REVIEWS:

Sinéad Crowley RTE: Top 10 Books of 2015

Books Ireland: chosen as one of Sue Leonard’s pick of books by first-time writers for 2015.

John Boyne: “Very impressed by @ViewReView1‘s novel GENERATION @J_M_Originals It’s quite complex but v.readable, an extremely original piece of writing.”

Irish Times: Particularly impressive is the skilful way McGrath delineates her characters . . . A glass of wine is described as “pouring redemption”, and such imagery reflects McGrath’s love throughout for the resonances of language . . . Mark Richards, editorial director with JM Originals, McGrath’s publisher, has said the imprint is “a space where risks can be taken and hunches can be backed, because literary careers make sense over the long-term”. Such support for innovation and ambition should be commended – as should McGrath’s determination to realise her literary vision.

New Statesman 28Aug-3Sept 2015: 

Jane Housham for The Guardian ‘It’s as if McGrath has spun her novel in a centrifuge, separating out disparate characters drawn to America over several decades.’ ‘A gripping debut.’

Today with Sean O’Rourke Monthly Books Roundup (just past 07:00): ‘a real up-and-coming new writer, one to watch.’

Today with Sean O’Rourke August Book Round-up https://static.rasset.ie/documents/radio1/august-book-round-up.pdf

Christina Patterson in The Sunday Times (2nd August). ‘If you read this book expecting…any of the …things often associated with Irish writing, you’re in for a shock… What the characters nearly all have in common is a burning sense of disappointment and rage. If this sounds miserable to read, it isn’t. The voices are beautifully woven together, and the prose has a weight and resonance way beyond the book’s slender length. …the general sense is of stark clarity and poetic compression. Think Raymond Carver, not James Joyce.’ Subscribers can read the full review and a sample chapter here.

Shortlist magazine July 30th: “Paula McGrath’s debut novel doesn’t lack in ambition. Over the course of 80 years and three generations, a series of vignettes tell the tales of immigrants affected by the actions of a mother who leaves Ireland for life in Chicago.”

Rebecca Franks in We Love This Book ‘. . .this unusual novel seems almost a collection of testimonies, moving from witness to witness, slowly piecing together the past. No single generation can see the importance of the events they recount; only the reader has all the necessary facts and perspective to see the full picture.’ We Love This Book

Louise Jones in The Bookbag ‘I couldn’t put it down. In fact, one night, I put the book down before bed and I had to get up and finish it at about two in the morning because I needed to know what was going to happen next!’ Louise Jones The Bookbag

Danielle McLoughlin ‘Just finished Generation by @ViewReView1 and LOVED it! Captivating and beautifully written. Highly recommend it!’

Sinead Crowley “Just finished @ViewReView1 Generation. Loved every minute, Unravelling Oliver with a splash of Room. Check it out!”

Sinead Gleeson in Image Magazine ‘There have been comparisons to Donal Ryan, and her subject matter… may appeal to fans of Anne Enright.’ Sinead Gleeson on ‘Irish authors you need to know’, The Big Debuts, featured in Image Magazine (May 2015).

Sarah Gilmartin in The Irish Times ‘Yehudit by Paula McGrath achieves much in a short space, painting a devastating picture of loss through two generations of mothers who find in music the solace they could not find in life.’ (Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times) Irish Times review of Surge

‘From Ireland to Illinois, Paula McGrath’s short novel, Generations (John Murray, July) delivers interlinked stories of multiple characters as they seek to rebuild their lives after loss.’ (Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times) 2015 in Books

Claire Coughlan in the Irish Independent ‘Spanning generations and continents on an epic scale in a short space, Paula McGrath’s ambitious, sensitive novel, Generations (JM Originals, July) has been compared to the Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan because of its similarly revolving points of view. McGrath is also a graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing at UCD and has had several short stories already published.’ (Claire Coughlan, Irish Independent) Irish Independent Here Come the Girls