Akin is a wonderful read. The story of old man Noah and young lad Michael who are brought together is the most bizarre way and set off on a trip to Noah's birthplace and early memories. This journey is laugh out loud funny and very sad in parts, I confess this was a slow burn for me initially, however I soon got into it and loved the book. It is a fabulous read. I cannot wait for more from Emma Donoghue.

It is hard to define this excellent book - the story of 79 year old Noah travelling on a holiday to Nice with his troubled 11 year old grand-nephew, Michael. As Noah discovers more about his past and the story of his mother during war-time Nice, he also learns about the present world through Michaels eyes. Theirs is a spiky relationship and we come to care about both as they navigate their way through the pitfalls of their new life together.
Another thought-provoking novel from Emma Donoghue. Recommended.

An amazing second novel easy to see why the first was bestselling, I imagine this will be too. Very descriptive telling of nice in France and the bond of the two main characters is heartwarming and so funny. The way the two different generations adapt and differ. Definitely one to buy as a present loved it so much. Its immersive.

The heartwarming tale of a young boy and his Great Uncle, thrown together and tracing back their family history through a haphazard series of events. I very much enjoyed the relationship between Michael and Noah, and feel privileged to have journeyed through Nice with them. I will miss them!

You can never say if you’ve read one Emma Donoghue book, you’ve read them all. Here she sets out a story different in time, place and genre to others she’s written before.
With the main character she writes from the perspective of an 80 year old New York academic but the portrayal of his 11 year old great nephew, whose life has been very different, is equally strong.
In the story Noah simultaneously finds out about the hidden early life of his French mother, while learning how Michael lives and deals with his less than desirable circumstances.
Well plotted, well brought together, funny, believable and moving, we also understand it’s never too late to do something new.

Highly recommended.

Akin is the new novel from master storyteller Emma Donoghue,who weaves a snippet of historical fact into a heartwarming, entrancing novel with her customary aplomb.
Featuring the unlikely duo of 80 year old Noah and 11 year old Michael, I think this will appeal to a wider audience especially those who loved ‘ Room’. Every novel by this author is completely different which makes her stand out from the crowd which is refreshing given the market is saturated with novels following similar plot lines. Multi layered, this book explores themes of love and friendship, the joys of discovery and how it’s never too late to teach an old dog new tricks!
Set mainly in Nice, Noah, great uncle to Michael has been thrown into the role of the boy’s guardian due to exceptional circumstances and so the two embark on a journey of discovery and enlightenment despite being virtual strangers. For Noah this is a trip down memory lane, revisiting old haunts and the first time he has set foot on French soul in decades. With the aid of a few photographs he has a chance to discover more about his mother’s life in France during the Second World War since they were separated when Noah was sent away to America to join his father. The historical element of the novel highlighting the role French individuals played as part of the resistance is fascinating. Michael is a somewhat reluctant companion but useful in helping slot together the pieces in this puzzle giving Noah an insight into the mystery surrounding his mother’s life during this time of separation.
The pair have much to learn from each other. Noah, a scientist and childless and Michael, a streetwise kid who is addicted to technology and fast food negotiate their way through this fledgling unusual relationship that is delightful and often humorous. Both characters are brought to life extremely well to the point by the end of the novel these are two individuals who you can’t fail to love in equal measure. Noah’s deceased wife Joan converses with him in his mind, often berating him and guiding him through tricky situations which I think is a lovely touch.
I loved this book and having been fortunate enough to listen to the author talk about her novel ‘Frog music’ a few years ago, I can appreciate the huge amount of research she undertakes for each novel and what a labour of love it is! Highly recommend and thanks as always to the author and publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read ahead of publication.

I enjoyed this rather heartwarming book.
The developing relationship between the childless almost 80 year old and his streetwise great nephew kept me engaged. Throw in the stories of his childhood and Nice during WW2 and it is an entertaining read.
I especially liked the interactions between the two main characters, coming from very different backgrounds caused some difficulties but you could see both points of view.
The reminiscences of Noah were enlightening and took the reader back to different times. There was a lot of other historical information too, some of it interesting but not all. At times I felt like Michael - too much education!
Michael’s upbringing was not an easy ride either and you found out more about him as the book went on.
All in all this is a book that I would recommend to friends.

Akin is the story of almost 80 year old Noah and his great nephew, Michael. Noah is looking forward to spending his 80th birthday in Nice, discovering more about his mother and her role in the French resistence. He finds himself being accompanied by Michael, who faces Foster care if Noah can't provide care. Michael is foul mouthed and wary, he has faced grief over the death of his father and grandmother and the imprisonment of his own mother.

I'm always drawn to Donoghues work as I feel there is something unique about the stories she has to tell. Akin isn't unique, but it is compelling and heartwarming, seeing the relationship develop between two unlikely characters. At times the history sections were a bit tedious and info dumpy and it was very predictable.

Despite all of that however it's a very enjoyable story, full of hope and the meaning of family.

I enjoyed this tale of an "odd" couple. An (almost) octogenarian ex professor and an 11 year old great nephew whom he hadn't met but undertakes (manipulated really) to foster temporarily. The boy's mother is in prison for drugs offences, his father (the Professor's nephew) died from a seeming drug overdose despite "being clean"and with his maternal grandmother's death there are no near relatives to foster him. Either the professor takes him in or the boy will have to go into care. The professor is about to set off to NIce where he was born (he came to the USA to join part of his family during WW2) to connect with his homeland but also to try to discover the story behind some haphazard photographs taken by his mother (who always took excellent considered photos as her father was a famous photographer) from the time when she was in NIce on her own during the Nazi occupation (without her husband or son) ostensibly looking after her ailing father before following the rest of the family to New York.

The narrative zips along, the culture shock of being in France compared to NY is explored somewhat humourously. The aches and pains of aging, the flippancy of youth, the worry that your family history was not what you had thought and that things are not always as they seem (both for the boy and his great uncle). are core to the narrative, The professor is a "teacher devil" (can't stop explaining every little thing to the boy) and sometimes I wanted to cry "shut up" at him. I thought the boy, for a supposed "difficult" child was remarkably restrainted and patient. This was a bit of departure in writing for Emma Donoghue but like all her novels (my favourite is Slammerkin) well worth reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

I’ve enjoyed previous books by the author but just couldn’t get into this one.

I found the narrative quite slow and I just couldn’t engage with the main characters.

The writing and description are great but it was a bit of a slog for me.

Okay, this story is a bit cliched and predictable in some regards, but it's still superb with some beautiful writing elevating those easy tropes into something truly worth reading. The cliche part? Here's a widower, Noah, preparing to celebrate his 80th birthday when he finds himself becoming guardian for his estranged 11-year-old great-nephew, Michael. Yeah, you can probably see that whole story arc unfolding already. That shouldn't be a negative though, it makes for a warm, welcoming read and allows Donoghue to deliver the deeper, more intriguing storyline of Noah's own mother. She remained in Nice during the Second World War, which gave me an insight into that part of the war, something I hadn't really noticed that I hadn't had before.

These two storylines combined elegantly to create a surprisingly easy read given very few punches are pulled - Donoghue may be writing fiction but she never shies away from the harsh realities that frame both of these plots. Michael has that terrifying contrast of innocence and world-weary wisdom that highlights the harsh world we live in. Not that it's completely new, as deftly shown with the historical view of the war. Noah finds himself walking that delicate line of wanting to protect his young ward, and a need to be honest about the world ahead of him.

Of course, Noah and Michael's relationship is the cornerstone of the whole story. And, despite the well-worn path it takes, Donoghue's sublime writing keeps is fresh. It is beautifully crafted, and as with much of her other writing, incredibly easy to fall into glorious belief. Her characters have nuances that bring them to live as few authors can manage, they are clever and accurate, making them real within just a few paragraphs. It is an incredible skill and without doubt the most endearing part of every piece I've read from the author. It allows her to do things that shouldn't work the way they do - consistently pushing her artform in the most subtle ways. I find myself reading along merrily, smiling at the obvious signposts she lays for what is yet to come, and yet I still get drawn in, deeper than is reasonable. It is a marvellous skill and one that truly separates her from the crowd.

Another masterpiece from one of the greats of this time. A warm and tender read that lingers. Read it!

I've now read and loved three of Emma Donoghue's books (Room, The Wonder and, now, Akin). On the face of it, all three have been very different although they all have wonderful, engaging writing in common. Akin may well be my favourite of the three.

The novel centres around an unexpected 'odd couple' relationship between eleven-year old Michael and his seventy-nine year old great-uncle Noah as they go on a trip to Nice to re-visit Noah's early years and explore a family mystery. This mystery was, in itself, fascinating but what kept me turning the pages and reading past my bedtime was the engaging and often amusing interactions between the two protagonists. By the end, I had grown very fond of these characters.

As a keen francophile and someone who has lived in France, I loved reading more about Nice and seeing how the characters responded to French culture and language. The author's love of the place and her research certainly came across, since I felt like I was there.

If that weren't interesting enough, there is lots to think about beneath the surface of this book. I loved the way Donoghue explored the themes of family, inheritance and memory in original ways and from several angles (from science and chemistry to the arts and photography). In that sense, this book made an interesting comparison to Ann Patchett's The Dutch House, which I also read recently.

This was one of those rare novels that made me think about our place in the world in new and thought=provoking ways - I can't wait to read what Emma Donoghue writes next!

Thank you and 'mille mercis' to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for an advance copy of Akin in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very unusual and enjoyable tale of two people from New York, the 79 year old Noah, and his great nephew, 11 year old Michael, during a week travelling to Nice. They are thrust together as Michael’s social worker persuades Noah that the boy will have to be taken into care if Noah does not step up. They meet each other for the first time just days before travelling to France.
The contrast between the old man, who is widowed and has little to look forward to in life, and the street wise but vulnerable Michael, is beautifully explored by the author.
The irritations and annoyances of two wildly different people thrust into living together 24/7 is by turn irritating and humorous. Michael has much to offer to Noah in terms of using modern communications, and helps him in his search to discover more about his mother. Noah takes his responsibility for his young charge very seriously, but finds Michael’s youthful exuberance and recklessness hard to handle at times.
Noah is desperate to find out about the two years his mother missed of his upbringing, when she sent him to New York to join his father while she remained in Nice. What was she doing? Who was she with? The set of a few old photos he unearthed in his sister’s belongings are his only clue. Michael offers his sharp observational skills and modern thinking to help solve the mystery.
The story is poignant in so many ways, heartbreaking at times, and also very funny. But ultimately these two people come to realise that they may be better off together than apart, and this reader was urging them to make the most of a possible future together, however long or short it may be.

Once again I was impressed by the Emma Donoghue’s ability to inhabit so accurately the minds of such wildly different characters as Noah and. Michael, while bringing them both so to life so convincingly.
My thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.

I have to confess I am a real fan of this authors historical fiction, with Slammerkin, Frog Music and the Wonder amongst my top reads. In Akin she returns to a contemporary setting and writes with the panache and elegance which is her own style.

An elderly man and a young lad are thrown together to form the odd couple at the heart of this story based around a trip to Nice. Its a feel-good book (do they call this type of novel up-lit?) Amusing and heartwarming and ever so engaging the hapless duo who grate on each other at first eventually begin to discover things in common and work together to solve a family mystery based around some wartime photos.

All the way through it felt familiar, then I realised I read something vaguely similar recently entitled Baxter's Requiem by Matthew Crow.

I've loved Emma Donoghue's previous books despite them all being quite different so was really excited to read Akin. It's about an elderly man who is turning 80 and wants to visit the land he came from but inherits a distant family member- a teenage boy who he doesn't know. He takes the boy on the trip and there are inevitable clashes. It's not a bad read and I got through it quite quickly but just found it wasn't to Donoghue's usual standard and definitely didn't grip me.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

I loved 'Room' so was thrilled to be able to read an advanced copy and enjoyed this immensely

I love the way the author uses language and this is beautifully written - great character development and loved the story - literally could not put this down

The story felt real and current to me and I just wanted to sit in a corner and immerse myself til it was finished - so that's what I did !!!

Loved it and would highly recomment - a fantastic read

I loved this book. Noah, a retired chemistry professor and widower, is living a quiet, peaceful life. He is planning a trip to his birthplace, the South of France, to celebrate his 80th birthday and research his mother’s past, after finding some old photos. As he packs his bags for this quiet journey, he is surprised to discover he is taking his 11 year old great-nephew, Michael, whom he has never met, but has nowhere to live while his mom is in prison. This journey is hilarious, touching, and a meeting of the minds between these two. I laughed. I learned. I rejoiced at the end. This is a wonderful story

I loved Noah and his honest narrative was an exceptional tool in this story. It is touching, honest, complex and enlightening.
We follow Noah and his great-nephew Michael on a journey to Nice, France, which is in someway a swansong for Noah but transpires to be a begniing not an end.
I loved the sytle and tone of the author and will definitely be reading her others.

Noah, a widower approaching his retirement at the age of 79, gets landed with fostering his 11 year old great nephew as he is the only living relative available at the time. The boy's mother is in prison on drug charges and his father died in a drug related incident. Noah has planned a trip to France to re-visit his origins and has to take the boy along as it is too late to cancel. It is a journey of discovery for both of them. Noah has found some mysterious photos whilst having a clear out, which lead to questions about what his mother did in France after she sent her son and husband to New York. The boy, Michael, is streetwise and tech savvy, and is difficult to handle, but he helps Noah with the search. Noah uncovers some facts about Victor, Michael's father, which changes his opinion of the family. He also uncovers the truth about his mother's activities in France during the war. The two unlikely souls gradually learn from each other and come to an acceptance.
This is well written and quite moving but I did find it slow going, repetitive and a little boring at times.

This book has it all, mystery,travel, culture, frustration, sadness and a intriguing dose of science.
Sympathetic characters who are poles apart start to understand each other in difficult circumstances. Noah settling for a peaceful life of widowhood and peace is suddenly presented with the care of his Great-Nephew, Noah is 80 and never had children so is on a steep learning curve. Micheal the nephew has a lot of issues, dead Father and Mother in prison, so his wild unruly behaviour and lack of respect shock Noah. Noah has planned a trip to Nice to discover more about his Mothers life, he and Micheal track down her history and jump to unsettling conclusions before finding the truth. A roller coaster of a book, brilliant, frustrating and a great insight into young and old lives.