33 Ireland – Colm Tóibín – Nora Webster – March 2016 (Score 8.08)

I have only read two of Colm Tóibín’s books, this one and “Brooklyn”. Within two pages I found them to be linked. May Lacey, who came to visit Norah Webster to commiserate with her about the death of her husband, is the mother of Eilis, the protagonist of “Brooklyn”.

Nora set about the task of ridding the family of those parts of their lives which she no longer wanted to hold onto. She went to Cush and decided to sell their old summer house, collecting just a few photos and books to take home for the family. Nora has four children, Fiona, in teacher training in Dublin, Aine at school in Bunclody, Daniel, at school near home, and Conor, the younger boy, also at school.

She took the boys to Dublin for a day. They bought books at Easons, and went to Bewleys for a meal. They crossed the Ha’penny Bridge on their way back to the station. I did all of these during our holiday in Dublin last Christmas and New Year. In fact, I bought nine books from Easons, mainly on Irish subjects.

Page 30 – I read Teilhard de Chardin in my teens (from the library). I could make nothing of him. In fact, I had forgotten about him until I read this page.

Nora’s Aunt Josie paid a visit. The boys had stayed with her for two months while Maurice was dying. They behaved strangely quietly and ignored her. Daniel woke up screaming from a nightmare that night. Nora wondered if something happened during the stay and went, later, to see Josie who was straight-faced and silent about things, except to wonder why the boys were left with her so long.

Pages 70 and 71 – I laughed out loud at the story of the fire-irons and the sheep.

Nora went to work at Gibney’s where she worked before she married. This was at the specific request of Mr Gibney. She was to work for Francie Cavanagh whom she did not like, and who detested her. Kavanagh proved herself to be a really nasty piece of work.

On page 113 there is a discussion of the TV news of a civil rights march in Derry being broken up by the police, brutally. We follow Nora and her family though happy times and sad times, getting to know them. Tóibín has a deft touch in making his characters come to life.

Nora showed how strong a woman she was when Conor was moved, together with two other pupils (the three of them being the best pupils) from the A-class to the B-class. The Christian Brother in charge of the primary school gave no reason. Nora sent letters to ll of the teachers at the school to say that she would start to picket the school on a certain day if Conor was not moved back into the A-class. Two teachers visited her and she told them that she had her placard prepared and, if any teachers crossed her picket line she would put a widow’s curse on them “and you know how powerful a widow’s curse is. Conor was returned to the A-class.

This story tells us a lot about the power of the Catholic Church in Ireland at the time and about the continuing folk ways and beliefs in the old ways. It was certainly interesting to read about the Irish reaction to the events in Derry.

Nora learned to sing, and was introduced to Classical music> She took to it like a thirsty person who had been given water. She went back to work, reduced it to part time so that she could still have the opportunity to do the things she wanted.

She took on the complete redecoration of one of her rooms, straining herself very badly by painting the ceiling with chest pains and sore arms. She thought she was having a heart attack, but it was a false alarm, luckily. Life went on, and the book ended. And what a good ending it is.

After I had finished the book I wanted to hear Nora’s favourite, Beethoven’s Archduke Trio. I bought a CD of this, on which the Archduke is bundled with two other pieces by Beethoven. I enjoyed them all, and especially the Archduke. Thank you Nora (Webster) for telling me about it.

My score for this book is 8.5.