{"product_id":"9780992738471","title":"The Water Star","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Everyone I love is here,’ Brendan says. ‘So what do you do? You might love a piece of rock, but it won’t love you back.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExiled in post World War II London, Brendan and his son Hugh are among the thousands of Irish and other immigrants rebuilding the ruins. A cultured Irish woman, Sara, has taught them to read, and is their only friend until Hugh breaks away from his tyrannical father and meets Elizabeth, a Londoner who lives with her German lover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Erica Wagner remarked in her review in The Times, ‘Through the interweaving and the overlapping of these relationships, Casey examines how human nature is shaped by sorrow; how people will find a way – sometimes, it seems, despite themselves – to take comfort from others, to make homes where they can, even among the ruins.’\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePhilip Casey's second novel, The Water Star, confronts the central Irish experience of the twentieth century: exile. It is distinguished by the finely wrought lyricism that has characterized much of his poetry. His first novel, The Fabulists, won acclaim; his new one confirms that he is a writer with a gift for uncovering the tortuous impulses of his characters with a lucid and affecting eye. -John Tague, TLS\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e...his characters are vivid, subtly shaded, often tragic, but there's no wallowing in misery here - on the contrary, a life-affirming tenacity and humour, reinforced by an elegant cyclical structure and more than a hint of mysticism, makes The Water Star a pleasure to read....\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn intelligent, memorable, moving novel. -Arminta Wallace, The Irish Times\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lives of these characters become totally absorbing as different versions of important events are related from their respective viewpoints. Casey has brought alive the dilemmas of a lost generation and made them vivid and memorable.-The Good Book Guide The Water Star is a compelling series of life stories at a crucial point in modern history; it is equally compelling as an imaginative analysis of national versus private identity, of how people may transcend the bogus boundaries of their lives through small acts of honesty and kindness. -Sharon Barnes, IMAGE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"eMaker Editions","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47014046892272,"sku":"9780992738471","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780992738471_p0.jpg?v=1763891827","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780992738471","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}