Some nice shades of green but not much of a palette: Celtophiles will find plenty of sustenance here, but for most others it...
Eleven stories by different authors, all set in a modern Ireland poised uncomfortably between traditional certainties and contemporary hopes.
Although the “Celtic Tiger” seems to have lost its fangs in the past few years, Ireland’s astonishing economic growth of the last decade has transformed the country for keeps—and not all are happy with the changes. Walsh has brought together young (or youngish) voices here to illustrate the distance traveled from the old sod to the new. Some are frankly nostalgic: Claire Keegan’s “Night of the Quicken Trees” describes the touching courtship of a classic Irish bachelor farmer (he lets his goat sleep on his bed) and a wild, haunted woman who is a skilled healer (toads figure prominently in many of her remedies). Other pieces are more wistful: Tom Humphries’ “Australia Day” watches, through the eyes of an alienated pub owner, the gradual transformation of a ramshackle country village into a glitzy tourist trap (“I couldn’t draw you a map of where is where anymore”), while Aidan Matthews’s “Barber-Surgeons” follows the transformations of the 1960s from the perspective of a lonely small-town barber whose experience of the larger world is limited to his conversations with his customers. Some of the portrayals are downright hostile: The bohemian Dublin yobs of Sean O’Reilly’s “Playboy” are nihilistic thugs of the Graham Swift/James Kellman stripe, while the hotshot businessman of Keith Ridgeway’s “Grid Work” is little more than a well-paid zombie. The best piece is “It’s a Miracle,” by Eilis Ni Dhuibhne: Quietly powerful (somewhat in the style of William Trevor), it concerns the shadowy, emotionally isolated life of a divorced librarian whose life is almost changed by a chance meeting with an unhappy Italian in a Vienna restaurant.
Some nice shades of green but not much of a palette: Celtophiles will find plenty of sustenance here, but for most others it will be about as tasty as a plate of boiled potatoes and cabbage.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2003
ISBN: 0-7867-1206-6
Page Count: 336
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
This novel began as a reworking of W.W. Jacobs' horror classic "The Monkey's Paw"—a short story about the dreadful outcome when a father wishes for his dead son's resurrection. And King's 400-page version reads, in fact, like a monstrously padded short story, moving so slowly that every plot-turn becomes lumberingly predictable. Still, readers with a taste for the morbid and ghoulish will find unlimited dark, mortality-obsessed atmosphere here—as Dr. Louis Creed arrives in Maine with wife Rachel and their two little kids Ellie and Gage, moving into a semi-rural house not far from the "Pet Sematary": a spot in the woods where local kids have been burying their pets for decades. Louis, 35, finds a great new friend/father-figure in elderly neighbor Jud Crandall; he begins work as director of the local university health-services. But Louis is oppressed by thoughts of death—especially after a dying student whispers something about the pet cemetery, then reappears in a dream (but is it a dream) to lead Louis into those woods during the middle of the night. What is the secret of the Pet Sematary? Well, eventually old Jud gives Louis a lecture/tour of the Pet Sematary's "annex"—an old Micmac burying ground where pets have been buried. . .and then reappeared alive! So, when little Ellie's beloved cat Church is run over (while Ellie's visiting grandfolks), Louis and Jud bury it in the annex—resulting in a faintly nasty resurrection: Church reappears, now with a foul smell and a creepy demeanor. But: what would happen if a human corpse were buried there? That's the question when Louis' little son Gage is promptly killed in an accident. Will grieving father Louis dig up his son's body from the normal graveyard and replant it in the Pet Sematary? What about the stories of a previous similar attempt—when dead Timmy Baterman was "transformed into some sort of all-knowing daemon?" Will Gage return to the living—but as "a thing of evil?" He will indeed, spouting obscenities and committing murder. . .before Louis must eliminate this child-demon he has unleashed. Filled out with overdone family melodrama (the feud between Louis and his father-in-law) and repetitious inner monologues: a broody horror tale that's strong on dark, depressing chills, weak on suspense or surprise—and not likely to please the fans of King's zestier, livelier terror-thons.
Pub Date: Nov. 4, 1983
ISBN: 0743412281
Page Count: 420
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 26, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1983
BOOK TO SCREEN
In his quest for easy moolah, Owen learns that the road to financial solvency can be rocky and fraught with work. Greene (Owen Foote, Soccer Star, 1998, etc.) touches upon the often-thorny issue of chores and allowances: Owen’s mom wants him to help out because he’s part of the family and not just for the money—while Owen wants the money without having to do tedious household chores. This universal dilemma leaves Owen without funds and eagerly searching for ways to make a quick buck. His madcap schemes range from original—a “free” toilet demonstration that costs 50 cents—to disastrous, as during the trial run of his children’s fishing video, Owen ends up hooking his ear instead of a trout. Enlisting the aid of his stalwart, if long-suffering, friend Joseph, the two form a dog-walking club that becomes vastly restricted in clientele after Owen has a close encounter with an incontinent, octogenarian canine. Ultimately, Owen learns a valuable lesson about work and money when an unselfish action is generously rewarded. These sudden riches motivate Owen to consider wiser investments for his money than plastic vomit. Greene’s crisp writing style and wry humor is on-target for young readers. Brief chapters revolving around a significant event or action and fast pacing are an effective draw for tentative readers. Weston’s (Space Guys!, p. 392, etc.) black-and-white illustrations, ranging in size from quarter- to full-page, deftly portray Owen’s humorous escapades. A wise, witty addition to Greene’s successful series. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2000
ISBN: 0-618-02369-0
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
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