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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 Literary Fiction
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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)

What listeners say about The Gathering

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Superb

Beautifully written, this is a devastatingly forensic, yet lyrical examination of a woman’s life en famille.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slow and doesn't seem to go anywhere

I'll start this review by saying that I too am Irish, so I get the dark, sorrowful Irish tones of the book that we do best. However, I found there was no pace to the book, it was beautifully written but didn't seem to go anywhere. If I would have been reading this as opposed to listening, I would have stopped reading after the first few chapters. I did finish it and was then disappointed as it seemed to stop so suddenly, as if the writer had run out of time. Worth a listen, but do be aware that it contains trauma.

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1 person found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Good story

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.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyable

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.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome audio book. Read beautifully by the author

Definately 5 stars or more if it were possible.
I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend you to listen to 'The Gathering' by Anne Enright.

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Wonderful and honest

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.

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superb perceptive writing

beautifully read by author, profound, family life - life - examined in her inimitable way. reminded me of George Elliot

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Difficult read

Very depressing. Could not keep listening after a couple of chapters. Would like to have returned it.

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    2 out of 5 stars
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I didn’t get it!

What was this about!’ Almost gave up numerous times but continued in the hope I’d get the point. But I didn’t. Could not like the self obsessed narrator or sympathise with her anguish

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