Haven by Emma Donoghue
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Web ID: 15058329Emma Donoghue does it again
Emma Donoghue does it again. She managed to create an entire world out of a small room in her book Room. She has managed to yet again create a whole drama out of three monks and a remote island. Based on Artt's vision of letting go completely and relying on God to provide leads three monks (Artt, Trian, and Cormac) to band together and leave behind the small comforts of existence to the shoreline of an island that they don't have proof exists. What happens next is fascinating in seeing their characters unfold and to what great lengths each of them are willing to go in their faith, but to what length each is willing to rely fully on God and not on self. What happens next is a slow paced yet intense building of three temperaments slowly melding and colliding into what is now known as Haven. Excellent job! *I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. This review is my own opinion*
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thought provoking
Haven By Emma Donoghue This book is set in 7th century Ireland. It is the story of three men: Artt, a scholar; Cormac, a former pagan turned monk; and Trian, a young monk given to the monastery at the age of thirteen. The three men set out to separate themselves from the world of men in order to dedicate themselves entirely to service to their God. The author's stark portrayal of sacrifice and deprivation in the name of God's will is both beautiful and horrifying. The choices all three men are forced to make are brought home by Ms. Donoghue's direct and clear yet simple writing. This is not a book to read for its entertainment value – it should be read to inspire contemplation. I would highly recommend it to readers seeking something more than a "beach read".
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
survival with religion in 7th century
I very much liked Emma Donoghue’s “Frog Music”, “The Wonder”, and “The Pull of the Stars” and would recommend them anytime. Consequently, I feel a bit guilty or perhaps, disappointed, to have a lackluster feel about her most recent book. One, which looking at the run, the publisher is committed to. Set in Ireland in the 7th century, a priest named Artt shows up at a monastery. He has a dream about taking 2 specific monks, Trian and Cormac, with him and escaping the sinful world to set up place where they can worship in peace. They end up on an island that is so baren that only sea birds can live there and instead of building shelters, planting food, and planning how they will exist, Artt has them building crosses and transcribing the bible. The annoyance at Artt was never ending for me and when the story ended as I’d hoped, I wasn’t just glad for the characters but also for me.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Character-Driven Historical Fiction
Although not fast-paced, Emma Donoghue’s Haven is an excellent character-driven historic novel inspired by ancient ruins on the island of what is now known as Skellig Michael. No written records exist of this most isolated of Ireland’s Early Christian monastic sites. Setting her latest novel in the 7th century when Ireland was mostly pagan, Donoghue imagines the lives of three monks who first set foot on the barren island inhabited only by birds. Artt, a visitor to Cluain Mhic Nois , a Irish monastery, is held in awe by resident monks. With the bearing of a warrior king, this multilingual scholar and hermit has had a dream—a religious vision in which he, along with an elderly monk and a young monk, fulfills God’s plan to establish a remote island monastery. Although Artt does not know the island’s location, he believes God will guide him there. At Cluain Mhic Nois, Artt meets Cormac and Trian, the two monks Artt believes were his companions in the vision, and he persuades them to accompany him in a small boat. Much of the novel chronicles their travels, their discovery of the island they call Greater Skellig, their landing, religious devotion and scribe work, construction, food gathering, and general day-to-day lives. However, more important by far is Donoghue’s focus on the men—their different backgrounds, priorities, relationships, and growing tensions. The discerning reader realizes early that trouble is brewing. Woven into the story are a variety of legends, such as that of Brigit’s cloak, that add to the story. The final chapter may leave many readers’ mouths agape, but, given the isolation and the three monks' individual natures, the outcome is inevitable.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Fascinating and Entertaining Historical Fiction
A really great little book. It's fairly short, something that could easily be read in a day or a few sittings. I actually really like books about monks (think Cadfael or Matthew Bartholomew) even though I am not religious. However, I really don't like it when books with religious characters turn from historical religiosity to preaching. This book does a great job of portraying very devout monks without crossing that line into trying to convert strangers. The author did a great job making the entire book very atmospheric, from the walls of the monastery to the boat trip to the scenes of life on the island. I loved how much this book sucked me in. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. When I was reading it, I could barely remember there was a book in my hands because the scenes from the book played so vividly behind my eyes. This is my fourth book by Emma Donoghue but it will definitely not be my last! It really was quite fantastic. I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Variation on an Old Irish tale & Sea Journey
Set largely on Skellig Michael, one of the Skellig islands off the southwestern coast of Ireland, this begins on the first fast-day following Easter in Cluain Mhic Nóis, a monastery in County Offaly on the River Shannon. A place where strangers visit to study with one of the teachers, or to take a step away from the demands of life, to restore their soul, if you will. ’Chatter, argument, laughter; the hubbub of Gaelic rises and fills the hall like smoke.’ Six years Trian has been there, living among the monks when he is called upon to ferry this man, Artt, he’d only met the day before. Artt with the ’bearing of a warrior king’ who carries himself as though he is in a constant state of pious appeal. A man who, as a child, sought out a life of divinity at the tender age of seven, and continued to reach for higher understanding until he had outgrown each of the holy men who had shared their wisdom, and traveled throughout Ireland sharing the Gospel on this ’pagan-gripped continent’converting several tribes along the way. When Artt has a dream, a dream he is sure is a gift from above, a dream so real he can feel it and see it in his mind, he knows he has been chosen for a mission. This mission is so real to him, he requests a blessing of forming a sanctuary. ’Father, I have had a dream’ He shares his dream, his vision of the three of them, himself, a young monk and an old one. Artt, Trian and Cormac. A trinity, if you will, of chosen men. Men chosen, not by him, but by God. ’A vision…An island in the sea. I saw myself there. As if I were a bird or an angel, looking down on the three of us.’ ‘I was with an old monk, and a young one….an instruction to withdraw from the world…with two companions, find this island, and found a monastic retreat.’ I loved this variation on an immram, an Old Irish tale with a sea journey to the Otherworld, and a hero. A blend of Christianity with Irish mythology. A story of a man looked upon as a holy leader, a man who believes in his vision and insists on others following his way despite the destruction it will bring. A man who seeks to convince others that his is the true and only way, despite the peril to all involved. A parable that explores themes that seem all the more relevant to our times. Many thanks for the ARC provided by Little, Brown and Company
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Faith, acceptance and survival
Emma Donoghue is a brilliant writer and I always look forward to her newest book. And that would be the just released, Haven. I've enjoyed every book she's penned, but I find myself most drawn to the historical pieces, as they are based on or take their inspiration from fact. In this case its Skellig Michael - home to a Gaelic monastery that was founded between the 6th and 8th centuries. Haven tells the story of three monks set out to find an isolated, never settled island to build their own monastery. Their Prior is Artt - a visitor to an established community. He has a dream and asks the monastery for two monks to accompany him - the elderly Cormac, and the younger Trian. Their journey is not easy and the reader can see where there be strife. They land on a rocky, barren island that seems inhospitable, but Artt has faith that God will provide for them. His goals, intents and actions are obediently taken as God's word by the other two. But, there are cracks in the foundation. Haven is a story of faith and survival, both of which are tried many times. I found the survival thread to be fascinating. How do you survive when there's nothing there? Or is there? Cormac and Trian's skillsets were unexpected and underline what a human can and will do to survive. I very much liked these two. However, I can't say the same for Artt. His motives, his inner dialogue and his sanctimonious attitude really rubbed me the wrong way. This will be the character that will prompt readers to form their own thoughts on the theological themes and threads in Haven. The ending was satisfying to me. I was on the fence about a piece of the plot that I could see coming. But after letting it sit with me for awhile, I decided it fit with what had gone before. It speaks to faith, acceptance, and survival. (I know that's quite cryptic, but I don't want to provide spoilers.) For me, Haven was another great read from Donoghue.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thoughtful & Wonderfully Written Novel
Going into Haven, I wasn’t sure what to expect. On the one hand, I’d loved the author’s 2016 novel, The Wonder. On the other hand, several early reviews for Haven were middling, describing the story as slow and uneventful. While I have a particular love for Ireland and an interest in the regional history, I’m also an atheist, and so wasn’t sure how much I’d enjoy reading about three monks on a religious mission. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised: I really loved Haven. In some ways it is an odd book, and it’s unlike most of the novels I read. Although some of the complaints I saw in other reviews are accurate descriptions of the book… those elements didn’t bother me at all. Perhaps my favorite aspect of Haven is Emma Donoghue’s descriptive prose. She paints a vivid picture of Ireland, its landscape, and its flora and fauna. I loved the scenes at sea, with the three monks helplessly drifting through open waters until coming upon an uninviting, rocky pair of islands – or as Trian calls them, skelligs. (Indeed, the trio ended up on the real Irish island called Skellig Michael or the Great Skellig.) She draws up powerful images of the harsh island: craggy, hard to navigate, and with hardly any soil suitable for growing food. I also enjoyed getting to know the birds living there, including species that are now extinct. Apart from one or two minor characters early on, Haven is fully focused on our three monks: Artt (the “Prior”), Cormac, and Trian. They have such different personalities and perspectives, yet they need to work well together in order to survive on their new island. Right away, though, they do butt heads, especially Artt and Cormac. But Artt is in charge, so the other two must defer to him, even when his commands make little practical sense. Between the three of them, I really liked Cormac and Trian. Cormac is a kind old man who loves to tell stories; Trian is a dreamy but hard-working teenager with big ideas. Artt… well, let’s just say he’s a bit more severe, inflexible, and even irrational, especially as time wears on. Being focused on three monks founding a monastery, Haven is, naturally, a book that emphasizes Christianity. All three characters believe in God and know the Bible inside and out. They often quote different verses, they live according to religious doctrine, and they devote much time to religious pursuits: building a cross and an altar; transcribing the Bible; praying multiple times a day. However, what I especially liked was the different views they each had on Christianity and the debates they had. Cormac and Trian each have views (old-fashioned? Pagan?) that don’t necessarily match up with the Bible. Artt condemns these ideas, but the two monks can’t help but retain some of them. Trian grew up loving shellfish; he can’t understand why the Bible declares shellfish “unclean” and forbids eating them. Later on, Cormac starts to consider that Artt’s overly strict decisions might be nonsensical. As an atheist myself, I liked seeing that critical thinking and reevaluation of what makes sense and what doesn’t. Where is the line between trusting God to provide for you and you needing to use the resources available for your survival? At what point does devoutness become dangerous? There is an interesting revelation towards the end of the book which made me love it even more. How the characters dealt with this information only confirmed my liking of Cormac and Trian and my disliking for Artt. Although Haven does spend a lot of time on the seemingly mundane – watching the three monks find food, build shelter, and so on – I enjoyed the rugged and contemplative nature of it. Nearly the whole story is set outdoors, and what may seem idyllic at first quickly reveals itself to be far more menacing. Slowly but surely, the three characters’ true natures is revealed, and it culminates in satisfying, if open-ended, conclusion. Haven may not be for everyone, but if you’re interested in three monks in 600 C.E. Ireland making a home on a harsh island, contemplating religion and survival, and escaping from the dangers of an overzealous man, this is a quietly engaging read. It’s thought-provoking and fascinating, with a delicate balance between a soft style of storytelling and a severe setting. I was fully immersed and enjoyed the whole novel. * Special thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown for providing me with an ARC of this book!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com