What did you know about "the Troubles" before reading the book? Did you learn anything new? Was your opinion of the conflict changed in any way?

What did you know about "the Troubles" before reading the book? Did you learn anything new? Was your opinion of the conflict changed in any way?

I've read Patrick Radden Keefe's "Say Nothing," recently, as well as other fiction works about the Troubles. The picture of IRA, Real IRA, and British participation in the more violent aspects of the conflict in this book is consistent with what I've read other places. The advantage of a fictional perspective, though, is the chance to develop a more personal and focused perspective on particular events.

I have read nothing else about "the Troubles". The movies I have seen seem to deal with all of the actions/reactions related to it but not the whys and wherefores.
What this book did was show what some individuals did and how it affected them afterwards.

I knew of the troubles, knew enough to know it was an issue between protestant and catholic and Britain and Ireland. I knew of the violence and hunger strikes. I did not know of the 2 different IRAs.

Very little. Just an overall synopsis. Reading this has encouraged me to delve more into this chapter of Irish history.

I cannot say I learned a great deal from this book. I have read a few books about the Troubles - TransAtlantic, by Collum McCann, Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, and recently Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. I also spent a summer in Ireland in the mid-ninties. One of my lasting experiences of that summer was driving from Donegal in the Republic of Ireland to Derry in Northern Ireland. At the border our car was searched by armed British soldiers. We saw the barbed wire surrounding certain areas in Derry and again armed guards looking down from building tops. The Irish people are a most welcoming people, but the atmosphere in Derry was very different from the south. People were cautious and watchful, which was most disturbing. It saddened me to realize there are many places in the world where people live in constant fear.

I already knew a LOT, which is why i gravitated to this book. The "Troubles" in Ireland have been going on for a long time--and it's why all four of my grandparents ended up in America in the early twentieth century, and I still have distant relatives there. I've known these stories all my life...unlike Brid, my grandparents shared their background with my parents and all the grandchildren (almost too much at times!). It was really interesting to me to read such an intimate story about like in 1970's Ireland.

As a second generation Irish Catholic I knew a little, but this book was so well done that I felt I learned a great deal without the book being preachy or dull.

I didn't know about the "Troubles in Ireland. I was raised Catholic in Canada and it was disturbing to hear the conflicts between Catholic and protestants. I am glad I read this story. The book "Say Nothing" by Patrick Radden Keefe might be another read to deepen my understand of this conflict.

I didn't know much about the "Troubles" in Ireland. I was raised Catholic and as a young girl, I knew there were divides between the Protestants and Catholics in our small town, but it was nothing like a war zone. I can't imagine living day-to-day, not knowing when you would encounter violence and never ever feeling safe because you aligned with a certain religion. I think it would affect even the most highly functioning families, so clearly a dysfunctional family would become even more so.

I had heard about the conflicts between the Protestants and the Catholics in Ireland but I did not know much else. I didn’t realize how involved Britain was in this conflict or what they were fighting about before reading this novel.

I actually knew quite a lot about the Troubles. I got very interested in the situation after seeing the movie, The Crying Game, many years ago, and did a lot of reading about the Troubles at the time. So no surprises on that front.

I didn’t really know anything about the Troubles, other than there was a group called the IRA in Northern Ireland. I am certainly old enough to have known about this but I guess with everything I had going on, sadly, I paid little attention.

I knew some from reading other books and movies. Like the WWII era, there are so many stories that can still be told from those times. I always learn new things and perspectives. I do think it's somewhat interesting that the name is the Troubles when it was so violent and deadly. What makes events called a war?

I didn't know about the two IRA groups.

I requested this book because I am very interested in Ireland & The Troubles. I was very disappointed in the book's coverage of the topic. It was mostly about a dysfunctional family - the women played a part in the conflict/war but only as a side line to develop the 3 family members' story. I learned nothing more about the "Troubles" - such a rich topic - a brilliant idea but poorly executed. The book could be marketed as mother/daughter saga but not as a book about Ireland's conflict(s). Ireland's history is complex & interesting. It is rich with stories. This novel did not hold my interest although I sincerely wanted it to enhance my knowledge.

I have a good friend that grew up outside Belfast during the Troubles and the book depicts horries of the time. The violence that was committed by all sides was sad. The book and my friend also described how it tore apart families and continues to impact people years afterwards.

I wanted to learn even more about the Troubles and this novel was my first reading on the topic. I knew very little and am now eager to learn more.

I have never read anything about the Troubles, but have seen a couple movies related to it that were mostly focused on the military aspect. This made it seem more personal to me with the involvement of Brid and the death of her sister, Ina, as well as their mothers reaction to it all. Also, Brid's reaction to the news when she was living in the USA. I would love to read more about this conflict.

I knew some basic information about the troubles before reading this book. McDermott took it to the personal level. It was very interesting to relate to the characters as they handled " the troubles " in their own way.

I knew about them because of friends who lived through them, through the news coverage we had here on this side of the pond, and friends who escaped and moved here to escape them.

I knew quite a bit from my Irish Catholic friends and from Patrick Radden Keefe's "Say Nothing," but what I learned here was how to see the human side of "The Troubles," that is, the effect on ordinary people. Brid's peripheral role in a bombing changed her life forever and affected the way she related to her daughter, was estranged from her family, and suffered lifelong guilt.