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The Giant, O'Brien
The Giant, O'Brien | Hilary Mantel
3 posts | 7 read | 4 to read
From the two-time Man Booker winner, the story of the 18th Century Irish giant, Charles O'Brien. Charles O'Brien, bard and giant. The cynical are moved by his flights of romance; the craven stirred by his tales of epic deeds. But what of his own story as he is led from Ireland to seek his fortune beyond the seas in England? The Surprising Irish Giant may be the sensation of the season but only his compatriots seem to attend to his mythic powers of invention. John Hunter, celebrated surgeon and anatomist, buys dead men from the gallows and babies' corpses by the inch. Where is a man as unique as The Giant to hide his bones when he is yet alive? The Giant, O' Brien is an unforgettable novel; lyrical, shocking and spliced with black comedy.
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review
thinkflowersandpuppies
The Giant, O'Brien | Hilary Mantel
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Panpan

I just really didn‘t get it. Some of the tales the giant told were interesting and that‘s most of what got me to the end

review
MayJasper
The Giant, O'Brien | Hilary Mantel
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Pickpick

Charles O'Brien is an Irish bard, a man of folklore and a giant. The poverty of 1780's rural Ireland leads him to migrate to London, to try to make a living from making an exhibit of himself.

A book of beautiful prose but still a quick read. The voices of different characters interweave and concentration is required!

⭐⭐⭐⭐½

Thanks to @Lcsmcat for her review that put me on to this book. 😊

Lcsmcat I‘m glad you enjoyed it! 3y
MayJasper I certainly did. And I was ready for the interweaving of voices after having read Wolf Hall. Time to read Bringing up the Bodies? 3y
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Lcsmcat
The Giant, O'Brien | Hilary Mantel
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This is a very different Mantel than her Wolfe Hall books, but interesting. #giant #quotsymar19 @TK-421

MayJasper Wow I am struggling to picture this from the description. Great words though. 6y
Lcsmcat @MayJasper It‘s a very different Mantel. The  “giant” is a poor Irishman who is about 8 ft tall, and exhibits himself in England as a way to make money. There are a mix of real and fictional people in it, and one of the real ones is the “collector” who‘s waiting for O‘Brian to die so he can collect and exhibit his bones. 6y
MayJasper Wow. I have got to buy it. Thanks 6y
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