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  • Prophet Song

  • Written by: Paul Lynch
  • Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)

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Prophet Song cover art

Prophet Song

Written by: Paul Lynch
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Booker Prize 2023

On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother of four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.

Ireland is falling apart. The country is in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny and when her husband disappears, Eilish finds herself caught within the nightmare logic of a society that is quickly unravelling.

How far will she go to save her family? And what – or who – is she willing to leave behind?

Exhilarating, terrifying and propulsive, Prophet Song is a work of breathtaking originality, offering a devastating vision of a country at war and a deeply human portrait of a mother’s fight to hold her family together.

©2023 Paul Lynch (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing

What the critics say

'I haven't read a book that has shaken me so intensely in many years ... The comparisons are inevitable – Saramago, Orwell, McCarthy – but this novel will stand entirely on its own.' (Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon)
'Monumental ... You remember why fiction matters. It's hard to recall a more powerful novel in recent years.' (Samantha Harvey, author of The Western Wind)
'Prophet Song is a literary manifesto for empathy for those in need and a brilliant, haunting novel that should be placed into the hands of policymakers everywhere.' (The Guardian)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This is a timeless masterpiece.

The writing is absolutely breathtaking. The narrator is more than equal to that task. What a tender and profound performance of a very challenging, and deep dive into humanity in all is beauty and horror.

The writer has been compared to Cormac McCarthy and Faulkner and I now know why. A stunning work that will be read for generations to come.

I stepped into this without really knowing anything about it other than I probably wasn’t interested in the subject matter. I thought I’d give it a chapter or two and see how it went since it won the Booker Prize.

Oh my God, what an amazing experience. The subject of the book, the power and the darkness is not for everyone, but if you appreciate great literature, this is it.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

I had higher expectations

“Prophet Song”, by Paul Lynch (2023 Booker Prize Winner)

3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved the audiobook but hated reading the book.

There are no quotation marks, breaks between dialogues or paragraphs breaks.
You really have to be completely focused in order to identify the voice.

Fortunately the audiobook was on sale, and the narration is excellent, and because I read and listened simultaneously, it made the reading a lot easier.

Still… this was quite boring.

It is for sure beautifully written (quotations or not) but the storyline did not impress me or entertain me, or even touched me in any way.

It was definitely not for me, never mind the fact that it won a literary award.

I forced myself to finish it only because I purchased a copy and also because of the excellent narration of the audiobook.

Hardcover (Grove/Atlantic): 320 pages

Ebook (Kobo): 290 pages (default), 90k words (9 chapters)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping tale

I devoured this book in three days, though I would have listened to it straight through had I had the opportunity. Through excellent writing, Lynch takes you by the lapels and urges you to turn your thoughts to those in far-flung conflicts, serving as a not-so-subtle warning that the slide to dictatorship and chaos can come to any shore, any city, any people.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Too many literary devices, too little storytelling

Too many allegories, metaphors and similies, most of which did little to advance the story. As a result, the story itself was slow, dull, and uneventful. It also had no inherent message. Instead, it conveyed the ‘awfulness’ of a country’s descent into totalitarianism that was far less interesting and compelling than many stories in actual, recorded modern history. I really did not enjoy this book.

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2 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Could hardly wait for it to be over

I did not enjoy any of this story. I couldn’t wait for it to be over.

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