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Summary: a stereotypical american take on ireland
Review: God, this was a pathetic read. I was keen at first because I had been recommended Moran's work by a (usually) reliable friend. This is just full of cliche after cliche. Starting with the oh so blarney names and the oh so bleak Irish settings, the "craic", the povery stricken and drinking uncle, the poor little rich girl who doesn't realise that she is beautiful but nonetheless is described endlessly in almost masturbatory detail. Anyone not seeing the end coming a mile away needs glasses. Give me an authentic Irish voice over a loft ridden New Yorker anyday. Is this really how yanks see Ireland?
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Summary: the best book ever
Review: I bought this book on a whim and was so impressed I read the whole think at once. Thomas Moran is an amazing writer and the story of Una Moss is so real it's impossible to read this without feeling for her. After I put it down, the memory of the voilence and love and paasion stayed with me and will most likely never let me forget. I will definitely buy more Thomas Moran.
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Summary: You will love Derdriu Ring's voice!
Review: I knew from the beginning as I read this book that it was going to be tragic, but the flavor in the reading was reading how it was going to achieve it. I was not disappointed. Una, the protaganist, seems doomed from the beginning of the story--from the secret way her parents died, to her grandfather, Rawney, and his dubious friends who are somehow (or are they?) connected to the I.R.A. In fact, all of Una's life is somehow always connected to the I.R.A. and not because she chose that way. The crux of the book was when she met Aiden, who seemed the perfect man - but then was he the perfect man? Even to the end, she still could not grasp any other image of him. This was her tragic flaw. I recommend the book to all even though there were some "Irish" stereotypes.
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Summary: Secrets, Trust, More Secrets = Betrayal
Review: I knew from the beginning as I read this book that it was going to be tragic, but the flavor in the reading was reading how it was going to achieve it. I was not disappointed. Una, the protaganist, seems doomed from the beginning of the story--from the secret way her parents died, to her grandfather, Rawney, and his dubious friends who are somehow (or are they?) connected to the I.R.A. In fact, all of Una's life is somehow always connected to the I.R.A. and not because she chose that way. The crux of the book was when she met Aiden, who seemed the perfect man - but then was he the perfect man? Even to the end, she still could not grasp any other image of him. This was her tragic flaw. I recommend the book to all even though there were some "Irish" stereotypes.
Rating:
Summary: worthwhile read
Review: I truely enjoyed the writing style and content. After spending 3 weeks in Northern Ireland recently, I felt the characters were true to many Irish people which made the story more believable and interesting. It is a very beautiful country that must live with such underlying unrest and I felt this was conveyed masterfully in this book. I do agree that having a fundamental knowledge of Irish history is helpful. It is a deeply moving story of some interesting characters. I am anxious to read more from this author.
Rating:
Summary: worthwhile read
Review: It's an engrossing story, and definitely signals Moran's maturation as a writer. Yet, it's kind of disturbing. There are these wonderfully rich female protagonists in Moran's books, and then they end up getting the proverbial shaft. "Water..." is a much better book than his previous ones, with substantial improvements in writing, but you may be disappointed.
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Summary: ...but where are we going? What's with this handbasket?
Review: It's an engrossing story, and definitely signals Moran's maturation as a writer. Yet, it's kind of disturbing. There are these wonderfully rich female protagonists in Moran's books, and then they end up getting the proverbial shaft. "Water..." is a much better book than his previous ones, with substantial improvements in writing, but you may be disappointed.
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Summary: Powerful emotional ride
Review: Owning an Irish American newspaper, and reviewing over one hundred books with Irish themes the last three years, I now have to revise my list of top ten favorite books, having just completed "Water, Carry Me" last night. As other reviewers have hinted, it's a book that stays with you. I woke up in the middle of the night still agonizing over the lovers, Uma and Aidan.
I would love to see a sequel, with Aidan redeeming himself, writing to substain Uma's spirits, but I suppose he is beyond redemption and would have to live with his guilt, as he has all the years since the Remembrance Day Celebration.
I have been in Northern Ireland, have visited the IRA prisoners in Long Kesh, questioning their choices and commitment. It is almost beyond understanding, though they've often tried to explain it to me. As an American, perhaps we can never understand.
I also write novels about the Troubles, but in "Water,Carry Me", Moran has definitely raised the bar. I never wanted it to end, and while I knew in time Aidan's secrets would be revealed, I never foresaw the consequences to Uma.
Since I work part-time in a bookstore, I've had my eye on this book for awhile. After reading "The World I Made For Her" I was pretty sure I'd love it, but had no idea it would be so powerful.
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Summary: Trust, betrayal, and The Troubles
Review: Pity poor Una Moss. Gangly, unattractive (or so she believes), orphaned, she has only her women friends until handsome, mysterious Aidan Ferrel sweeps her off her feet. Unfortunately, Aidan hides a secret much worse than the inheritance Una keeps hidden from her friends. As her love for Aidan grows, you wonder if he is indeed returning the love in kind. By the end of this memorable, powerful novel, you'll know. Or will you? Some readers will undoubtedly be uncomfortable with the uncertainty remaining at the end of "Water, Carry Me," but others will thrive on discussing that very ambiguity. This is a powerful, memorable novel which reminds every reader of some of the deep-rooted causes of the "Troubles" which continue to plague Northern Ireland. A word of caution--a basic knowledge of that conflict will help you to understand much of the political discourse in this novel. Although it is subtitled "A Love Story," it is much more than that, if it is indeed a love story at all! Read it and judge for yourself.
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Summary: A poem, an elegy
Review: The story and the words of this haunting and beautifully written story were the water that carried me through. It has been a few weeks since I finished the book. I am a prolific reader, and this this book stands out and stands tall. I was surprised and touched by its brilliant prose that read like poetry and more by the fate of the character, but I don't think one would have been possible without the other. At the end, one does feel very close to grief, the kind that makes you double over and scream silently. The tragedy of Una is heightened by the depth of her love and innocence, by the beauty of the landscape and the language, next to the incomprehension of cruelty and being caught in a political struggle that one has not sought. I feel that I have to immediately read "Man in the Box" and everything else that Moran has written and will write.
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