Ratings8
Average rating4.3
Set during the year preceding the Easter Uprising of 1916—Ireland’s brave but fractured revolt against British rule—*At Swim, Two Boys* is a tender, tragic love story and a brilliant depiction of people caught in the tide of history. Powerful and artful, and ten years in the writing, it is a masterwork from Jamie O’Neill.
Jim Mack is a naïve young scholar and the son of a foolish, aspiring shopkeeper. Doyler Doyle is the rough-diamond son—revolutionary and blasphemous—of Mr. Mack’s old army pal. Out at the Forty Foot, that great jut of rock where gentlemen bathe in the nude, the two boys make a pact: Doyler will teach Jim to swim, and in a year, on Easter of 1916, they will swim to the distant beacon of Muglins Rock and claim that island for themselves. All the while Mr. Mack, who has grand plans for a corner shop empire, remains unaware of the depth of the boys’ burgeoning friendship and of the changing landscape of a nation.
Reviews with the most likes.
i'm still unable to write a review for this book. i think i love it so much that i'm not sure how to express my thoughts on it without sounding like a lovefool. a couple of months ago i instigated a friend into reading it - and a couple of weeks later i decided to read it again. this review will be our stupid thoughts (not necessarily on the book itself) compiled. IT CONTAINS SPOILERS.
ramiel ??? 21/06/2023 13:52
GONNA GET AROUND AT SWIM TWO BOYS FIRST LET'S GO
spepp ??? 21/06/2023 15:47
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2,301 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...