Rating: 
Summary: IRISH MYTHS, MYSTERY AND MADNESS
Review: As so memorably demonstrated in "Down By The River"(1997), few limn Irish life as authentically as Edna O'Brien. Add tothat realism her singing prose, which frames each scene with the myths, mystery and madness of Eire, and the result is pure enchantment. Ms. O'Brien is blessed with a cinematographer's eye and boundless original expression, whether she is bringing to life a dance, he is "steering her solemnly, as if she were an ocean liner in her peppermint green," or anger, "She is driving recklessly, her cabbage crown askew, the little bubble car like a cauldron because of her invective." It is with such delicious narrative embellishments that the author introduces us to a rural Irish village, Cloontha, "a locality within the bending of an arm." It is here that "Fields mean more than fields, more than life and more than death too." Joseph Brennan and his much younger sister, Breege, live here and work the dairy farm their family has held for generations. Self-educated and proud of it, Joseph takes part in a battle of wits with the local school master and wins. He works hard, overcoming the vicissitudes of weather by dint of backbreaking toil. Yet, he would change nothing if he could because Cloontha is God to him. "God," he declared, "was not a bearded man in the sky but here....in Cloontha, especially at night, alone with nature." But Joseph is not alone on his mountain for long because Mick Bugler, a shepherd from Australia, arrives to claim recently inherited acreage. It is land Joseph believed was his. There is, of course, a struggle between the two men as contretemps turns to barroom brawl and eventually escalates to a courthouse battle, in which solicitors are the primary victors. This territorial dispute is exacerbated by Breege's attraction to Mick, an emotion that concerns, confounds, and, finally, overcomes her. She is also distressed by an awareness that her brother's obsession with driving Mick off "his mountain" may be the undoing of them all. "....she knew that he was entering a zone in which dreaming and waking, wrongs and semi-wrongs, would be translated and magnified into an enormity to suit the dark mad mould of his thinking." Add to the fracas a dotty, unforgettable old derelict, Crock Hanrahan, who misses little and instigates much as he "goes his way, hopping and bopping across the fields, laughing his mirthless laugh......his body like a sack of potatoes inflating and deflating, depending on whether he was in hill or hollow." We also meet two of the most lascivious sisters to be found in literature - strumpets who sell their favors not for pounds but for land and livestock. Rita "was the brains and Reena the nymphet. She made the deals, bought and sold cattle, and harangued her friendly solicitor to write letters to make hell for this person or that who got in her way." Their seduction of Mick is one of the most risible and erotic scenes to be found. It's reminiscent of some of Joyce's finest rollicking moments. Although the tale's conclusion is adumbrated from its beginning the masterful Ms. O'Brien casts it memorably. Edna O'Brien is a treasure. Wild Decembers is one more triumph.
Rating:
Summary: On pride and vanity
Review: Edna O'Brien has chosen the Irish countryside as a source of inspiration, although for decades she has been away from the land, only visiting from time to time. In her memoir, "Mother Ireland", there is a statement many expats can identify with:"Irish? In truth I would not want to be anything else. It is a state of mind as well as an actual country. It is being at odds with other nationalities, having quite different philosophy about pleasure, about punishment, about life, and about death." p. 129 It's not that some traumatic events have left an irremovable scar on one's personality. We can't forget the culture we were born into, because we are defined by our heritage, and our thinking, our identity is shaped by our Vaterland. For years the writer has suffered bitter comments coming from the natives of the Emerald Island, her own ilk - comments that denied her the right to write, as if there was an obligation to be chained to the land to be able to write about its inhabitants. Indeed, sometimes to see things in a proper perspective, you have to leave your environment. In the age of global information and easy transport, there is no external obstacle that would hamper the ability to relate to the land left behind. Some of the greatest works of the world literature were conceived on emigration. It's thus obvious that the value of the book depends only on the individual talent of the author. In the case of Edna O'Brien, there is no lack of the latter. "Wild Decembers" is yet another novel set in the provincial world of Irish villagers. As usual, O'Brien purveys the darker side of humanity. In small communities of the countryside, any newcomer is under suspicion on the basis that newcomers are not to be trusted, for there is no complete information about him on the part of the villagers. That fact alone leaves them uneasy, and even if pure good-naturedness makes them treat him with respect, he is always to be blamed should anything happen. Obviously, sooner or later something is bound to happen, and guided by pure instinct, the community turns against the intruder, much like in any community, whether human, or that of animals. Such are the laws of nature, and the smaller the community, the more likely it is to conform to these laws. The urbane world of metropolies compared th the countryside seems like another planet, where one is allowed the simple comfort of anonymity. There is no anonymity to be enjoyed in a village; its inhabitants live under an umbrella of the extended family, and the black sheep, the dissenters, are not to be tolerated. The drama begins when the feelings enter the stage, as is the case with young Breege, whose brother has about a hundred bones to pick with Michael Bugler, the newcomer. The former two live in an almost incestuous relationship, where the brother assumed the position of a husband, whose divine right, as understood by generations of villagers, is to control every move of the wife, and to accept or decline every decision she is trying to make. The point is, that small misunderstandings, which might be resolved on the spot, were there a minimal willingness to cooperate - those petty events and quarrels take the form of a conflict of immense dimensions, where the village as a whole are sometimes more or less active participants, yet always willing to play the role of spectators, the mental descendants of the Roman mob filling the circus to the brink. In "Wild Decembers", Edna O'Brien analyzes the sources of this everlasting newcomer problem, tries to identify its causality, and does so with success. One of the most interesting aspects of this particular novel is the emphasis put on pride and vanity. Prejudice against newcomers can easily evaporate, if the latter are agreeable enough, but what can't be done away with is the human pride, an overblown "sense of honor", so to speak. Books by this author may not be uplifting, but if you are able to reconcile yourself with this fact, there is a wealth of cultural information to be learned from her works, not to mention the sheer pleasure of reading the unique language of Edna O'Brien.
Rating: 
Summary: In the footsteps of Joyce...
Review: Edna O'Brien, who grew up in Ireland and lives in London, has won high praise for many of her previous books, including a biography of James Joyce. This most recent work is sure to continue the string of critical recognition for this woman who has been called the greatest living Irish writer and hailed by Philip Roth as perhaps "the most gifted woman now writing fiction in English." Wild Decembers, which reads at times more like poetry than prose, is a moving story about two men-Joseph Brennan & Mick Bugler-and a woman, Joseph's sister Breege. Mick Bugler arrives from a sheep farm in Australia to claim his inheritance; a farm at the top of the mountain inhabited by Joseph, Breege and the memory of their ancestors. What ensues is a neighborly friendship that turns to mistrust, then to a classic tale of warfare of close rivalries and betrayals. Along the way, O'Brien introduces us to several unforgettable characters including a pair of sisters who comically whore their way into acquiring property and sustenance in a method reminiscent of the spider who sets his trap for the unsuspecting. Ultimately and almost predictably, the story turns tragic and we are once again reminded of the bonds to land and history that have shaped the Irish landscape and eventually mean "more than life and more than death too." Add this novel to your summer reading list.
Rating:
Summary: In the footsteps of Joyce...
Review: Edna O'Brien, who grew up in Ireland and lives in London, has won high praise for many of her previous books, including a biography of James Joyce. This most recent work is sure to continue the string of critical recognition for this woman who has been called the greatest living Irish writer and hailed by Philip Roth as perhaps "the most gifted woman now writing fiction in English." Wild Decembers, which reads at times more like poetry than prose, is a moving story about two men-Joseph Brennan & Mick Bugler-and a woman, Joseph's sister Breege. Mick Bugler arrives from a sheep farm in Australia to claim his inheritance; a farm at the top of the mountain inhabited by Joseph, Breege and the memory of their ancestors. What ensues is a neighborly friendship that turns to mistrust, then to a classic tale of warfare of close rivalries and betrayals. Along the way, O'Brien introduces us to several unforgettable characters including a pair of sisters who comically whore their way into acquiring property and sustenance in a method reminiscent of the spider who sets his trap for the unsuspecting. Ultimately and almost predictably, the story turns tragic and we are once again reminded of the bonds to land and history that have shaped the Irish landscape and eventually mean "more than life and more than death too." Add this novel to your summer reading list.
Rating:
Summary: Wild Decembers
Review: Great Book. The first book I read in about 10 years. This author moved me. I can't wait to read more of her novels.
Rating: 
Summary: Uninspired
Review: I approached this book with great anticipation after reading a glowing review. I found I had a hard time sustaining interest in the book. I did not find the characters to be well drawn. Ms. O'Brien seemed to be so in love with her prose that I had difficulty understanding the motivation for her characters behavior. This seemed more an exercise in the writing of prose than in the crafting of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE FINEST
Review: I heard a fascinating interview with the author on NPR and immediately went online to buy this novel. What a wonderful read! This is a passionate tale about love and duty, honor and sex, fidelity and family. Every single character (& there are dozens) is drawn fully and deeply, even those characters who appear only for a few pages. The story is a simple one with its routes in "Romeo and Juliet:" two families forever at war even after they've forgotten why they are feuding. It is also a story of a small town in Ireland and every single one of its inhabitants and how they effect the three principal characters: Joseph, a farmer, and his sister Breege who falls in love with Mick Bugler, a stranger from Australia, and how their love for one another changes everyone's life. You cannot help but know that the story will end tragically, but because you care for each of the principal chararacters so much and because Edna O'Brien refuses to label some good and others bad, you keep hoping for the inevitable to be put off. O'Brien is obviously influenced by James Joyce: her language is at all times ripe and imaginative and wonderfully descriptive. Her prose also reminds me of William Faulkner and the way he had of burrowing deep into the minds and souls of his complex people. This is certainly one of the finest contemporary novels I have read in many years.
Rating:
Summary: ONE OF THE FINEST
Review: I heard a fascinating interview with the author on NPR and immediately went online to buy this novel. What a wonderful read! This is a passionate tale about love and duty, honor and sex, fidelity and family. Every single character (& there are dozens) is drawn fully and deeply, even those characters who appear only for a few pages. The story is a simple one with its routes in "Romeo and Juliet:" two families forever at war even after they've forgotten why they are feuding. It is also a story of a small town in Ireland and every single one of its inhabitants and how they effect the three principal characters: Joseph, a farmer, and his sister Breege who falls in love with Mick Bugler, a stranger from Australia, and how their love for one another changes everyone's life. You cannot help but know that the story will end tragically, but because you care for each of the principal chararacters so much and because Edna O'Brien refuses to label some good and others bad, you keep hoping for the inevitable to be put off. O'Brien is obviously influenced by James Joyce: her language is at all times ripe and imaginative and wonderfully descriptive. Her prose also reminds me of William Faulkner and the way he had of burrowing deep into the minds and souls of his complex people. This is certainly one of the finest contemporary novels I have read in many years.
Rating:
Summary: Wild December
Review: I read this book, my first contact with O'Brien, its author, after hearing a glowing review on NPR. It is full of poetic, ominously foreboding, beautifully descriptive invocations of the mountain where the action is set, at Cloontha in the West of Ireland. The protagonists are the young sister and brother, Brige and Joseph Brennan, who have lived together since their childhood when they were early orphaned and Mick Bugler, who has just returned from Australia to claim his inheritance of the land on the mountain adjacent to Joe and Brige's dairy. What follows is the inevitably tragic denoument following a Romeo and Juliet attraction between the young woman and the "Shepherd", Bugler. The struggle over old land feuds recalls today's news from former Yugoslavia, from the Middle East and yes, from Ireland. By the time I reached the inevitable tragedy at the end I could hardly breathe. The supporting characters are wonderfully drawn. This is the best new book I've read.
Rating: 
Summary: Where is the "No Stars" rating?
Review: I struggled through this book because it was the month's choice for the book club I have joined. One of the great things about a book club is finding new types of reading, and reading a book that would not normaly be one's choice. Still, some "Best Seller" books leave me mystified. "Wild Decembers" by Edna O'Brien is such a book. Before you buy this book, ask yourself, "Do I read Joyce and Falkner? Do I enjoy predictably depressing flowery stories that avoid telling
normal expicit facts such as time, place, relationship, etc? Do I enjoy reading Kafka?" If your answer is yes, then try this book, you may love it. Probably reviews are not supposed to tell the answers to some of the story's twists and turns, but O'Brien starts right from the first page to let you know that things are bad and going to get worse. Don't hope for any mitigating circumstances from "Wild Decembers."
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