This is Donal Ryan’s latest book and oh wow. I read this one in a day because I just could not put it down. Donal Ryan’s writing is beautiful, poetic and utterly captivating. What Ryan does best is capturing the era and feeling encapsulating it. He does this impeccably well - in this case, the 1970s (and a bit beyond as it is multi-generational). His descriptions of the natural beauty of rural Ireland are fantastic, completely bringing the scenery to life.
Moll Gladney is a troubled character and you really do feel for her, as you’re trying to pinpoint why she ran away from home as you’re reading the novel. Paddy Gladney was a brilliantly warm character, and you can feel his love towards some of the other characters radiate through the pages. Alex was another character I was very fond of - his warmth, his positive nature and how hard he worked for his family. The characters were fantastically fleshed out and I became invested in their shared stories.
There were so many twists and turns that I was not expecting at all. I could not predict where the novel was going at any given point. This book isn’t only about faith and the return of Moll Gladney, but also about rural Ireland (and its community) grief and family among many other vital themes. I don’t want to spoil it! The weaving of perspectives and narratives was done with such simplicity that it’s clear Ryan knows his craft to a tee. The only thing that threw me a bit was the short story written within it (the story within a story trope). But only a very minor thing in comparison to what is essentially a brilliant book. Ryan is one of Ireland’s most talented writers.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for this ARC.

Strange Flowers is the latest book from Donal Ryan. Set in 1970's rural Ireland it is a multi- generational family story written in a beautifully lyrical style. The book opens in 1973 with the disappearance of Moll, a twenty year old young woman who runs away from home early one morning , leaving behind her devastated and confused parents, Paddy and Kit who are struggling to understand why she would vanish without trace while dealing with the sympathy and curiosity of their neighbours. Five years pass and one day, just as abruptly as she disappeared Moll returns from London where she had been living and working. It soon transpires that she has a secret, she got married and had a son while she was away, and her husband is Black, something completely shocking in the Ireland of that time , so much so that her father initially refuses to believe the news. Her husband Alex loves her so much that he follows her with their son, and settles into a life vastly different to anything he could ever have imagined where acceptance by the local community is hard won but eventually earned
This short book has so much heart and is so beautifully written, The characters come to life so vividly on the page, I could imagine Paddy cycling down the boreen to the farmhouse where Kit awaited., his descriptions of the rural landscape and life in a small village are second to none. The role of the Catholic church in Irish daily life at that time was huge, and that too was incorporated into the story both in the fear of sin, of being different and in the feeling of being under scrutiny in a small community where everyone knows each others business. The thorny topic of racism is also woven into the tale, rearing an ugly head from time to time, and the fact that so much of it is ignorance is often demonstrated.
I had high hopes and higher expectations for this book and I am so happy that it lived up to both. I know this is a book that I will want to revisit and read again..
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Strange Flowers is a beautiful, lyrical, wee novel, charting the lives of an Irish family over the years is from different perspectives. I knew little beyond a family with a missing daughter coming into this and I feel that’s the best way to read, so I’ll say no more on plot.

By turns uplifting, quietly tragic and hopeful, my only negative comment is that I feel I’d have got more from some passages with a greater biblical knowledge - but I can hardly fault the author for that!

I’m so glad this was recommended to me, Donal Ryan hadn’t been on my radar beforehand and now I’ll need to dig into the back catalogue

Strange Flowers by Donal Ryan
To review this book, I feel the need to divide it into 3 equal parts. I really enjoyed the beginning, but then I got to the middle section, and I got lost. I really wasn't sure what was going on. Once I got to the final third of the book, it improved again.
I may need to reread this book again, to see of I can make sense of the middle of the book.

The story of love and family ties down the decades is told in this book. It begins with the eternal struggle of the young who want more from life and flee the nest, leaving parents broken hearted. Next comes reconciliation and so it goes on - life and love repeating themselves. This is a gentle story, beautifully told and one that will resonate with many if not all who read it.

Just finished this wonderful book in one long sitting. The story starts out when a daughter ups & leaves home leaving her parents distraught. The story unfolds between Ireland and London. Full of wonderful interesting characters, the relationships between the main characters were heartwarming and the love between them all is so sincere. An absolutely beautiful story.

Thank you, Random House Transworld for a widget for a copy of Strange flowers by Donal Ryan.
Set in 1973 in Tipperary Ireland, this is the story of Paddy and Kit Gladney and their daughter Molly in the small town of Nenagh. One day Molly ups and leaves her devasted parents and the small town they live in and not to be seen again for another five years. She returns as she left, in a cloud of mystery. But when Molly returns, she is not the same girl that left. She does not explain what happened when he has left and the five years since. Until a Negroe man called Alexander turns up claiming to be her husband from London’s Notting hill.
This is my first book from the author I have read, and I must say how beautifully written it is. The story setting set in rural Ireland telling of family generations and the love and the loss between them. I enjoyed the first half of this book between Molly and her parents and Alexander and I wanted more of that story but then all of a sudden, the story jumped to their son and I suddenly lost interest. Three stars from me.

There is a good story here - Molly has left the village mysteriously, and just as suddenly returns. The reasons unfold very gradually and all is not revealed until very near the end. The prose is lyrical which is slightly overdone in places. The characters have depth and are believable. This was a treat to read.
(I have not given any details of the plot because it would spoil it.)

I would recommend this book. I did enjoy it very much and I look forward to reading more of Donal Ryan's work. Strange Flowers is a beautiful book by Donal Ryan, exploring the lives of a family in Ireland and in London. The main protagonist is Moll Gladney, a young Tipperary woman who disappears for five years without explanation to her parents. When she returns home, everyone's life changes forever..In 1973 much to her parents' grief Moll Gladney disappears from her home in Tipperary with no explanation. When she returns five years later she is married and has a baby. Her parents welcome her and her husband, Alexander, who has followed her back from England. The reason for Moll's disappearance isn't made clear until near the end of the novel.

Donal Ryan writes a beautifully poetic and lyrical bitter sweet multigenerational family drama set in the small Catholic, rural and idyllic village of Knockagowny, in County Tipperary in Ireland. With a intrinsically timeless feel, it is set in the 1970s, it depicts the limitations of small communities, the gossip, the judgementalism, and the inability to let some of its residents be true to who they are. Ryan writes with intelligence, thoughtfulness, of the universality of what it is to be human, a compassionate examination of human imperfections and the challenges that life poses. It is tightly framed within a Christian faith and dripping with biblical references and analogies, many of the chapter titles are lifted from the bible, beginning with Genesis. However, as tenant farmers Paddy and Kit Gladney learn, their faith cannot protect them from the grief and despair that assails them and tears their life apart when their 20 year old daughter, Moll, disappears unexpectedly in 1973.

Out of the blue, the prodigal daughter returns 5 years later, a miracle, a source of joy to be accepted and not judged, and although their Moll seems unchanged, it does not take long for them to learn that this is not so. The troubled Moll is unforthcoming as to why she left, this only becomes clear at the end. Much like she had fled the village earlier, Moll has run away from a life she had established in London, where she had married the black Alexander in Notting Hill, and given birth to the 'strange flower' that is her baby son, Joshua. Joshua displays few of his father's paternal genes, he is white, it is Moll's genes that dominate. Alex's all consuming love for the Irish Moll leads him to settle in Knockgowny with Paddy and Kit, despite the shortcomings of his relationship with Moll. Life is not easy for him initially, small communities are rarely welcoming of outsiders, a fact that is compounded by racism. Joshua grows up feeling loved, a writer of short stories and poetry, but the death of his father and conflict with his mother, drives him into exile in London, rewriting the allegorical biblical tale of the blind man and a fortuitous meeting with Honey and her surprising connections with his father's family.

Ryan's storytelling is a joy to behold, set in a period of history celebrating the rural idyll of Irish landscapes and villages, aspects of which remind me of Niall Williams writing. This is a time that had its problems, without a doubt, such as class and inequalities, as can be seen with the power of the rich, landowning Jackmans. There are acute observations of the intrusions of the outside world on a small place, exemplified with the entry of Alexander and Joshua. A profoundly moving novel of secrets and family, of love, loss, class, grief, sexuality, race, religion, tragedy and exile, and the fleeting nature of life. Highlights for me include the strong and deep relationship that springs up between Alex and Paddy, Moll for me was a harder character to grasp and she felt more of an unknowable quantity. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.

Traditional storytelling in the bitter-sweet Irish ballad style: - lyrical prose, a timeless bucolic setting oozing with atmosphere, and unforgettable characters. If this is your taste, Donal Ryan is yer man.

Set in rural Ireland in the 1970s, the Gladney’s family is torn apart when their daughter Moll ages 20 disappears. Five years alter she returns, saying very little of where she’s been or what she’s been doing, but she has an upsetting argument with local Ellen. Soon after word reaches the family that a man by the name of Alexander has come looking for Moll. What follows is a story of family, acceptance and love, written beautifully, lyrically and with immense compassion and empathy.

The viewpoint changes at points in order that we learn the back story, which doesn’t feel at all out of place in this type of story. The only part of the book which I didn’t enjoy was the writing of Joshua. I found this unnecessary, clumsy and superfluous. there are several sad elements within the story and the ending is not a surprise, especially given the amount of scripture and biblical references throughout.

Paddy and Alexander are superb characters, full of soul and dignity, and their presence are an absolute highlight throughout.

I’d give this 3.5 stars.

With thanks for NetGalley, Doubleday and Donal Ryan for the opportunity to read and review this arc.

Donal Ryan is at his best again in this wonderful book. Strange flowers is an incredibly apt title; I finished this book a week ago and I am still thinking about the intricacies of the story.

Donal writes wonderful characters. You can't help but care for Paddy, Kit, Moll, Alex and Joshua, as you glimpse into their hearts and souls. Donal masterfully leads the reader through their struggles, their strifes, their little triumphs in life.

The story was quite unusual, but wonderfully presented. The prose was thoughtful, beautiful and each page felt like a treat. As with all Donal's books, I didn't want it to end.

I am very grateful for having the opportunity to read this advanced copy and I will most certainly buy a copy for my closest friends.

In 1973, Moll Gladney disappears from a small village near Nenagh. Her parents Paddy and Kit are devastated. When she returns five years later, they are overjoyed, but she doesn't explain why she left and they don't push her to, as they are afraid to lose her again.

This started well, but I felt that went downhill before the halfway point. I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters except for Paddy, and I really didn't enjoy Joshua's section in particular. I wasn't interested in his tale of the blind beggar and I feel that it distracted from the main plot.

As always, Donal's prose is great, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of his other books but this isn't the one I would recommend for a first time reader of Ryan's.

This cover is beautiful and will look gorgeous on a shelf alongside the hardback editions of All We Shall Know and From A Low and Quiet Sea.

Thank you #NetGalley and Random House UK for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Lyrical exploration of loss and shame.

Molly disappears from her Tipperary home in 1973. Five years later, just as her grieving parents, Kit and Paddy, learn to accept she is out of their lives for ever, she returns.

Strange Flowers gets to the heart of characters when forced to re-evaluate their world view. Like picking a scab, it is affectingly painful yet satisfying.

Ryan conveys fleeting and intense emotions with an understated lyrical beauty.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

Oh my word what an amazing and brilliant read this was. I loved everything about this book. An excellent story with great characters . I was actually sad when I finished this book. A well deserved 5 ⭐️ read for me.

Kit and Paddy’s daughter left home unannounced one day five years ago and the light has gone from their lives. But there are more complications in the lives of this rural community near Nenagh in County Tipperary than you might imagine.
Donal Ryan’s prose is faultless. A slow, hypnotic, lyrical stream with flashes of intensity and rage, showcasing these sincere characters in their happiness and sorrows. The author’s ability to present a wide array of issues – always with a laugh or a roar or a scream and even a punch in the face or a blow on the head with an unlikely object, keeps the fear of sentimentality at bay.
I think I adored this.

‘Things were gone funny lately, people said over and over; the world was changing fast.

In 1973, Moll Gladney goes missing from her home in Tipperary, Ireland, where she lived with her parents Paddy and Kit. She’s gone for so long that her parents begin to accept that they’ll never see her again. But one day Moll returns.

‘The girl had spoken now, and still Kit knew as little as she had before she spoke.’

Moll’s disappearance and reappearance is the centre of the story: why did she leave, where did she go, why did she return? But the story itself is about more than just Moll. It is the ripple effect of her disappearance and reappearance which held my attention. Moll has changed, but so have those who knew her and those who came to know her. No life is lived in isolation.

Having come to terms with Moll’s disappearance, Kit and Paddy come to terms with the changes occasioned by her reappearance. Mr Ryan raises several different and important issues in this novel: so many different forms of love, so many different views of life. This is the third of his novels I have read, and I have enjoyed each of them.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Once again Donal Ryan has written a moving story of Irish life, this time including a black character, Alexander.

In 1973 much to her parents' grief Moll Gladney disappears from her home in Tipperary with no explanation. When she returns five years later she is married and has a baby. Her parents welcome her and her husband, Alexander, who has followed her back from England. The reason for Moll's disappearance isn't made clear until near the end of the novel.

As always, Ryan's prose is beautiful. However, I wasn't taken by the section about Joshua and the biblical tale of the blind beggar as it distracted from the main thrust of the story. I'm probably missing something but I prefer his earlier novels to this one.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Transworld for the opportunity to read and review Strange Flowers.

As a massive Donal Ryan fan, this book has me left between two gnarled oak trees.
The writing as always, is beautiful. Anaphora overflowing and crucial.
But the subject matter, especially at the beginning of the story, requires a lot of reflection. Does the introduction of Alexander, a Black man from Notting Hill, into the rural Gladney family come off as subtle or heavy handed in light of the Black Lives Matter movement currently spreading across the world? That is a subjective conclusion for each individual reader to reach.
The middle part of the novel, revolving around Joshua and his quest to rewrite the tale of the blind beggar from the Bible, was definitely the strongest section. Affecting and wrapped up and well mirrored.
The last third of the story could have done with 50 more pages. If only to indulge in each slash of revelation/secret hereto kept by Ellen Jackson and Moll Gladney.
By the end, I was left wondering why the bulk of time devoted to Joshua was skewed at the last minute by his mother's life/struggle. It almost felt like the beginning of another novel tacked on. Or a trilogy.
But that is all nitpicking which is a testament to the ambitious scope Ryan has taken on and engaged with.
Long live Jim Gildea, the human embodiment of a metaphorical oak tree. (Rating:7/10)