After Phoenix is a darkly comic tale of grief, love, friendship and how the humour and absurdity of family life can conquer all...
Bristol, England. 1974. The miners are on strike and Britain is in chaos. When 19-year-old Phoenix is killed riding the motor bike his father, JJ, helped him buy, his family is devastated. His mother, Katherine, blames her husband for their son's death. Her mental health deteriorates and she is admitted to the local psychiatric hospital. Grief-stricken, journalist JJ, moves into the garden shed and refuses to return to the house until Katherine comes home, sublimates his pain by turning his attention to the forthcoming general election. Meanwhile, their 15-year-old daughter, Penny, left to her own devices, struggles to maintain a semblance of normality. It's hard to imagine what could possibly reunite them...
Reader Reviews...
'Read it, it's brilliant.' Norman Lyon, Amazon UK
'A brilliant kitchen-sink portrayal of a family doggy-paddling their way through loss...I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Leigh's people are talking to Martine McDonagh's people right now.' Leona Sock, Amazon UK
'McDonagh skilfully negotiates a high-wire of trauma of mundanity with directness and underlying raw humour.' Mrs CM Harrison, Amazon UK
'A cracking read. As good as a slap round the head with a stale Sunblest loaf. Loved it.' John Murana, Amazon UK
'...not the sort of novel I would normally read, but I was gripped from start to finish.' norma plume, Amazon UK
'McDonagh writes simply, elegantly...with great empathy for the frailties and strengths of her characters. Highly recommended.' Miss Ohio, Amazon UK
'...an excellent study in human relationships without being sentimental...I'm so pleased I read it.' BigDog, Amazon UK
'Thoughtful, moving, warm and even funny. A wonderful portrait of grief. I loved every minute of it.' Miss C, Amazon UK
'This is a must read for anyone having been a teenager in the 70s. Loved it.' Jelles Ffonk, Amazon UK
'A wonderful story of crisis and recovery.' Mr JR Newton, Amazon UK
'Despite beginning with a tragedy, this book is never entirely without hope and is a powerful portrait of grief and how time heals. Powerful stuff.' - Annabel's House of Books
'After Phoenix is a raw, emotive portrayal of a family pushed to its limits by grief.' - Lizzie Enfield, author of Living With It.
'A great read.' - Araminta Hall, author of Everything and Nothing, and Dot.
Genre: General Fiction
Bristol, England. 1974. The miners are on strike and Britain is in chaos. When 19-year-old Phoenix is killed riding the motor bike his father, JJ, helped him buy, his family is devastated. His mother, Katherine, blames her husband for their son's death. Her mental health deteriorates and she is admitted to the local psychiatric hospital. Grief-stricken, journalist JJ, moves into the garden shed and refuses to return to the house until Katherine comes home, sublimates his pain by turning his attention to the forthcoming general election. Meanwhile, their 15-year-old daughter, Penny, left to her own devices, struggles to maintain a semblance of normality. It's hard to imagine what could possibly reunite them...
Reader Reviews...
'Read it, it's brilliant.' Norman Lyon, Amazon UK
'A brilliant kitchen-sink portrayal of a family doggy-paddling their way through loss...I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Leigh's people are talking to Martine McDonagh's people right now.' Leona Sock, Amazon UK
'McDonagh skilfully negotiates a high-wire of trauma of mundanity with directness and underlying raw humour.' Mrs CM Harrison, Amazon UK
'A cracking read. As good as a slap round the head with a stale Sunblest loaf. Loved it.' John Murana, Amazon UK
'...not the sort of novel I would normally read, but I was gripped from start to finish.' norma plume, Amazon UK
'McDonagh writes simply, elegantly...with great empathy for the frailties and strengths of her characters. Highly recommended.' Miss Ohio, Amazon UK
'...an excellent study in human relationships without being sentimental...I'm so pleased I read it.' BigDog, Amazon UK
'Thoughtful, moving, warm and even funny. A wonderful portrait of grief. I loved every minute of it.' Miss C, Amazon UK
'This is a must read for anyone having been a teenager in the 70s. Loved it.' Jelles Ffonk, Amazon UK
'A wonderful story of crisis and recovery.' Mr JR Newton, Amazon UK
'Despite beginning with a tragedy, this book is never entirely without hope and is a powerful portrait of grief and how time heals. Powerful stuff.' - Annabel's House of Books
'After Phoenix is a raw, emotive portrayal of a family pushed to its limits by grief.' - Lizzie Enfield, author of Living With It.
'A great read.' - Araminta Hall, author of Everything and Nothing, and Dot.
Genre: General Fiction
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