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The Gathering

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The Gathering

By: Anne Enright
Narrated by: Anne Enright
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Winner of the Man Booker Prize.

The nine surviving children of the Hegarty clan gather in Dublin for the wake of their wayward brother Liam. It wasn't the drink that killed him - although that certainly helped - it was what happened to him as a boy in his grandmother's house in the winter of 1968.

The Gathering is a novel about love and disappointment, about thwarted lust and limitless desire and how our fate is written in the body, not in the stars.

©2007 Anne Enright (P)2020 Penguin Audio Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction

Critic reviews

She beautifully describes the way hurt can be inherited... Enright is a daring writer - witty, original and inventive... Utterly compelling (Eithne Farry)
It is clearly the product of a remarkable intelligence, combined with a gift for observation and deduction (A. L. Kennedy)
A welcome return, for this writer, to novel form, and as a fresh, sophisticated take on the ever-popular dysfunctional family saga (Eve Patten)
All stars
Most relevant
beautifully read by author, profound, family life - life - examined in her inimitable way. reminded me of George Elliot

superb perceptive writing

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A calm, enjoyable and interesting book; beautifully read by the author. I listened to this whilst I'll with covid and it helped me to feel better.

Enjoyable

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I loved this book. The story of the family and the complex relationships and deep feelings and emotions. I particularly enjoyed listening to the author - her beautiful voice, the pauses, the inflections. I feel moved and somehow more understood after listening to it.

Wonderful and honest

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It was a well constructed story but the tone is sardonic and weary overall due to the narrator's traumatic experiences, and some may say depression which I found draining. If you're looking for an uplifting story this isn't it. If you are experiencing grief or have experienced grief or childhood trauma this might be for you. There's a lot of description of genitals, naked bodies and sex but it's not sexy, the reason for this becomes clear as the story unfolds.

Good story

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Anne Enright narrates her beautifully sensual novel to pitch perfection. Her delivery brings a depth to the story, (I read whilst listening) that a professional narrator would not have captured. The poetical journey that the novel takes you through, the delicate balance of emotions, will touch even the coldest heart. Enright's humour and compassion is so vivid and even though there are some heavy, dark themes, the love at the centre brings joy. This is highly recommended and I am going to seek out more of her work.

THE AUTHOR UNDERSTANDS

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