On a promontory jutting out into the Atlantic wind stands the Home run by Brother Benedict, where boys are taught a little of God and a lot of fear. To Michael Lamb, one of the youngest brothers, the regime is without hope, and when he inherits a small legacy he defies his elders and runs away, taking with him a twelve-year-old boy, Owen Kane. Radio Eireann call it a kidnapping. For Michael the act is the beginning of Owen's salvation. Posing as father and son, they concentrate on discovering the happiness that is so unfamiliar to them both. But as the outside world closes in around them - as time, money and opportunity run out - Michael finds himself moving towards a solution that is as uncompromising as it is inspired by love.
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"This is a really wonderful story about an Irish Catholic, Cal, living in Belfast in the 70's. Cal becomes involved in a murder and falls in love with the wife of the man murdered. MacLaverty has really spun a fine tale here. " — Gerry (5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a really wonderful story about an Irish Catholic, Cal, living in Belfast in the 70's. Cal becomes involved in a murder and falls in love with the wife of the man murdered. MacLaverty has really spun a fine tale here. "
" Beautifully written story. Can't say more without giving it away. "
" Will I never stop reading depressing Irish Literature? "
" A heartbreaking story, but one I highly recommend. "
" How passionate compassion can be and how naive naivety can be "
" Concise, tragic, well-written. "
" This was a short, disturbing, but engrossing book. The ending felt inevitable, but not annoyingly predictable, which is a fine line to walk. Not happy and uplifting, but interesting. "
" It misses true suspense and action. "
" A very entertaining read about an ordinary young man in an extra ordinary situation. The movie, based on the novel, and featuring Helen Mirren is also worth a watch - if you can find it these days. "
" It's not that I didn't like Cal. I just didn't love it. I feel like I've read the "I'm stuck in the IRA but don't want to be" story before and done better. I didn't much care for Cal or Marcella, and their motivations struck me as a little shallow. "
" I love tragic stories. This one is good but not as good as tragics that I've read before. I believe that everything here that happened was because of the environmental forces actually, not that the own making of the characters. Its more on the political issue. "
" A great novel that deals with the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Cal falls in love with Marcella, the widow whom he participated in killing her Protestant husband. A tragic and passonate novel that you can't let down. "
" Although I liked the writing style, I felt this book was a sad tale of a man who's life was going nowhere. His guilt was all that he lived for. MacLaverty is a good writer, that's not the issue. The issues is that the book was nothing more than a sad story. Personal opinion, I guess. "
" This is a powerful book about being caught between two worlds: the Catholic IRA of the 1980's and the Protestants of Northern Ireland. It is a mighty book, right through to the last page. "
" Tender as a bruise, is this book. "
" This book was good and totally uncomfortable to read. Its a love story that takes place in Ireland, but it is not a typical book at all. "
" Romeo O'Juliet meets Maggie Mae. A thoroughly depressing book from a thoroughly depressing time. An awesome writer. "
" A young Catholic man in Northern Ireland falls in love with the Catholic widow of a British Protestant policeman whose murder he was involved in. "
" It wasn't bad, really, but not the greatest novel I ever read. "
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