Beautifully written but unsatisfying

Every once in a while I just need to read a well-written piece of Fiction, just for the sound of the writer’s mind. Often, it’s an Irishman whom I seek out. This is the first time I’ve read Donal Ryan’s work and I’ll probably go back. He’s a beautiful writer and the first third of this book was a fine but sad tale.

Unfortunately, things went downhill from there. The second section was a little weaker, with the character being less relatable. I have to say that I really couldn’t care at all about the protagonist John in the last third and that pretty much sealed the deal for me.

As I said, Ryan is very good and can tell an engrossing story, but he’s inconsistent in From a Low and Quiet Sea. Only Three Stars.

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Deeply moving and beautifully written.

Wow! I hardly know where to begin with this review.
I don’t write a lot of reviews, but I just had to with this book.
First of all, having listen to other books by the author, and seeing the list of amazing narrators, made this an automatic must listen.
I didn’t even need to listen to the sample, I just bought it.
From the very first line of Farouk’s story, I was completely engrossed in this book.

The author gives you a small glimpse into what it is like to live in a war torn country, and what makes people willing to risk everything for a better life.
Lampy, his mom, and grandfather seem to love and frustrate one another in equal measure.
John and Farouk Both experienced great life-changing tragedy that was beyond their control but each of them handled it quite differently.
I hope this isn’t too much of a spoiler, but John was really not a likable character.
He did so me pretty despicable things and hurt a lot of people.
That being said, I still felt sympathetic towards him and hoped he found The peas and absolution that he was desperately seeking.
I think that Gerard Doyles portrayal of John may be one of his best audio performances yet.
That’s saying a lot, because as I stated in another review, I would gladly listen to him read the phonebook.
All of the narrators did an outstanding job.
I am very glad that they chose to use multiple narrators for this book.
Each of them brought the characters to life.
Donal Ryan is a brilliant storyteller.
This book had the perfect balance of heart break and humor.
Until literally the last few minutes of the book, I could not see how he was going to bring these characters together.
In my opinion, this is his best book so far.
I hope it receives the attention it deserves here in the US.

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9 people found this helpful

I NEVER write reviews…..

What a gem ! This one snuck around like a pussycat, then it walloped me over the head in the most satisfying manner. Totally enjoyed everything about this one….. grabbed it on a whim. Lucky find !

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This beautiful book will wreck you.

A beautiful, lyrical, and gracefully written book! This is my first book written by Donal Ryan, but it will not be my last.

There are 3 protagonists. First we meet Farouk, a Syrian refugee hoping to escape his homeland with his wife and daughter. The depth and importance of this section of the book reminded me of some other recent reads, including Refugee by Gratz and Exit West by Hamid. For me it was the part of the book that I found most moving. It was gentle and emotional, and deeply tragic. It was an exploration of love and loss which brought tears to my eyes. At the end of this section when we moved on to meet the second protagonist I was very sad. I knew that I wanted more of his story. I cared deeply about what happened to him. For me, he was the heart of the novel.

Our second protagonist is a young Irish man named Lampy who is struggling to recover from a broken heart. He is a caretaker, who lives at home with his mother and grandfather. This section is sometimes sweet, often moving, and sometimes hilarious. I liked his story, but it seemed far more mundane and common then that of Farouk. Because of that Lampy was the most relatable for me as I have felt the same emotions at a time in my life when I was attempting to heal a broken heart.

Our third protagonist, John, is the least likable of the three. He is in his 40s, married to a woman whom he describes as thin lipped and wide hipped. They share three children. But he allows himself to fall in love with a much younger woman, and carries on an affair with her. When the affair fails he is angry and makes decisions that alter the course of many lives. He is not a nice man, but is a vivid character who is so well-drawn that he feels real. And somehow Ryan drew this unlikable man in such a way that I ended up hoping for him to fix the mess he made of his life.

At one point in the third section of the book I was starting to get angry at the author for devastating me by leaving Farouk at about page 50. But thankfully the last section devastated me in a completely different way. All of our characters are reintroduced and connected. I won't spoil the rest by saying any more. Rest assured, it is stunning, beautiful and will wreck you if you have a heart to be wrecked.

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6 people found this helpful

Good not great for Ryan

Not a overwhelmingly compelling story but well crafted and written, divided into multiple character perspectives, that brings their actions together in the end, to me, not so inevitably. I read this novel in one sitting with the Audible performance accompanying. The performances were modulated and paced well. The voices were pleasant and cast carefully to the characters. Ryan is in my top ten of novelist. I have read all of his earlier works. FROM A LOW AND QUIET SEA seems formulaic—I hate to say that, maybe that is the form or structure. But there is a lot of spark in this story. It is like a moss-covered castle one see throughout Ireland, roofless, doorless, reigning in 1200 or so.

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2 people found this helpful

Depth of character

The writer made you feel like you were inside each character’s head. So beautifully read as the readers didn’t rush.

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What did I just listen to?

I could not tell you one thing about this book, it didn't hold my attention at all and I tried 3 times.. from begining to end and nothing retained.

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Kind of a moron…..

This book 1st off is so beautifully written that if I tried to pull examples out off the top of my head I’d be here for hours. So many times Mr. Ryan left me slowly closing my eyes, and keeping them that way for just a split second so that I could take in the gift he’s been given as a writer. He captures so many emotions in each of these characters that were so easily relatable, thus speaking out feelings for me in a way I knew were within me but would never have figured a way to release. When this magic happens…just the simple magic of relatability, justification, and discovery that there IS another human that sees thru the Saran Wrap the world lives inside. I am a construction worker, have been my whole life, and it’s the rare book like this that scratches that itch to think deeper on the everyday ppl that surround us. I could go on and on and on……this was a pleasure to read. Thank you to you Donal for penning such a great escape. I will be looking into your other work asap!

Now, the ONLY problem I had, and I’m fully aware that this comes down to me being a moron, was that I had to work very hard to stay with the story. I was lost for a little while around the 2/3 point if the book and had to keep going back to recalibrate myself. So that’s it. Again, for ME it warranted my full and undivided attention, which every book deserves, but with this one it was not only vital but also so much more pleasurable. What a talented author. All the narrators were great as well. I should’ve spent more time on this review praising them! They were all perfect, and I hope Mr. Ryan felt the same because to this listener they were absolutely seamless.

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Couldn't figure out who was who

Each person's story was interesting, but couldn't figure out who everybody was at the end because they all sounded the same except Farouk. Maybe if it was a movie where you could see the characters it would make sense. If anybody reads this, please explain the ending to me. I'm not usually dense.

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Couldn't finish it - maybe it's just not for me

I give up on a book maybe once a month. That's saying a lot since I read 15 books a month on average. I always wait until a 3rd of the way in unless it's impossible. I went ahead and listened to about half of this book - but honestly I can't tell you much about it. I don't know why, it just didn't grab me and half the time I was asking aloud...what the f is actually going on? Will this ever be more clear or intriguing?? The answer was no for me. I finally just gave up.
Nothing really happened. I hear there are many that love D Ryan's books. I am not certain I will check out any of the others.

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1 person found this helpful