The Wonder

Interesting book. I’m really squeamish about health and body things, so this book made me want to vomit on many occasions. I couldn’t eat while reading it, it was too gross. I hate hearing about medical things and there was a good bit of that here. The gross body stuff and the medical stuff definitely made me enjoy the book much less. Also, some books about poor people just have them eating a lot of cheese and bread (like Lust for Life by Irving Stone, about Vincent Van Gogh). This book has poor people, but they only eat really terrible, unappetizing things. Another reason not to try to eat while reading this. I will say, it is well written and it’s a unique story. I’ve never read anything like it. The love interest is tasteful and not cheesy or obnoxious. The story is intriguing and the picture painted by the author is vivid. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and I do plan to read more of her work.

This book is a delight to read on so many levels. The story is compelling and interesting and the writing is very good. In addition to containing a disturbing mystery, the novel poses questions about medical ethics and morality. A good book makes you think and I am still thinking about this one a few days after finishing.The story is set in southern Ireland in 1859, over the period of two weeks. Lib is a widow who became a nurse after her husband of one year died. She was a Nightingale, as in trained by Florence, and was working in a hospital in England after the Crimea War. Her matron suggested Lib travel to Ireland to be a nurse in the O’Donnell household for two weeks. She agrees, but nothing is as she anticipated. Lib has been hired by a committee of townsfolk to “observe” 11 year old Anna O’Donnell for two weeks. The child has not eaten in 4 months and the committee wants to know if this is a hoax or divine intervention as the family claims. The child reports that she receives manna from heaven. People come from all over to see the devoutly religious miracle child. Lib and a local nun are to take shifts and simply observe to see if the child is taking in any food. Lib is out of place in Catholic Ireland and is convinced that the whole thing is a trick. She is a firm believer in facts and science and has nothing but disdain for religion. As she spends time with Anna, an unlikely friendship develops. Lib remains very skeptical of the family and some of the townspeople. She is befriended by a newspaper reporter sent there to cover the story. Together, they begin to discover the horrible truth. As Anna’s health begins to fail, Lib begs the local physician and the committee to end the watch period and intervene. She soon discovers that everyone has their own agenda, including building up the local church if Anna is declared a saint. Lib knows that she needs to act fast, but she is torn between duty and love.There are so many lovely layers to this novel. The characters have hidden secrets, some of them quite horrifying. It is chilling to learn how far people will go to further their own desires. Far enough to endanger the life of a child and to convince her that she is doing the right thing by starving herself. There are themes of guilt, family loyalty, the goodness and dangers of religion, misperceptions and assumptions, and medical and moral ethics. The story is a slow burn that builds to some startling conclusions. The book is hard to put down and well worth your time.

This is a hard book for me to review. I was attracted to the story by two elements: first, I really liked the writing in the sample I read; and second, I wanted to know how the author would resolve so challenging a premise. Sadly, by the end of the book I had somewhat soured on both.As for the writing, it was continually good, but the author's use of short, incomplete sentences began to wear on me. At first I loved them. She used them to open a scene--sort of a transition device--and as a way to quickly and succinctly give the reader the "lay of the land". It did work well in some cases, but not in all; and I tend to feel that as a device it would be better served being utilized in action scenes only.As for the premise, I loved it in the beginning until it became more obviously a veiled attack on the Catholic Church. Before I proceed, let me make it VERY CLEAR that I am not Catholic and I do condemn those crimes, past and present, that have been committed by priests and others of that faith. My complaint is strictly from a story standpoint. As a story, this attack on mainstream religion has been done ad nauseam, to the point that it has a become a tired cliche. I have read far too many books (and seen far too many movies) in which the broken, hardhearted agnostic (or occasionally atheist) confronts evil, corrupt religious people and in the end finds some sort of righteous redemption.The author mentions in her postscript that she had been inspired by reading accounts of "fasting children" from the past. I do not question whether horrific events like this took place, I just wish someone would write the opposite--how someone of faith reveals the bankruptcy of agnosticism. Both types of books are valuable, but over the last hundred years or so, more of one has been written than the other. In fairness, there probably was a time in which we saw more books in the latter vent than the former, and why that has changed I will leave for others to analyse. My point is that as a reader, I would like to see more balance in literature.Now, a warning: If you have not read THE WONDER and intend to, skip the rest of this review as it contains spoilers.As I said earlier, I loved the premise and the writing and that sustained the book for me for a few chapters. After that the events in the story became monotonous. Of course the events themselves were monotonous for our protagonist--one "watch" after another with no change in Anna's condition--but that does not forgive the author from boring her readers. Stories are not real life. They are literary depictions of real life, meaning a good story should never bore its reader. The author must find a creative way of depicting those slow times.Part of the issue was that the premise became like a one-joke movie--a film where the premise was great, but it never went anywhere. THE WONDER does finally pick up some momentum once Anna turns down her mother's illusive feedings and begins to truly die. At that point I was really championing Lib, hoping she could find some way to reach this poor, disillusioned girl. But when Lib confronted the village priest and the other members of the committee with the evidence of Anna's imminent demise and they turned a blind eye, all of this fell apart for me. These people would have never responded that way upon seeing Anna's wasted condition. The author tried to hedge this negative response by placing her story in the mid-1800s when people in Ireland were supposedly more superstitious and pigheaded. Whether that was true, I don't know. All I know is that as a story it didn't work because I couldn't bring myself to believe people in their situation would react so callously. Here I think perhaps the author was trying too hard to show her disdain for Catholicism, and she let it impact her storytelling.But what hurt the story more than anything for me was after spending the whole novel showing how determined Anna was to move her brother from hell to heaven via her death, she suddenly and inexplicably allowed Lib to talk her out of it at the point of finally achieving that goal. The author had built such a strong character in Anna that she painted herself into a corner where her only way out was a type of deus ex machina. I'm sorry, but after months of suffering, people like Anna don't change their minds at the last possible second. They die.Then there were the practical sides of the story. If Anna had died in the fire, she would have left behind bones. Everyone from the police to the townspeople would have known that. And since all of these religious zealots were willing to let Anna die so they would have a martyr to draw pilgrims to their tiny village, they would have zealously excavated her bones to put on display. And then there was Anna's physical condition. Again, this is where the author did her job far too well. Her description of Anna's condition at the end of her life was so horrific I found it impossible to believe she would have survived her escape, much less gone on to flourish. And finally there was Lib's love interest--Byrne. Why? Why do men and women working together to achieve a worthy goal have to fall in love? My guess is some publisher told the author that you can't have a successful novel these days without a love interest, and if that is so, then so be it. But I just wish once in awhile two people of the opposite sex would work together without it being a romance.So, after all of this criticism, why did I give THE WONDER three stars and not something less? Because the writing was excellent, the characters well defined, the settings were expertly painted, and the premise was intriguing. Would I recommend it? That's hard for me to say. THE WONDER was one of those books that had a lot going for it, it was just not for me. That's not to say others will be willing to overlook those things that bothered me. One of "the wonders" (excuse me, I couldn't help myself!) of literature is that we're all different, and what doesn't work for one of us, will undoubtedly work for another. This diversity is what makes the world a more interesting place.

A sharp glimpse into the Irish soul, and staged right after the infamous potato famine. At the same time, a novel that you cannot put down until you finish.

Sfortunatamente ho visto prima il film (che già mi era piaciuto tantissimo) ma il libro è stato molto bello.La storia si basa sulla vera vicenda delle starving girls ossia delle ragazze (ma anche ragazzi) che dicevano di poter sopravvivere senza mangiare. Infatti, qui incontriamo Anna O’Donnel una undicenne che non mangia da quattro mesi e che sarà tenuta sotto stretta osservazione da due infermiere, Sister Michael e Lib Wright.Il personaggio di Lib mi è parso molto diverso dalla trasposizione cinematografica, probabilmente perché ne lèggiamo i pensieri più profondi e le sue opinioni. Infatti, Lib sembra molto più cinica nei confronti di Anna. Inoltre, ha un rapporto molto più importante - rispetto al film - con Sister Michael e gli O’Donnels.L’aspetto religioso è anche MOLTO più presente rispetto alla trasposizione cinematografica. In questo caso, da persona atea e “eretica” (come Lib del resto) mi sono ritrovata molto spesso a buttare gli occhi al cielo. Poi, però, mi sono resa conto di come questa religiosità sia tossica ma non è che per tutti è così. Questo, per esempio, lo vediamo nel contrasto tra Anna e William Byrne: entrambi sono religiosi ma lo sono in maniera molto molto differente.Il finale per me non è stato un grande twist a causa del film ma non lo avrei sicuramente previsto.

A fascinating study of religious zealotry, patriarchy, and human kindness, also an interesting perspective on what, these days, we’d classify as an eating disorder.This wasn’t an easy story to read but worth pursuing to the end (I almost gave up around halfway through because it seemed to be going nowhere).

The fist time I started reading the book I put it away again, but the second time I was mesmerized, the description of the little girl is so vivid it was like being inside the book.

I was very curious to see what Emma Donoghue would do next after the incredible success of "Room". In "The Wonder" she has returned to the past and to another country but still exploring the emotive and powerful issue of parenting, motherhood, the vulnerability of children and the lengths people will go to for the love of a child. The location, era and premise may be worlds away from that of "Room", but this book is as haunting, psychologically thrilling and unforgettable. I loved it.Donoghue's writing is powerful, taut and clever. She uses language masterfully and this novel allows her to play with repetition, misinterpretation, literal and metaphorical interpretation, euphemism and ambiguity. I loved the play on words, the double meanings, the difference between what the characters thought they heard and what was said and the sage reminder of how manipulative language can be. Donoghue also celebrates how powerful language can be - not just through its usage by the characters but also through her imagery and skilful prose. This is a book to savour.The historical and social context of this novel is fascinating and allows Donoghue to write about rationality and science versus myths and faith. Lib and Anna's family are direct contrasts representing the medical world view versus the spiritual. There are constant contrasts between what is obvious and clear and the different ways in which it is explained through a mythical angle. Lib, our plain speaking, no nonsense nurse and protagonist, is quick to dismiss the religion, prayer and wonder of the family and community although this is attitude is tested and challenged as the novel progresses.I liked Lib a lot. At first she seems hard, too clinical, a little arrogant but as the story unfolds and we learn more about her and more about the world in which she operates, the more I liked her strength, perseverance and dedication. It is her thoroughness, her persistence and her diligence while caring for Anna which leads to the dramatic climax. Lib's emotional journey is immense - it is a real awakening and perhaps even a kind of epiphany. I liked this. Obviously the story is about Anna and the mystery surrounding her "wonder" but actually it is much about Lib and the journey she finds herself on. I liked her wry comments, her disparaging responses to the family, her flaws, her angst and her deep hidden secrets.There are so many fascinating comments from the characters that reveal attitudes to religion, prayer, women, nursing and mental health that there is almost too much to talk about in this review. On the one hand this is a gripping, powerful, mesmerising read about a young girl and a nurse, on the other hand it is a complex novel about duty, negligence, stories, parenting, manipulation and guilt. On the one hand the reader is absorbed in trying to solve the puzzle as to how Anna has survived with no food for four months; it is a crime story, a mystery, a thriller. On the other hand it is a novel about the stories we tell each other and how easily these stories, warnings, rituals and scripture can be misunderstood or abused.I enjoyed the shadow of Florence Nightingale whose ominous presence was felt on some of the pages. I thought her characterisation was original and intriguing. Lib's own character was so formed by the opinions and teachings of Nightingale it made a dynamic contrast with the local Doctor of the tiny town in which Lib finds herself attempting to carry out medical duties. I think Lib was a great choice of protagonist as she is so different from what I expected. She is fierce and "blasphemous". She emphasises the differences in culture between Ireland and England at this time and captures the tensions that existed politically and socially between the two countries through her character and interaction with the Irish characters.Donoghue's evocation of 1850s Ireland was excellent and it was impossible not to feel the dampness of the peat, the darkness of the earth and the hold of superstition, prayer and liturgy over the community.I liked that every character had a motive - and not always a very worthy one. Even Lib has a questionable motive at the beginning. Each character appears to want to help Anna but actually their search for the truth behind her 'wonder' is avoiding their own personal search for truth, answers and acceptance. In their attempts to uncover the truth behind what is happening in the O'Donnell household, Lib, Byrne, the O'Donnells and Anna have to confront their own hidden secrets and fears and face some painful truths.Just as with "Room" when my eyes could barely read the words fast enough and I kept forgetting to breathe, "The Wonder" is equally breathtaking. It is thought provoking, multilayered and gripping. It is a fantastic psychological thriller and quite frankly, a real wonder.