Although he drew his characters together at the end, I found this conceit a little too convenient.

Finally getting on the #manbooker2018 longlist buzz properly 2/13

5/13 of the #manbookerlonglist !! #manbooker2018

Not as perfect as The Overstory I‘ll be honest so maybe I‘m harsher on this book than I should have been, just because it came after one so perfect. Lovely characterisation, all done with a very delicate hand, gorgeously psychologically vivid. I got a bit lost in the plot in the 3rd section and the veeery long sentences with 15 ‘ands‘ were clearly a stylistic choice but it jarred for me.

Started on my lunch hour. #lunchtimereading #2018manbookerlonglist

I‘m slowly buying/borrowing the #ManBooker2018 long listed books I find interesting. I just got the tagged book from the library today, and I started Snap today as well. Not sure how I feel about it yet, since crime isn‘t really my thing 🤷‍♀️

#MBP2018 #libraryhaul #currentlyreading

My next #manbookerlonglist pick! Heard good things

The first story in this novel was poignant and self-contained, could even have ended better about 15 pages before it did. Then the next story started and all that poignance and tension gave way to pointless, muddled, shallow character study with what felt like gratuitous fighting and cursing. Don‘t care to finish.

Oh, my heart. The premise of the first portion of this book—a family‘s escape from Syria—is one I‘ve imagined many times in my prayers and dreams. No story could ever depict the reality of such unfathomable dread, but Ryan‘s words make it palpable somehow. Even so, dread is not the tone; I can‘t put my finger on it, but it‘s deeply affecting so far.

My Book Depository orders are starting to arrive 😊📚#bookmail #lovethecovers #bookdepository #nosuchthingastoomanybooks

Oh, dear. Morning reading (and perhaps too much coffee) is inspiring some deep, existential thoughts. Probably Dostoevsky, too. 😬 Someone should come rescue my kids before they get sucked into a spiral of contemplation...

Donal Ryan writes about three very different men, about their losses and regrets - and woooow, this author really shows some deep understanding of the human soul. There are beautiful, interesting and pristine sentences aplenty. Another year with outstanding Irish contributions to the Booker list, it seems. #manbooker2018 #finestfiction #indiebuddyreads #mbp2018 #indiebuddyreads

Is it time already for the end of the month wrap up ? A fairly varied month - a spy thriller, non-fiction, debut authors and the beginning of my Booker season reading. All of these were books worth reading but I loved this Donal Ryan the most.
August will be almost completely taken up with the Booker longlist although I do need to squeeze a Read Harder book in there somehow...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

I really loved this. A reaction which I found surprising as I had expected to enjoy it in some kind of low and quiet way. But that first story, was in fifty pages everything I had wanted to get from last years Booker nominated Exit West.
The parts of this novel that really stood out, were the aspects that made each man unique, their individual defining moments of heartbreak. The ending didn‘t entirely work but it was so close to 5⭐️

#QuoteOfTheDay

Art by Stephen Burgess, ‘Refugee Rescue‘

My second book from the Booker long list, although much better than the last, is still so-so. This is a story written with great sympathy for its characters and the human urges to survive and to be seen. The writing was elegant, but I wished there was more variability in it between the three characters that form the story. I also did not like the story structure, which was the type where individual stories are told around a common event. 3.5⭐️

There is just something that works for me in Donal Ryan‘s writing. I could quote sections endlessly.

#manbooker2018

This book is breaking my heart.

#manbooker2018

My second #manbooker2018 #longlist title finished. This tells the stories of three men and weaves them together at the end in a way that, while not wholly unexpected, is certainly heartbreaking. It‘s a quiet novel, a slow character study, but deeply emotional. It‘s one I wouldn‘t mind owning my own copy of, and because it‘s short, I easily finished it in a day.
#Bailey is still not thrilled to be a book prop. 🤣 #dogsofLitsy #pitbullsofLitsy

Book #2 for me from the #manbooker2018 list, and I would not be upset to see this one shortlisted. This is more a collection of three short stories that tie in together in the very last few pages than a novel, a style I quite enjoyed and thought worked well for this book. I enjoyed the prose style very much, and was captivated by each of the three main character‘s narratives. Glad this was on the #manbooker long list, or I might have missed it.

Today‘s #libraryhaul #bookhaul. I took one Man Booker Prize long list title back, and picked up the tagged book, along with a title I suggested the library buy back in May. It‘s finally available! Maybe I need to do my own personal readathon challenge to get through my library books and the two NetGalley books I have that publish on the 7th. 😳

I loved this one. My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2469656501?book_show_action=false&from_rev...

#manbooker2018longlist #manbookerlonglist