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carolyn1504's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I loved this in a way I wasn't expecting, perhaps because the story itself wasn't what I expecting. Understated in its approach, it tells a powerful story of colonisation and heritage and alliance against the backdrop of the Troubles. My friends can attest that I was gasping by the last few pages, unprepared for the wreckage of a simple action.
Perhaps best summed up as a book that has kept me thinking over a week since I've finished it. A good sign!
Perhaps best summed up as a book that has kept me thinking over a week since I've finished it. A good sign!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Sexism and Toxic relationship
mmccombs's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
A kick to the chest of a novel! Its slow, atmospheric build works to create a fraught, claustrophobic ending, revealing so much about colonization and theft and violence that lives on through generations, a cycle that never ends. This book is so multilayered without being cumbersome or overwrought, the writing is striking and expertly crafted. Simply the perfect book, I’ll be thinking about it for a long time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War
deedireads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Colony is a quietly devastating, gorgeously written book about colonization and agency set on a small Irish island during the Troubles. It has lots of layers!
For you if: You like character-driven novels, plus prose that’s poetic and a bit nontraditional.
FULL REVIEW:
After a fair amount of pre-release hype, The Colony was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. Having read it, I can confirm that this 100% feels like a Booker book (in a good way), and that it’s going to make for an excellent book club discussion.
The story is set on a small island off Ireland’s coast in 1979, as the Troubles raged on the mainland. The island has been somewhat sheltered from colonization, with its people still living according to their longstanding customs and speaking a traditional form of Irish. But that’s slowly changing. During this summer, two white men come to stay: an English painter named Lloyd, determined to make a name for himself painting the landscape and, eventually, its people; and a French linguist named Masson, determined to make a name for himself as the savior of their language. Throughout, we get short vignettes depicting terrible acts of violence on the mainland.
Although the plot itself is relatively quiet — simmering backdrop of violence notwithstanding — this book does and says a ton as it pertains to not only colonization and saviorism, but also agency (whose choice is it whether people need saving?). I’m particularly excited to discuss the linguist, Masson, with my book club. Without saying too much, he’s the child of a colonizer and a member of a colonized people, making his actions and motivations really fascinating.
But perhaps the most distinctive part about this book is the prose. It’s beautiful, poetic, and a little nontraditional. Magee’s decision to write this way and also not use quotation marks — especially with so many characters being bilingual — blends thought and dialogue in a way that’s effective and affecting but somehow never confusing.
I will say that I guessed how this was going to end (hoping I was wrong), but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Magee’s purpose here is equal parts clear and moving, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
TL;DR REVIEW:
The Colony is a quietly devastating, gorgeously written book about colonization and agency set on a small Irish island during the Troubles. It has lots of layers!
For you if: You like character-driven novels, plus prose that’s poetic and a bit nontraditional.
FULL REVIEW:
After a fair amount of pre-release hype, The Colony was longlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize. Having read it, I can confirm that this 100% feels like a Booker book (in a good way), and that it’s going to make for an excellent book club discussion.
The story is set on a small island off Ireland’s coast in 1979, as the Troubles raged on the mainland. The island has been somewhat sheltered from colonization, with its people still living according to their longstanding customs and speaking a traditional form of Irish. But that’s slowly changing. During this summer, two white men come to stay: an English painter named Lloyd, determined to make a name for himself painting the landscape and, eventually, its people; and a French linguist named Masson, determined to make a name for himself as the savior of their language. Throughout, we get short vignettes depicting terrible acts of violence on the mainland.
Although the plot itself is relatively quiet — simmering backdrop of violence notwithstanding — this book does and says a ton as it pertains to not only colonization and saviorism, but also agency (whose choice is it whether people need saving?). I’m particularly excited to discuss the linguist, Masson, with my book club. Without saying too much, he’s the child of a colonizer and a member of a colonized people, making his actions and motivations really fascinating.
But perhaps the most distinctive part about this book is the prose. It’s beautiful, poetic, and a little nontraditional. Magee’s decision to write this way and also not use quotation marks — especially with so many characters being bilingual — blends thought and dialogue in a way that’s effective and affecting but somehow never confusing.
I will say that I guessed how this was going to end (hoping I was wrong), but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment. Magee’s purpose here is equal parts clear and moving, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse
zotty's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Colonisation, and War
retswerb's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Reads like a literary classic. Rare that I find a book I like so much in which I also dislike the main characters, but the writing here is just that good. Magee weaves together a variety of viewpoints into a compelling snapshot of a time and a place. Absolutely fantastic reading in the audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Murder
dwager's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The Colony is set in Ireland during the Troubles, and the action of the characters is interspersed with news reports of bombings and shootings in Northern Ireland. All the characters also have their own personal troubles, which are explored and form the basis for the interpersonal conflicts (of which there are a lot) and relationships. The effects that art and linguistic research can have on the people involved, both the purveyors of those fields and the subjects, is also a main theme. This book is ambitious in its scope, and I think successful in discussing the issues.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Mass/school shootings
oliviashleigh's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Cultural appropriation, and War
katewhite77's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A Wonderfully lyrical Novel.
A beautiful meditation on colony and colonisation and mainly. but not exclusively the geopolitical Anglo-Irish iteration with a particular focus on language.
I would recommend the audio version of this particular book as I think this book is probably best heard than read if possible just let the words carry you across the Irish Sea.
This is not an easy read but an important and poetic one.
A beautiful meditation on colony and colonisation and mainly. but not exclusively the geopolitical Anglo-Irish iteration with a particular focus on language.
I would recommend the audio version of this particular book as I think this book is probably best heard than read if possible just let the words carry you across the Irish Sea.
This is not an easy read but an important and poetic one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, and Classism
kairhone's review against another edition
challenging
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Colonisation, and Classism