Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Actress
Actress | Anne Enright
48 posts | 29 read | 33 to read
Katherine O'Dell is an Irish theater legend. As her daughter Norah retraces her mother's celebrated career and bohemian life, she delves into long-kept secrets, both her mother's and her own.Katherine began her career on Ireland's bus-and-truck circuit before making it to London's West End, Broadway, and finally Hollywood. Every moment of her life is a star turn, with young Norah standing in the wings. But the mother-daughter romance cannot survive Katherine's past or the world's damage. With age, alcohol, and dimming stardom, her grip on reality grows fitful and, fueled by a proud and long-simmering rage, she commits a bizarre crime.Her mother's protector, Norah understands the destructive love that binds an actress to her audience, but also the strength that an actress takes from her art. Once the victim of a haunting crime herself, Norah eventually becomes a writer, wife, and mother, finding her way to her own hard-won joy. Actress is finally a book about the freedom we find in our work and in the love we make and keep.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
Pick icon
100%
review
Kazzie
Actress | Anne Enright
Pickpick

She writes very well family dynamics are real and honest in the telling - if not in the communication. Subtle narrative and honest grappling with life‘s trials.

review
kellock
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Prose over plot. I'm not sure I always knew what was happening, but I ultimately did enjoy it.

blurb
kellock
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Next up . . . Random kindle pick. Don't even know what it's about. An actress I guess 🤣

blurb
lazydaizee
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

I enjoyed reading this because there were some great characters throughout the story

https://uk.bookshop.org/a/8054/9781529112139

#fiction
#actress
#families

review
Well-ReadNeck
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

I picked this up after seeing a recommendation from Ann Patchett. The #audiobook was fantastic!! A great character study.

CarolynM I enjoyed this one too🙂 2y
50 likes1 comment
review
quietlycuriouskate
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Bear with me a moment: reading AE is a little like listening to Bach. There's the (erroneous!) sense that it all just pours out and that not a word or a note could be other than what it is. Bach helps me to stay at my desk: this book made it difficult to go back.
It's a story of the relationship/history between Norah and her monstrous but loving famous actress of a mother, Katherine. I think I'd have liked the audio (read by the author) even more.

BarbaraBB You write so well yourself. Another wonderful review 🤍 3y
Tanisha_A Love this review! Looking forward to read this one. 3y
45 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
ChaoticMissAdventures
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Mehso-so

I wanted to love this, the writing is excellent, and normally this is enough for me, but here something is lacking and I was bored. Reading about half through my mind started wandering.

quote
ChaoticMissAdventures
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

"it remains a very strange thing - the ability of a man like Boyd to assume that it is their interest which makes something interesting. As though if he shuts his eyes, the world would be really full.
Anyways, she shot him for it. There was always that yo consider."

14 likes1 stack add
blurb
ChaoticMissAdventures
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Ready for #BookspinBingo with @TheAromaOfBooks

I have a lot of backstock for January, things that have been sitting in my house for a decade that I need to get to. Excited to start trying to read more then I buy (I say this every year... )

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
9 likes1 comment
blurb
Becker
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

I am enjoying this immensely. The writing is dazzling and the audio edition (read by the author) is an impressive performance. It‘s perhaps not a book that will appeal to a large readership but I feel like I‘ve found a little gem. 💎

27 likes2 stack adds
review
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Mehso-so

I just finished Actress. I liked reading about the Irish theatre scene and places I've been to, but it's not my favourite of her books.

blurb
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Eeny meeny miney mo

CarolynM I liked Actress a lot 3y
46 likes1 comment
blurb
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Eeny meeny miney mo

review
erzascarletbookgasm
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

A beautiful story of a mother-daughter relationship. Lovely, nuanced writing. Norah reflects on her relationship with her mother, tells her mother‘s story of what she remembers of her as a woman, a mother, rather than a celebrity, weaving together her own. It reads like a memoir, a biography, as Norah tries to work out and understands her mother‘s past - onstage vs real life. Heartbreaking, and lots to think about.

#ReadingEurope2020 #Ireland

Librarybelle On to to read list! 4y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 4y
KVanRead Great review! And yes, lots to think about. I still think about this one. 4y
Reggie Nice review! Stacked. 4y
CarolynM Great review. Glad you enjoyed it too. 4y
73 likes3 stack adds5 comments
review
Sapphire
Actress | Anne Enright
Mehso-so

I didn‘t love this one. The beginning was engaging but it dried up. It didn‘t really delve into either the primary topics.

review
JennyM
Actress: A Novel | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

A beautiful piece of fiction. There was something very intimate in the writing that made me feel like I was talking with a friend. It won‘t be for everyone - lots of meandering prose rather than fast-paced plot - but I thought it was wonderful.

BarbaraBB It sounds good. Great cover too. 4y
Tanisha_A That's a beautiful cover! I am looking forward to read this one. I do like meandering prose haha 4y
squirrelbrain I‘ve been on hold for this one at the library since before lockdown.... hopefully someone will return it soon! 4y
See All 6 Comments
CarolynM I liked this a lot too. As you say, not a strong plot, but lovely writing and some really interesting observations. 4y
TrishB Stacked- I‘ll probably give this one a go when I spy an offer! 4y
JennyM @BarbaraBB @Tanisha_A @squirrelbrain @trishB hope you enjoy when you get to it. As @CarolynM said it has some lovely observations that really resonated with me 4y
56 likes5 stack adds6 comments
blurb
JennyM
Actress: A Novel | Anne Enright
post image

This is off to a great start with some beautiful writing 🥰

Freespirit This had great reviews Jen. I shall be interested in your thoughts😊 4y
Cathythoughts I‘m interested in this one ... look forward to your thoughts X 4y
erzascarletbookgasm Oh great to know, I‘ll be reading this soon. Look forward to your review :) 4y
CarolynM I really liked this one. Enjoy. 4y
55 likes1 stack add5 comments
review
KVanRead
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Quiet, introspective, astonishingly well written, intimate, and poignant. To me what‘s most moving about this White mother/daughter tale is that this daughter‘s reckoning of her famous actress mother is taking place just as she has outlived her. Every remaining day in her life is one her mother never lived and there‘s no longer a road map — not that it was a good one but it was there. The pacing is deliberate and takes a bit to settle into. ⬇️

KVanRead And the structure feels a bit haphazard but in the end I was very impressed by the deceptive ease with which she mimics the non-linear way we remember our lives, bouncing from one recollection to the next, pulled this way by one connection, pushed the other by an unbidden memory we‘re not willing to face, but always pulled back again until we do. There is a lot going on here and l‘ll be thinking on it a long while. 4y
KVanRead TW for rape. 4y
vivastory Great review! 4y
See All 6 Comments
KVanRead @vivastory thanks! It‘s a great read. 4y
erzascarletbookgasm I‘ve just finished this. You described it well. Fabulous review!👍 4y
KVanRead @erzascarletbookgasm Thanks! It made a real impression on me! 4y
25 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
KVanRead
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

People ask me, ‘What was she like?‘ and I try to figure out if they mean as a normal person: what was she like in her slippers, eating toast and marmalade, or what she was like as a mother, or what she was like as an actress - we did not use the word star. Mostly though, they mean what was she like before she went crazy, as though their own mother might turn overnight, like a bottle of milk left out of the fridge.

#FirstLineFridays

KVanRead Had to cheat a little because that second line 😯 4y
ShyBookOwl @KVanRead glad u did. Powerful stuff 4y
19 likes2 comments
review
AnneCecilie
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

A daughter looks back on her mother‘s life, the once upon a time famous actor Katherine O‘Dell. She‘s trying to figure out her mother, where she came from and how things could turn out the way they did.

review
TheEllieMo
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Mehso-so

This has many moments of pure brilliance. The writing is excellent, it has humour, it tugs at the heart strings. But I still felt there was something missing. Someone in my book club suggested it was missing a plot...

review
AlexGeorge
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

So, I loved this. A deft, heartbreaking character study and breathtaking writing. Highly recommended.

14 likes1 stack add
review
Nitpickyabouttrains
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

A woman reflects on her mother, who was an actress in Ireland. How it effects her Life. How her mother was. Historical fiction.

16 likes1 stack add
blurb
AlexGeorge
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

I am going slowly because every damn sentence is perfect.

BookishTrish And that cover 😍 4y
AlexGeorge Right?? 4y
21 likes2 comments
review
catiewithac
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

I was on the fence about this novel. Contemporary/historical fiction just isn‘t my jam, but this book‘s binding was exquisite. It was such a physical pleasure to hold that I read it anyway. The story concerns a daughter‘s relationship with her actress mum; it reads like a memoir. #indiespensable

swishandflick I love that cover! 4y
63 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
rmaclean4
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Mehso-so

This was not a story that I was particularly drown to, however the writing was amazing. I am looking forward to reading her other books. 3 🌟

review
KarenUK
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

The audiobook of this mother/daughter novel was just so wonderful.... Anne Enright‘s beautifully melodic Irish brogue brought the story to life perfectly. Every lovely run-on sentence captured each scene and intimate moment, bringing humor and warmth to these complicated characters. Loved it.💕
Thank you so much @Lindy for putting this audio version on my radar!

Lindy I‘m so glad to hear you enjoyed this on my recommendation. 🤗😘 4y
Hooked_on_books I love a brogue! 4y
48 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
KarenUK
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

#MayTBR
-Currently listening to Actress and loving Anne‘s beautiful Irish voice...🍀
-Valentine on audio for #readwithmrbook #debutnovel
-The Switch is an #ARC I was sent recently
-Going to try the Jane Austen on audio for #Pemberlittens
-The Glass Hotel is sitting at the top of my #nightstandTBR
-Looking forward to seeing which order the numbers are drawn for #bookspinbonanza .... hoping to get to at least 3?

review
CarolynM
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Norah is the daughter of a legendary Irish actress. In this beautifully written novel she tells the story of her mother's life and career as she understands it, first as a child then with greater insight as she grows and matures. There is a lot to think about here - performance in art and life, the consequences of fame, public v private life, the institutionalised misogyny that was finally exposed by the #metoo movement. 👇

CarolynM 🖕I loved the parts of the story that dealt with the relationship between mother and daughter and with Norah's attempts to understand her totality of her mother's story. I was less taken with Norah's life story, particularly the details of her sex life which seemed somewhat gratuitous. I'm wondering whether this was the author's intention - we want the salacious details of Stars' lives, we are uncomfortable when ordinary people offer them up. 4y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 4y
See All 12 Comments
Ruthiella I‘ve only read The Green Road by Enright...must read more. 4y
Cinfhen Ohhhh, I‘m intrigued!!! Great review 💚 @KarenUK just posted about this book in her #WeeklyForecast #stacked 😁 4y
erzascarletbookgasm Lovely review Carolyn. 👍 4y
LeeRHarry Thanks for the LMPBC book - it came today 😊 4y
KarenUK Lovely review 💕 4y
CarolynM @Ruthiella That's the only other one of hers I have read. I think I need to get some others too. 4y
CarolynM @LeeRHarry 👍😘 4y
Cinfhen I was able to find this on #Scribd 😊hope to start later this week 🧡Thanks for posting & sharing 4y
62 likes1 stack add12 comments
blurb
CarolynM
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Currently reading

erzascarletbookgasm Look forward to your thoughts. Have a good weekend! 4y
CarolynM @erzascarletbookgasm Thank you Jessie, you too😘 4y
Tanisha_A Ooh! Will wait for your review. Have a relaxing weekend! ♥️ 4y
See All 6 Comments
CarolynM Hope you have a good weekend too @Tanisha_A 😘 4y
TrishB Seen mixed reviews so will be really interested in yours. Have a good weekend ❤️ 4y
CarolynM I'm enjoying it so far @TrishB Hope you have a good weekend too😘 4y
57 likes6 comments
quote
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

We don‘t have enough money to heat the house all the way through and, as you know, it is not a big house. I should write a book about that, don‘t you think, that‘s much more real, the question of who is to blame for the cold.

Leftcoastzen Wow , frozen downspout! Where do you live? Sorry it‘s so cold 🥶 4y
Lindy @Leftcoastzen Edmonton is latitude 53 N. Forecast is for snow today and tomorrow, but overnight temperatures should be above freezing starting on Thursday night. 4y
Leftcoastzen Wow , would like to visit there someday .I live in Arizona, in a few weeks ,I will be complaining about the heat . 4y
Lindy @Leftcoastzen In a few weeks, my garden should be starting to grow. Once spring hits, everything grows really fast! We‘ve already got long hours of daylight; it‘s still light when I go to bed at 9 pm and already getting light when I get up at 5 am. 4y
42 likes4 comments
review
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Listening to Anne Enright perform her idiosyncratic sentence structure in the pitch-perfect voice of Norah is an absolute delight. It‘s intimate, funny and dark. There is so much nuance in this story of a mother and daughter, family secrets, misogyny, bad sex, Dublin, mental health, and the way our lives are performances. An outstanding #audiobook for lovers of character, language and place.

KarenUK Just downloaded it.... sounds wonderful 💕 4y
Lindy @KarenUK 👍☘️ 4y
Pricel101 My next audiobook! 🎧 4y
Lindy @Pricel101 😊👍 4y
50 likes2 stack adds4 comments
blurb
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Easter #audiowalk. The snow flurries have ended but the wind is bitter, so I will finish listening to the final 40 minutes indoors. 🐇

Ruthiella With all the kids home , my neighborhood is also full of sidewalk chalk drawings.😀 4y
Lindy @Ruthiella I like it. 😊 4y
Cathythoughts Love this ❤️🐣 4y
49 likes3 comments
blurb
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

My top is finished! 14 different audiobooks saw me through the process. #knittersoflitsy

Nikki_E That is so pretty! 4y
Cathythoughts Lovely! Love the design/ ornaments at the waist ❤️👍🏻 4y
Nute You finished it! It is gorgeous! 4y
See All 45 Comments
silentrequiem That's gorgeous!!! I hav been woefully unproductive with my knitting these days. Maybe I'll peruse some pattern books later. 4y
Lindy @Cathythoughts Thanks! I didn‘t want lace on the main body but this cotton yarn shows fancy stitches so nicely, so I went all out on the bottom part and on the sleeves. 4y
Lindy @Nikki_E @Nute Thank you! 😘😘 4y
Lindy @silentrequiem Thanks! I‘m really pleased with it, and also that I used up a batch of yarn I‘ve had hanging around since the 90s. 4y
BethM Wow that‘s awesome! 4y
Lindy @julesG I remember our conversation about keeping track of knitting hours via audiobooks. It‘s been nearly a month since I started knitting this top, so it‘s not surprising that I‘ve gone through 14 audiobooks. 🧶😊 🎧 4y
PurpleTulipGirl So pretty! The lace is beautiful, and the fit is perfect. 4y
TheSpineView Love it! You are so talented! 💜 4y
Lindy @PurpleTulipGirl 🥰 Getting a good fit is one of the many benefits to knitting your own clothes. 4y
Lindy @TheSpineView Thanks! 4y
Erofan 👍👍👍 4y
TrishB Looks great ❤️ 4y
julesG Nice!!! This turned out very well. 👏👏👏👏 4y
Tanisha_A Love it 😍 4y
Lindy @Erofan Thanks! 4y
Lindy @TrishB Thanks, Trish! 😘 4y
Lindy @julesG Thanks!😊 4y
Lindy @Tanisha_A Thank you! 4y
squirrelbrain That‘s really cute, love the colour! 4y
Come-read-with-me @Lindy It‘s gorgeous and I love the colour on you! 4y
Kimberlone Lovely! 4y
Hooked_on_books It looks great! I‘m very impressed. 4y
Megabooks Looks fantastic!! Beautiful job!! 4y
Lindy @Come-read-with-me @squirrelbrain Thanks. Pale lavender is not my usual shade, but I‘m a fan of anything purple. 4y
xicanti It looks great! 4y
Lindy @xicanti Thanks 😊 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Wow - lovely! 4y
Lindy @BarbaraTheBibliophage thank you 😘 4y
Come-read-with-me @Lindy You should put pale lavender on your “excellent colour on you” list! It really looks good. 👍🏻 4y
Kalalalatja Well done! 4y
Lindy @Come-read-with-me I tend to think of it as an old lady colour, but I will be 60 in 3 months, so it‘s time to reconcile with that idea. 4y
Lindy @Kalalalatja Thanks Katja! 4y
Come-read-with-me @Lindy It‘s only an old lady colour if you let it be. Rule the colour, don‘t let it rule you!! You look FABULOUS in it!!!!! 4y
Come-read-with-me @Lindy There is nothing “old lady” about you!!! 4y
Lindy @Come-read-with-me 🥰 4y
Redwritinghood Looks great! Love the painting in the background too. 4y
Lindy @Redwritinghood Thanks! And the painting by Laurie MacFayden is titled: It Began as a Million Soft Things. You can see more of her work online: https://www.lauriemacfayden.com 4y
arubabookwoman Beautiful! 4y
Lindy @arubabookwoman Thanks 😊 4y
kspenmoll It‘s beautiful!!!! I cannot image making something like that! I am in awe! 4y
Lindy @kspenmoll ☺️It‘s something anyone can learn to do. I‘m still learning how to get the results I want, and that means being willing to undo my work when I‘m not happy with it. I did that several times with this top. 4y
61 likes45 comments
quote
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

…we kissed endlessly on a window ledge on the corner of Suffolk Street, where I left my bag behind, so drunk was I with kissing, the memory of it lingering for years, even as the window was knocked into a doorway through which people walk now, right through the ghost of our kissing…

(Internet image)

BookishTrish Dublin ❤️❤️❤️ 4y
Cathythoughts 👍🏻❤️ 4y
charl08 Lovely quote. 4y
Lindy @Cathythoughts @charl08 This book is lovely. 4y
40 likes4 comments
blurb
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Seen on my #audiowalk today. Time to take down your advertising, pal!

PurpleTulipGirl I dunno. I could use some cheery lights right about now. The thought of another 6 weeks of these restrictions has me doing a deeper dive into my chocolate stash today. 4y
melrailey I‘ve read that people are putting their Christmas lights back out to “brighten up” people‘s lives during the social distancing. 4y
46 likes2 comments
blurb
Lindy
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Some people dress their pets for special occasions. Some people dress their trees. #audiowalking

LibrarianRyan that is so cute
4y
j.rye So creative and adorable! 4y
Lindy @LibrarianRyan @j.rye My sweetie thinks they look like troll bunnies. I find them festive. 4y
Cathythoughts 😁💚💚 4y
49 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

1 I have reading piles squirrelled all over the house, so HUGE ❤️ 2. Made up word Scrabble ❤️ 3. We‘re watching Freddy vs Jason tonight! ❤️ 4. Is it April? 🤣

blurb
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
squirrelbrain Oh, I had / have this on reservation at the library, but I guess I might have to wait a while.... 4y
BookishTrish Do they have an ebook copy? 4y
Megabooks Okay, I don‘t own this one. 😉😉😉😁 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
56 likes1 stack add4 comments
quote
BookishTrish
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

So I invited Holly Devane out to the house in Bray...

quote
charl08
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

There was talk...

blurb
nomadreader
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

Lazy brunch, lazy Sunday, lazy family-distance weekend #2

michellelav I need that mug in my life!!! 4y
18 likes1 comment
blurb
nomadreader
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

I've been sitting on this galley since January. Excited to dig in and get back to my #WomensPrize longlist reading. Bonus: counting it for #ATY2020 favorite prompt from a past challenge (nominated for an award in a genre you enjoy) @BarbaraBB

BarbaraBB Clever choice for the prompt. I am going for ‘published in 2019‘ 😀 4y
nomadreader @barbarabb LOL. So many great easy choices! 4y
17 likes1 stack add2 comments
review
Twocougs
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Been reading this while being socially distance. The writing was wonderful but the story was just ok. A touch surprised it‘s up for the Women‘sPrize.

30 likes1 stack add
review
andrew61
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

Anne Enright has created a unique world with her brilliant storytelling abt Katherine o'dell, flame haired 'irish' darling of stage and screen in the 50/60's, and the relationship with her daughter who narrates her mother's tale as she deals with an uncertain phase of her own marital and maternal role. Capturing the fragility of fame the story is compelling evoking the contradiction of tenderness and frustration in a mother/ daughter reltionship.

review
PNWBookseller85
Actress | Anne Enright
post image
Pickpick

This book was slow and introspective and ultimately lovely. Because of its pacing it does require a certain level of patience and concentration, but it‘s very worth it. I really recommend the audio. The author reads it herself and it is wonderful. ❤️

andrew61 I finished reading it last night and had similar feelings about her writing which so gently reveals the unusual mother daughter reltionship. I wish i could turn on the television and see Katherine in that advert. 4y
PNWBookseller85 @andrew61 same here! I kept wanting to look up all these nonexistent movies and ads. Enright‘s writing is often slow like that - have you read her before? 4y
andrew61 @BeckyMerilatt I've read three the gathering, forgotten waltz, and green road- all really good, about families, definitely worth reading. 4y
PNWBookseller85 @andrew61 those are the 3 I‘ve read! Her short stories, Yesterday‘s Weather, are great too and I think it might be out of print, but she has a brilliant memoir about motherhood. Nice to chat with another Enright fan! 4y
andrew61 @BeckyMerilatt thanks i will look that up. I have her recent episode of desert island discs on my ipod to listen to. ☺ 4y
96 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
PNWBookseller85
Actress | Anne Enright
post image

New fave display at work for St. Patrick‘s day! Listening to Actress on Libro.fm right now. Read by the author and it‘s so soothing and lovely. Things In Jars by Jess Kidd is another favorite so far this year!

Megabooks Great display!! 4y
103 likes1 comment