Land

Downs: The first 100 pages are S L O W.The author's choice to move back and forth in time doesn't add anything to the story.Ups: The last 100 pages are immersive. The individual characters are well-developed and the change in POV among them increases reader compassion.If I could make one change, I'd suggest rearranging the segments so it's told in chronological order. I think it would build the feeling of love for the land and help readers empathize with Tomas.

Wonderfully written, with an intriguing theme and great character development. I could not stop reading about this family… I cared about each one of them.

Maggie O’Farrell is simply amazing

A great, engaging story

Brilliant!

A must read. Hard to put down. Impossible not to want to share. I highly recommend this. Maggie O’Farrell is an amazing writer.

We’re lucky to live in the time of Maggie O’Farrell. She’s at the peak of her powers with “Land.”Yes, the first section is slow, and yes, there could’ve been a glossary.The universe that O’Farrell created in this novel is so real and so vivid in my mind’s eye—the characters, the settings, the timeline and plot—the themes of loss, kindness, faith in all its varieties, survival— the bonds of blood and place that can be traced, through lives, like a map — I’m not a fan of magical realism or fantasy themes, but O’Farrell managed to weave those mysteries in this book with such a deft touch that even my skeptical reader brain willingly accepted them. The “sweeping family sagas” like this one can sometimes collapse under the weight of their epic-ness, but every piece of this book fit effortlessly into the larger whole. I didn’t want to finish it, and read the last sections slowly, slowly, postponing the end.Summer 2026 is shaping up to be a strong season for literary fiction. I put this at the top of the list for the year, not just the summer. Five shining stars.

This is a sweeping, multi-generational saga set in 1865 Ireland, that weaves together history, family stories and how the land is shaped and transformed by colonization and civilization. At the same time, it explores how the land itself shapes the lives of its inhabitants. The story is immersive and immediately draws you in, moving seamlessly through different time periods and multiple points of view.As title suggests, the novel revolves around the land: the deep connection and interdependence people and place, the consequences when the land fails those who depend on it, the generational stories it holds, and the many ways land ownership affects both people and the land itself. Tomas escapes abject poverty through his skills as a land surveyor, but a chance encounter with a mystical ancient spring changes both his life and his understanding of the land. Through Thomas’s moral struggle and history of generations of people, O’Farrell depicts the evolution of humanity’s relationship to the land, from Indigenous peoples living freely and in harmony nature, to systems of land ownership,boundaries and servitude to wealthy landowners. I especially loved Tomas’s ambition to create a map documenting this evolution and depicts what has been lost through ownership and the creation of arbitrary boundaries.The mystical spring and land surrounding it serves as a thread running through the generations, connecting the stories, families, and even the dogs that appear throughout the novel. The characters are richly drawn, both likeable and flawed, facing issues of survival, difficult moral choices between personal ambition and desires and family loyalty and obligation, and the search for freedom and a place to call home.Steeped in Irish history and folklore, the writing is evocative and richly atmospheric. O’Farrell’s prose immerses you in the rugged realities of the time period while conveying deep compassion and tenderness for her characters. The story will captivate you from beginning to end.

A beautiful fable seeped in history, transcendent of time and space. The reader is immersed in the humanity of a quirkly little family and the natural world in which they live, land unmoved by time and decimated by starvation, peopled by rulers and the ruled. A world in which at times a dog can be a better friend and fellow traveler than a family member; a world of love and brutality. The land is Ireland and this book spoke to me. Give it a read.

I stayed up 'til 2 a.m. to finish this engrossing and beautifully written saga. Maggie O'Farrell is one of my fave authors. I loved how she managed the changing POVs and the shifting timelines. Some of the terminology was hard to understand (dulse, boreen) at first, but reading is no fun if I don't learn something new. The sense of caring among the characters, as embodied by the widow and by Phina, is beautiful. Well worth staying up for.

I really anticipated reading this book and the story was good but it seemed to take me forever to read. I guess it just didn’t move along as rapidly as I would have liked

Couldn't put it downWonderful characters and didn't want it to end. Good read

I was Instantly transported to Ireland and relished learning of the history of surveying the peninsula with Tomas and his family. Maggie's command of the language and insertion of special vocabulary was a fun find describing characters and culture . Never a dull moment! I read it straight through in a couple days! Thank you!

I should have read a sample before buying. I hate this book.

This book was a little difficult to start with, the way it touches on several points in time - for both the characters and places - could be confusing. But eventually we get into the story of the main family and their lives and struggles are so compelling and heartbreaking, you are really pulled in as a reader.The story is long and often dark, but it is definitely realistic in it's portrait of this hardworking family and their beloved land.

Land is a generous telling of an Irish tale, delineating the difficulty of connecting to the land and finding your space within it, among other themes. Maggie O'Farrell has created this special plot of land as a character in itself, weaving the lives of the different generations that live upon it, showing its influence, as well as its relevance to their world view. The duel perspectives of land as being ever-changing and, simultaneously, containing an intrinsic core, were explored beautifully.As I received an ARC, it was hard to know if some of the initial chapters were set in form. I had a bit of a hard time in the beginning, sorting out the POV shifts, and atmospherical setting, but once O'Farrell got deeper into the book, I had no trouble following time frames and characters. The writing seemed more polished and clear. As I was reading an ebook, I didn't have the easy luxury of flipping back a an earlier page to see if I was off rather than the editing. O'Farrell has done a marvellous job of combining historical data with an entertaining story.