An extremely assured and wonderfully funny first novel with a rollicking plot - and at its heart an extremely touching and believable relationship between a twenty-something brother and sister. AN EVENING OF LONG GOODBYES tells the story of Charles and his sister Bel. They live in a crumbling old house outside Dublin where Charles is indolently escaping from real life while Bel strives to live life to the full. Both are romantics; both are trying to find their way in the world without losing themselves, each other and the things they hold dear. And all kinds of things happen along the way: there are fistfights, greyhound races, explosions, many cases of mistaken identity, unwise love affairs and more...
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Product Description
About the Author
Paul Murray studied for an MA in Creative Writing at UEA and now lives in Dublin. AN EVENING OF LONG GOODBYES is his first novel.
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First Sentence
A black wind was blowing outside the bow window. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
A black wind was blowing outside the bow window. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
An Evening of Long Goodbyes portrays Dublin from a highly unusual, witty and modern slant. In the rich suburbs of Killiney, in a grand old mansion, a brother and sister are leading very different lives. Their father dead, their mother in an institution suffering from her nerves, Charles and Bel are left to face the unknown. Charles sees himself as protector of the family name, whilst Bel tries desperately to pursue an acting career, all the while entertaining male companions of dubious repute (at least in her brother's eyes). And so Paul Murray lures us into the lives of these two very different characters. An Evening of Long Goodbyes is a very touching and witty story about two lost souls that struggle in the animal world that dominated the Celtic Tiger. By the end of the book I was sad to sever all contact with this world Paul Murray so wonderfully created. Dare I mention the greyhound races?!
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Those of you who, like me, tend to avoid first novels because so many of them centre around rote and tired coming-of-age stories, should suspend your prejudices for this witty and unusual book. It avoids many of the pitfalls that first time novelists fall into - Murray concentrates on the writing first and foremost, while still delivering engaging and funny characters. It tells the story of Charles Hythloday, a wealthy layabout, his high-strung actress sister Bel, and their attempts to save their large crumbling family mansion from interference from the outside world. The writing is lyrical, witty, and often touching, with a stand-out dream sequence where Charles goes on holidays with WB Yeats. The only misgiving I had about this book was that in the early chapters, the characters often seemed to belong to different books - Charles is an entirely unrealistic creation, but other minor characters seem to be satires of various Dublin types. But this is only a small problem, and may not even bother some readers. As the book progresses, the comic tone becomes more assured, and the reader accepts the characters as they are presented. Very enjoyable and highly recommended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sure, it was a bit long, but it was surprising and funny and touching and it zipped along - so should you buy Murray's earlier (first) book while you wait for something new? Yes.
This is an enjoyable, funny, clever book with some flourishes of fantastic writing and if you find it hard to track down comic fiction that isn't (to channel Ed Reardon) aimed at twelve-year-olds, this is for you.
Yes, there are some first-novel problems on show here. The first quarter of the book was obviously written earlier and is a sort-of standalone short story, albeit a very good one which knowlingly and rather well draws on Wodehouse and O'Brien. Then we have an extended bit of shuffling behind the curtain before we head off into a new plot, in which the initial McGuffin (missing family fortune) is swiftly forgotten and something new emerges. The problem is that Murray seems to have so many ideas to choose from that you almost wish this were the first of a series rather than a self-contained novel.
But that's cheese-paring. Most people will come to this page to decide whether or not to buy this after enjoying Skippy - and it's a big old yes.
This is an enjoyable, funny, clever book with some flourishes of fantastic writing and if you find it hard to track down comic fiction that isn't (to channel Ed Reardon) aimed at twelve-year-olds, this is for you.
Yes, there are some first-novel problems on show here. The first quarter of the book was obviously written earlier and is a sort-of standalone short story, albeit a very good one which knowlingly and rather well draws on Wodehouse and O'Brien. Then we have an extended bit of shuffling behind the curtain before we head off into a new plot, in which the initial McGuffin (missing family fortune) is swiftly forgotten and something new emerges. The problem is that Murray seems to have so many ideas to choose from that you almost wish this were the first of a series rather than a self-contained novel.
But that's cheese-paring. Most people will come to this page to decide whether or not to buy this after enjoying Skippy - and it's a big old yes.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
By Bert
Format:Paperback
I am going to unabashedly rave about this book. I began reading it, lured in by the cover's blurb describing a character who wants to be left in peace but `life has other ideas'. As I was rather sad at the time, I too was feeling that I just wanted to be alone. To my surprise I found myself laughing so much that I was having to put down the book. It completely cheered me up.
As I continued, however, I found myself leaving its Wodehouse-ian outlook for a sharp satire on the downside of the new booming economy in Ireland which, without blotting the comic tone of the book, came as an eye-opener to this Londoner.
Finally I reached a destination so melancholy and elegiac that it stayed with me long after I had finished it.
It is a book with a mad plot and oddball characters which some people won't warm to, but don't be put off. The plot is deceptive. In truth it is as tight as a coiled spring. As for the eccentric characters, they all have a heart that beats and makes you want to stay with them.
Paul Murray has woven hilarity, wit, satire and heartbreaking beauty into a tale of extraordinary and abundant imagination.
As I continued, however, I found myself leaving its Wodehouse-ian outlook for a sharp satire on the downside of the new booming economy in Ireland which, without blotting the comic tone of the book, came as an eye-opener to this Londoner.
Finally I reached a destination so melancholy and elegiac that it stayed with me long after I had finished it.
It is a book with a mad plot and oddball characters which some people won't warm to, but don't be put off. The plot is deceptive. In truth it is as tight as a coiled spring. As for the eccentric characters, they all have a heart that beats and makes you want to stay with them.
Paul Murray has woven hilarity, wit, satire and heartbreaking beauty into a tale of extraordinary and abundant imagination.
I take my hat off to him.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book is a proper modern classic. I had laughed and I had (almost) cried. And I am keeping the book to lend to my friends.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By CN
Format:Paperback
I mostly agree with the other review, An evening of long goodbye is a fantastic read, and a real page turner. Paul Murray really has his way with words. I recommend this book strongly.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By T. Jacobs
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well I was to say the least wary of this novel after having thoroughly enjoyed Skippy Dies and rarely read the same author, 2 in a row. This was indeed a bit of surprise. I am not gonna go into the synopsis, or a rather touching end which just epitomises modern Ireland's dreamy boom and bust. We might speculate why Donatella Verasace was not a Teenage Mutant Turtle, but the fact remains Mr. Murray can write. Some of the comical sitations did not always work for me, but the novel as a whole, from the intricate writing, comical observations, to the heartfelt tender moments, wrapped up in a bigger milieu, did. No its not a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but its a damn good solid well written read!! Very highly recommended!
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3.7 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny and enjoyable
Characters were wonderfully written and some brilliant turns of phrase in this book.
I was kept interested throughout and liked the links to current social/ political... Read more
I was kept interested throughout and liked the links to current social/ political... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Hkol
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic characters
I really enjoyed this book but was sorry the ending was so
bleak. I could'nt take the ending at all. No, I really had to
skim read it! Read more
bleak. I could'nt take the ending at all. No, I really had to
skim read it! Read more
Published 16 months ago by Miss S. P. Wells
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bizarre, moving, hilarious!
Bizarre, moving, hilarious and engaging - I adored the mechanics and perplexing relationships of this novel, which holds a beautifully awkward mirror to the world under scrutiny. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Edward Rice
4.0 out of 5 stars
Joyce meets Bateman in a bar with Flann O Brien
The language of this book appears to have its roots in Joyce in Dubliners and O Brien in The Poor Mouth (where else do you see people referred to as "fellows"? Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2011 by A. P. Walton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Happiness is a greyhound called...
Let's get allegorical. This terific novel is akin to settling down in a Dublin pub in the company of an aging shaggy-dog storyteller, fortified by the finest whisky - Scots malt,... Read more
Published on 9 Aug 2003
4.0 out of 5 stars
Heart-warming and humorous
Imagine, if you will, PG Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster crossed with Will from Nick Hornby's 'About a Boy', and you have conjured up Charles Hythloday, the main protagonist of Paul... Read more
Published on 18 July 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paul Murray, take a bow...
I am going to unabashedly rave about this book. I began reading it, lured in by the cover's blurb describing a character who wants to be left in peace but `life has other ideas'. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2003
5.0 out of 5 stars
Paul Murray, take a bow...
I am going to unabashedly rave about this book. I began reading it, lured in by the cover's blurb describing a character who wants to be left in peace but `life has other ideas'. Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2003
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