Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Doubleday (2018)
Description
"A new moving novel of three men, each searching for something they have lost, from the award-winning and Man Booker nominated author Donal Ryan. For Farouk, family is all. He has protected his wife and daughter as best he can from the war and hatred that has torn Syria apart. If they stay, they will lose their freedom, will become lesser persons. If they flee, they will lose all they have known of home, for some intangible dream of refuge in some faraway land across the merciless sea. Lampy is distracted; he has too much going on in his small town life in Ireland. He has the city girl for a bit of fun, but she's not Chloe, and Chloe took his heart away when she left him. There's the secret his mother will never tell him. His granddad's little sniping jokes are getting on his wick. And on top of all that, he has a bus to drive; those old folks from the home can't wait all day. The game was always the lifeblood coursing through John's veins: manipulating people for his enjoyment, or his enrichment, or his spite. But it was never enough. The ghost of his beloved brother, and the bitter disappointment of his father, have shadowed him all his life. But now that lifeblood is slowing down, and he's not sure if God will listen to his pleas for forgiveness. Three men, searching for some version of home, their lives moving inexorably towards a reckoning that will draw them all together"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Although a novel, it tells the story of three very different men who have all suffered losses. The first is Farouk and takes place in Syria, where the war has caused him to flee with his wife and child. Told in a compassionate tone, and heartbreaking to read, it is a story that has been told
It is hard to imagine while reading these characters studies how they will all come together. Such talent though to write and form these three distinct characters, and make them seem so believable. It isn't until the final section when we see how these characters come together, and I was totally surprised, maybe shocked would be a better word, at the ending.
There are many issues explored within, the inadequacy of the care system in Ireland, but it also holds true in my own country, the US. Also exemplifies the six degree of separation theory, and reminds us that it is important to acknowledge each person as an individual. To see how we are in many ways the same, suffer the same difficulties and heartbreaks in life, and the only hope for a better world is to show we care. That's what I got out of this anyway.
ARC from Edelweiss
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before. The last two take place in Ireland, Lampy, a young man brokenhearted, with a great deal of anger. He transports people from a care center who have appointments in different places. His grandfather is rather amusing, his mother rather distant, and he hasn't a clue who or where his father is, having never met him. The third is John, who seems to be making his final confession, and he has much to confess.It is hard to imagine while reading these characters studies how they will all come together. Such talent though to write and form these three distinct characters, and make them seem so believable. It isn't until the final section when we see how these characters come together, and I was totally surprised, maybe shocked would be a better word, at the ending.
There are many issues explored within, the inadequacy of the care system in Ireland, but it also holds true in my own country, the US. Also exemplifies the six degree of separation theory, and reminds us that it is important to acknowledge each person as an individual. To see how we are in many ways the same, suffer the same difficulties and heartbreaks in life, and the only hope for a better world is to show we care. That's what I got out of this anyway.
ARC from Edelweiss
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LibraryThing member RandyMetcalfe
Three stories of three men told separately, later entwined. Farouk is a gentle doctor forced to flee his war-torn Syrian home, who in the process loses his wife and daughter and is utterly bereft. Lampy is a boy in Ireland without direction, with bursts of anger he cannot manage, who is getting by
Donal Ryan’s writing is lyrical and vivid. He paints a soft picture of Farouk, but for Lampy and John there is forensic scrutiny. And also a different technique full of conjunctions linking sentence after sentence. Farouk may be an innocent caught up in a world gone mad. But John and Lampy are not so easily absolved. Their fate is as much beyond their reach as Farouk’s. That they should come together at the end is not inevitable. But it may yet reveal evidence of things not seen, of the something that arises out of nothing which troubles each of them separately. A fascinating tale, beautifully told.
Recommended.
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as a mini-bus driver for the local care home. John, also Irish, recounts his sins which are various and extreme and his one shot at love which ended badly, but can he say his act of contrition or not? In the final act, Farouk, Lampy, and John’s lives come together in an unexpected manner, evidence perhaps of near Greek-level tragedy at work.Donal Ryan’s writing is lyrical and vivid. He paints a soft picture of Farouk, but for Lampy and John there is forensic scrutiny. And also a different technique full of conjunctions linking sentence after sentence. Farouk may be an innocent caught up in a world gone mad. But John and Lampy are not so easily absolved. Their fate is as much beyond their reach as Farouk’s. That they should come together at the end is not inevitable. But it may yet reveal evidence of things not seen, of the something that arises out of nothing which troubles each of them separately. A fascinating tale, beautifully told.
Recommended.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
Just when you think maybe you've read too many things, and that originality is impossible now, except when the author is being ridiculously experimental just for the sake of it, along comes Donal Ryan, and shows you that literary artistry in the cause of a good story isn't finished at all, at all.
[From a Low and Quiet Sea] is a short novel in 4 parts...each of the first three tells the story of a man trying to come to terms with his circumstances or his past, and each would make a worthy novella on its own. A Syrian doctor, desperate to save his family from religious hatred, takes a risk to get them out of their homeland. A fatherless young Irish man whose girl has left him flounders about, uncertain what to do with his life while his grandfather hides a deep love for the boy behind bluster and bar stories. A man with no future left looks back on his less-than-admirable life, and seeks absolution. Three fine stories...but wait...the blurbs say "cleverly constructed", the blurbs say "unpredictable", the blurbs suggest there will be a connection among them. Aye, and it's brilliant, that fourth part. I want to read it all over again. Highly recommended.
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[From a Low and Quiet Sea] is a short novel in 4 parts...each of the first three tells the story of a man trying to come to terms with his circumstances or his past, and each would make a worthy novella on its own. A Syrian doctor, desperate to save his family from religious hatred, takes a risk to get them out of their homeland. A fatherless young Irish man whose girl has left him flounders about, uncertain what to do with his life while his grandfather hides a deep love for the boy behind bluster and bar stories. A man with no future left looks back on his less-than-admirable life, and seeks absolution. Three fine stories...but wait...the blurbs say "cleverly constructed", the blurbs say "unpredictable", the blurbs suggest there will be a connection among them. Aye, and it's brilliant, that fourth part. I want to read it all over again. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member adrianburke
Read it in two days. Transfixed. While I could sort of see what the author was aiming at in earlier novels, there is no sense here of missing the mark -bang on!
LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Man, oh man, what a rough start to my Man Booker Prize year. Snap and Warlight were both terribly difficult to get through. Snap just wasn't Man Booker material; Warlight was a sleepy, emotionless read. But when I started in on From a Low and Quiet Sea, I saw brilliance and beauty and I knew that
From a Low and Quiet Sea starts great. There's a beautiful meditation about the connectedness of trees. This serves as a metaphor for the story that follows—how we're all connected, how when one tree ails, others send nutrients through the soil. What follows are three seemingly unrelated stories that come together in the end. The first of these stories is about Farouk, a Syrian refugee struggling to provide a new life for this family. It's a common theme as of late, particularly in European literature, and there's nothing that feels fresh about this particular story, but it's done with great empathy and care. It was just enough to give me hope for a satisfying novel.
The second story was fine and in some way superior to the first, but in a book billed as a novel, a reader expects some connection to the first story. It's in no way evident. What we're given is the story of Lampy, an attendant at a care home. This story largely revolves around some mishaps Lampy has while driving these elderly people to their various appointments. This second story was as riveting as the first, but it felt more authentic.
And then, I don't know what happened. There's a third story, but the details of it felt disjointed. A religious man, John, clearing his conscious—lots of back story about the unexpected death of a sibling, an abusive sister, his own abuses, politics. I lost the story here. Unfortunately, I never found it again.
The final section attempts to connect all these threads, but it does so not in a direct manner, but by bringing in other perspectives. Attempts of cleverness are made by not naming characters immediately, but by referring to them. Other characters are introduced and blur with these primary characters. I didn't know what was going on anymore and I didn't care. This may have been a result of my own daftness, but I suspect it had more to do with the author being closer to the material than his reader. Whatever the reason, I didn't understand what the point was, or why so much effort was placed on putting these characters together.
In the end, I felt tricked. This wasn't a novel. It was a collection of three stories with some coincidental connection in the final pages. A connection that felt forced. A connection I still struggle to understand. But From a Low and Quiet Sea is still more of a novel than 2016 nominee, All That Man Is, so there's that.
I'm sure that I'll come across more works of Ryan's in the future, and I'm okay with that, because I liked his writing style and when this “novel” was strong, it was strong. It just lost something along the way and, in turn, it succeeded in losing me.
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Man Booker season had taken a turn for the better. Hallelujah! And then, it took a turn, and another turn, and another. In the end I was so confused and lost. I don't know what happened. Let's go back to the beginning...From a Low and Quiet Sea starts great. There's a beautiful meditation about the connectedness of trees. This serves as a metaphor for the story that follows—how we're all connected, how when one tree ails, others send nutrients through the soil. What follows are three seemingly unrelated stories that come together in the end. The first of these stories is about Farouk, a Syrian refugee struggling to provide a new life for this family. It's a common theme as of late, particularly in European literature, and there's nothing that feels fresh about this particular story, but it's done with great empathy and care. It was just enough to give me hope for a satisfying novel.
The second story was fine and in some way superior to the first, but in a book billed as a novel, a reader expects some connection to the first story. It's in no way evident. What we're given is the story of Lampy, an attendant at a care home. This story largely revolves around some mishaps Lampy has while driving these elderly people to their various appointments. This second story was as riveting as the first, but it felt more authentic.
And then, I don't know what happened. There's a third story, but the details of it felt disjointed. A religious man, John, clearing his conscious—lots of back story about the unexpected death of a sibling, an abusive sister, his own abuses, politics. I lost the story here. Unfortunately, I never found it again.
The final section attempts to connect all these threads, but it does so not in a direct manner, but by bringing in other perspectives. Attempts of cleverness are made by not naming characters immediately, but by referring to them. Other characters are introduced and blur with these primary characters. I didn't know what was going on anymore and I didn't care. This may have been a result of my own daftness, but I suspect it had more to do with the author being closer to the material than his reader. Whatever the reason, I didn't understand what the point was, or why so much effort was placed on putting these characters together.
In the end, I felt tricked. This wasn't a novel. It was a collection of three stories with some coincidental connection in the final pages. A connection that felt forced. A connection I still struggle to understand. But From a Low and Quiet Sea is still more of a novel than 2016 nominee, All That Man Is, so there's that.
I'm sure that I'll come across more works of Ryan's in the future, and I'm okay with that, because I liked his writing style and when this “novel” was strong, it was strong. It just lost something along the way and, in turn, it succeeded in losing me.
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LibraryThing member EBT1002
This novel is composed of three stories, each written in Ryan's characteristically spare and vivid prose. Farouk decides to purchase his family's passage to freedom from war-torn Syria. Lampy tries to get on with his life after his girlfriend Chloe breaks up with him, leaving him to his stagnant
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life with his mother and grandfather. John sorts through his life of self-serving decisions in a late-stage confessional narrative with a priest. Each of the narratives is compelling but unconnected. Or are they? The end stretches credibility but it's meant to do so. That three such disparate lives could share a fine thread that weaves them together is Donal's point and he makes it well. Our choices along the way result in connections with other humans that are unpredictable and sometimes astonishing. And someone may be connected to us in ways we don't even realize. Imbedded in that truth is both beauty and tragedy. Show Less
LibraryThing member tangledthread
Three men, each broken by loss, find that their live intersect in an unanticipated way.
Farouk, a physician in Syria tries to escape with his wife and daughter from the conflict in Syria with devastating results.
Lampy, a young man who lives with his mother and grandfather and doesn't know who his
John is at the end of his life and offering up a traditional Catholic confession and he has much to confess. Having witnessed his older brother's sudden death at the age of 13. The ensuing bitterness in his family is personal to him and the bitterness seeps into his soul.
Women in the book are peripheral. Though Florence, Lampy's mother, is the link between the three men. And Mrs. Coyne, a woman from the care home is the sane voice of a sort of Greek chorus mechanism.
The writing is beautiful....but the story feels unfinished to me.
Farouk, a physician in Syria tries to escape with his wife and daughter from the conflict in Syria with devastating results.
Lampy, a young man who lives with his mother and grandfather and doesn't know who his
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father is. He's been frustrated in love and in life. His current work is driving senior citizens to appointments from their care home.John is at the end of his life and offering up a traditional Catholic confession and he has much to confess. Having witnessed his older brother's sudden death at the age of 13. The ensuing bitterness in his family is personal to him and the bitterness seeps into his soul.
Women in the book are peripheral. Though Florence, Lampy's mother, is the link between the three men. And Mrs. Coyne, a woman from the care home is the sane voice of a sort of Greek chorus mechanism.
The writing is beautiful....but the story feels unfinished to me.
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LibraryThing member Carmenere
From a Low and Quiet Sea is my second read from the Booker Long List. It is the telling of three men, Farouk in Syria and Lampy and John in Ireland. Each man is afforded his own chapter wherein lies the major events in their lives. Each story on its own is enjoyable in its own right. The characters
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are drawn concisely and clearly. Their circumstances and the people involved transported me to their plight. As I came to the final pages of the third gentleman, John, I wracked my brain thinking, "Ok, where's this going, what's the connection these stories share?" Perhaps other readers won't have to wait till the final chapter "Lake Islands" to discover the twists of fate but I need to be hit over my head with it. When it is revealed, it sent shivers down my spine! Show Less
LibraryThing member alanteder
A bit of a cheat, but I'm commuting more these days so I thought I'd try to push through more of the 2018 Booker Prize longlist via the audiobook editions. Some of them are not suited for that though, such as the case in hand.
"From a Low and Quite Sea" is constructed as 3 seemingly independent
"From a Low and Quite Sea" is constructed as 3 seemingly independent
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stories which are then tied together by a concluding 4th story. The 1st story about a Syrian doctor named Farouk was the most immediately engrossing of these. I'll confess that the middle 2 stories of Lampy the bus-driver and John the retired accountant mostly just droned on past me, the only impressions being that Lampy was bullied as a child and John had an affair. I paid more attention to the conclusion in order hear the resolution but it all seemed rather banal in the end. I probably need to give this another chance in written form. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dreesie
3.5 stars
Ryan is an excellent writer and is very good at capturing his characters in surprisingly few pages. And he does that here--his characters are all a bit lost, in different ways, and he captures all of that.
Somehow though, having the stories all pull together in about 10 pages just didn't
Sometimes writing that is quite spare can be too spare, and I think this novel falls there.
Ryan is an excellent writer and is very good at capturing his characters in surprisingly few pages. And he does that here--his characters are all a bit lost, in different ways, and he captures all of that.
Somehow though, having the stories all pull together in about 10 pages just didn't
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quite do it for me. It was too quick, especially with several of those pages featuring just one paragraph. What HAPPENS? What are the ramifications? (Spoiler removed, has spoiler tag in my goodreads review.)Sometimes writing that is quite spare can be too spare, and I think this novel falls there.
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LibraryThing member ParadisePorch
Just lovely.
LibraryThing member m.belljackson
Writing may be intuitively brilliant, yet, after Farouk, I didn't care about any of the other characters enough to want to stay involved.
Did Lampy really deserve even more of a worse life? The fate we were led to felt contrived.
And John? After a page or two, I gave up on his endless boring self
Did Lampy really deserve even more of a worse life? The fate we were led to felt contrived.
And John? After a page or two, I gave up on his endless boring self
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centered confessions. Show Less
LibraryThing member strandbooks
This book is very similar to Asymmetry where it’s 3 disconnected short stories that become somewhat connected in the last bit, and then on the last page “bam! Didn’t see that crazy plot twist coming, did you reader?” His writing is lyrical and the book is all about in-depth character
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development...a Syrian refugee, a single Irish mum and her son, a mob-like white collar accountant...but it feels more like Ryan had written 3 short stories he liked and later decided to put them together as a novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Castlelass
“But if you observe a man closely and properly you’ll eventually come to know the shade of his soul. No soul is brilliant white, save for the souls of infants. But there are men alive who will do evil without pause, who are without mercy, and there are men alive who would rather die than harm
I was not expecting this book to open with three seemingly disparate 50-page short stories. I loved the opening story. Farouk, his wife, and daughter flee Syria in a boat arranged by traffickers. I found this story tremendously moving and thought it a perfect setup for the rest of the novel. However, the next section abruptly shifts to Lampy, a young man pining for a lost love, who drives a bus for elderly patients in Ireland. There is no apparent connection, and I was left wondering why we left Farouk at a critical juncture. I attempted to forget about Farouk and concentrate on Lampy, but the next story shifts again to a completely different scenario. We now follow John, also in Ireland, who makes a confession about the horrible things he has done in his life as a lobbyist. Again, I was left wondering why the story abruptly shifted.
In the final section, it eventually becomes obvious that these characters do have a common connection; however, by that time, it was too late for me to become fully engaged. So, I recommend going into this book with the expectation that it is a series of short stories. I think the reader’s appreciation for the book will be in direct proportion to how well the ending is received. It would have worked better for me if there were a few hints about the interrelatedness along the way.
Donal Ryan writes beautiful prose throughout the book, except for the dialogue, which is filled with more profanity than I would expect in a work of literature. If this had been Farouk’s story, or if the stories had been more connected, I probably would have loved it. As it is, I enjoyed the prose and will probably read another of his books at some point.
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another, and all of the rest of us fall somewhere in between.”I was not expecting this book to open with three seemingly disparate 50-page short stories. I loved the opening story. Farouk, his wife, and daughter flee Syria in a boat arranged by traffickers. I found this story tremendously moving and thought it a perfect setup for the rest of the novel. However, the next section abruptly shifts to Lampy, a young man pining for a lost love, who drives a bus for elderly patients in Ireland. There is no apparent connection, and I was left wondering why we left Farouk at a critical juncture. I attempted to forget about Farouk and concentrate on Lampy, but the next story shifts again to a completely different scenario. We now follow John, also in Ireland, who makes a confession about the horrible things he has done in his life as a lobbyist. Again, I was left wondering why the story abruptly shifted.
In the final section, it eventually becomes obvious that these characters do have a common connection; however, by that time, it was too late for me to become fully engaged. So, I recommend going into this book with the expectation that it is a series of short stories. I think the reader’s appreciation for the book will be in direct proportion to how well the ending is received. It would have worked better for me if there were a few hints about the interrelatedness along the way.
Donal Ryan writes beautiful prose throughout the book, except for the dialogue, which is filled with more profanity than I would expect in a work of literature. If this had been Farouk’s story, or if the stories had been more connected, I probably would have loved it. As it is, I enjoyed the prose and will probably read another of his books at some point.
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LibraryThing member rosienotrose
My second novel by Donal Ryan this year and I can’t help feeling sad I didn’t read him sooner and delighted I still have the rest of his books to discover.
This is the story of three men, the story of their heartbreaks and the things they have lost in life.
Farouk whose country is being torn
We learn about each man separately. What makes them up and how those parts are broken down.
The worlds Ryan create are so easy to fall into. He writes in a particularly Irish way with a quietness and empathy that I am drawn too. That said, I did enjoy the character of Lampy’s grandfather whose cantankerous humour and heart brought a beautiful side to the story.
This is the story of three men, the story of their heartbreaks and the things they have lost in life.
Farouk whose country is being torn
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apart by war, Lampy who has had his heartbroken by the girl he loves and John who is confessing his life sins to us.We learn about each man separately. What makes them up and how those parts are broken down.
The worlds Ryan create are so easy to fall into. He writes in a particularly Irish way with a quietness and empathy that I am drawn too. That said, I did enjoy the character of Lampy’s grandfather whose cantankerous humour and heart brought a beautiful side to the story.
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Awards
Booker Prize (Longlist — 2018)
Costa Book Awards (Shortlist — Novel — 2018)
Irish Book Award (Nominee — Novel — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018
Physical description
192 p.; 5.67 inches
ISBN
0857525344 / 9780857525345
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