| Author: |
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Catherine Dunne
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| Title: |
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The Walled Garden |
| Moochable copies: |
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No copies available |
| Topics: |
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| Published in: |
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English |
| Binding: |
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Paperback |
| Pages: |
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300 |
| Date: |
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2001-05-04 |
| ISBN: |
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0330396072 |
| Publisher: |
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Picador |
| Weight: |
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0.44 pounds |
| Size: |
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4.96 x 7.72 x 0.79 inches |
Amazon prices: |
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| Previous givers: |
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2 annecater (United Kingdom), IrishPenJen (United Kingdom) |
| Previous moochers: |
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2 SarahS (United Kingdom), June (France) |
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| Description: |
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Product Description
Beth flew the coop as soon as she could, making a life for herself and her daughter in London. James, her dutiful brother, stayed in Dublin, raising a family not far from their mother, Alice. Now Alice is dying and Beth has returned to the shabby grandeur of her childhood home to keep vigil by her bedside. Unable to speak, the only way Alice feels she can bridge the gap of understanding between her and Beth is to write to her and seek reconciliation. Set during the last days of Alice's life, this is also an extraordinary preceptive novel about childhood and growing old. 'A hugely gratifying book; something to feed the spirit again and again' Irish Independent 'Dunne's writing is beautifully understated' She 'The Walled Garden is that great rarity: a flawless novel' Express
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| Reviews: |
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IrishPenJen (United Kingdom) (2010/06/18):
Review:
This is a deeply moving story of the reconciliation that takes place between a mother and daughter, as the younger woman keeps vigil at her dying mother's bedside. The mixed and conflicting emotions that bind and separate families are explored with real compassion. Beth's relationship with her older brother James, the dutiful child who stayed at home, while she, the prodigal, sought wider horizons is also sensitively portrayed, as is the network of other family relationships in which the trio are enmeshed. Dunne embeds a series of letters from mother to daughter in the text, and the emotions and motivations of both women as they work to reach an understanding are captured superbly in the shifting points of view which characterize the novel. The nature of memory and the way that family histories are transmitted and transmuted through stories, photographs and familiar everyday objects are all reflected upon through the convincing perspectives of two strong women, who have been locked into a pattern of mutual misunderstanding and loss. The different phases of life, and the ways in which relationships change, stagnate or remain frozen in time as individuals make their journeys through their lives are all touched upon in The Walled Garden. The rituals that are inherited and invented for the final rite of passage, and the roles that are inhabited by different people in turn in times of crisis are portrayed in a way that will resonate deeply with any reader who has ever lost a loved one. The 'walled garden' itself, as a place of contemplation and home to plants carefully chosen for significant names is an important symbol for the bonds of love in this ordinary, fractured family. (Kirkus UK)What the papers say:
'In the deft hands of Dunne, the ordinary becomes story-worthy' - Irish Times; 'Dunne writes compellingly about obsessive love' - Christine Koning, The Times Author's biography:
Catherine Dunne was born in Dublin in 1954. She studied English and Spanish at Trinity College and went on to teach. Her first novel, 'In the Beginning', was published in 1977.
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| URL: |
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http://bookmooch.com/0330396072 |
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