Naoise Dolan

lolol exciting times? probably not, but this was good! i totally understand why people didn't like it/gave it bad reviews, but IRISH AUTHORS WRITE CHARACTER DRIVEN BOOKS AND I LOVE THAT FOR THEM! if you're a fan of Sally Rooney you'll enjoy this which i am and i did. i flew through this. nothing really happened but so much was said in every sentence. i would describe Ava, the main character as morally ambiguous and an unreliable narrator who is emotionless in her interactions and is trying to navigate her uncertainties about her sexuality, class, and lack of ambition. this story is messy and confusing up until the last quarter of the book. but i really, really enjoyed it! people's negative reviews are a little confusing.. like people are claiming that this book is full of racism? the entire book seems to feel like a deconstruction of a foreigner's view of Hong Kong and how British classism and snobbery have infiltrated the culture irrevocably and how even this is some ways preferable to the looming and uncertain threat of China. to me it feels like Ava is meant to act as an unreliable narrator who doesn't realize that she's also using her position in the country for her own selfish ends and the moments when she really sees Hong Kong and its people as more than just backdrops happen more and more as the story progresses and when she spends more time away from Julian and more time with Edith… (more)

"Choose Your Own Adventure" time for Ava: wealthy banker Julian or loving lawyer Edith? Ava is an Irish transplant to Hong Kong, where she learns English grammar while teaching it to fourth graders. Struggling to live on her meager salary, she accepts Julian's invitation to move into his cold, barren luxury high-rise apartment for free, as they trade snarky quips of seeming disinterest in each other as Ava secretly yearns to be his official girlfriend. What does Julian think? We don't know, because we aren't privy to his inner thoughts about Ava, or if he even has any. When he is sent back to London, Ava founders until she meets the stunning Edith and they become lovers. We do know Edith's thoughts, because we hear many an argument between the women, about Ava's tenancy in Julian's digs, and Edith doesn't even know that Julian and Ava are not-so-platonic roomies. When Julian returns to Hong Kong, he admits to having missed Ava. Ava doesn't admit Julian's status to Edith, who inadvertently and disastrously discovers the truth about her unwitting membership in the odd romantic triangle. Ava is flighty and selfish, though she maintains a close and loving relationship with her Mam back in Ireland and a granddaughterly-like rapport with Julian's dad. Now Julian is being permanently reassigned to Germany. Whither Ava? The novel is filled with humor and silly behavior, several cuts above a beach read and was a roaring debut novel success in Europe.

Quotes: "I wondered if Victoria was a real person or three Mitford sisters in a long coat."

"The buck stopped with him, a reflection of his general distaste for parting with currency."… (more)

Hilarity and pathos ensue when an engaged Irish couple, Celine and Luke, each previously involved in gay relationships, struggle with their attraction to each other and with their decision to get married. Celine, an accomplished pianist, hears concert pieces in her head, but Luke's lying leaves her brain blank. Luke may still be in love with Archie, his former suitemate at Oxford, who has been designated as best man. The peripheral characters - aunts, uncles, former lovers, and rivals - do their best to either put up barricades or to provide non-objective guidelines for the big decision. The novel reminds me of Laurie Colwin's beloved 1978 novel Happy All The Time, with a sweet-and-sour chaser of Nancy Mitford’s delightful battles of the sexes. It’s a pure delight to devour in one sitting or to stretch out for pleasure and guffaws.

Quotes: "They did not, as a rule, "share feelings". To see the tint of your internal mood ring as warranting disclosure, and to expect a rapt audience - no, no. Have you met Irish people?"

"The lie is that women are good at feelings. The truth is that they're good spectators of other people's, and good coaches and good referees. They can advise from the sidelines. But if you drag them out to play, don't be expecting miracles."

"She's not interested in me; she's interested in her own analytical pyrotechnics that my presence happens to prompt."

"You know when you're a kid and you think the objectively best paintings are the ones that look real?"

"Grellan had his principles, though it was true that he invented many of them on the spot."… (more)

Celine and Luke are planning to get married and the road to their wedding day is told by several different friends who all have plenty to say about the couple. Along with their friends' negativity, both Celine and Luke have a lot of baggage to work through before they have their happily ever after...or will they just call it quits? The book is cleverly divided into six chapters that is told by one of the characters.

Bottom line...life and love are both messy and there is no perfect solution for everyone. This book was an interesting look at two people who thought that marriage was the ultimate answer but to what question??

I enjoyed this book and the way the author told the story. I really didn't love any of the characters but learned to like them more as I read their perspectives on love and marriage. It's an interesting look at marriage in the modern age… (more)