Simply delectable.

I’m not actually sure I have the words for how beautiful and poignant I found this novel. The story focuses on a young woman, Charlie, in her early thirties trying to find her roots in Ireland, when dealing with the inevitable loss of her father that is to come.

It felt like a coming of age/identity novel for those of us who are looking at our friends who seem to have it all figured out who are still trying
to put the pieces all together.

It deals with loss, community, identity, and trying to cover up the past for the sake of those who remain beautifully. It also felt educational - shamefully I had never heard of Magdalene Houses before.

The characters were fleshed out well and nuanced, and I really appreciated how the author dealt with how trauma can influence who you are.

I loved Caroline’s debut novel, but I loved this novel even more.

Absolutely adored it - I’ll be buying a physical copy when this is published as this feels like one of those books that you want to hang on to!

I was very surprised to realise this book was actually a thriller! Everything from the cover to the blurb made me think it would be a fiction! This being said, I enjoyed it. The story sucked me in.

After a few struggling years in the filming industry, bringing her to selling amateur pornography in order to survive, Charlie and her best friend Laura are finally invited to receive a film award in Ireland for a movie they made honouring Charlie’s sick father’s tragic upbringing as the sole survivor of a terrible accident that killed dozens of children. But as Charlie explores her father’s hometown, she uncovers clues hinting that this accident might have been a huge conspiracy all along.

First and foremost, this book really made me travel. The depictions of Ireland are dreamy and I felt like I was there. Charlie’s search for her roots, her sexuality and an identity are endearing and relatable.

The author does a great job at creating a sense of urgency, making the book hard to put down. The story is uneasy, thought-provoking, and even scary at times. One of those omagad, omagad, omagad moments.

Sadly for a book of this (graphic huhu) nature, the investigative journey is a bit confusing and rushed, maybe because mostly fueled by alcohol? The big reveal was a little lazy for my taste as well.

I was surprised to realise this book was a thriller. I’m still a little curious about some creative choices: the title relates to... Charlie’s amateur porn? Which is not at all the focus of the book. The blurb is about Charlie’s family heritage... Again, yes BUT it’s not the main focus.

An interesting story line which took me a while to get into. The theme throughout is what it means to belong to a place and to its culture Unfortunately I didn’t feel invested in Charlie, the main character, and this possibly coloured my judgement.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Charlie is a struggling film-maker, apologetic and always second best. Inspired by her father's stories of his childhood, she decides to visit her Irish roots. Brought up on the island of Clipim, Charlie's father was the only child to escape from a carbon monoxide poisoning which killed all his classmates and teacher.
Charlie is determined to discover the full story of this tragic tale and it's difficult to know what's fact and what's in her head.
I read this book quickly, but felt like I was always waiting for something important or exciting to happen, which it didn't. In my opinion this was down to the main character, Charlie. Even when bad things were happening to her, she didn't seem too bothered and so neither was I.

After a tough few years floundering around the British film industry, experimenting with amateur pornography and watching her father's health rapidly decline, Charlie and her best friend Laura journey to her ancestral home of Clipim, an island off the west coast of Ireland. She knows this could be the last chance to connect with her dad's history before she loses him. But when the girls arrive, Charlie begins to question both her difficult relationship with Laura and her father's childhood stories. Before long, she's embroiled in a devastating conspiracy that's been sixty years in the making . . . and it's up to her to reveal the truth.

Scenes of a Graphic Nature was enjoyable, Caroline O’Donoghue’s writing was strong, though the sprinkling of pop culture references did make me cringe, her ability to write relationships really is the strength. Charlie’s relationships with Laura, her father and her mother were, for me, undoubtedly the best parts of this book.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I found this book rather slow to begin with, but as the story moved to Ireland it became more interesting. So many strands of Irish history were woven into the story that you didn't know how the story would be resolved. I did find the implied perpretator of the school tragedy rather difficult to accept.

Scenes Of A Graphic Nature by Caroline O’Donoghue 🔥

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TW: pornography, threats of violence etc, terminal illness

“The difference between a funny story and an upsetting memory is in how you shade it”

Charlie Regan is a graduate filmographer hurtling towards her thirties with little experience in the film industry, apart from her own film she made recounting the tragic story that occurred during her father’s childhood, on the fiction island of Clipim. Clipim is a tiny island off the west coast of Kerry and Charlie discovers the mystery of all the island’s school-age children dying in a tragic event at the island’s only school houses. Every child died, except her father.

What started as a story about a typical gay girl in her late twenties, trying to navigate life while seeing her friends succeed in every way possible, Charlie begins to truly investigate the events of the schoolhouse disaster in 1963, but the residents of Clipim are preventing her investigations in every way possible.

O’Donoghue’s writing is colloquial and funny, but that doesn’t stop her portraying real, raw emotions beautifully and eloquently. Her ability to intertwine a murder mystery into a belated coming-of-age novel is fantastic. Scenes of a Graphic Nature encompasses so many themes and storylines without becoming a Jack-of-all-trades novel. Every new aspect to the book flows naturally and follows a realistic timeline.

I thoroughly enjoyed Scenes of a Graphic nature and feel like it’s one of those books you can always return to no matter what you’re going through. It had the comfort of a prodigal-son (or daughter, in this case) story, with the suspense and intrigue of a murder mystery. This was my first O’Donoghue novel and I am excited to see what else her writing has in store for me.

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I loved this novel and its exploration of jealousy and betrayal. I think that all the themes that this novel touched on, was done with great sensitivity and so it felt very real. It is well written, well observed, and very funny in places.

Charlie is struggling to break into the world of film making and is feeling frustrated as she watches her friend Laura achieve success. Her beloved dad's life was shaped by the events of his childhood and he is now facing a battle with cancer. Her dad was the sole survivor of a tragedy on the island of Clipim, where a class of children and their teacher died. Laura writes a film detailing the tragic events on Clipim and it gains the attention of an Irish film festival. She and Laura, who produced the film with her, decide to attend the festival and visit the island where her dad grew up. However, it seems her father's version of events may not be wholly accurate. Charlie is determined to find out what really happened to those children, despite the locals wanting to cover up the devastating conspiracy. It's up to Charlie to find out the truth, whatever the cost.

It's quite a dark read in places and a fantastic portrayal of jealousy, betrayal and family ties. I felt it dealt with some really difficult subjects with sensitivity. 

I really liked that the characters weren't one-dimensional. Charlie made some strange decisions at times and her jealousy and obsession with Laura was irritating at times. However I liked the characters had depth and I liked Charlie's tenacity and determination to find out the truth. It wasn't just Charlie who was flawed, Laura and Marie and many of the locals also were unlikeable at times. It perfectly displayed how experiences can alter behaviour. 

I found it to be a gritty, honest and moving novel about family, disappointment and seeking the truth. 

You can find my full review at https://mmbbookblog.com/scenes-of-a-graphic-nature-by-caroline-odonoghue-review/

Other reviewers have already detailed the plot, so I won’t do that here. I really enjoyed this book. Was hooked from the start and was glad it wasn’t your simple “millennial finds purpose” storyline. It was a great mixture of comedy but intrigue with a touch of thoughtfulness. I was drawn to the story as it covered so many aspects that many of us have had to deal with; family, love, loss, illness, feeling unsure of our place and purpose in the world. I did think some angles were left unresolved. The book had a slow and careful voice early on but towards the end it raced through to tie up loose ends, meaning that some were unfortunately left hanging. Not enough for it to have marred my general enjoyment, but it left me with a feeling of still being “hungry” and wanting to know what happened. Which is the mark of a good storyteller. So overall I would definitely recommend and will be checking out the author’s other books now,

Set mostly on the small Irish island of Clipim, this is the story of Charlie searching for her roots and trying to solve the mystery of why her father was the only survivor of an horrific fire when he was a school boy. With dashes of Irish history, local characters, love and lust, Scenes of a Graphic Nature is an enjoyable read with an ultimately satisfying ending.

Charlie is a film maker, not a particularly successful one it has to be said and she tops up her income by working as a barista and doing online porn. Her Irish father, to whom she is close, has cancer and her life seems to be on hold. So when she is told that her film, which is about a tragedy that shaped her father's life, is to be featured at an Irish film festival she grabs the chance to go there with her best friend Laura who produced the film. Once there she is drawn to visiting her father's home of Clipim, a small island off the west coast of Ireland. Once there she alienates the islanders by her constant questioning of what actually happened there almost sixty years ago when a class full of children and their teacher died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I feel quite ambivalent about this book. On the one hand there are many insightful observations especially into the nature of close friendships. On the other, the plot seemed a little forced at times and not convincing. The way the islanders turned against her after giving her such a welcome didn't seem real to me. Charlie herself is not a very attractive character, with her jealousy of her friend being a bit overwhelming at times. Her paranoia towards the end is understandable to a degree but she extends it to everyone which doesn't seem realistic. I found the ending to be rushed. But it is very readable nonetheless. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Charlie’s career in the film industry fails to take off, unlike her best friend Laura’s, and she finds herself back at her parents' in her late twenties looking after her sick father and doing what she can, including online porn, to make ends meet. This is until a film she made some years back starts getting some attention, giving her the opportunity to at last travel to her father’s hometown in Ireland, where she discovers how little she understood about her roots. I found the book hugely immersive and many of the themes such as friendship, loss and identity very relatable. The resolution seemed a bit rushed but otherwise it’s very well-written and observed, funny in parts and reading it felt like sinking into a long, satisfying, warm bath.

Amazing story! I was hooked from the first pages. O'Donoghue has an extraordinary ability to create stories with rich characters, and write it in a way that you cannot stop reading.

Scenes of Graphic Nature explores topic of belonging - are you Irish if your father is but you never step your foot in the island? It also gives us a view of a complicated female friendship, that is even more complicated when there are unresolved romantic feelings. And on top of that we explore history of a small Irish Island that is brimming with secrets.

Charlie, the main character is struggling. Her father is fighting a third cancer, she is not getting on with her mother, she is unfulfilled artistically, has less than 30 pounds in her bank account and a best friend who is thriving. Last year she made a film based on tragic history of her father's youth. Now she is invited to participate in a Irish film festival with her movie. This gives her a chance to visit her father's homeland, and hopefully find her place, find who she is. The visit brings completely different results after she sees her movie from completely different perspective and meets a guy that questions the history as she knows it.

I ate this book in one day. I was fascinated with the characters and their stories. I wanted, I needed to know what happend and get the resolution to the story. The only thing that is missing in the book is a clearer view into the motivation of some of the characters, especially one of the characters. I don't get why he was protecting the secret so strongly, why was he blackmailing?

I received this book from #Netgalley in return for a review.

This is an interesting story about a lady who hasn’t let herself move on in life after her Dad was diagnosed with cancer. She makes a film of his childhood experience of being the only survivor in a school disaster. However, the facts never quite stack up so she decides to visit the island he grew up on.

I felt invested in Charlie’s story and it was a nice change having a lesbian as a main character. The story didn’t quite work for me though. For the first half of the book it works nicely but then I found it a bit confused. She doesn’t really get anywhere with the actual tale but then finds out everything from one character rather than piecing it together as she goes. I did like the ending, feeling it was really appropriate as to how and when she could pass on the story.

I enjoyed the book but felt there were characters that weren’t drawn out well enough and some loose ends which didn’t quite feel finished.

'I'm half Irish,' the narrator, Charlie indignantly exclaims about two thirds of the way through this darkly comic (emphasis on the dark, with smatterings of dark humour. Shall I say dark again?) examination of family and identity. I too am half Irish, born and raised in England, with no relationship with any Irish relatives, my Irish father fading out of my childhood and disappearing entirely when I was 11. But like Charlie that half Irishness (and quarter German) is part of my identity and, thanks to Brexit, increasingly important as I formally became a citizen of a country I have only visited four times and one I both yearn to explore whilst afraid of what doing so might reveal about me and where I belong, if anywhere. It's easy to see why I was drawn to this book and why it resonated so much.

Charlie is drifting. Her father's cancer has dominated her twenties, spent trying to make it as a filmmaker, watching her best friend Laura move into the world of real work and real relationships. So when the film she and Laura made about a tragedy that dominated her father's childhood is selected for a film festival in Cork she seizes the opportunity to finally visit the country she has always dreamt about, to flee her father's hospital bedside, spend time away from the mother she can't communicate with and try to repair her fractured relationship with Laura. An encounter at the festival sends her and Laura on an unplanned trip to Clipim, the island where her father lived, where he was the sole survivor of a tragedy nobody speaks about and where Charlie hopes to find answers. But no one wants the past digging up and Charlie's welcome soon takes a sinister turn.

At the heart of the novel is the question, what does it mean to be Irish? A country with a huge disapora, whose foreign born descendents return in their thousands every year to find some part of their identity. Are they really welcome, or do their misty sentimental dreams have no place in a country still coming to terms with recent scandals. Charlie, struggling to work out who she is, making porn to pay the bills, facing up to a future still waitressing, not making films, without her father, with Laura increasingly distant longs for that welcome, for that acceptance, to feel at home. To find her way even as her questions turn the community against her.

This was a beautifully written, evocative book, with moments of taut tension and fear, pathos and shock. Highly recommended.

A moving and extremely funny look at family, roots and the myth of Irishness. It took me a while to get into this book but once I did I enjoyed it, very well written and all the characters were good, some I liked, some I didn't but the storyline was interesting.

It took a little while for me to see where this book was going, however once the book got underway, the story galloped along. I’m not sure what I think of Charlie or Laura - both characters are flawed, but I guess that gives them a much more rounded and believable personality. Still, I’m not sure I’d want to go to the pub with either of them! The story is dark at times and explores some Irish history that I was only vaguely familiar with before - some of it very shocking and I was horrified that the Magdalene homes were only recently closed. A thumping good rollercoaster of a read. Recommended.