The Gathering (Man Booker Prize) | Anne Enright | Every bit deserving of the Booker Award.

The Gathering (Man Booker Prize) | Anne Enright | An Engaging Narrator Takes You to Liam's Wake While Shrouding the Past in Mystery

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The Gathering (Man...

	The Gathering (Man Booker Prize) Anne Enright Grove Press, Black Cat, 2007 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 125 reviews view larger image
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Every bit deserving of the Booker Award.

Man Booker award winner Anne Enright has created a very gripping tale of resiliency and resolve for a woman grieving for the loss of a loved one. We are invited into the life of an Irish family and the dysfunctionality within. This is a masterful work that deserves every bit of attention it receives. From the time of her grandparents to the moments in Brighton Beach this is a novel of a woman trying to deal with what life has served her.

An Engaging Narrator Takes You to Liam's Wake While Shrouding the Past in Mystery

When a book has won a prestigious prize like the Man Booker, readers feel a double challenge: Appreciate the book for what it is and try to figure out what attracted the award panel's approval. I think the former was easier to do than the latter in this case.

Ultimately, The Gathering's subject is the difficulty with trying to pin down the truth of anything, especially things that happened long ago for which there is little or no contemporary evidence. If you've never thought much about that issue, you'll enjoy the subtle philosophical bent of the novel.

That subject is explored in the context of a sister contemplating her brother's death. Veronica Hegerty is a very vivid and appealing character: Much of the book's charm comes from seeing her family through her eyes and memories. In the process, she reveals the kind of "within the family" opinions that all family members express in whispers with one another. Beneath her grief, Veronica also feels a need to share a secret with us . . . but she feels at a loss for how to do so. Her rambling reflections gradually spiral closer and closer to that secret until you realize its full shocking lesson: People may not be who they seem to be, and you need to be careful even where there seems to be no risk.

There's an unedited quality at times in the book that captures what will remind you of the sorts of soliloquies that we've all conducted in our minds. That exposition method is very effective for making Veronica's feelings come across more strongly.

Why did the book win the award? I'm not really sure. I found that the secret wasn't so very interesting as to make the philosophical question and the writing style worth the effort. The book felt like a well decorated cake where the appearance of the icing was a lot better than the taste and freshness of the cake.

But anyone who enjoys good writing will find this book rewarding. We can all learn from a stylist like Anne Enright.

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Dissapointed

Unfortunately, this book looked much more intriguing than it read. My biggest complaint is that I was not led to care about any of the characters. I consider myself a compassionate person so this is very telling. Overall, the book was too disconnected to enjoy. Disconnected from itself and the reader.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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