Be Near Me Audiobook (Unabridged)

" I started this book with great expectations and wasn't disappointed in the opening chapter. Mr. O'Hagan has a poets eye for detail and ability to turn a phrase. However, the more I got into the story, the less enchanted I became. While the writing was good, I couldn't get excited about the story. Eventually, I decided to set the book aside. Perhaps I'll come back to it later, but today, I doubt it. "

" This novel takes place in Scotland with flashbacks to a priest's days at Oxford. Although born in Scotland, he sounds English and encounters prejudice against both priests and the English in his small parish. The plot surprised me and kept me reading as I learned more about the lonely priest, his past love, his family and why he behaved so strangely with his teenage friends. "

" Heart-breaking, lonely and complicated...and subversive and sad and just plain well-written. Andrew O'Hagan's powers of perception are way beyond any normal person's ability. He takes what is implicit and makes it explicit. His depiction of these characters' interior lives is supernal. "

" what an exquisite book. "

" Set in Scotland, a beautifully written book, which deals with a range of social subjects from homosexuality, friendships, love, delinquancy, drugs, alcohol and ultimately illness and death. Father David had an internal crisis from the very beginning, it seems, but until his 'mid life crisis' seemed to have tamed the devil inside him. Sad and touching. "

" A beautifully written book with some gorgeous imagery and a challenging story. "

" I really love this book. Who thought a priest would hang out with swearing drug addicted teenagers; and he is almost having fun!!!! "

" i really thought this book was going to be about something else and wouldn't have read it if I knew the content. I guess that will teach me to read a book without looking at some reviews first. Took me forever to finish it! "

" Had to abandon this one. "

" A Scottish priest with a past life and love of Proust gets too close to two troublesome teenagers.... "

" Really an incredible book. The restrained yet romantic prose reflects the narrator, an aging and slightly unwilling priest to a parish of uneducated and prejudiced Scots. I highly recommend it. "

" I read about 100 pages before I put the book down. I just couldn't seem to get into it, which really disappointed me since I had read such an interesting review. "

" The narrator is in denial throughout most of the book, and he (almost?) persuades us that he is a decent person. It's been several months since I read it, and I'm still a little iffy as to whether he is a "normal" guy or Humbert Humbert. "

" This gorgeously written book is the best thing that I have stumbled across in awhile. It is refreshing to encounter such a nuanced, authentic and slightly contradictory main character. There are many shades of grey on display in this work; it highlights the complexity of being human. Excellent. "

" Beautifully written story about a Catholic priest in Scotland making ill-advised choices. Apparently I wasn't in the mood, 'cuz I didn't finish it. "

" Unusual - definitely worth reading "

" I liked parts of this book, but I found myself wanting to skim to the "good parts." "

" Intelligent and moving story about good man who meets himself for the first time. He makes a bad decision because of loneliness and pays the price. "

" I couldn't get into this book and finally started skimming it. I didn't like this book ... also didn't find it particularly credible that the priest would befriend hoodlums. "

" A strange, sad, disturbing, thoughtful book, beautifully written than will stay with you for a while. "

" Really an incredible book. The restrained yet romantic prose reflects the narrator, an aging and slightly unwilling priest to a parish of uneducated and prejudiced Scots. I highly recommend it. "

" A strange story of a catholic priest who doesn't seem suited to his work and in his attempts to ingratiate himselve with young parishioners falls from grace. The wreck of his life seemed inevitable. "

" A beautifully written book with some gorgeous imagery and a challenging story. "

" Intelligent and moving story about good man who meets himself for the first time. He makes a bad decision because of loneliness and pays the price. "

" This one didn't appeal to me although I came to it with high hopes. It's complex and intelligent and politically astute but somehow it just failed to grip me. I just couldn't believe in Father David. "

" Loan from ANZLL friend, Jenny Good story, daring topic about molestation. Did not write any journal entries for this book. "

" Well-constructed, but in the end I just couldn't see the point: unredeeming. "

" Excruciatingly good. Never heard of O'Hagan Yay. Because now I can read all his books. "

" This is an intelligent, beautifully written book. Maybe the plot development is somewhat slow, but I was very impressed by the writing, as well as the story. "