![]() ![]() ![]() I have given The Speech at least a hundred times. It is not a piece without hope but the horror ultimately outweighed the ending, for me. It is also one I don't feel I could ever deliver, for how deeply its words have wounded it, despite the five stars I have awarded it. It has an important story to tell and a powerful message to deliver. This emotion is what made this an unforgettable piece. There is a brutality evident in every scene this delivers. In places it was almost too sorrowful to continue reading and I spent much of my reading straining to make sense of the words, through tear-filled and red-rimmed eyes. As protagonist, Paula, takes us through her life in a series of flashbacks, we are invited to bear witness to the utter sorrow that has chronicled it. Each character was given a voice truly of their own and the nuances in tone and expression made them immediately recognisable, to the reader. His characters felt authentic and their flaws exuded life and vitality often missing from other contemporary literature, I have read. Doyle provides a startling and insightful vision of suburban Irish dialogue and society. I admit I was fearful that his writing might not have aged well, when I read the synopsis and reviews that spoke of this cultural focus. ![]() I acquired a collection of his best known works and then did nothing else with them for a few years. This author has been on my radar since a creative course in university, when my lecturer provided us with her self-curated list of 100 books/authors to read in our lifetime. ![]()
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