DNF- Unfortunately after a few attempts I have been unable to get into this book. I believe it must be my shortcomings as I know it has been tipped for incredible things. I wish it all the success but this book was not for me. Perhaps it was the language, I have often struggled with dialect writing and I just became confused on exactly how old the lead character was and became muddled in her circumstances. Perhaps lockdown has driven me mad, I think its the only thing that can explain it. After trying to start 3 times I decided the best thing to do would be to let it rest and let its rightful plaudits come from other places.

A creatively written story of illness and trauma. At times I found it hard to follow, and think it is closer to Eimear Macbride than it is to Sally Rooney, to whom Feeney has been compared, but it certainly demonstrates that the author has an interesting voice and is one to watch.

A fascinating and deep dive into the stream of life / emotions / experiences of one woman. Pretty cathartic to read (as someone who bottles things up) - some really compelling writing

Was a book set in a hospital ward, narrated by a woman with terminal cancer, a good choice for this time of extreme medical anxiety? Probably not. Was As You Were, Feeney’s debut novel, excellent, despite all of that? Yes. It’s funny and tragic and perfect. I picked it up after Sinéad Gleeson recommended it on Twitter and I’m really glad that I did.

I don’t know if it is a symptom of not being well, my brain is not at its best but I found aspects of this wonderful but struggled to progress with this novel. I gave up at 34%, I just can’t cope with carrying on. At another time, it’s very possible I would have loved this, but it is not for me at this moment. Many apologies.

‘I should have said that his absence created a draught and that’s the most any of us can hope for.’

I had expected this novel to deal with emotionally difficult subjects but I hadn’t expected it to leave me quite so depressed. Sinead is in hospital, interacting with the other patients in the ward, bearing witness to their stories and mulling over her own. I felt that the author tried to shoehorn in rather too many themes, with the effect that nothing very original or profound was said about any of them. One subject that looms large in these stories is pregnancy out of wedlock, the way women were treated in the mid-20th century compared with the options available today, all too familiar territory. An underwhelming read, written in what came across as a consciously ‘modern’ style, and not one I’d much recommend.

I’m sorry but I could not relate to this book or the main character of Sinéad.
The storyline was very chaotic and the foul language put me off reading this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm sorry, the writing style just wasn't for me. I tried, and then I came back and tried again. Too distracting, too jumbled.

DNF

As You Were by Elaine Feeney is about a group of patients on a hospital ward. I found the parts foccussed on the central character more enjoyable than the ones concerning the more peripheral characters.

Feeney's writing style is unique, albeit distracting at times, especially when it becomes stream-of-consciousness-like, yet "As You Were" is nothing less than a literary gem

This is about a young woman, Sinead, who is in hospital. The only "people" who she has confided in about her real reason for being there are Google and a magpie! This is her story and is billed as "wildly funny and desperately tragic". She is in a mixed ward with some very "mixed" people.

It did take me a while to get into Sinead's story. Indeed I'm not fully sure I really ever managed it. The narrative bounces around with great energy. Sometimes it is narrative, sometimes it is far more "stream of consciousness". It certainly is a modern style of writing.

I found myself becoming really engaged with parts of her narrative. Often this was the "tragic" parts - some were introspective, others were about events. On the other hand parts simply left me disinterested and I find it hard to work out exactly why. I guess it is probably the style of the writing. I personally found it hard to read given the sudden switches in topic, style etc. I have no doubt that some will love this book. I certainly wanted to when I started it however it didn't work for me.