Redemption Falls
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"Redemption Falls deals with a crucial period in the history of Ireland and the United States. The story is told with extraordinary ingenuity, the tone a mixture of the playful and the grave, at times fast-moving, smart and very clever, and then full of beautiful writing and heart-breaking sequences. The cadences of the competing voices in the book combine to produce a dazzling narrative."
--Colm Toibin
"
""Redemption Falls is a gem. It's a glorious book, enormous, virtuoso and brave. Its scope is wide - love, death, war, belonging - and yet its gaze is intimate. At its heart is the story of a woman who wants to return to the only country she has - her family. The language is at turns bawdy, ancient, poetic, grand and funny. One can't dismiss the genius that's involved in being able to tell such necessary stories in a time of war and still be able to beat back all the cliches. The minute I finished the book I wanted to start reading it all over again."
--Colum McCann
"A huge achievement, as deep as it is wide, this is a book like no other of these times - a panorama of tragic love set among people devastated by the American Civil War, brilliantly recounted in the multiple tones of their voices, writings and songs, and realised with an empathy both impressive and extraordinarily moving."
--Nuala O'Faolain
"This book took my breath away. If you're interested at all in the American Civil War, Irish participation in same, love, the expansion of the West, you'll delight in this novel. It is panoramic, yet dense and delicious in detail. It is written gloriously, as if Mr O'Connor toiled at some mighty cathedral organ containing the whole of the English language with itsIrish and American flavourings. This is a brave book and only a brave heart could have written it."
--Frank McCourt
--Colm Toibin
"
""Redemption Falls is a gem. It's a glorious book, enormous, virtuoso and brave. Its scope is wide - love, death, war, belonging - and yet its gaze is intimate. At its heart is the story of a woman who wants to return to the only country she has - her family. The language is at turns bawdy, ancient, poetic, grand and funny. One can't dismiss the genius that's involved in being able to tell such necessary stories in a time of war and still be able to beat back all the cliches. The minute I finished the book I wanted to start reading it all over again."
--Colum McCann
"A huge achievement, as deep as it is wide, this is a book like no other of these times - a panorama of tragic love set among people devastated by the American Civil War, brilliantly recounted in the multiple tones of their voices, writings and songs, and realised with an empathy both impressive and extraordinarily moving."
--Nuala O'Faolain
"This book took my breath away. If you're interested at all in the American Civil War, Irish participation in same, love, the expansion of the West, you'll delight in this novel. It is panoramic, yet dense and delicious in detail. It is written gloriously, as if Mr O'Connor toiled at some mighty cathedral organ containing the whole of the English language with itsIrish and American flavourings. This is a brave book and only a brave heart could have written it."
--Frank McCourt
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'Bursting with strong, well sculpted characters'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I've read Joseph O'Connor's books before and really enjoyed the humour in the early ones and then loved 'The Star of the Sea' which really puts his writing on a new level. I found this book a little hard to get into as it's not your average novel. But after a while, I got used to the unusual story-telling and found that it was compelling. The novel has real pace, even though it's 700 odd pages long and though initially there seem to be diversions, it's all relevant in the end. I think this book is a real achievement and I wouldn't be suprised if it wins awards.
23 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Joseph O'Connor's Redemption Falls is a dense text, frighteningly thick and closely typed. But within the covers is a work of exquisite art.
The novel centres around an Irish revolutionary, latterly Acting Governor of the Mountain Territory in 1860s America, called Con O'Keeffe. The novel comprises legal documents, ballads, poems, interviews, narratives and a host of other paraphernalia associated with O'Keeffe and his clan. The level of detail is breathtaking and the number of voices is bewildering.
But it is the number of voices that will cause the reader the greatest problems. In order to make them all distinctive - which is done with varying levels of success - different devices and styles are used. These include phonetic spelling; lack of punctuation; folksy idiom and many others. This makes the novel initially impenetrable and the narrative very difficult, if not impossible, to follow. Nevertheless, it does become clearer as the book wends its course and it would be interesting to revisit the earlier chapters to see how they appear with the benefit of hindsight.
O'Connor's language use of language is masterful. The straight narratives are beautifully balanced, with an almost poetic feel. Ironically, the prose is sometimes more poetic than the verse. O'Connor manages to use the language to create a culture that sits between Ireland and the USA that we now know. The Irishmen of the Mountain Territory are proud of their heritage, but are equally clear that they are working to an American future, embracing the principles of wealth and slavery as they go.
The plot is at best ambiguous. We are left to form our own judgement on O'Keeffe's morals and virtues. The evidence that is presented conflicts and contradicts in many places. Different perspectives are presented as fact, adding to an air of intrigue and mystery. Often, the background "noise" is so detailed that one is left wondering whether parts of the novel are true - and if so, which parts. By the end, the reader is left feeling that he has uncovered truth himself, rather than having it spoonfed in easy doses. The final epilogue spoils the effect a little, though, by referring explicitly to this ambiguity. I suspect the novel would have been better without the epilogue at all, and even though the last line might raise a bit of a chill, I'm not sure it is worth jeopardizing the rest of the novel.
The shortcomings that I have highlighted are but minor compared to the triumph of developing a character as complex as O'Keeffe, and a society as interesting as that of Redemption Falls. This is truly a masterpiece and it deserves awards aplenty.
The novel centres around an Irish revolutionary, latterly Acting Governor of the Mountain Territory in 1860s America, called Con O'Keeffe. The novel comprises legal documents, ballads, poems, interviews, narratives and a host of other paraphernalia associated with O'Keeffe and his clan. The level of detail is breathtaking and the number of voices is bewildering.
But it is the number of voices that will cause the reader the greatest problems. In order to make them all distinctive - which is done with varying levels of success - different devices and styles are used. These include phonetic spelling; lack of punctuation; folksy idiom and many others. This makes the novel initially impenetrable and the narrative very difficult, if not impossible, to follow. Nevertheless, it does become clearer as the book wends its course and it would be interesting to revisit the earlier chapters to see how they appear with the benefit of hindsight.
O'Connor's language use of language is masterful. The straight narratives are beautifully balanced, with an almost poetic feel. Ironically, the prose is sometimes more poetic than the verse. O'Connor manages to use the language to create a culture that sits between Ireland and the USA that we now know. The Irishmen of the Mountain Territory are proud of their heritage, but are equally clear that they are working to an American future, embracing the principles of wealth and slavery as they go.
The plot is at best ambiguous. We are left to form our own judgement on O'Keeffe's morals and virtues. The evidence that is presented conflicts and contradicts in many places. Different perspectives are presented as fact, adding to an air of intrigue and mystery. Often, the background "noise" is so detailed that one is left wondering whether parts of the novel are true - and if so, which parts. By the end, the reader is left feeling that he has uncovered truth himself, rather than having it spoonfed in easy doses. The final epilogue spoils the effect a little, though, by referring explicitly to this ambiguity. I suspect the novel would have been better without the epilogue at all, and even though the last line might raise a bit of a chill, I'm not sure it is worth jeopardizing the rest of the novel.
The shortcomings that I have highlighted are but minor compared to the triumph of developing a character as complex as O'Keeffe, and a society as interesting as that of Redemption Falls. This is truly a masterpiece and it deserves awards aplenty.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This breathtaking, heartrending story is a great work of literature that satisfies on every level. With so many accomplished styles and voices. O'connor's mature analysis of a nation in crisis brings characters to vivid life, depicting the harsh realities, the social and political history of the American Civil War. Even the most haunting scenes of violence are conveyed with poetic precision and minute moments of humanity will burn themselves into your memory long after you've put the book down.
The characters are almost wincingly real, flawed and tragic but ultimately, this dark story shows how the human soul is redeemed by faith and forgiveness... though make no mistake, the journey to get there is relentless,uncompromising and brutal.
This book - much like its prequel, Star of the Sea - will deserve and reward with more than one reading. A big story in every sense of the word...I am sure this is destined to become a classic.
The characters are almost wincingly real, flawed and tragic but ultimately, this dark story shows how the human soul is redeemed by faith and forgiveness... though make no mistake, the journey to get there is relentless,uncompromising and brutal.
This book - much like its prequel, Star of the Sea - will deserve and reward with more than one reading. A big story in every sense of the word...I am sure this is destined to become a classic.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
In sadness ..
As one who was brought up with the maxim that if you don't have anything nice to say, say nothing at all, it's with a heavy heart that I comment on this book. Read more
Published 4 months ago by K. R. Watson
Try the audio book
I have the audio version of Redemption Falls, read expertly and impressively by Peter Marinker. It's a densely- populated book but the actor manages to cover the diverse... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ventris Arden
Truly worth the effort.....
"Follow up" to the brilliant Star of the Sea and, for me, an even better book. I had heard that much about Star of the Sea, prior to reading it, that my expectations were probably... Read more
Published 17 months ago by MartyMac
Not an easy reading, but certainly a captivating one.
Ok, let's state the obvious: this is a difficult reading. Affected words, multiple points of view, different styles, pictures, fragments of poems, ballads, letters, phonetic... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Alessandra F.
Grim to the point of comedy
Having read Star of the Sea, I now know Joseph O'Connor's technique: he swallows a dialect dictionary and spits out a novel.
It's innovative, poetic in parts. Read more
It's innovative, poetic in parts. Read more
Published on 21 May 2010 by Andy Lake
excellent
excellent customer service. fast delivery. everything was up to scratch. very happy with this seller
Published on 25 April 2010 by fonky
A superb book
Redemption Falls deserves all the praise that has been lavished upon it
Published on 15 July 2009 by Litfan
Stunning
Set in the hard times following the aftermath of the American Civil War, in an unamed Western state, Redemption Falls follows the lives of a diverse range of characters - the... Read more
Published on 8 July 2009 by Full moon dream
Outstanding achievement
This is an astonishing book. I don't agree with reviewers who said the different narrative voices are boring - I really enjoyed them. Read more
Published on 19 April 2009 by Gemma Parkes
Well worth the effort
Some may find the opening pages a struggle but PERSEVERE! O'Connors novel scores on so many levels, the richness of the characters he lovingly sculpts, the innovative methods he... Read more
Published on 18 April 2009 by Chris Bentley
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