The House Of Splendid Isolation
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By Edna O'Brien
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1 review
‘A powerful, complex fable, mysteriously conceived and deeply felt . . . Brilliant’ Irish Times
When Josie, confined to bed in her dilapidated country mansion, sees the door swing back and the hooded face appear, she knows who it is. Into her world comes McGreevy, bloody crusader for a united Ireland, who has chosen her house for sanctuary.
Within the incarcerating walls of the house, an undercurrent of love develops between two people who think differently but feel the same. Destiny has flung them together and, as the police net closes in, fear dawns in Josie that McGreevy has used her house for more than refuge. And there may be no escape for either of them.
‘A writer at the height of her powers’ Tatler
‘A work of insight, sympathy and breath-holding suspense’ Daily Mail
’O’Brien at her shrewd and lyrical best’ Sunday Times
‘So well written you won’t be disappointed whatever you are looking for’ Literary Review
‘A sharp and thoughtful depiction of the modern Irish question . . . poetically written’ The Times
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Edna O'Brien is such a skillful storyteller and she tells this one brilliantly. It starts off gently and slowly and gets faster and more tense as it progresses. I couldn't put it down by the end. Written in 1994 it tells some of the history of Ireland's Troubles through the story of an old woman alone in her big house and the violent crusader for a united Ireland who seeks sanctuary there. A great read.
