'Emma Donoghue writes books that are unlike anything I have ever seen before, and Astray is no exception. There is such a deep and compassionate imagination at work in every story in this collection that Astray feels almost like an act of clairvoyance.' Ann Patchett, Orange prize-winning author of Bel Canto
Born in 1969, Emma Donoghue is an Irish writer who spent eight years in England before moving to Canada. Her fiction includes Slammerkin, Life Mask, Touchy Subjects, The Sealed Letter and the international bestseller Room (shortlisted for the Man Booker and Orange prizes).
‘Time and again, Emma Donoghue writes books that are unlike
anything I have ever seen before, and Astray is no exception.’ Ann
Patchett, author of State of Wonder
‘Emma Donoghue is one of the great literary ventriloquists of our
time. Her imagination is kaleidoscopic. She steps borders and
boundaries with great ease and style. In her hands the centuries
dissolve, and then they crystallize back again into powerful words
on the page.’ Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin
‘Superb . . . read this book. It is a gem.’ Sunday Times
‘Vivid and moving’ Good Housekeeping
‘A pitch-perfect collection of short stories, inspired by real-life
characters whose lives have gone awry’ Marie Claire
‘Donoghue’s affinity for yesteryear’s untold tales is charming, and
her talent for dialect is hard to overstate . . . Each and every
one of Donoghue’s characters leaves an impression’ TIME
Elephant trainers, counterfeiters, prostitutes, and slaves are among the intriguing historical characters who wander the pages of Irish author Donoghue's short stories. Each of the restless characters goes astray in search of love, money, security, or a better life. In a fascinating afterword, Donoghue reveals that the idea for the collection came from her own experiences as an emigrant (she moved from Dublin to England and then to Canada). Each tale is based on an event or person whose story the author unearthed from an old newspaper or archive and is followed by information on some of the research involved. Many of these richly detailed shorts are told in the first person, and the fabulous cadre of narrators (James Langton, Khristine Hvam, Robert Petkoff, Suzanne Toren, and Dion Graham) bring these little gems vividly to life. VERDICT For all fans of literary or historical fiction. ["Working in a different vein from the wrenching Room, Donoghue has created masterly pieces that show what short fiction can do. Not just for devotees of the form," read the review of the Little, Brown hc, LJ 6/15/12.-Ed.]-Beth Farrell, Cleveland State Univ. Law Lib. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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