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There are currently 36 member reviews
for Trouble the Living
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skagitgrits
Review not rated
RE: Did it surprise you to learn that ...
No surprise. The Celts, and the Irish in particular, have a long history of a strong, matriarchal cultural tradition in spite of societal, and legal constraints placed upon them. There are many examples of women taking non-traditional roles in Irish history. Consider the following as examples,
Boudica, the Iceni Queen of War, Maeve, ruler and warrior queen of Connaught, Grace O'Malley, the Irish Pirate Queen,
Constance Markievicz, poet and political activist and first-ever female MP elected to the House of Commons in 1918, just two years after she took up arms against the British in the 1916 Rising in Dublin.
Sinead O'Conner, musician and political activist
As of 2023, 33 women have served as Ministers of State in Ireland.
There are, of course, other Irish women who have contributed through literature, poetry, musical and dance arts, education and a myriad of other areas.
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paulagb
Review not rated
RE: Why do you suppose Brid refuses to ...
I am not sure her refusal to tell Bernie anything is very realistic. A child would normally push and push to know more. Bernie perpetuated a lack of familial communication by her silence. This decision by the author made Bernie irrelevant to the book.
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cindyb
Review not rated
RE: What did you know about "the ...
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.
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wendyf
Review not rated
RE: Why do you suppose Brid refuses to ...
Brid likely feels she is protecting Bernie however I don't feel that secrets are the best way to do this. As the old adage says, the truth will set you free.
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jills
Review not rated
RE: Why do you suppose Aoife regards ...
The exact line here is, "So some people get to be beautiful and happy and have boyfriends and go to parties and other people get belief." That is when Ma says, "You got the bigger prize." I have mixed feelings. On one hand Brid's life is broader and richer than one who is constrained by a stereotypical gender role (getting married and having babies). On the other Brid ends up paying a price. I believe the author's intentions were for us to believe Brid did get a bigger prize, although not a prize without strings.
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teacher reader
Review not rated
RE: Were there particular scenes in the ...
One scene that resonated with me was the one where Bernie tried to declare her love to Mia. I feel that she herself may or may not have been gay , but she was simply a teenage girl devastatingly confused about sexuality. Her subsequent actions support this theory.
Even more jarring to me was the point at which we learn the five words that her mother said to Brid as she left home.
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ritah
Review not rated
RE: Brid learned at the diner that "...
I find it easier to talk about personal emotions with some of my female friends and, although I enjoy men’s view on many things, I share very little of the deep personal things with male friends. It is more of a exchange of ideas on world affairs or new ideas in science, technology, etc with males. I suspect many males don’t share deep emotional feelings with anyone. I would agree with others that in this book, men are not treated very sympathetically. Yet, it is interesting that Brid’s daughter is called Bernie: yes, short for Bernadette, but often a male name short for Bernard.
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