Tony's Reviews > The Colony
The Colony
by
by
Truth is elusive when money is in the room.
Or if any version of pride is there.
Now make the room an island, three miles long and one and one-half miles wide. Populate it. Give it ancestry and history. And human needs. Put it near The Troubles. So not quite a blank canvas when the Englishman comes, an artist in a slump.
We are not quite sure what to make of Mr. Lloyd when he arrives, vomiting from the currach. Will we like him, I mean. The islanders are polite, helpful but wary of him. Fifteen year-old James is the front man, taking care of Mr. Lloyd's needs. We like James straightaway. He is wiser than his years, and with an artistic gift superior to the Englishman's. Will James redeem Mr. Lloyd, we wonder.
There's foreboding, though. The island is too near, maybe. And Mr. Lloyd is an Englishman after all. And so a reader's heart got broken; this author made me care that much.
Now, if you haven't already, go read Fionnuala's review, which is scholarly and personal and, of course, inimitable. I read her review seconds before I ordered this book. Then again, seconds after finishing it. It's grand.
Or if any version of pride is there.
Now make the room an island, three miles long and one and one-half miles wide. Populate it. Give it ancestry and history. And human needs. Put it near The Troubles. So not quite a blank canvas when the Englishman comes, an artist in a slump.
We are not quite sure what to make of Mr. Lloyd when he arrives, vomiting from the currach. Will we like him, I mean. The islanders are polite, helpful but wary of him. Fifteen year-old James is the front man, taking care of Mr. Lloyd's needs. We like James straightaway. He is wiser than his years, and with an artistic gift superior to the Englishman's. Will James redeem Mr. Lloyd, we wonder.
There's foreboding, though. The island is too near, maybe. And Mr. Lloyd is an Englishman after all. And so a reader's heart got broken; this author made me care that much.
Now, if you haven't already, go read Fionnuala's review, which is scholarly and personal and, of course, inimitable. I read her review seconds before I ordered this book. Then again, seconds after finishing it. It's grand.
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Reading Progress
August 5, 2022
–
Started Reading
August 6, 2022
– Shelved
August 8, 2022
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-5 of 5 (5 new)
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I'm thrilled that my review caused you to order the book and read it so quickly. And I can think of several examples of the reverse of that circumstance—me immediately ordering a book you'd just reviewed.
Maqroll the Gaviero for one!..."
Aye, we're lookouts, Fionnuala.
It's James that affected me the most. You said you saw yourself in him. Maybe I did too. Young, a raw talent, means well. But, you know, circumstances. To be crushed, not by bullets, but by self interest. Jaysus.
Thank you, Barbara.
Those few sentences tell your experience so well, Tony—and make readers of your review very aware of the depth of your investment in this story. We feel your heart-break.
I'm thrilled that my review caused you to order the book and read it so quickly. And I can think of several examples of the reverse of that circumstance—me immediately ordering a book you'd just reviewed.
Maqroll the Gaviero for one!