Genre Fiction
![Audrey Magee - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_audrey_magee.jpg)
The Colony: A Novel
LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE
In 1979, as violence erupts all over Ireland, two outsiders travel to a small island off the west coast in search of their own answers, despite what it may cost the islanders.
It is the summer of 1979. An English painter travels to a small island off the west coast of Ireland. Mr. Lloyd takes the last leg by currach, though boats with engines are available and he doesn't much like the sea. He wants the authentic experience, to be changed by this place, to let its quiet and light fill him, give him room to create. He doesn't know that a Frenchman follows close behind. Jean-Pierre Masson has visited the island for many years, studying the language of those who make it their home. He is fiercely protective of their isolation, deems it essential to exploring his theories of language preservation and identity.
But the people who live on this rock―three miles long and half a mile wide―have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken, and what ought to be given in return. Over the summer, each of them―from great-grandmother Bean Uí Fhloinn, to widowed Mairéad, to fifteen-year-old James, who is determined to avoid the life of a fisherman―will wrestle with their values and desires. Meanwhile, all over Ireland, violence is erupting. And there is blame enough to go around.
An expertly woven portrait of character and place, a stirring investigation into yearning to find one's way, and an unflinchingly political critique of the long, seething cost of imperialism, Audrey Magee's The Colony is a novel that transports, that celebrates beauty and connection, and that reckons with the inevitable ruptures of independence.
In 1979, as violence erupts all over Ireland, two outsiders travel to a small island off the west coast in search of their own answers, despite what it may cost the islanders.
It is the summer of 1979. An English painter travels to a small island off the west coast of Ireland. Mr. Lloyd takes the last leg by currach, though boats with engines are available and he doesn't much like the sea. He wants the authentic experience, to be changed by this place, to let its quiet and light fill him, give him room to create. He doesn't know that a Frenchman follows close behind. Jean-Pierre Masson has visited the island for many years, studying the language of those who make it their home. He is fiercely protective of their isolation, deems it essential to exploring his theories of language preservation and identity.
But the people who live on this rock―three miles long and half a mile wide―have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken, and what ought to be given in return. Over the summer, each of them―from great-grandmother Bean Uí Fhloinn, to widowed Mairéad, to fifteen-year-old James, who is determined to avoid the life of a fisherman―will wrestle with their values and desires. Meanwhile, all over Ireland, violence is erupting. And there is blame enough to go around.
An expertly woven portrait of character and place, a stirring investigation into yearning to find one's way, and an unflinchingly political critique of the long, seething cost of imperialism, Audrey Magee's The Colony is a novel that transports, that celebrates beauty and connection, and that reckons with the inevitable ruptures of independence.
Editorial Reviews
Longlisted for the Booker Prize
A Finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
"The Colony is a novel of ideas . . . Magee builds her world with a rich particularity . . . [anchored] in the brutal political realities of Ireland during a fateful summer, while acting as a reminder of imperialism's broader legacy around the world."
―Kathryn Hughes, The New York Times Book Review
"Fertile ground for exploring big ideas, widespread tensions and fatal consequences . . . A vivid, thought-provoking novel about language, art, colonialism and the Troubles."
―Malcolm Forbes, Star Tribune
"Like a fable, The Colony is sealed up tight, all possible meanings accounted for. And, like history itself, it has a bitter lesson to teach . . . It makes an ultimately satisfying shape in the mind, and creates a mood that lingers discomfitingly after the final page is turned."
―Kevin Power, The Guardian
"Luminous, lyrical and pungent."
―Jonathan Myerson, The Observer
"What a relief it is to find a novel that treats the reader as a grown-up, that is fresh without chasing literary fashion, provocative but not shouty, and idiosyncratic but fully satisfying from the strange comedy of its opening pages to its decisive conclusion . . . [The Colony] contains multitudes―on families, on men and women, on rural communities―with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water."
―John Self, The Times
"[A] panorama of lyrical beauty, effort, and complex connection . . . A finely wrought, multilayered tale with the lucidity of a parable."
―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Lyrical and trenchant . . . It's a delicate balance, and one the author pulls off brilliantly."
―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A compelling exploration of the intersection of the personal and the po...
A Finalist for the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction
"The Colony is a novel of ideas . . . Magee builds her world with a rich particularity . . . [anchored] in the brutal political realities of Ireland during a fateful summer, while acting as a reminder of imperialism's broader legacy around the world."
―Kathryn Hughes, The New York Times Book Review
"Fertile ground for exploring big ideas, widespread tensions and fatal consequences . . . A vivid, thought-provoking novel about language, art, colonialism and the Troubles."
―Malcolm Forbes, Star Tribune
"Like a fable, The Colony is sealed up tight, all possible meanings accounted for. And, like history itself, it has a bitter lesson to teach . . . It makes an ultimately satisfying shape in the mind, and creates a mood that lingers discomfitingly after the final page is turned."
―Kevin Power, The Guardian
"Luminous, lyrical and pungent."
―Jonathan Myerson, The Observer
"What a relief it is to find a novel that treats the reader as a grown-up, that is fresh without chasing literary fashion, provocative but not shouty, and idiosyncratic but fully satisfying from the strange comedy of its opening pages to its decisive conclusion . . . [The Colony] contains multitudes―on families, on men and women, on rural communities―with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water."
―John Self, The Times
"[A] panorama of lyrical beauty, effort, and complex connection . . . A finely wrought, multilayered tale with the lucidity of a parable."
―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Lyrical and trenchant . . . It's a delicate balance, and one the author pulls off brilliantly."
―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A compelling exploration of the intersection of the personal and the po...
Readers Top Reviews
M. Boyle-TaylorWeasl
I found this novel incredibly moving, and a unique perspective on a topic/theme written about often, "The Irish Question". Seeing the uprising , "war", of the Irish troubles through isolated islanders off the Irish coast, and their visitors, gave richer meaning to the atrocity of war and unreconcilable views that are ingrained in cultures. It gives a deep sense of what it is to be a colony, and its lingering effects, as seen through the interactions of these characters. The emotional betrayal goes deep as one reads through this novel, which is not simple in picking sides, good or bad, but shows the ambiguity of choices and trust in our fellow humankind. I did not feel uplifted by Magee's writing, but I enjoyed her craft and empathy with her characters; it is perhaps not a topic to feel uplifted by in any way, but necessary to explore.
Kindle
A considerate well written book in a different form. So thought provoking in its simplicity, yet very deep on so many levels.
Elizabeth B.
Hard to convey how astounding this novel is. I read 100+ books a year and this is THE BEST in many months. It is about art, yes, and linguistics, yes, and Irish history and culture, foodways, loss, love. AND the dangers and damages of colonialism. No wonder it is a finalist for the 2022 Booker Prize. I hope it wins!
Hesh
Some what confusing at first but when you get into the story it is powerful. The sorrow of the Irish war is frightening. Hesh
Clayton CurtissHeshE
The joy of this novel is discovering a little known corner of our world and then living out one of the most vicious eras in world history, The story of an English painter and a French linguist on a small Irish island in the Atlantic becomes a true accounting of the Irish tragedy at the hands of the British and French. The book is long listed for the 2022 Booker and I dearly hope it wins so as to bring this marvelous piece of writing and story telling to a wide audience. Do yourself a favor and read it,
