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The Coast Road

‘A perfect book club read’ Sunday Times

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The Coast Road

By: Alan Murrin
Narrated by: Jessica Regan
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Bloomsbury presents The Coast Road by Alan Murrin, read by Jessica Regan

* WINNER OF THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS: NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR 2024 *

‘A perfect book club read ... Assured and powerful’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘I loved this novel ... An addictive read’ GILLIAN ANDERSON
‘Moves between rage, forgiveness and hope ... A stonkingly good novel’ SARAH WINMAN
‘A beautiful, accomplished debut’ LOUISE KENNEDY

It’s 1994 in County Donegal, Ireland, and everyone is talking about Colette Crowley: the writer, the bohemian, the woman who left her family to be with a married man in Dublin.

Returning to pick up the pieces of her old life, Colette finds that nothing – and everything – has changed. When the man to whom she is still married denies her access to their children, Colette enlists the help of Izzy, a housewife and mother of two, and the women forge a friendship that will send them on a spiralling journey – one towards a path of self-discovery, and the other towards tragedy.

A WOMAN & HOME and NB. MAGAZINE BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Tear-jerking Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Beautifully written ... The novel is wonderful on what it means to live in a patriarchal society and the consequences women can suffer for trying to follow their dreams. Compelling
Murrin’s novel is immaculately crafted, his characterisation beautifully nuanced ... Murrin’s scrutiny of the community’s prejudice is shot through with humour, while he writes perceptively about love, desire and the limitations placed on women ... A compelling, compassionate page-turner
Packed with shenanigans – affairs, separations, deaths, priests and politics – the narrative unfolds in a gossipy rush that is well suited to the small town milieu. But Murrin attends to a different kind of desperation too, the real and heartbreaking lack of agency for women in difficult, unsatisfying marriages in twentieth century Ireland. This is what elevates his novel, bringing the lives of his distinctive female characters into high definition ... Murrin switches with remarkable ease between the perspectives ... An engrossing read ... A gripping character-driven novel that is accessible and literary in style
An absolute zinger ... A beautifully told, interwoven story full of really vivid characters ... If I didn’t know it was a man who wrote it, I would definitely say it was a woman who wrote it, because he gets under the skin of the women characters in particular really well. Highly recommend it, it’s a beautiful read (Barbara Scully, author of WISE UP [via Instagram])
If the book club queen Reese Witherspoon relocated to the Irish Republic, this would tick all her boxes ... This is an assured and powerful debut, and Murrin shows impressive imaginative power in inhabiting the hopes and fears of married, middle-aged mothers. It’s well worth a slot in your book club calendar ... It is thoughtful, readable and funny, and even occasionally thrilling
‘Scandal, hypocrisy and the stigma of divorce make this Irish novel sing ... The story is crisply told ... Murrin is sceptically yet tenderly observant'
With nuanced observations, humour and heartbreak, the novel mirrors the backdrop of the sea, whose ebb and flow belies dangerous currents below the surface
I loved this novel. All the female characters are complex and fascinating, and full of anger and hope. I found it an addictive read (Gillian Anderson)
Alan Murrin is a gifted storyteller, his characters so fully realised I fretted for them as I read. A beautiful, accomplished debut (Louise Kennedy, author of TRESPASSES)
I have been rooted to my sun bed gulping it down ... What an absolute triumph, and even more astonishing for being a debut. I loved everything about it and can’t wait to read what he does next (Gill Hornby)
All stars
Most relevant
No time wasted on repeated storytelling perfect length great narration choice on audible ! Would read again , expect lots of tear

Loved it

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Beautifully written , I felt the pain, aner, confusion, resignation and final bravery of all the women.

I reminder how far we've come .....

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This is set at a time before Ireland had divorce . Something I had no idea occurred . The control and fear this caused women and families is difficult to imagine . This book shows the impact of this control the imbalance in marriages and the lives women were captured in . Freedom is a thread throughout women seeking freedom and how to grasp it and the perils it brought . A Really excellent book and the narration was perfect . I shall certainly look for more by this author .

Beautifully read and a moving story

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I loved everything about it-the lives of the 3 women were so beautifully described

This is such a wonderful, deep book

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One of the best books I’ve listened to in a very long time. Would imagine this would be a perfect book club choice (if I were part of a book club) Totally absorbed from the start.

Engrossed

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