It is warm, vivid with characterization and details the path of Iz into love and its consequences. Completion of the book brought about the discovery that the book probably won its prize because the contrast in one's approach to life changes with one's emotional styate. Jul 10, Bernice rated it liked it. I saw this book on Bookbub. It was an interesting but predictable romance story. The setting, Ireland, and the time and politics kept it interesting. Not a waste of time. A decent summer read but no great shakes. The book begins in the middle of the main character's life. Actually, after she dies.
Her solicitor is given two documents in which she tells him her story. The first document features her son. The second her love and her life as a young and beautiful girl. Aren't they all beautiful? So I saw this book on Bookbub. So if you like a bit of romance and you want to read about Ireland. If not you have not missed a great book. Oct 06, Gloria rated it liked it. Rec'd this book free from author. The first part of the book is just okay and did hold my interest. The second part, IZ, really held my interest.
In fact, when I was finished with the book, I started from the beginning and reread the first chapter to make sure what I thought was true. Ends with a bang! Read in one day and enjoyed. Would recommend for easy reading. Sep 27, Michelle rated it really liked it. It's the first I've read about the "land agitators" in Ireland, very interesting. The story is seamless and written with such clarity and description that I found myself in Ireland in the mid 's as well as feeling the tremendous heartbreak of loss and the pain of deception.
Jan 25, Kristen Jones rated it it was ok. I really hated this book. I'm giving it two stars however because the writing is not bad - I just didn't like the story. I didn't like Iz as a character, I didn't like the murder,senseless deaths, and domestic violence, and most importantly I can't figure out why this book was written. It's not a strong woman overcoming obstacles, it's not something we can learn from, or grow from, or see from another point of view, it's just it is an unending litany of miseries for a single person.
Also, I have I really hated this book. Also, I have never met a woman that thinks the way this character does - she just doesn't ring true. From the beginning of this book I held no great expectations because I had not heard of it before. There was no hype surrounding it. It was a delightful surprise - once I got started, I could not put the book down.
I'm not quite sure about this book. The first half of the book was in the present. Half way through we abruptly switched to years ago and what lead up to the current. I understand, but as the author I would not have made that decision. It just didn't feel right. Not as dramatic, revealing and effective as hoped. I might have traveled back and forth in time throughout the whole story as much as that can be annoying. But an emotional, good read. Nov 02, Barbara rated it really liked it.
I liked this book a lot. The first section made me like Ismay and the second section helped me understand her. And a good dose of modern Irish history helped, too. Another time, another place. For Iz, marriage means a new life in a lighthouse on the coast. It means a small town and fitting into another family rather than starting from scratch. It means the heady rush of youth, two still-young people in a still-new relationship. And then, eventually, it means much more: The first half of the story covers a number of years, but it's the second half of Another time, another place.
The first half of the story covers a number of years, but it's the second half of the story that really shows what might have been: I appreciate the order of operations there, because I'm not sure how much I would have wondered about Iz's pre-marraige life if it hadn't shown up at the end—the book description hints at it, but the book itself leaps easily into their married life—and that history really doesn't look the way I might have expected.
I didn't always like Iz in this story, but I'm also pretty sure I wasn't meant to always like her, which is something I tend to appreciate. I might have liked a couple more chances to feel positive towards Ronnie or even their son—I think there's a little too much reliance on 'he's important to Iz, so he'll be important to the reader , and I didn't really have a lot of patience for view spoiler [the unrequited-love storyline Irish culture This story reads in two parts. It contains historical perspectives and personal strife. The writing is well done and engaging.
Jun 06, Kathleen Valentine rated it really liked it. The genius of this clever little novel is in its structure. Cunningham was a positive genius to come up with this and, since reading it, I can't help but think how other novels I have loved could have been done in the same way. My only problem with the story was the formatting style. Instead of using traditional quotation marks, there was an em-dash preceding all bits of dialog but none following it. Because of this I spent the first couple of chapters struggling to adjust to the odd format style.
I think readers would find the story more accessible without that. The solicitor, who had nursed a quiet, life-long love for Iz, has two envelopes with the instruction to read them and then destroy them. In Hector we enter the world of Iz, Hector's mother, who is married to Ronnie, an upper-class ne'er-do-well, who lives in a lighthouse on the Irish coast. World War II is on and life is difficult. There are many struggles not the least of which is coping with the foolish choices of Ronnie when it comes to money, responsibility, and other women.
Throughout the story Iz is continually challenged by the problems of aging parents, being a good mother, managing finances such as they are and dealing with Ronnie who can be sweet and endearing when he has screwed something up which is pretty often. As I was reading it I thought, as I often have with books of this type, why in the blue blazes a beautiful, intelligent, sophisticated woman like Iz stayed with a philandering, useless clod like Ronnie?
Iz struggles through one screw up after another from her charming but useless husband and has a few romances of her own. Finally she has had enough and decides to devote herself solely to her son who is a grown man in the British Army being sent to Northern Belfast during the IRA conflicts. The story is difficult and heart-breaking and, as it ended, I really wondered if I could handle Part Two.
I'm glad I kept reading. Now we go back in time to examine the life of young Iz, the beautiful, head-strong daughter of Anglo-Irish parents living on an estate — rich in land, poor in cash — during World War II and the beginning of the Irish struggle for independence.
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This part of the story is far more intriguing as we see young Iz among her sisters who all have different goals for their lives, come to womanhood on an estate that they are constantly in danger of losing. Iz could be the estate's salvation because she is being actively courted by Norman, a prosperous young man who offers to cultivate the estate and keep it profitable so that his future wife's family will be safe from the growing Irish unrest. But Iz's heart is in another direction, a young Irish dock worker who is penniless but whom she loves. It is impossible to write more about this story without giving away too much but suffice it to say that when you reach the finally pages of Part Two, the incomprehensible parts of Part One are made clear.
This is a beautifully written, stylishly lovely book and, if not for the bizarre choice in formatting, would have earned 5 stars from me. Jun 27, Kimm rated it really liked it Shelves: But really, what an amazing book! I really do love a good story that sucks me in, and Peter Cunningham cashed in on that!
At first, little is understood about who Iz really is. Her life is a series of disappointments and lack of feeling on her part. Finally, she makes a crucial decision to reclaim her life. I fell in love with her character even more at this point. I cried with her and I fell in love alongside of her. Throughout the story of Iz, Peter Cunningham constructs beautiful and tragic picture of war-torn and post war Ireland.
His depiction of the class wars between the Anglo-English and the Irish is fascinating. Its influence can be seen in practically every chapter of the book. Nov 22, Diane rated it liked it. The Sea and the Silence is a read for a time when you want a slower pace and want a story which leaves you with an emotional memory. Peter Cunningham has written very carefully, and beautifully, a story of a strong willed lady during a time of tumult in her family home, her personal life, and the country in which she lives.
The main character is Ismay, or Iz as she is affectionately known among her family and friends. At the beginning, her solicitor is going over the instructions of her will. As The Sea and the Silence is a read for a time when you want a slower pace and want a story which leaves you with an emotional memory. As you read, you know the lawyer has been in love with her for years. There are two packages he is to open and read and then destroy. Now begins the story Iz wants the lawyer to understand…how certain events happened and why she made certain choices in her life.
Iz has many hardships in her life but proves to be a very forward thinking and strong woman. At the close of the book, I thought about Ismay and felt a bit sad. Not all books have a happy ending, but there is a certain satisfaction when the heroine comes to terms with adversity and lives a contented life in a place she loves! Apr 11, Lydia Presley rated it liked it Shelves: I'm kind of in the middle on this book. The story was somewhat engaging but the characters were difficult to understand and get to know. The Sea and the Silence is a story about Iz, a young woman who once knew love and her experiences in life as she grows older and deals with war issues, family issues and marriage issues.
The writing style was.. Peter Cunningham chose to write his dialogue proceeded by a dash instead of using quotati I'm kind of in the middle on this book. Peter Cunningham chose to write his dialogue proceeded by a dash instead of using quotation marks, which made for a lot of dashes and a bit of confusion on my part. Also, the book is split into two parts, that of Hector and that of Iz.
Book review: The Sea and the Silence by Peter Cunningham
I spent most of the second part, Iz, in a very confused state because I didn't understand why it hadn't been written first. Toward the end I sort of got why he wrote the book the way he did but it was really confusing up until that point which does not make for an enjoyable read. The story was good though once all the pieces of the puzzle were put together. I looked back on it and thought, huh - that was interesting. It's just a shame I couldn't find it as interesting while I was in the process of reading it.
That's why I'm in the middle of the road on it. Aug 11, Garth Mailman rated it really liked it. People who send their progeny to private English Boarding Schools ensuring their continued alienation in the land of their birth. Irish tempers, red hair and freckles, pubs, priests, fishing, and country estates figure large in the storyline.
Around the halfway point after a significant crisis point we jump back nearly 30 years to Iz in her post-teen years at the time when she met her future husband. Her Father, it transpires, was no better manager of his affairs than her future husband. The question gets asked, should one accept an arranged marriage that assures one financial security, or should one marry for love.
The Irish troubles seen from this point of view look different. Landless Irish peasants clamored for land reform. Then as now the promise of youth is squandered in battles on foreign shores. Duty vies with dreams for dubious outcomes. This is an Irish story, not one with happy endings. But it is well-written and worth your time. My choice for a book set in Ireland I'm reading a book from every country , a good read, eloquently written.
It's about forbidden love and great loss, the war and often doing what needs to be done for the greater good. The book is in reverse order and I found the second section more gripping. I never really connected with Iz Ismay Seston but can appreciate her struggles. The one character I was interested in was Peppy Shaw and she perished much too early. A heartbreaking snippet of when Iz lo My choice for a book set in Ireland I'm reading a book from every country , a good read, eloquently written.
A heartbreaking snippet of when Iz lost her only, beloved son The faces of dead men, blood on their lips and in their nostrils, and a game played on a huge expanse, assailed me. If any one thing defined us, that was it. We knew what we were not, and every action and attitude flowed from that fact. I was all set to give this book 2 stars at the half-way point - decent writing, but the story was just not very interesting to me. The second part was much more interesting!
The Sea and the Silence - Peter Cunningham - Google Книги
The setting Ireland in the s was not my usual thing so I found much that was new to me - for example, I had never really thought about the Anglo-Irish didn't even know there was such a term! As a Bostonian, I grew up being aware of the troubles in Ireland but being neither Irish nor religious, it was a distant thing I was all set to give this book 2 stars at the half-way point - decent writing, but the story was just not very interesting to me.
As a Bostonian, I grew up being aware of the troubles in Ireland but being neither Irish nor religious, it was a distant thing that happened far away to other people. The Sea and the Silence is the story of Iz short for Ismay , in the form of 2 documents she has written and bequeathed to her lawyer. Her instructions to him are clear - after her death, he is to open the documents, read them then destroy them. The book starts with the lawyer returning from her funeral. I found this a clever device, as it allowed Iz to tell her own story but almost in reverse.
We learn of her death, then read her memoir of her married life, and finally hear about her coming of age. Mar 22, Joje rated it really liked it. I snuck this in before those I claim to be reading right now, after reading first a review of the French translation in our local paper, where it is one of 10 books in a reader's ''contest". Then I found it on Kindle, since there's not likely to be a bookstore with English books out here, though they'd surely have the French I snuck this in before those I claim to be reading right now, after reading first a review of the French translation in our local paper, where it is one of 10 books in a reader's ''contest".
Then I found it on Kindle, since there's not likely to be a bookstore with English books out here, though they'd surely have the French version, considering the good advertising it's getting with the Telegramme Brest, etc. I enjoyed following the main character and did not mind the outside points of view, what few there were. Even less did I mind the well done time switch, since it's understandable as done and, to my mind, very justified and prepared for by the main question towards the end of Part I. The most I could criticise perhaps are all these ''beautiful" girls and women, but then how else motivate the variety of men that they attract?
At least not all of them are tall and handsome, no matter their hair colour. Jul 03, Hope rated it really liked it Shelves: Ireland in the 40's - a time of civil unrest and changing ideas. Ismay Iz Seston, born into privilege, comes of age in the tumult. The story takes off in picturesque Monument, showcasing Iz and her family's journey from marriage through the twilight of their lives. In the second half of the novel, author Cunningham flashes back to how Iz grew up, and what circumstances shaped her life.
At first I wasn't sure what to think of the story, but the writing immediately sets itself apart.
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I appreciate the art that goes into such structure and forethought. The cover art completely complements the tone and theme of the story. Cunningham's characters are true and timeless - relatable yet mysterious. I read this in two sittings, and was completely surprised by the ending. The structure again assists with the surprise.
I felt real emotion, although you will have to find out for yourself if it was happy or sad! I'm not a fan of spoilers. This kind of storytelling is maybe not for everyone, but I ended up being very pleasantly surprised. You are commenting using your WordPress. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. The quote that I did manage to highlight is possibly slightly spoilerish, but really illustrates what I love about the writing style: I find it so relatable and understandable and yet poetic.
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