One day as a tiger [Unknown Binding]

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 264 pages
• Publisher: Ecco Press; 1st edition
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006DIEIQ
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragedy, Complete with Catharsis, July 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: One Day As A Tiger (Hardcover)

What a wonderful book! Once I started reading it, every moment spent away from it was a trial! All I wanted to do was get back to it and find out what happened next! While this may not be a book that ends "happily ever after", it does make us painfully aware of the poignant and tenuous nature of life and how unspeakably sad it can sometimes be. We identify with Martin at the same time that we abhor his sometimes thoughtlessly cruel behavior towards Missy. Etti's limited intelligence, and the fact that she is aware of it, makes us feel protective towards her and we are also moved by Pierce's love for his brother and for Etti. But finally it is Missy who moves us unbearably - we are left with an image of this totally helpless being, dependent on the whims of whoever deigns to look after her, however imperfectly. We may well ask the question, "Why was she born?" This story is a real tragedy, complete with catharsis. As for the writing, Anne Haverty is a wonder - her descriptions of nature are marvellous and the wry Celtic humor to be found in the story makes us smile but it is, above all, her ability to move us that makes her stand out from the crowd. The only writer I can compare her with is Patrick McGinley, a favorite of mine whose books are, unfortunately, mostly out of print these days. The reader who asks what the title means must have missed the quotation at the beginning of the book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a real puzzlement... hated it... but couldn't put it down, April 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: One Day As A Tiger (Hardcover)

Okay, I just don't get it. If any other readers can explain the title of this book to me, I'd appreciate it. Still, it kept my attention to look at this buccolic Ireland. The love story is... well, it's a love story. The question is, who loves whom???

5.0 out of 5 stars Original and highly entertaining, February 11, 2003

By 

Marsha E. Lytle (Olathe, KS United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Day As A Tiger (Hardcover)

Marty Hawkins, on his way to being a gifted scholar at Dublin's Trinity College, seems to be suffering a delayed reaction to his parents' tragic death. Giving up his fast track career in the history department, Marty returns home to the family farm in Fasha, County Tipperary, run by his brother, Pierce, and sister-in-law, Etti. Marty's desire for a simple rural life puts him at a loss on how to fill his days besides occasional farm chores and the weekly night out at the local pub. Pinning for his sister-in-law, Etti, and a good-natured rivalry with Young Delaney, a boyhood friend, seems to be the only things keeping him going until he comes in possession of a genetically altered sheep he names Missy.
This was a most unusual book and very enjoyable. The author gives us a wonderful portrayal of rural Ireland and its vanishing breed of small farmers. We are treated to an assortment of characters in the village of Fansha, from the sister-in-law from the wrong side of the tracks and almost too perfect brother, to the hard working Young Delaney, who is the envy of the countryside for his skill with livestock. Other families seem less industrious than Pierce, settling for modern homes and satellite dishes, in lieu of the traditional country values.
Marty's emotional decline is sad and pathetic, risking everything for a chance with his sister-in-law. A delightful story of obsession and the consequences, but perhaps most memorable for the wonderful portrayal of a tiny corner of modern Ireland, which still retains the rural charm that we think of, and a whole array of unforgettable characters.