The Secret Scripture: A Novel

His writing occasionally is stunningly good. The kind of writing that you want to reread and remember. The plot was interesting, complicated characters. All very good, except just an OK ending to finish it off too nicely.

The book is charming and well written. Still, I was not satisfied with the ending. There were too many coincidences and it seemed like it also ended too abruptly. Perhaps I am too critical; it held my attention easily or the ending would not have disappointed me.

Beautifully written book. Plot was a little contrived but still well worth the read. Not the typical Irish novel where everyone gets drunk at the drop of a hat. I learned quite a lot about the relationships between the ordinary people of both sides of the conflict.

Roseanne Clear is an ancient woman living in an Irish asylum to which she was committed "for social reasons" after she bore an out-of-wedlock child. She has been a resident for so long that no one knows how old she really is or exactly what the circumstances of her commitment were. The "secret scripture" of the title is Roseanne's narrative of her life, written on scraps with a pilfered pen and hidden under a loose floorboard. At the same time her story is unfolding, the psychiaitrist who heads the institution is slowly putting together a competing narrative of Roseanne's life. The asylum is closing -- Ireland's version of de-institutionalization -- and the terms of Roseanne's commitment must legally determine where she'll be placed next.

In the end, the two narratives come together in a wholly surprising way, but not before surveying Ireland's brutal and complicated history of political and sectarian violence from the establishment of the Free State up to the present. The author turns a particularly cold eye on the devastating grip that the Roman Catholic Church held on Irish society and politics for the better part of the 20th century. Although I've cited its political and historical scope, the novel tells its story in wholly personal terms. At various points the novel is funny, magically poetic, tragic -- and often all three: a great read.

Once you've read "The Secret Scripture," go on to read "The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty" -- a prequel, sort of, of this novel.

The concept of this book is an interesting one. A woman, a centenarian named Roseanne, is in a mental hospital and looks back at her life during the disturbances in Ireland before, during and shortly after World War II. The civil war in Ireland, the conflict between Catholicism and Protestantism, and the treatment of women surface amid the debris of her memories and those of the doctor in charge of accessing which patients can be discharged.

Yet, the narration is often confusing. I kept thinking, “Will this book ever end?” I felt I had to read the whole book before my book club met, but I kept finding my mind wandering, and I had to reread the sections.

The descriptions are sometimes well written. There are even times when the narration is quite interesting. The section about Roseanne meeting Eneas (at the 80% complete point according to my Kindle) is one such intriguing section. This was actually the first section that held my interest. In my opinion, the last 20% of the book is much better than the rest of it. There is a surprising twist to the tale that redeems the story. There is also some philosophy as to what is true in our memories of the past. This change in the narrative raised my rating of the book two more stars.

Unfortunately, the sentence structure is often cumbersome throughout most of the book. A sentence can be a whole page of phrases separated by commas. Additionally, the analogies are often forced and inappropriate. Does the sound rather than the meaning of the comparisons appeal to the author? Did the author just get carried away with verbosity and lose track of the meaning of the words?

This book could have been honed to make it worth your read. However, so much of the book is boring. I regret that this book was selected for my book club. Obviously, if someone looks long enough, he or she can find some favorable reviews. The reviews we had for this book were favorable. It actually sounded like an interesting book, but it does not hold together very well. Where were the more critical reviews?

Enough said. I do not recommend this book.

sebastian barry is wizard. he has woven a kind of musical symetry into this stunning story that is magical. i found myself rereading passages for the sheer pleasure of hearing the words again. i wll read this again and recommend it enthusiastically.

I loved this book, and have thought about it every day since finishing it two weeks ago. The writing is lyrical and beautiful; the characters fully developed and believable; and, the story haunting. I heartily recommend this book.

Just started reading this book and with the holidays haven't really had much time. So far I am finding it a tough read without much incentive to go to the next chapter. Not too much suspense. Hoping it will get better.

I found this book to be beautifully written, though at times somewhat confusing. Sebastian Barry is such a good writer that the reader swiftly becomes invested in the characters and swept into the historical time period.

This was our book club selection; liked by some, loved by a few,and a few did not like it all. I am in the latter group. I appreciate Mr. Barry's talent as a writer and great storyteller, but I found this a very slow and tedious read. Halfway I thought I knew the "secret" but figured, no, it couldn't be that simple! What a disappointment and it was certainly no incentive to finish the book. In my favorite reads, I can always feel a connection with at least some, if not all, of the characters; I get lost in the story and feel like I'm there with them, feel like it's true, and can't wait to get to a resolution. But it never happened in this book. It reminded me of The 13th Tale which I also did not like for the same reasons - no connection, agonizingly slow. I couldn't wait to get to the end of this book, but only because it was a drudge to keep picking it up, hoping the next chapter would get better. However, to Mr. Barry's credit, even though this is a work of fiction, I give him credit for the clear-window view of the Church in Ireland during that era and to see the reality of cruelty, mean-spirititedness and lack of compassion found in the clergy, which was unfortunately passed down to many in the flock. And I'm not giving up on Mr. Barry. I understand The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty was excellent and perhaps should have been read first. I'll give it a go and maybe will become a big fan of Sebastian Barry, as so many others are.

A back story connected with Eaneaus Mc Nulty--another of Barry's books. Well written but a bit predictable. Tale of a beautiful Irish woman--full of life--repressed and mistreated by the clergy and the towsfolk with a not-s0-surprising ending. His Eaneaus book was more interesting.

Interesting story line; however, a bit depressing. Ending was too "tidy." Thought the author hurried through story at the very end of the and wanted the reader to believe too easily that the main characters could find one another after years. It wasn't clear whether the main character in the book knew the doctor was her son. We discussed this in my book club and never came to an agreem. Also, it was never clear whether the main character ever reallyknew who her father really was and his involvement in the IRA--would have like the author to have made this clearer through the characters.