Comments (23)

What did you think about this title?
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Feb 01, 2024
Irish Book Group 1/19/24
Nov 05, 2023
It's a good cure for insomnia. Put me to sleep right away.
May 22, 2023DanglingConversations rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
An absorbing read. A study of personal grief set at the cusp of "the troubles' in Ireland.
Aug 18, 2020maipenrai rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written book about a woman learning to define her own life after the death of her husband. Kristi & Abby Tabby
Aug 29, 2019bluehydrangea rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
An outstanding novel about grief.
May 21, 2017KMJ_ rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I started reading this book and couldn't get through it at first. I started reading it again after a few weeks, and I ending up liking the last half of the book a lot more than the first part. Nora is widowed in middle age, and doesn't…
Dec 18, 2016Tres_soles rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Slow, profound, perfect.
Oct 31, 2016wendybird rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
While this novel cannot be recommended to those looking for an action-packed, breathless, thrilling read, it will definitely appeal to those who relish becoming comfortable with an intelligent, compassionate, if troubled character. Nora…
inthestacks
Apr 30, 2016inthestacks rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This novel started off badly with Nora having similar traits as that of the milquetoast doormat Eilis in Toibin`s Brooklyn. However, Nora became a much more assertive character with the passing of time. Devastated by the early death of…
Apr 25, 2016uncommonreader rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
A simple story, simply told about a woman overcoming her grief following the death of her husband and moving in new directions. It is possibly a tribute by Toibin to his mother. However, the book teeters on the brink of banality and even…
Feb 29, 2016jazpur rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Colm Toibin is very perceptive. His people are real.I had listened to him giving a lecture and a reading from Nora Webster on YouTube. The whole book was completely absorbing and I felt I knew Nora and the community she lived…
Feb 26, 2016clarencedavis rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I just have to say that this book was wonderful to read. I really didn't want it to end. I came away feeling like I personally knew Nora and her family. There's not much of a plot here to speak of, but there is some realism. The…
Nov 22, 2015empbee rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Anotner delightful book from the master of female character description. Colm Toibin excels in describing the everyday life of people and makes it interesting.
Cas22
Nov 10, 2015Cas22 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
I honestly can’t recommend this book. Nothing happens! Well, that’s not quite true. The heroine, Nora Webster, takes small and tentative steps towards forging a new identity for herself following the death of her husband. And, yes, I…
Jun 21, 2015brangwinn rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Another gentle story that captures the emotions of a new widow in a small Irish town. Toibin has an art of making everyday people important. Enter pieces for a story. And in this one it was delightful to see a quiet woman come into h own,…
norareyeurs
Feb 28, 2015norareyeurs rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read and was entranced by Tóibín's The Testament of Mary and based on that decided to read Nora Webster. I think he excels at showing the contradictions of woman who are outwardly perceived as strong and the war they wage within …
manoush
Jan 29, 2015
A novel of extreme subtlety and restraint. It barely has a plot, nothing much "happens," and the main character is minimally fleshed out. The novel reads like a humdrum diary of the very ordinary life of Nora, a widowed mother of four who…
Jan 12, 2015
What a disappointment! unable to empathize with a single "cardboard"character including Nora herself . Miss Kavanagh is simply a cartoon-like joke. .....totally unbelievable. I really wonder about male authors under the impression they…
madison382
Nov 24, 2014madison382 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Mr. Toibin certainly knows how to capture the human emotion, really enjoyed this book.
Nov 19, 2014
If you liked Olive Kitteridge, you'll like this quiet novel about a widow who's figuring out how to live after her husband's death. Song--as in singing--plays a major character.
Nov 17, 2014stewaroby rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece. Just read it.
sabinamarina
Oct 15, 2014
This writer has a terrific ear for composing dialogue; which reads like it is being heard in person-as if the reader is present in the very rooms where Nora's life unfolds. Even without description, which sometimes reads like stage…
Aug 05, 2014multcolib_alisonk rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Having erased herself after years of caring for her family, Nora negotiates a minefield of grief and painful awakening after her husband dies.