Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne [Paperback]

Brian Moore (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

A timeless classic dealing with the complexity and hardships of relationships, addiction and faith. Judith Hearne, a Catholic middle-aged spinster, moves into yet another bed-sit in Belfast. A socially isolated woman of modest means, she teaches piano to a handful of students to pass the day. Her only social activity is tea with the O'Neill family, who secretly dread her weekly visits. Judith soon meets wealthy James Madden and fantasises about marrying this lively, debonair man. But Madden sees her in an entirely different light, as a potential investor in a business proposal. On realising that her feelings are not reciprocated, she turns to an old addiction -- alcohol. Having confessed her problems to an indifferent priest, she soon loses her faith and binges further. She wonders what place there is for her in a world that so values family ties and faith, both of which she is without.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Remarkable!seldom in modern fiction has any character been revealed so completely or been made to seem so poignantly real.' New York Times 'I can't think of another living male novelist who writes about women with such sympathy and understanding.' Times Literary Supplement 'Moore is surely one of the most versatile and compelling novelists writing today.' Daily Telegraph 'A powerful haunting story by a young Irish-Canadian who knows the meaning not only of loneliness, but that of compassion as well.' New York Times 'An almost classic example of the power given by unity of theme!Moore reveals all the qualities of a born novelist.' Sunday Times Praise for Brian Moore: 'From his first to his last novel, Moore has an uncanny ability to imagine his way into the emotions and sexuality of his characters!there aren't many writers who do this comparably well -- Flaubert, Chekhov, Julian Barnes, William Trevor come to mind.' Hermione Lee 'Brian Moore leads the field with a style that can only be called immaculate.' Guardian 'Brian Moore's versatility, his lifelong refusal to keep writing the same book over again, is too much taken for granted. He writes simply and economically, but with a true generosity of vision.' Observer --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

'Moore is surely one of the most versatile and compelling novelists writing today.' Daily Telegraph

Brian Moore's extraordinary talent was immediately recognised when The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne, his debut novel, won the Authors' Club First Novel Award. A highly-acclaimed film based on the novel was recently made, starring Maggie Smith.

'I can't think of another living male novelist who writes about women with such sympathy and understanding.' Times Literary Supplement

'Remarkable... seldom in modern fiction has any character been revealed so completely or been made to seem so poignantly real.' New York Times

'An almost classic example of the power given by unity of theme... Mr Moore reveals all the qualities of a born novelist.' Sunday Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Back Bay Books (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316579815
• ISBN-13: 978-0316579810
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,785,983 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A woman imprisoned by the passage of time., February 27, 2002

By 

Cipriano "www.bookpuddle.blogspot.com" (Planet Claire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (Paladin Books) (Paperback)

After cranking out a string of pot-boiler thrillers, Judith Hearne was Moore's debut venture into the world of the serious novel. Here he sought to depict the epic, cosmic conflicts that are under the surface of the most seemingly ordinary of lives. He set it squarely in 1950's Belfast, where he was raised as one of the Catholic minority. He hated Belfast, calling it a "claustrophobic, provincial backwater... trapped in the nightmare of history" and plagued equally with Protestant self-righteousness and Catholic repressiveness. All of these sentiments find their way into this, his first literary novel.
Judith, convent-raised, unmarried, and forty-something moves into Mrs. Rice's boarding house on Camden Street. It is her sixth relocation in the last few years. We find out WHY later. She teaches piano and embroidery to an ever diminishing handful of students, has very few possessions, and fewer social attachments. In fact, her only social involvement is tea with the O'Neill family on Sunday afternoons. Only later do we find how one-sided even this relationship is. The O'Neills secretly dread her visits.
We are soon to sense the brooding cloud of narrowness, plainness, loneliness, and ignorance that hovers over this poor soul. Moore captures it. Even her physical frame, he says, is "plain as a cheap clothes rack."
To sustain herself she lives in a world of religious faith and imagination... or illusion. She daydreams, and surrounds herself with iconic totems from her uneventful past. And she has a secret vice that isn't revealed until almost midway in the novel. She's a(n) _____! (I won't say).
The novel revolves around Judith's interactions with the many other residents of Mrs. Rice's home. Because of Judith's long repressed desires and vivid imagination, she is quick to assume that Mr. Madden's attentions will lead to a splendid marriage. But in their mutually illusive worlds they are both nursing dissimilar motives as regards each other. And meanwhile, Judith is being horribly set up for a total spiritual/emotional breakdown by a certain nefarious Iago-like presence in the home. As a result of her mounting disappointments she questions (abandons?) her religious faith, and is led in increasing measure to wallow in her secret vice... the real "passion" of Judith Hearne. And it is indeed, partaken in abject loneliness. Even the Church, represented by the tactless Father Quigley, rejects her cry for help. He heaps penitence and guilt where forgiveness and grace are needed.

This novel is brilliant in its portrayal of a woman at the very outer limits of disillusionment. Trapped by the passage of time. In the end, she looks in the mirror and smiles a costly smile. It has cost her the illusion, the pretence, and the ill-founded faith of all her years.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading, June 30, 2007

By 

Joyce D. McGinnis (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (Paperback)

This slender novel is a master class in fiction writing. I've read it at least ten times, and every time I learn something new. Mr. Moore's command of fictional technique is astonishing. He uses the basic elements of the craft (point of view, narrative voice, recurring details, etc.) like brushstrokes in a painting. Bit by bit, sentence by sentence, Judith Hearne and the people around her are revealed. The plot moves forward with the inevitability of a Greek tragedy, and when the climax comes, we are devastated. We know everything there is to know about this plain, brave, flawed woman, and we know that things could not have turned out otherwise for her.

In addition to its flawless execution, this book reveals an almost unbearable depth of compassion for human weakness and a keen understanding of human nature. While Judith Hearne may seem to belong very much to a particular time and place, we should not be so quick to label the book a period piece. We are still struggling to connect to each other, to find love and security, to reconcile faith and fact. Mr. Moore's themes are timeless. As long as there are human beings, Judith Hearne will have something to teach them. Her story gives us much to mourn about who (and what) we are, but in revealing her to us, Mr. Moore also gives us much to celebrate.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Please read it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern masterpiece., April 28, 2005

By 

Michael Leone (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne (Paperback)

It cannot be emphasized enough what a masterpiece this book is. It is packed tight like a little bomb and like a bomb it explodes in your hands. Writers especially should take note of this book: not a single word is wasted. Every sentence furthers the plot -- that of a desperate and near-hysterical drunken Irish spinster who is feebly holding onto her faith. It is also one of those rare books that manages to be both literary and plot-driven. Merciless tension is sustained throughout.

The writing will remind you of early Joyce (Dubliners) coupled with the pained humor of Chekhov. It is rich in imagery and detail and the pacing is perfect. Unforgettable characters abound, from the Yank-wannabe cripple James Madden, to the pudgy, poetaster Bernard Rice, to Judith herself, a shabby-genteel dame who only wants to be loved.

This is classic writing by a great writer who deserves a wider audience.