It is the late 1960s in Ireland. Nora Webster is living in a small town, looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. She is fiercely intelligent, at times difficult and impatient, at times kind, but she is trapped by her circumstances, and waiting for any chance which will lift her beyond them.
Slowly, through the gift of music and the power of friendship, she finds a glimmer of hope and a way of starting again. As the dynamic of the family changes, she seems both fiercely self-possessed but also a figure of great moral ambiguity, making her one of the most memorable heroines in contemporary fiction.
The portrait that is painted in the years that follow is harrowing, piercingly insightful, always tender and deeply true. Colm Tóibín's Nora is a character as resonant as Anna Karenina or Madame Bovary and Nora Webster is a novel that illuminates our own lives in a way that is rare in literature. Its humanity and compassion forge an unforgettable reading experience.
Pages: 320
Published: 2015
Amazon Rating: 3.7 from 8,784 reviews
Genre: Modern Historical Fiction
Our review in brief:
| 1. Rating: 6.67 out of 10 (Range 5 to 8.5) |
| 2. Recommended: Some members said they would recommend the book, others felt it was boring and would not. |
| 3. Audience: The book would appeal to middle age and older female readers. |
| 4. Type of Read: It was an easy read in terms of language, but some members felt that as there was no real story it needed concentration to keep going. |
| 5. Quality of the Author: Most people thought the quality of the writing was good. It was the lack of excitement that was the problem. |
| 6. Other observations: There was no proper ending. It was a slice of a women's life over a few years, where nothing significant happened. Members were waiting for something dramatic to take place and were left disappointed. It was the sort of book literature students may be asked to study. The book did not generate a great deal of discussion, which was a shame. It was a book written from a women's perspective, but written by a man, which is unusual. |
| Negative Comments Several people said "it was not my type of book". Positive Comments One member said "they felt transported to Ireland" by the quality of the writing. Another said it was a gentle read. |