The Secret Scripture (McNulty Family) in Bound Together

Sep 19, 2009 Dem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: top-30, favorites, 5-star, irish-history-fiction

A superbly crafted novel told in under 300 pages. A story so cleverly written that for half of the Novel I believed I was reading a non fiction account.
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Rosanne Mc Nulty is nearing her hundredth birthday in the mental hospital where she was committed as a young woman. Finishing up his case notes before the hospital is closed psychiatrist Dr Greene finds himself intrigued by the story of his elderly patient. While Dr Green investigates, Roseanne looks back on the tragedies and passions she ...more

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Feb 02, 2009 Annet rated it it was amazing

Shelves: dark, literature-pure, have-to-read-again, family-ties, history, age-ing, wow-impressive

A gem of a book, beautiful story, beautifully written. I recommend this one to my friends!

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Mar 18, 2023 PattyMacDotComma rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-netgalley-done, favourites-adult, award-win-listed, kindle, historical-fiction, ireland-or-irish-authors, mystery-crime-thriller, aa

5★
“For history as far as I can see is not the arrangement of what happens, in sequence and in truth, but a fabulous arrangement of surmises and guesses held up as a banner against the assault of withering truth.” from Roseanne’s ‘Testimony of Herself’

What a mighty book! Roseanne McNulty is one hundred years old, sent years ago from the Sligo Lunatic Asylum to the Roscommon Regional Medical Hospital, which is now destined for demolition. Dr Grene is the psychiatrist charged with reducing patient ...more

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Feb 04, 2009 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: hf, kirkus, 2017-read, mystery, audible-uk, ireland

I enjoyed this book while I was reading it; emotions and ideas are wonderfully expressed. I am saying I loved the writing.

Then came the end! I had been warned that it was bad, but the ending is so terribly bad that it is hard to imagine a worse ending. It is so improbable! Not just in one respect, but in absolutely everything that is left to be resolved. It just wrecks the whole story. The only good point is that the ending is pretty quick; it doesn't take up too many pages of the novel.

Otherwi I enjoyed this book while I was reading it; emotions and ideas are wonderfully expressed. I am saying I loved the writing.

Then came the end! I had been warned that it was bad, but the ending is so terribly bad that it is hard to imagine a worse ending. It is so improbable! Not just in one respect, but in absolutely everything that is left to be resolved. It just wrecks the whole story. The only good point is that the ending is pretty quick; it doesn't take up too many pages of the novel.

Otherwise, I thought the book well captured the extent to which all people living in Ireland during the 20th century were drawn into the country’s political and religious conflicts. While not focusing directly on the conflicts, it shows remarkably well how they affected the common man. This aspect of the story I appreciated. A word of warning though, it is by no means a cheery tale.

The story is told by two characters. Roseanne McNulty is about one hundred years old. She is writing a journal and hiding it under the floor boards in her nursing home / insane asylum. Her psychiatric doctor is telling us the story too. The asylum is to be closed, and it is his job to determine which of the patients are to be “freed”. He is particularly attracted to the tale of Roseanne’s life. It is acknowledged that in times past patients had been classified as insane not for psychological problems but rather for social, political and religious reasons.

The audiobook is narrated by Stephen Hogan. In a book such as this, which switches between two tellings of given events, it is important that one can easily distinguish between the two. Most chapter titles do indicate whose view is being told, but when you stop and start an audiobook this information is not easily available. A lengthy pause between parts would have helped, or different intonations or even two separate narrators could have been used.

Do not read the following spoiler if you intend on reading the book. (view spoiler) Improbabilities and coincidences abound and eradicate believability. You kick yourself because you are given hints along the way, but you disregard them because where they lead seems so far-fetched.

This book is, I guess, worth reading, though I am still trying to get over the ending! ...more

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Aug 26, 2012 ☮Karen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, read-in-2015

Wavering between 4 and 5 stars here. I loved this book and I am certain I would have loved it even more with a printed page in front of me rather than an MP3 version, where what tried to be an Irish accent sorely failed in my opinion.

There is a big twist at the end, which of course raised it up a full rating point for me. I think that twist answered so many questions, yet I still have many and am certain again that I would find those answers on the printed page.

It is a beautiful, sad story tha ...more

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Oct 09, 2015 Irene rated it liked it

Roseanne is a hundred years old and has lived more than half her life confined to a mental hospital in Ireland. Dr. Grene is the psychiatrist responsible for that facility. As Dr. Grene attempts to learn Roseanne’s history in order to assess whether she should continue to be institutionalized, Roseanne is secretly writing her own story. I am ambivalent about this novel. I appreciate the way it explores the malleability of personal narrative, formed and reformed by the various memories that hold ...more

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Mar 10, 2010 Penny rated it really liked it

I found this a moving read. Slow beginning but the plot improves pace and the protagonist's dilemma of being always in the wrong place at the wrong time lends a sorrow to the writing that is touching but not sentimental ...more

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