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CanadianReader's Reviews > The Coast Road
The Coast Road
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Though technically competent, this book didn’t deliver for me. Murrin skilfully juggles multiple points of view, and he’s got a workable enough (if somewhat predictable) plot, which focuses on three unsatisfactory Irish marriages (before divorce was legal in the republic). For me, the big problem was the characters: stereotypical men . . . and two women at the novel’s centre, Izzy and Colette, who are bland, uninteresting, lacking in emotional depth and ultimately unconvincing. While I think Murrin is a promising writer, I was mostly bored by this novel. Hence the low rating. Nothing delighted, surprised, or stimulated me here, and I expect I’ll forget the whole thing in short order.
The cover is lovely, however.
The cover is lovely, however.
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Reading Progress
June 8, 2024
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Started Reading
June 15, 2024
– Shelved
June 15, 2024
–
Finished Reading
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Caroline
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Jun 15, 2024 05:30AM
I'm sorry this wasn't a good read for you - but even reading your short review made me sit up and check online when divorce became legal in Ireland. Apparently it was banned in both Northern and Southern Ireland until 1995! I'm completely bowled over. That is staggeringly late. So thank you for prodding me into checking that out. It would be interesting to find out more about the introduction of that change in law, and how it affected people and their marriages.
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Yes, incredible, isn’t it? Yes, marriage is such a sacrament—one that many endured absolute hell for. I first became aware of the issue in Emilie Pine’s Notes to self. The first essay in that collection (if I’m not mistaken) concerns her father’s devastating alcoholism and her parents� “separation� as divorce was illegal. I think that essay about alcoholism would fascinate you, Caroline.
Thank you for that! I've just read your review of Pine's book - she sounds an interesting writer.
Nice review CR. Reading about other people's relationships and marriages is one of my favorite subject matters-- though you are right about stereotypical characterizations. Abortion in Ireland is now legal (since 2021?) .
Michelle wrote: "Nice review CR. Reading about other people's relationships and marriages is one of my favorite subject matters-- though you are right about stereotypical characterizations. Abortion in Ireland is n..."I understand why that subject matter would compel you. That’s the problem here: there’s really no depth. The treatment of the relationships is very superficial.
Ineke wrote: "Thanks for the heads up - it all sounded a bit predictable in the first place and therefore not enticing enough. I highly value your insights."I doubt you would like it any more than I did, Ineke! It was, however, undemanding, which fit the current bill for me. 😉
