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lauramoon_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kingarooski's review against another edition
1.0
I think this book would have made more sense to me if I had ever been able to finish Ulysses. Mary Costello's book is so steeped in Ulysses, so inherently tied to it that the author spends some time in the book comparing her protagonist with that of James Joyce's. Towards the end, I just wanted to finish this book, getting very little from the experience of reading it. I loved Academy Street and was looking forward to The River Capture, but I feel it just isn't the book for me.
greybeard49's review against another edition
2.0
I started out really liking this book. Mary Costello captures the essence of rural Ireland, particularly the traits and interactions of the inhabitants of the village/town in which the novel is set. The early story rolls out well and you are drawn to and interested in the main characters. Costello is a quality author.
However the development of the plot, for me, falls away after the discovery of how the hero's aunt is connected to the father of the girl, whom he believes he has fallen in love with. The story begins to lose credibility at this point. For the final third of the book, the hero meanders along some fairly tenuous philosophical pathways. We have a melange of the hero's musings on Joyce, on his own sexual orientation and on the power of the local river/area and their influence on him and his family. Unfortunately the result is a lack of coherence and a failure to adequately support the storyline.
Pity - I really liked 'Academy Street'.
However the development of the plot, for me, falls away after the discovery of how the hero's aunt is connected to the father of the girl, whom he believes he has fallen in love with. The story begins to lose credibility at this point. For the final third of the book, the hero meanders along some fairly tenuous philosophical pathways. We have a melange of the hero's musings on Joyce, on his own sexual orientation and on the power of the local river/area and their influence on him and his family. Unfortunately the result is a lack of coherence and a failure to adequately support the storyline.
Pity - I really liked 'Academy Street'.
stories290's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I was enjoying it at the beginning but then I felt it lost momentum and just started to feel like this long pseudoscientific and philosophical thoughts which made zero sense and just was exhausting to get through. The last section replicating Joyce’s Ithaca chapter is just so long and it was an interesting for a sec until it just.kept. going. I dunno, not really for me.
elena_theresa's review against another edition
3.0
Idk where this story going if I am being honest. The writing style is very unique and intriguing but for me the story just left me confused and full of questions.
Favorite quote
Probably afraid of cats. A bad sign in a man.
Favorite quote
Probably afraid of cats. A bad sign in a man.
shriti_sunshine's review against another edition
2.0
I may have been a tad too ambitious when picking this up. It is chock-full of literary references, most of which (I must admit) escaped me and long story short, it turned out to be a wearisome read. Though this book wasn't my cup of tea, I am sure it will find its right audience amongst students of literature or fine arts.
furzy's review against another edition
1.0
This was my first Mary Costello book. From reviews I had read both the premise of the book and the rural setting appeared compelling. However, from the outset, I found the setting, the characters and the narrative very much contrived and lacking in authenticity. It was as if the author had worked hard to identify all of the ingredients of a great plot for an award winning book but completely lacked the background, skill and life experience to put them together. I had just finished a book by Donal Ryan and the difference between his writing and Mary Costello’s is stark. If I was asked to identify a book I had read that was written by ChatGPT this book would my standout first choice.
marthaos's review against another edition
4.0
This was a beautifully written book, engaging from the start. I have read some of the author’s short stories and really liked her writing style, so I had high hopes for this novel. I wasn’t disappointed.
Immediately we are drawn into Luke’s world, his quiet and relatively solitary existence as he whiles away his career break from busy secondary school teaching in his family home in Ardboe House, in the heart of the Waterford countryside. The intention was to do up his family home, and perhaps write a book on his beloved Joyce or Ulysses. With his mother and cherished aunt Josie both recently dead, his only remaining family is his aunt Ellen, who lives next door.
All is trundling along nicely though lonesomely, until Ruth walks into his life, bringing a dog in need of a good home. His life is overturned by this woman who brings meaning back to his existence. They share with each other secrets from their pasts, but as it later turns out, these secrets are much easier negotiated than one that is later revealed by his aunt Ellen.
What follows is a series of questions and answers that invite us into Luke’s inner world, his drunken descent into near madness as he grapples with life as it now presents itself and as he comes to terms with this revelation and what it now means for him. Many of the questions and answers involve Joyce, and Luke’s kinship with the character Bloom. Many of Luke’s thoughts appear grandiose and certainly bordering on genius and/or madness. But there is an earnestness and honesty about Luke that I found appealing, and a kind soul, which gives the novel heart and puts the reader on the side of Luke.
The setting of the novel on the River Sullane is important for the force and dangerous nature of water is a constant theme, though also it’s life-giving properties. This mirrors the balance that Luke must try to achieve in his own life, the marrying of his shadow self with his lighter self.
To sum up, this was a beautifully written novel, one of immense depth and beauty. I did feel that I would have gained more from it had I been more familiar with Joyce, and in particular Ulysses. However, that said, I really enjoyed this very readable novel and it will stay with me well beyond its ending.
Immediately we are drawn into Luke’s world, his quiet and relatively solitary existence as he whiles away his career break from busy secondary school teaching in his family home in Ardboe House, in the heart of the Waterford countryside. The intention was to do up his family home, and perhaps write a book on his beloved Joyce or Ulysses. With his mother and cherished aunt Josie both recently dead, his only remaining family is his aunt Ellen, who lives next door.
All is trundling along nicely though lonesomely, until Ruth walks into his life, bringing a dog in need of a good home. His life is overturned by this woman who brings meaning back to his existence. They share with each other secrets from their pasts, but as it later turns out, these secrets are much easier negotiated than one that is later revealed by his aunt Ellen.
What follows is a series of questions and answers that invite us into Luke’s inner world, his drunken descent into near madness as he grapples with life as it now presents itself and as he comes to terms with this revelation and what it now means for him. Many of the questions and answers involve Joyce, and Luke’s kinship with the character Bloom. Many of Luke’s thoughts appear grandiose and certainly bordering on genius and/or madness. But there is an earnestness and honesty about Luke that I found appealing, and a kind soul, which gives the novel heart and puts the reader on the side of Luke.
The setting of the novel on the River Sullane is important for the force and dangerous nature of water is a constant theme, though also it’s life-giving properties. This mirrors the balance that Luke must try to achieve in his own life, the marrying of his shadow self with his lighter self.
To sum up, this was a beautifully written novel, one of immense depth and beauty. I did feel that I would have gained more from it had I been more familiar with Joyce, and in particular Ulysses. However, that said, I really enjoyed this very readable novel and it will stay with me well beyond its ending.