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#IrishLit
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

“There is no secret, Tom, or else there are hundreds of them, and none of them interesting enough for you. The secret is that we‘re a family, we‘re just an ordinary family, with ordinary unhappiness like yours.”

Propulsive and poignant family drama. Insightful, impactful writing. An impressive work of literary fiction. Great start to my #WomensPrize reading!

review
Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

I think this book is a good example of “most people lead lives of quiet desperation.” We follow the current events of this family while learning the background of several characters during a tragic event. What I actually liked most was the setting that was shown but not remarked upon: the reality of poverty, the removal of women‘s choices, the prejudice of living in a land not your own. Worthy contestant for the Women‘s Prize for Fiction.

57 likes4 stack adds5 comments
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AnneCecilie
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Pickpick

1990, a 3 yr old girl is found dead. The suspicion falls on a 10 yr old girl. A journalist that‘s in the area when it happens, decides to take advantage of this and puts the family in a hotel to get exclusive access to them. His talks with the grandfather, uncle and mother uncovers a divided family with alcohol problems and neglect. Prejudice and assumptions also play a role in the society‘s allegations.

I feel like I raced through this one

Suet624 Great review! 3d
Tamra I was on the fence about this, but your review is motivating me to stack it. 😄 3d
See All 6 Comments
AnneCecilie @Suet624 thank you 😊 2d
AnneCecilie @Tamra thank you. I know the blurb make is sound like a crime/ thriller, but this a family study. Hope you like it, when you get to it 😊 2d
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2d
61 likes1 stack add6 comments
review
BarbaraBB
Soldier Sailor | Claire Kilroy
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Pickpick

The narrator doesn‘t recognize herself in the woman‘s she used to be before she became a fulltime mother. It drives her mad but she‘s also madly in love with her little son Sailor. Her husband is worthless, doing nothing to share the responsibilities for their baby, he is just working and living his life. And loving her. But is it enough?

A very recognizable read about the struggles and blessings of motherhood. #womenprize

squirrelbrain Great review! 4d
Chelsea.Poole I‘m looking forward to this one. 😊 4d
BarbaraBB @Chelsea.Poole It‘ll probably bring back some memories for you too 😀 4d
See All 9 Comments
TrishB I have this on the pile! 4d
sarahbarnes You‘re doing a much better job selling me on the books on the long list this year than the organizers did. Another one I may have to try! 😁 4d
BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes i read just a few but (except for Hangman) they are all really good 🤷🏻‍♀️😀 4d
sarahbarnes Very good to know. I‘ve added this one and Enter Ghost to my library order. Are there others you really liked, too? 4d
BarbaraBB @sarahbarnes Yes, my absolute favorite so far is 4d
71 likes3 stack adds9 comments
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BarbaraBB
Soldier Sailor | Claire Kilroy
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I remember this feeling so well! #motherhood

Megabooks 💜 💜 4d
AmyG Yep. Sounds right. I had twins after my first….and didn‘t even have room for feelings other than exhaustion. 4d
kspenmoll Yes.🩷 4d
63 likes3 comments
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MicheleinPhilly
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Pickpick

This was a sneaky little bugger. Presents as a straightforward mystery but is really a heartbreaking portrait of a family suffering from addiction, poverty, abuse, and neglect. I could have easily read about them for another 200 pages. #womensprizeforfiction

charl08 Looking forward to picking this one up! 5d
kbuggle Just finished this on audio, and wish I‘d read it in print.. it didn‘t translate as something I really enjoyed, but feel like it may have, if it hadn‘t been narrated. 5d
Cathythoughts Great review. I have this stacked , I must get to it 👍🏻♥️ 5d
BarbaraBB Great review. Such a lovely book. 5d
sarahbarnes On my list. 3d
52 likes4 stack adds5 comments
review
Deblovestoread
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Pickpick

It‘s hard to say I enjoyed this book because it is so full of hurt, so full of ordinary human failings. It‘s raw and unflinching in its portrayal of a family who experience a horrific event, going back to the beginning and thru to the other side. 4.5 🌟

#WomensPrizeLonglist.

BarbaraBB Great review. An impressive book indeed. 1w
60 likes1 stack add1 comment
review
TheKidUpstairs
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Pickpick

An excellent, engaging read.

1990. A young girl is found dead on a council estate in London. Another child is suspected of causing her death. An exploitative journalist hides the family away in a hotel in hopes of wringing a story out of them.

I couldn't turn away, and found myself sneaking time to listen during a busy March Break. Highly recommend! I usually can't do fiction on audio, but Jessica Regan's narration was superb.

#WomensPrize

Cathythoughts Great review 👍🏻 2w
squirrelbrain Great review! 2w
BarbaraBB I liked this one so much too. 2w
63 likes4 stack adds3 comments
review
BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

A little English girl dies and the neighborhood quickly assumes the Irish immigrant family‘s daughter Lucy must have had a hand in it. An ambitious journalist wants to get to the bottom of it and talks to Lucy‘s family. The story is not so much about the death, but about a deeply damaged family with mother Carmel at their tragic heart.
It‘s a beautiful sad read.

#womensprize

Megabooks Great review! 3w
TrishB Lovely review ♥️ 3w
sarahbarnes Great review and pic. I‘ve stacked this of course. 3w
See All 10 Comments
squirrelbrain Great review! 3w
Cathythoughts I follow Meg Nolan on Instagram, I‘ve yet to read her. I must do. Stacked. 3w
BarbaraBB @Cathythoughts good idea to follow her on Instagram! I will too. I think this book is better than 3w
Chelsea.Poole I‘ve been wondering about this one! I was impressed by Acts. 3w
CarolynM Great review❤️ 3w
TheKidUpstairs I'm very engrossed in the audio of this one (when I've got time to listen). It's so beautifully and heart wrenchingly human. 2w
BarbaraBB @TheKidUpstairs I am@not surprised you are loving it too. And it gets more engrossing each chapter 🩷 2w
82 likes6 stack adds10 comments
review
squirrelbrain
Soldier Sailor | Claire Kilroy
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Pickpick

The MC talks to her young child as she struggles through the change in her life since giving birth to him, along with coping with a seemingly absent husband who prefers to work long hours.

I don‘t have kids so can‘t speak to the veracity of this novel but I certainly found the MC‘s stream of consciousness thoughts really stressful to read, but incredibly compelling.

Another great read from the #womensprize long list.

BarbaraBB Sounds great Helen 3w
Reggie What a great review, stacked. 2w
youneverarrived Stacking! 2w
76 likes4 stack adds3 comments