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…
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.
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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,…
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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 …
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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…
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…
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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.
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.
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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…
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Nora Webster