Reviews

The Good Son by Paul McVeigh

madhen's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

styxx's review

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

ipb1's review

3.0

Pleasant and enjoyable enough, but [b:Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha|30512|Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha|Roddy Doyle|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1168077668l/30512._SY75_.jpg|2305040] it is not.

whosjoey's review

fast-paced

3.25

andream0885's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

niccakicca's review

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. It was smart, heart felt and I really liked the phonetic spelling of some of the words, really made me hear the Irish accent. It's a good look at how the troubles affected children who had no idea of the world outside of their small villages - the feelings of suffocation, not being able to move freely and having to watch every word that is said. The feeling of no escape. The twist at the ending feels real.

lainey_books's review

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

readingindreams's review

emotional funny fast-paced

4.0

cwgrieves's review

4.0

A fantastic book. The child's voice really shone through. Although I don't claim to be an expert on the troubles in Northern Ireland, this seemed like a really genuine and authentic. I felt that McVeigh hit just the right balance with the use of slang and phonetic spellings of Northern Irish pronunciations (now/nigh) - I could understand everything that was happening, but still felt immersed in the Ardoyne neighbourhood.

It would be unfair to just classify this book as a child's view of the troubles though. It's also a great look into the life of a bullied child from a troubled home. It touches on religion, politics and the dreams of a young boy too.

I'd highly recommend this one.

alwaysneedmorebooks's review

4.0

Another book club read, chosen as it was Brighton ' s City Read. This is the reason I love my book club so much - I would never have picked this up and if I had I wouldn't have chosen to read it. The story is told from the point of view of Micky, an 11 year old Catholic boy being brought up during the troubles in Northern Ireland. The book is written in the dialect of Northern Ireland which takes a bit of getting used to. Micky is an outcast but loves his Mammy and wants to be a good boy. It's a good story and gives you a sense of what it was like to be growing up during the troubles.