Irish novelist Toibin here follows up his Irish Times /Aer Lingus Irish Literature Award-winning first book, The South , with another extended study in paralysis--not the physical kind, but rather the willed emotional stasis that James Joyce, in a famous formulation, contended gripped the Irish soul. The hero here is Eamon Redmond, a High Court judge in Dublin who is readying for retirement. He and his wife, Carmel, are thinking of moving permanently to the south coast, near Enniscorthy, a place filled with childhood memories for them both. As they contemplate the joys of their autumn years, strains in their relations emerge: their unwed daughter announces she is pregnant; Eamon writes an unpopular opinion in a civil rights case; and Carmine accuses Eamon of always having been distant (``You sound bored. It is one of the things that you have learned to do over the years''). Toibin's acclaimed prose style--measured and restrained as a Victorian memoir yet poetic in precision--makes a character of the brooding, enigmatic Irish weather and gives voice to the darker side of the Irish character. As in Joyce's stories in Dubliners , the proceedings lead to an epiphany of sorts, as Eamon finds himself doting on his grandson at the shore. A small advance in the moral education of Eamon Redmond, yes; but under Toibin's generous, forgiving gaze, the moment rings profound. (Feb.)
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Scholarly, aloof Eamon Redmond became a judge in Dublin's high court at a relatively young age after a lonely childhood. His meticulously constructed judgments adhere so strictly to the letter of the law that room for appeal is impossible. But what of compassion? Why do his wife and children turn their backs on his decisions? This novel is more a character study than the action-packed tale suggested by the title. The narrative leapfrogs from past to present as Redmond, the motherless boy, plods along with his father, listening to tales of earlier uprisings. His happiest times, as both man and boy, come when he is swimming or walking along the southern Irish coast. When his wife of many years dies and he is truly alone, solitude is no longer the prize he once sought. Toibin ( The South , LJ 7/91) has a subtle way of ensnaring the reader into Redmond's life. Recommended for serious fiction collections. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/92.-- Marion Hanscom, Binghamton Univ. Lib., N.Y.
T{ó}oibin is an Irish writer of great subtlety and restraint. His first novel, "The South" , probed the ruthless self-involvement of a woman artist. His newest book explores the rigidly controlled mind and soul of a high court Dublin judge, Eamon Redmond. Toibin maintains a strikingly compelling emotional rhythm and intensity as he presents the simple, albeit painful, particulars of Redmond's life: his devotion to the law, his daughter's out-of-wedlock pregnancy, his controversial decision in a case concerning the expulsion of a pregnant high school student, and his wrenching memories of his motherless childhood and his father's debilitation after a stroke. We become deeply involved in Redmond's deliberate, careful personality, recognizing the sorrow behind his fastidious detachment. We understand his struggle with pity and revulsion as he tries to care for his ailing wife, another stroke victim, and respect his gradual triumph over grief after her death. Toibin, who wastes not a word, has, naturally, chosen the perfect setting for this quiet but fierce battle between fear and love, Redmond's memory-drenched summer home on the steadily eroding Irish coast.
[A] stunning Irish novel, which seems to derive its clear and affecting style in part from the staunch personality of its protagonist…and in part from the chilly beauty of the south-east coast of Ireland.”—The New Yorker Los Angeles Times Book Review The Heather Blazing makes a breathtaking leap into the realm of Joyce’s Dubliners .”—Mirabella The Boston Globe The Washington Post Book World Voice Literary Supplement Independent on Sunday New York Newsday
Colm Toibin's second novel has myriad echoes—those relating to Irish history and those within the life of protagonist Eamon Redmond. In keeping with Redmond's emotional distance, narrator Tim Reynolds underplays the quiet drama and mostly relies on the text to tell us who is speaking. His vocal characterizations are subtle but sufficient. The most evocative writing is about the landscape, seascape, and weather, and Reynolds draws us into those. The descriptions of the Irish coast are reminiscent of those in John Banville’s THE SEA. This is a fine reading of a fine book. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Colm Toibin's second novel has myriad echoes—those relating to Irish history and those within the life of protagonist Eamon Redmond. In keeping with Redmond's emotional distance, narrator Tim Reynolds underplays the quiet drama and mostly relies on the text to tell us who is speaking. His vocal characterizations are subtle but sufficient. The most evocative writing is about the landscape, seascape, and weather, and Reynolds draws us into those. The descriptions of the Irish coast are reminiscent of those in John Banville’s THE SEA. This is a fine reading of a fine book. D.M.H. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
