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| Star of the Sea | 
 enlarge | Author: Joseph O'connor
Publisher: Vintage
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy Used: £0.01
You Save: £7.98 (100%)
New (37) from £0.01
Avg. Customer Rating:  61 reviews
Sales Rank: 23405
Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.2
ISBN: 0099469626
EAN: 9780099469629
ASIN: 0099469626
Publication Date: January 1, 2004
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
Condition: Paperback...Good condition. Some spine creasing/readingwear.. Books are Dispatched next working day in JIFFY BAGS from W/Yorks. Many Items Posted Daily, so your order could possibly be dispatched same day. .
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.co.uk Review
Tragedy is a word too often used. Nevertheless, in Star of the Sea Joseph O'Connor manages to achieve a real sense of the tragic, as personal dramas of the most distressing kind play themselves out against the background of the Irish potato famine and the almost equal nightmare of the mass emigration that it caused. As passengers die of starvation and disease in steerage, a drama of adultery, inadvertent incest and inherited disease plays itself out in first class. O'Connor raises, and does not attempt definitively to answer, real questions about responsibility and choice. Bankrupt aristocrat Meredith is emigrating, pursued by the hatred of his tenants and the memory of his mad-hero father. His children's nurse, Mary, has memories of lost love to torment her, as well as of the husband and child who died of hunger. And the ballad singer Mulvey has both his monstrous past and the certain promise that he will be tortured to death by the Liable Men should he not kill Meredith. This is a kaleidoscopic novel, whose events are seen in many idioms, from many points of view--it is a rich novel that knows that there are limits to the sense that can be made of history. --Roz Kaveney
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| Customer Reviews: Read 56 more reviews...
but it's not funny October 16, 2008
a great book ---- a great read ---- I loved it ---- but 2 reviews on the cover say that it's 'funny' (one says 'hilarious') All I can say is that the Irish must have a very strange sense of humour --- there were moments of irony, but most of the story is tragic and gloomy ---- however it's worth the effort ---- I'll definitely read it again ---but I don't think it'll make me laugh.
 A modern classic August 22, 2008
I loved this book! I was not expecting this book to be as good as the reviews but was surprised. The characters were superb, each one jumping out of the page. The writing flowed beautifully throughout the book. There are not many boooks that I would read again, but Star of the Sea is the exception to that rule.
A very well built story June 27, 2008
I did really enjoy the reading of this book. A captivating story set back at the time of the Great Famine, one of the darkests periods in Irish history. Very well defined characters and a plot that entangles you until the end. Maybe a few reduntant pages, from time to time, but overall a book I strongly recommend.
Enjoyable froth April 21, 2008
Star of the Sea is a good old fashioned tale of adventure and romance on the high seas. Most of the passengers of the eponymous ship are fleeing Ireland, a country brought to its knees by potato blight and famine, for a new life in America, the promised land. In the first class cabins, aristocrats, servants and writers play out their own personal dramas, while down below in steerage, a mysterious club footed passenger roams the decks, contemplating the terrible choice he has before him. The ship's captain, Lockwood, fills in many of the gaps with his matter of fact Captain's Log.
Much of the story is told in flashbacks, as we learn more about teh characters' past lives and the events that led up to their decision to sail to America. Lord Merridith's privileged life is sharply contrasted with the grinding poverty of the Irish peasants. No holds are barred in O'Connor's descriptions of the degradations they suffered in order to survive.
It's a gripping yarn in places, a nicely inconsequential page turner that rips satisfyingly along to its conclusion. Where it fails is, occasionally, in the characters' voices - Merridith's somewhat affected, aristocratic speech is sometimes uneasily grafted upon other characters. The frequent references to "Chas" Dickens are irritating at best and frankly ridiculous at worst. And the ending, while overlong, is frustratingly vague, discursive and inconclusive. But if you're looking for a fun, forgettable way to while away the time, this novel should do the job.
Beautifully woven tale revealing a shocking history April 18, 2008
I have to agree with the majority of the previous reviews. This a beautifully woven tale revealing a shocking history; a chapter from British history of which I was not aware and which goes some way to helping understanding the resentments of recent years.
The tale is slow to get started, but soon we get the intricate back stories which form the texture of the novel. I won't give away the ending, but I thought it stretched credibiliy - the only low point.
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