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Holding: A Novel
Până la Graham Norton
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A New York Times bestseller
From Graham Norton—the BAFTA Award–winning and hugely popular BBC America television host—comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. “With its tale of provincial life, gimlet-eyed spinsters, and thwarted love…it feels almost like a Miss Marple mystery written by Colm Tóibín” (The New York Times).
The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.
So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.
Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit” (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
From Graham Norton—the BAFTA Award–winning and hugely popular BBC America television host—comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. “With its tale of provincial life, gimlet-eyed spinsters, and thwarted love…it feels almost like a Miss Marple mystery written by Colm Tóibín” (The New York Times).
The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.
So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.
Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit” (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
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Începeți să citițiInformații despre carte
Holding: A Novel
Până la Graham Norton
Descriere
A New York Times bestseller
From Graham Norton—the BAFTA Award–winning and hugely popular BBC America television host—comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. “With its tale of provincial life, gimlet-eyed spinsters, and thwarted love…it feels almost like a Miss Marple mystery written by Colm Tóibín” (The New York Times).
The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.
So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.
Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit” (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
From Graham Norton—the BAFTA Award–winning and hugely popular BBC America television host—comes a charming debut novel set in an idyllic Irish village where a bumbling investigator has to sort through decades of gossip and secrets to solve a mysterious crime. “With its tale of provincial life, gimlet-eyed spinsters, and thwarted love…it feels almost like a Miss Marple mystery written by Colm Tóibín” (The New York Times).
The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama, and yet its inhabitants are troubled: Sergeant P.J. Collins hasn’t always been this overweight; Brid Riordan, a mother of two, hasn’t always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn’t always felt that her life was a total waste.
So when human remains—suspected to be those of Tommy Burke, a former lover of both Brid and Evelyn—are discovered on an old farm, the village’s dark past begins to unravel. As a frustrated P.J. struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his professional life, he unearths a community’s worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regrets.
Darkly comic, at times profoundly sad, and “especially inviting because of its tongue-in-cheek wit” (Kirkus Reviews), Holding is a masterful debut. Graham Norton employs his acerbic humor to breathe life into a host of lovable characters, and explore—with searing honesty—the complexities and contradictions that make us human.
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After reading "A Keeper" I immediately had to buy Holding. Graham has a talent for the emotions and feelings of people and writes in a way that engages the reader. I will be looking forward to his next book.
Rating: 5This Irish mystery is a cross between a cozy and a police procedural and won the Irish Book Award Book of the Year. Purchased in Ireland it is by Irish author Graham Norton. As developers start excavating on a farm, they find what they think are human bones. As it turns out, the bones are 20 years old and belong to a male of about 20 years of age. There is no DNA match to anyone on record and the case goes unsolved for months. However, during the short investigation, the lives of several of the Duneen townspeople are revealed. The the spinster Ross sisters, Brid Riordan, Police Sgt. PJ Clarke and Mrs. Meany, who cooks for him. Each has their own secrets and internal struggles. It is as much the personal stories as it is the murder investigation that kept me reading. As the book progressed, so did my desire to keep reading. Holding is an easy and enjoyable read.
Rating: 4Duneen is a remote village in Ireland where little happens. Until human remains are discovered on an old farm. The remains are believed to be Tommy Burke's who was last seen twenty-five years earlier, getting on a bus to Cork. As Sergeant P.J. Collins struggles to solve a big case for the first time in his career he uncovers anger, resentment, secrets, and regret from some of the community's residents.I really like the cover. Unfortunately, there's not much else I like about this book. I found the characters lacking depth. They're unlikable and forgettable. And they blame the disappearance of Tommy Burke twenty-five years ago for their unhappiness to this day? Ugh. There were three Ross sisters and I couldn't keep straight who was who. There were too many characters and side stories. It was like a bad romantic comedy. I wanted to know what happened to Tommy Burke, but this was very boring to get through. I dreaded picking it back up and had to start skimming the last half of the book. Disappointing ending.Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a copy of this book.
Rating: 23.75 PJ Collins is the only law, the local garda, in the small Irish village Duneen. He is by all accounts a very overweight man who loves his food, which his housekeeper Mrs. Meany so thoughtfully supplies. His job entails little, there being virtually no crime to speak of, as the villagers just get on with the tasks of their daily lives. A quiet town, until bones are discovered in a field and thought to be that of a young man, who had once farmed this land, and was said to have run away to the city. Now PJ must use his abilities in solving this crime, which becomes especially pressing when bones of a baby are also found. Although their is a mystery at hand, this novel, written in a tongue and check manner is really about the people in the village, the secrets they hold, and the loss of dreams they once had. Also about a young garda gaining confidence in himself and rising above the situation in which he is presented.I have heard of this author, his show but have never seen it, though a friend of mine at work says she finds him amusing. This is his first novel and I enjoyed reading this rather quiet story, looking into people's lives and behind the facades they present daily. Maybe an Irish cozy as there are really few, well actually only one, heart pounding moment. A nice diversional read, especially for those who are more attracted to character driven stories as opposed to edge of your seat suspense.ARC from publisher.Publishes August 1st in the US by Atria.
Rating: 4I've liked Graham Norton, who is a well-known TV and radio presenter in the UK, for years. So when I discovered he had written a novel, I was really curious to read it. I received an ARC via NetGalley (thank you!) but then I got hold of the audiobook, which is actually narrated by Graham himself, so that made the whole thing even more intriguing.Set in a small village in Ireland (Norton was born in Ireland), Holding is a cozy mystery featuring Sergeant PJ Collins whose job as the local Garda has been pretty unexciting for the past twenty or thirty odd years. All that changes when builders developing farmland discover human remains. Could this find be related to the disappearance of a local man who, decades ago, had left behind two brokenhearted women?At times, the mystery aspect became secondary as Norton revealed the painful pasts of the characters. It became a touching and on occasion rather sad novel about unfulfilled lives, about dealing with grief, loss and the constrictions of living in a small Irish community where gossip and judgment are omnipresent. At other times, Norton's wit shined through and made me smile. The writing flowed well and the characters and the setting really came to life. This was enhanced even more by the author's narration.I admit I had wondered beforehand whether Graham Norton's narration would be overly theatrical, but it was actually very understated. He achieved a lot just through emphasis, pacing and subtle changes in voice.Overall, a lovely piece of writing, a gentle mystery but with a compassionate and moving story and a well-narrated, enjoyable audiobook.
Rating: 4This book did not grab me right away, but once it did - I was hooked. The author did such a great job with the characters in this book. I felt like they were real as to the way he developed them. I knew their feelings, their fears and their hopes.This was a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. While I was hesitant at first about the book, it really didn't take me long to negate that thought and enjoy the journey.Thanks to Atria Books and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
Rating: 4I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.PJ has been the sergeant in a small Irish village called Duneen for 15 years. One day the remains of a body buried 20 years ago are discovered on a building site. It is assumed they belong to Tommy Burke, who disappeared at around the right time, leaving his fiancee Brid, and Evelyn, who loved hm too. In the intervening years Brid has married Anthony, but Evelyn has really recovered from Tommy's disappearance. PJ, in conjunction with a Superintendent from Cork, solves the crime.This was a short, easy read, but rather superficial. It was a little like a cross between Maeve Binchy and a "cozy" mystery. There was an over-attentive housekeeper, a rape, an illegitimate child, an affair, a suspect with problems with alcohol, "spinsters" who were a bit strange etc etc. All very unoriginal. Then in the end, nothing particularly terrible had actually happened. I think we were meant to like PJ, but I found the constant references to his weight off-putting and his sudden success with the ladies unlikely. I would be very surprised if he made a successful detective in Cork.
Rating: 3This is a well crafted, well written story.
Rating: 3For a change some light holiday reading. I don't really like the detective genre, but I was seduced by the positive comments on this booklet, even though the hype may have more to do with the author: Graham Norton, mostly known to us for the sometimes hilarious fragments of his TV talk show on You Tube. The story itself seems to be one of thirteen in a dozen: the discovery of a corpse shakes a little village in Ireland on its foundations and brings out all sorts of unsavory secrets. A lot of stereotypes, both in characters as in the intrigue line, pop up. But to be honest: Norton has really done his best to keep the story smooth and fresh, with regularly a pleasant ironic touch. As said: nice holiday reading.
Rating: 3I’m always a bit dubious when celebrities publish novels. Is it really them or is it ghostwritten? Ghostwriters are all about technique, capturing the voice of their subject and producing a well-crafted book to order. On this basis I think we can be confident that Norton actually wrote Holding.It’s set in a whimsical Irish village which feels like the 1950s apart from a few extraneous cultural references (like the man who’s always carrying round an iPad for no discernible reason). There’s a village guard with a housekeeper, a nosy matriarch, and long-buried family secrets. One of those is unburied, along with a pile of bones, by a group of builders on a local farm. The guard, Sergeant PJ Collins, calls in a detective from the city, who’s probably a graduate and knows about things like forensics but it’s not really necessary. The plot, such as it is, largely consists of people telling PJ stuff. Meanwhile he finds self-realisation just through proximity to an actual crime, it appears (though his arousal at proximity to a bulky builder in his car, which might have made for a more interesting storyline, turns out to be a red herring).Each character arrives with a trailer-load of backstory and a skip’s worth of description (it’s helpful to be given the full inventory of the local shop and to learn that it stays open long hours for people who run out of things). You could say this slows the story down but if you cut it out I’m not sure what would be left.There is the sweet little story of PJ striving to find happiness, and some gentle small-town humour, but overall it reads like that shaky first attempt which the wise author keeps firmly locked in a drawer. *I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley.
Rating: 2