Stock photo. Cover may not represent actual copy or condition available.
Wild Decembers
by Edna O'Brien
ISBN: 0618126910
ISBN-13: 9780618126910
Format: Paperback
|
Summary
Feuds old and new fuel the conflict in O'Brien's 18th work of fiction. When Mick Bugler inherits land and returns to the rural west of Ireland to claim it, his neighbor Joseph Brennan disputes his ownership. To complicate matters, Joseph's devoted sister Breege falls in love with Bugler. A New York Times Notable Book for the year 2000.
Customer Reviews
Review this book!
Media Reviews
"Proof again that in the hands of an artist, no plot is hackneyed, no emotion too obvious."
-- Kirkus
"O'Brien excels in her nuanced depiction of the deteriorating relationship between Joseph Brennan and Michael Bugler, granting both men substantial reasons for anger and passionate attachments to the land that render any easy assignment of blame for the tragedy of their situation impossible....O'Brien's engagement with important societal issues is admirable, as are her proven skill with novelistic structure and setting, and her talent for creating a powerful sense of atmosphere in her fiction. Yet despite these evident strengths, WILD DECEMBERS lacks the immediacy and vitality of some of O'Brien's earlier work....true revelation of personality is too frequently replaced by a fascination with language for its own sake. O'Brien is an acknowledged worshiper of James Joyce...and this affinity sometimes leads her to indulge in a forced lyricism, to spin empty riffs of words that signify little. Still, what lingers in the mind...is O'Brien's prevailing power as a writer, especially her uncommon recognition of the conflicted forces that impel human desire. -- Kate Phillips
-- San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
"Over a career of 40 years O'Brien has mastered her craft. She is a great Joycean, and the author of a first-rate biography of her famous compatriot and fellow exile. Occasionally his influence overpowers her prose....Far more often, though, O'Brien's prose is her own and firmly under control, an apt instrument for the precise, poetic recollection of a distant world....With grace and infinite sympathy, WILD DECEMBERS encapsulates the afflictions of a culture within the afflictions of a particular doomed family." -- Brooke Allen
-- New York Times Book Review
"A sad novel, but fun to read." -- Phoebe-Lou Adams
-- Atlantic Monthly
Bibliographic Details
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published date: 2001
Size: 5.75 x 8.25 inches
Weight: 0.65 pounds
Publisher's Notes
"With a mood akin to WUTHERING HEIGHTS--and indeed the spirit of Emily Bronte" (Irish Times), Edna O'Brien's critically acclaimed novel WILD DECEMBERS charts the quick but sure demise of relations between "the warring sons of warring sons." Here in the countryside of western Ireland, "ancient feuds, romantic passions, and misguided ideas of fidelity blend together in . . . [a] heartbreaking story" (Wall Street Journal) leavened by the human comedy of which O'Brien rarely loses sight. A sister, a brother, and a stranger converge in a classic triangle, proceeding inevitably "toward a climax that is Irish to the quick, violent and sad and, in a strange way, beautiful. Just like the novel itself" (Washington Post).
WILD DECEMBERS is a triumphant work from a writer who wears well the mantle of her Irish forebears and yet who, with each new novel, breaks new ground all her own. In this, her latest, "readers could not ask for a more profoundly satisfying book" (Boston Herald).
Other Editions
Similar books
Winter Journey
by Isabel Colegate
Crow Lake
by Mary Lawson
Crow Lake is that rare find, a first novel so quietly assured, so emotionally pitch perfect, you know from the opening page that this is the real thing–a literary experience in which to lose yourself, by an author of immense talent. Here is a gorgeous, slow-burning story set in the rural “badlands” of northern Ontario, where heartbreak and hardship are mirrored in the landscape. For the farming Pye family, life is a Greek tragedy where the sins of the fathers are visited on the sons, and terrible events occur–offstage. Centerstage are the Morrisons, whose tragedy looks more immediate if less brutal, but is, in reality, insidious and divisive. Orphaned young, Kate Morrison was her older brother Matt’s protegee, her fascination for pond life fed by his passionate interest in the natural world. Now a zoologist, she can identify organisms under a microscope but seems blind to the state of her own emotional life. And she thinks she’s outgrown her siblings–Luke, Matt, and Bo–who were once her entire world. In this universal drama of family love and misunderstandings, of resentments harbored and driven underground, Lawson ratchets up the tension with heartbreaking humor and consummate control, continually overturning one’s expectations right to the very end. Tragic, funny, unforgettable, Crow Lake is a quiet tour de force that will catapult Mary Lawson to the forefront of fiction writers today.
Mayor of Casterbridge
by Thomas Hardy
The Cowboy
by Joan Johnston
Trace Blackthorne offers to save Callie Creed's family from financial ruin, despite the long feud between their families, if she will marry him.
Far from the Maddening Crowd
by Thomas Hardy
After an unfortunate marriage to Sergeant Troy and an affair with Farmer Boldwood, Bathsheba Everdene finally becomes the wife of the man who has always loved her, in an authoritative edition of the uncensored 1912 text. Reprint.
|
|
Ready to buy this book?
Below are all of the copies of 0618126910 we currently have available for purchase, sorted by lowest price first. If you would like to refine your search, use the advanced options in the search box above.
|
|
1)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books, 2001-05-14. Trade Paperback.. Very good condition.. * * * Selling books of merit since 1988. * * * Prompt, Professional Service. Satisfaction Guaranteed. * * * ( more information) Offered by Harvest Book Co (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
2)
|
Wild Decembers (Qty: 2)
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books. Paperback. 0618126910 very little wear on corner and edges . Fine. 5/14/2001. ( more information) Offered by bookbrothers.net (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
3)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books. Paperback. 0618126910 visible wear on the corners or edges of the cover . Fine. 5/14/2001. ( more information) Offered by bookbrothers.net (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
4)
|
Wild Decembers
Edna O'Brien
Mariner Books. Used - Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Shipped to over one million happy customers! Your purchase benefits world literacy! ( more information) Offered by Better World Books (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
5)
|
Wild Decembers
Edna O'Brien
Mariner Books, 2001-05-14. Paperback. Like New. Never used. ( more information) Offered by Nationwide Book Traders (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
6)
|
Wild Decembers
Edna O'Brien
Mariner Books. Used - Like New. Great Buy!!!*** Never Used*** May Have a Publisher's Mark~We have over 3,500,000 Books Sold!!! ( more information) Offered by Smokymtnbooks (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
7)
|
Wild Decembers
Edna O'Brien
Very Good. Ships SAME or NEXT business day. We Ship to APO/FPO addr. Choose EXPEDITED shipping and receive in 2-5 business days. See our member profile for customer support contact info. ( more information) Offered by TextbooksRus.com (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
8)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books, 2001-05-14. Trade Paperback. Very Good +. Format: Trade Paperback. Year: 2001.FREE Media Mail Shipping on all U.S. orders over $ 25.00 ( more information) Offered by Cozy Book Cellar (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
9)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Boston, New York: Mariner Books/ Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001 257 pp. Some rips and damage to cover page. Fading and yellowing visible on pages.. First Mariner Books Edition, 2001. Trade Paperback. Fair. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ( more information) Offered by gearbooks (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
10)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books. PAPERBACK. 0618126910 light shelf wear / edge wear cover / pages very good condition/ /"Buy with Confidence - Satisfaction Guaranteed! Customer Service Makes All the Difference." . Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Selahs Books (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
11)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Mariner Books, 2001. Frist Printing. Trade Paperback. Near Fine. ( more information) Offered by Tommy's Book Shelf (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
12)
|
Wild Decembers (Qty: 5)
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books. PAPERBACK. 0618126910 We sell only brand new merchandise! . New. ( more information) Offered by Robin Pugh's Nest of Treasures (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
13)
|
Wild Decembers
272. 0.01. VeryGood. ( more information) Offered by Browsers Bookstore (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
14)
|
Wild Decembers
Edna O'Brien
Paperback. Brand New, Never Used, Perfect Condition. Orders take 5-7 days to process and ship. ( more information) Offered by PapaMedia.com (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
15)
|
Wild Decembers (Qty: 3)
O'BRIEN
15-0. Brand new. Now in paperback, "Wild Decembers" charts the quick and critical demise of relations between "the warring sons of warring sons" fighting over inherited land in the countryside of western Ireland. ( more information) Offered by A Green Hippo (United Kingdom)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
16)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Mariner Books. PAPERBACK. 0618126910 New with very slight shelf wear from time on shelf (like you'd see at a major chain). We ship daily, provide personalized customer service and want you to have a great experience purchasing from us. Thank you for your consideration. . New. ( more information) Offered by BennettBooksLtd (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
17)
|
Wild Decembers
O'Brien, Edna
Wilmington, Massachusetts, U.S.A.: Mariner Books, 2001 Book is clean and tight.. 1st Thus. Soft Cover. Very Good. ( more information) Offered by Miles Books (United States)
Favorite bookseller : you've previously added this bookseller to your favorites list.
|
|
|
0 items in cart
Muze Inc. For personal non-commercial use only. All rights reserved. Some content for books is owned by Baker & Taylor, Inc. or its licensors and is subject to copyright and all other protections provided by applicable law.
