Reading in the Dark

Rating:
Summary: Intricate, Interesting and Very Irish
Review: A melange of apparent short stories of a Belfast family, living in the very sectarian 1950's. After a bit of reading the stories start to meld into plot. Pay close attention to the early vignettes of urban Irish life..at the end it all comes together!

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: An excellent book..full of both humour and tragedy. However, the IRA is evil and that becomes evident slightly in this book along with the sectarianism of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The ending chapter in which the father of the dead British soldier visits was touching. It shows that despite differences we are all human....However, time for my political time now, Ulster wishes to remain part of the United Kingdom by a clear majority and you cannot deny that. Yet it is a telling account into the experiences of growing up in Northern Ireland.

Rating:
Summary: A thought-provoking and challenging depiction of Irish life.
Review: As a former student of Seamus Deane, I can understand why readers might be confused or turned-off by the apparent "disjointedness" of this novel's syntax. Yet after having studied the works of such prominent Irish authors as James Joyce and Samuel Beckett, Deane's writing gains literary depth. His scholarly ability to express the Irish experience not only through plot but with diction and syntax elevate his writing to a new level of skillful expression. The disjointedness and often impoverished style of writing reflect Joycean traditions and comment on the Irish people's inability to find a language which is truly their own, one separate from the Imperialistic English.

Rating:
Summary: Reading in the Dark
Review: Brett Mulvaney

Recently, I just finished reading the book Reading in the Dark, a novel by Seamus Deane. What I understand from this book is that the boy narrator is having a tough time growing up in Northern Ireland, haunted by the truth of his family. Some things he wants to believe and the rest he doesn't want to. I did not particularly care for this book because of how hard it is for me to follow. Other than the constant jumping around from different scenes and scenarios, it is a good book as far as the context is concerned.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in Irish history, what people live like around that time. Another thing that might interest people would be how parents discipline their kids when they got in trouble. Also people who like books that jump around so much that it is hard for people like me to follow might enjoy the challenge.

Rating:
Summary: Reading in the Dark
Review: Brett Mulvaney

Recently, I just finished reading the book Reading in the Dark, a novel by Seamus Deane. What I understand from this book is that the boy narrator is having a tough time growing up in Northern Ireland, haunted by the truth of his family. Some things he wants to believe and the rest he doesn't want to. I did not particularly care for this book because of how hard it is for me to follow. Other than the constant jumping around from different scenes and scenarios, it is a good book as far as the context is concerned.

I would recommend this book to people who are interested in Irish history, what people live like around that time. Another thing that might interest people would be how parents discipline their kids when they got in trouble. Also people who like books that jump around so much that it is hard for people like me to follow might enjoy the challenge.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: coming from ireland i understand the irish troubles, but when i try to express them to other people it is almost imposible. This book is a perfect portral of the constant conflict between the prodastants and the catholics. The only way to truly understand the troubles is to be there, but in this book Sheamus Dean gets you right into the action by taking you into the head of a young boy, and there you get as close as you can to reality as posible.

Rating:
Summary: Cultúir Fásta
Review: Fascinating mixture of Irish tales,Northern Ireland political situation, religion and as well a growth story of a young man. Deane takes no sides in the war, but describes the feelings and emotions behind scenes quite well...

Rating:
Summary: A Savory Follow-up Read to Angela's Ashes
Review: For the millions who have read and enjoyed McCourt's Angela's Ashes, the magic can continue. Often after reading a good book, I try to find work by the same author. That will generally be an earlier, less-popular work just finding an audience. As Angela's Ashes is a first novel, that strategy was unsuccessful. I was lucky, however, to find Reading in the Dark. Both deal with the realities of Irish family life in the 1930s-1950s. Where Reading in the Dark goes beyond Angela's Ashes is with literary technique. Each chapter peels back another layer of the mystery of a family secret.

Rating:
Summary: Slow start, but it just got better and better
Review: Having just read Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes", which also describes Catholic childhood in Ireland, I expected to find the two books very similar. I was wrong; whilst "Angela's Ashes" mainly revolved around the problems of poverty and alcoholism in the family, "Reading in the Dark" is decidedly more intricate. Deane has created a beautiful book, full of pleasant (and unpleasant) childhood cameos that are so delightful, as a reader, to share. What I enjoyed most about the book was Deane's ability to create amazingly vivid scenes. The secret passage in "Grianan" was an exceptionally memorable passage (pardon the pun).

All in all, "Reading in the Dark" was a thoroughly enjoyable experience which gathered momentum and just became too good to put down.

Rating:
Summary: A beautiful story that is haunting and poetic!
Review: I am an inveterate reader and it takes a special book to remain so strong in my memory. A great exploration of growing up in Ireland during the continuing 'troubles'. It was a marvel how deftly the family secrets were revealed.