Fields - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0349138672 ISBN 13: 9780349138671

Publisher: Abacus (2 Jan. 2014), 1600

Synopsis

The Fields: A brilliantly funny, moving read for fans of 'Derry Girls' [Paperback] Kevin Maher

About this title

About the Author

KEVIN MAHER was born and brought up in Dublin, and moved to London in 1994 to begin a career in journalism. He wrote for The Guardian, The Observer and Time Out and was film editor of The Face magazine before joining The Times (London), where he is a feature writer, critic and columnist. He lives in Hertfordshire with his family.

From Booklist

Set in Dublin in the 1980s, The Fields is the story of young Jim Finnegan’s coming-of-age. Benchmarks of his uneven progress include his serial sexual abuse at the hands of the local parish priest and his falling in love with a beautiful older girl, Saidhbh. A bit improbably (he’s only 14; she’s 17), she returns his affections and in short order becomes pregnant. The two go to London, planning an abortion. But will they follow through, and what will happen to them in the city? Maher’s first novel features a wonderfully sympathetic protagonist and first-person narrator in Jim, while his family—his parents and five older sisters—are equally endearing. The voice and tone are spot on, but after a realistic treatment of the characters and a nicely realized setting, the book takes a very odd turn near the end when Jim discovers New Age thought and practices. Indeed, the ending almost seems to belong to another book but is redeemed by the boy’s rapprochement with his family. Inconsistency aside, The Fields is an often humorous, always diverting exercise that is sure to charm readers. --Michael Cart

Edition details

• Publisher: Abacus (2 Jan. 2014)
• Publication date: 1600
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0349138672
• ISBN 13: 9780349138671
• Binding: Paperback