Toibin is clearly an accomplished writer with a limpid prose style. However, a few days after completing reading these stories, the only two that remain in my mind are the ones about the Pakistani immigrants in Barcelona and the death of the old lady. While this may be because the subject matter of these two stories is of more interest to me personally, the fact that the other stories have completely slipped my mind suggests that maybe Toibin's style is a little too understated. I really came under the spell of this collection of short stories. I like Colm Toibin's writing style very much. In beautiful language and imagery he writes about Ireland, about keeping secrets, and even about the art of dying well. One of the stories takes place in a senior care center, and I thought this was well-done and quite realistic. (As a nurse I practiced in long-term care for the last 10 years of my career.) The lyricism and the beauty of the writing in this collection are impressive; I'm inspired to read more of Toibin's work.
Richly connected collection of stories. Soulful, beautifully crafted.
—Jand
Toibin creates the most perfect sentences.
—Clhuns
"The Street" is especially beautiful.
—Tari
Gorgeous. Every page a delight.
—iresermer
Couldn't get through it.
—chrissynicole1219
