If you are the publisher or author of this book and feel that the. Nora webster is an historical literary novel by colm toibin, dealing with the life of nora webster through three years after the death of her husband, maurice. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading nora webster. Nora webster is menlo park library literature book club. Jan 03, 2015 he has written several other novels including the story of the night, the blackwater lightship, brooklyn, the testament of mary, and nora webster. The pronunciation of this authors name has been verified by the publisher. Colm toibin is the author of nine novels, including the blackwater lightship. If you are the author, or personally familiar with the author, and disagree, please tell us. Colm toibin talks nora webster to sue leonard writing. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sister thomas accepts the rage, recognizes it, and gives nora the rough push back into life that she needs. But she was the mother of jesus christ, so the stakes seemed somewhat higher. Its taut with things unsaid, as in this passage where, after the death of the father, nora tells her. Nora webster is the heartbreaking new novel from one of the greatest novelists writing today.
In nora webster, life is in the details, with countless pages slipping by with little occurring but everyday minutiae. Toibins tenth book of fiction is set in the early 1970s, in his hometown of enniscorthy, in county wexford, ireland, a place his longtime readers. Theres a spiritual undercurrent here, in the nun who watches over nora, in the community that provides what she needs even as she resists and especially in the music that fills her soul. About the book widowed at forty, with four children and not enough money, nora has lost the love of her life, maurice, the man who rescued her from the stifling world to. Oct 05, 2014 set in enniscorthy, a town in southeastern ireland, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the novel opens shortly after the death of maurice webster, noras husband of 21 years, after a short. Oct 05, 2014 nora webster is an irish love story and a love letter to irish readers from one of irelands contemporary masters. Her husband, maurice, has recently died, and she is beset by emotional pressures. Toibin renders the experience of one woman so intensely, so convincingly, and with such. Review this character led book about a widowed mother of four living in a small town in co wexford ireland in the late 1960s felt to me like a.
Widowed at 40, with four children and not enough money, nora webster has lost the love of her life, maurice. Book discussion nora webster northampton public library. Jan 22, 2016 i wrote the first chapter of my novel nora webster in the spring of 2000, in the same season as i wrote the first chapter of the master, my novel about henry james. Think of us as an online version of your local book group discussing one book a month with fellow. Oct 07, 2015 the discussion about nora webster flowed with some very positive thoughts about it. In june we read nora webster, by colm toibin, have a read back of our discussion here a bit about nora webster. Colm toibin nora webster the kings english bookshop. In nora webster the slow buildup of pressure, the sense of pain. Oct 14, 2014 nora webster, the stern heroine of colm toibins new novel, is just widowed as the book begins. Nora webster looks at first like a followup to brooklyn 2009, colm toibin s study of the emigrant experience from the perspective of a young irish woman in the 1950s.
His latest, titled nora webster, has a simple enough setup widow living in ireland copes with and then overcomes her grief. Read back the live discussion welcome to the times book club. But it skilfully transcends its source material in a way that will probably. Set in a small town in county wexford, ireland, in the early 1970s, it is the story of a mother navigating the first. Nora webster is spare and subtle, but ruthless in its depths. In nora webster, toibin has created a character as iconic, engaging and memorable as madame bovary or hedda gabler. Trio becomes a kind of leitmotif, and heralds the books climactic punch. Colm toibins most recent book was about a grieving woman, too. The slowmoving narrative plods through every sad step on noras journey, the sentences. Oct 27, 2014 his latest, titled nora webster, has a simple enough setup widow living in ireland copes with and then overcomes her grief. Monastery in wexford, ireland richard cummins corbis i n the opening pages of colm toibins crushing new novel, nora webster, we find the title character in her small house in wexford, ireland, trapped by grief. Nora webster is an irish love story and a love letter to irish readers from one of irelands contemporary masters. Noras anger flashes, her real feelings bubbling up, even if just for a moment. Set in enniscorthy, a town in southeastern ireland, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, the novel opens shortly after the death of maurice webster, nora s husband of 21 years, after a short.
Without any forced drama, nora works her way back into the world, with new priorities and even pleasures. Im pleased and a little abashed to report that nora webster, colm. Wounded, strongwilled, clinging to secrecy in a tiny community where everyone knows your business, nora is drowning in her own sorrow and blind to the suffering of her young sons. It was an interesting view and i wanted to read it again.
Colm toibins new novel, nora webster, never strays from the quiet, deceptive simplicity of its storytelling, and yet this persuasive portrait of a compelling woman blossoms into something greater than the sum of its parts. Book discussion nora webster by colm toibin riverhead. Last year, toibin made a remark about seamus heaneys. Oct 11, 2014 a slow simmer of grief and strength in nora webster colm toibins new novel is set in his irish home town in the early 1970s, and follows the titular nora as she and her family struggle to. There are a few fiction writers whose words reach out to us from the very first sentences of a book. Toibin started it back in 2000, when he was writing the master. Widowed in her forties, with four children and not enough money, nora has lost the love of her life, maurice, the man who rescued her from the stifling world to which she was born. House of names book by colm toibin official publisher. In the opening pages of colm toibins crushing new novel, nora webster, we find the title character in her small house in wexford, ireland, trapped by grief. Oct 01, 2017 join the menlo park library literature book club for a discussion of the novel nora webster by colm toibin on tuesday, october 10 from 7. It gives the book a slow unfurling calm and imbues nora with a steadfastness that will see her through every storm her own grief, and her countrys emerging troubles, bring her way.
In nora webster, tobin has created a character as iconic, engaging and memorable as madame bovary or hedda gabler. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. A slow simmer of grief and strength in nora webster. Yet she has moments of stunning empathy and kindness, and when she begins to sing again, she finds solace. Nora webster book by colm toibin official publisher. But the power of this book is anything but simple, according to our. Jan 29, 2015 nora webster is the heartbreaking new novel from one of the greatest novelists writing today.
The last parts of nora webster are heartrendingly transcendent, as nora finds the courage to face what she has been warding off throughout the rest of the book. Nora webster is living in a small town, looking after her four children, trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband. Toibins prose often has an elegant, visceral simplicity as he describes the slight otherworldliness that nora finds in her new, solitary life as a widowbut this novel takes on. Nora webster book by colm toibin official publisher page.
In his new novel, nora webster, the irish master has posed an entirely different challenge for. Nora webster is the second book we have read about bereavement last month we read the autobiography h is for hawk and we compared the different ways grief was dealt with, at the same time observing that one was fiction and the other nonfiction. The heather blazing received the 1993 encore award and the master received the 2006 international impac dublin literary award, the stonewall book award, and the lambda literary award. From one of contemporary literatures most acclaimed and beloved au. The booknora websterhas been a long time in the writing. This reading group guide for nora webster includes an introduction, discussion questions, and ideas for enhancing your book club. Widowed at 40, with four children and not enough money, nora has lost the love of her life, maurice, the man who rescued her from the stifling world she was born into. When the novel begins, it is the late 1960s in wexford, county wexford, ireland. Nora webster is menlo park library literature book clubs. The goddess of small victories by yannick grannec 8.
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