- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (6 Feb 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0747580227
- ISBN-13: 978-0747580225
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.4 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,097,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Guardian, 18 February 2006
'Strangely uplifting ... this observant and moving story always rings true'
Irish Independent
'Very, very good ... a creditable accomplishment'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I'm no literary critic, but ...,
By Mr Martin E Purcell (Huddersfield, West Yorkshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Emigrant's Farewell (Hardcover)
... I can appreciate quality writing when I see it, and this book is packed full of quality - both in terms of the plot and the writing style. Liam Browne's writing is remarkably sympathetic, and he deals with his subject in a sensitive and ultimately uplifting manner. The main plot relates the story of a family coming to terms with their grief after the death of a loved one (no plot details revealed in this review, I promise!). Each family member is affected differently by the tragedy, and their individual responses are described with touching honesty. There is a sense of reality in Browne's writing, making the challenges to the central relationships appear entirely genuine, and he creates a sense of empathy with each of the characters. Although written about grief, the book is certainly not depressing, but the reader does certainly get drawn into the emotional whirl of the book's characters. At the same time, we are made to think about those around us who may be dealing with their own private grief, and that we draw strength from one another whether we are aware of it or not. The main plot is inter-twined with an exposition of the true story of the remarkable part played by one family in the mysteries surrounding the discovery of the North West Passage. Happening in the mid 19th century, there are curious parallels between the stories of the real life characters and Browne's fictional creations from the 21st century . The story of William Coppin and his family is fascinating enough in its own right, and Browne mixes it creatively with his story in a way which makes the whole greater than sum of the parts. I've read other similar books in the past, including Jonathan Raban's 'Passage to Juneau (which, interestingly, weaves the writer's autobiographical tale of a relationship in decline with another true life story from the race to find the North West Passage). Browne's book - which is his first published work - stands up to comparison with the work of these other, acclaimed writers. It deserves a read on its merit, and the author deserves to be encouraged to write more ... and at these crazy Amazon prices, the best way to do this is to buy, buy, buy ... !?!?!?!?
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've read in the last three years...,
By Marina (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Emigrant's Farewell (Hardcover)
I can only agree with Martin Purcell's review above - this book is astonishingly good. I read it in 2006, and haven't come across any other contemporary prose since then that surpasses it. Past and present are masterfully blended,and Mr Browne is deeply in touch with his characters. I simply can't recommend it more. Roll on his second book!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
5.0 out of 5 stars
interlaced history,
By P. C. Maguire "irish history" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Emigrant's Farewell (Hardcover)
the author successfully intertwines three stories - that of present-day derry through a couple grieving the loss of their only child, 19th century derry in the story of the ship-building era of its history and the part it played in the greatest mystery of the time - the search for sir john franklin and his crew, lost in the ice-choked northwest passage.
the book evokes loss, absences, restlessnes, spirituality, and best of all, a powerful sense of place.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unrelated tragedies brilliantly intertwined,
By Lynn Hughes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Emigrant's Farewell (Hardcover)
With the accidental death of their young daughter, a previously-devoted couple find themselves estranged and unable to find solace in each other. Eileen retreats to her parents' house and her own memories. The now doubly-bereft Joe first becomes involved in his own widowed father's endless travels around their native Ireland and then tries to lose himself in his work. The author creates a completely believable picture of the emotional lives of both grieving parents, although Joe is the major focus of the book.
The novel takes a new direction after all of this groundwork is laid. Joe is hired at the local Heritage Center in Derry City to research one of its 19th century shipbuilders, William Coppin, who had also lost a young daughter. As Coppin's other children declared that they saw and spoke with their dead sibling from time to time, Coppin became involved in the search for lost Arctic explorer John Franklin because his dead daughter said she knew where he could be found. Bizarre and inventive? Yes, but also entirely plausible in its own way. Joe's ongoing struggles to reunite with his wife, make his own peace with his child's death, and find out the full story of Coppin and his entanglement with the Franklins are woven skillfully together. A brief review can't do it justice. It's a tapestry of stories of love and loss on many levels, constructed with sympathy and skill. |
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