Pretence, deception, male chauvinism and episodes of 'domestic terrorism' drive this disturbing book.
A novel in the tradition of the Irish novel, set in London and rural Ireland and spanning more than half a century, the story of the McDermotts and the Davidsons, two families linked by the marriage of Rose McDermott, an attractive, spirited Irishwoman, to Henry Davidson, a wealthy Londoner. Like most unions, Henry and Rose's starts well but in a while begins to deteriorate; Rose is looking for love and communication while Henry, cold and enigmatic, seeks only an heir to continue the Davidson family line. Within a few short years husband and wife are leading separate lives while living under the one roof and keeping up appearances.
Excerpt
Billy Davidson has one photograph of his parents and it's the only photograph of them together that remains, and it remains only because he rescued it. It's one taken on their wedding day in January 1956, and as you look at it, his mother, Rose, is on the left and his father, Henry, is on the right; some will say the groom should be on the bride's other side, but to Billy that's irrelevant.
The photograph's a little battered because it had been held down by tape in an album for more than thirty years and was then ripped out the morning of the cremation in September 1988, leaving scars around its grey edges, but Billy cropped what he had to crop, cleaned it up as best he could and framed it.
Rose is wearing a pale wool coat. Billy can't be sure what colour it is exactly as the photograph is in black and white, and he never asked his mother. He was lucky to get the photograph before it was consigned to the waste basket so he didn't want to push his luck by asking for details or she might have taken it back and torn it up, but at a guess he'd say the coat is cream. Rose's hair is swept back and she's wearing a fabulous peaked hat with the peak at an almost rakish angle over her right eye, and she has a rose in her right lapel. Henry looks slightly shorter than Rose in the photograph, her shoulder's higher than his, but what does it matter when he looks so well? He was handsome, truly handsome. He's wearing a dark grey suit, collar and striped tie. A white silk handkerchief sticks out of his breast pocket and a rose is pinned to his left lapel. His hair is short and neatly combed and has a small wave in the middle.
But more than anything it is their faces with their strong, even features which are striking - clean and healthy and pure. They shine. It is Rose and Henry's day of days and they are shining.
The patient building of characters drew me in to such an extent I was worried for Henry’s daughter even as she had grown into a strong successful woman. I shared the book with my mother & she became so enraged with Henry Davidson that I had to remind her that he was a fictional character. You done well in giving the reader a geographical feel for the setting. In short – we were pulled in.
Kudos Professor.
:) Janna
Shadows of Substance is now one of my all-time favorite novels. Good and evil were deftly woven into the book's characters along with the author's accurate historical perspective. I laughed and cried as I read this absorbing story of women trying to survive in a man's world. Bravo to you John Flanagan!
~ Christine Tsen
Angela Farrell and Rosa(Gonzalez) have posted reviews on the Lulu website.
Rosa wrote: "John Flanagan's storytelling draws you in and you cannot but submit to the impulse to keep on reading. He describes the type of family situation that one rushes to get caught up in.
It's beautifully written and I know already that I will be reading this book many times over.
For a first novel this is a tremendous effort."
Angela wrote: "I downloaded this book immediately I saw it on Lulu as I had already hugely enjoyed 'We're All Men Here' by the same author. 'Shadows of Substance' is a very absorbing read. The locations and the range of characters are vividly portrayed with immaculate historic accuracy and resounding authenticity. The wonderful quality of John Flanagan's writing is, once again, a joy to read. What I found most striking in this book were the strong female characters, real women, survivors who take on and come through life's challenges, devoid of bitterness, with breadth of vision.
To me, this book reads as a labour of love and tenderness for all women of the second half of the 20th century in the West of Ireland."
As deafness, illness, and demonic forces close in around him, Ludwig van Beethoven must summon his faith and genius to complete the Missa Solemnis—a sacred masterpiece he believes could bring divine light into a darkening world.
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Not only do the seas roll on but two romances,a death at sea, uncovered past lives, history uncovered in Brazil, caves in Australia, poetry in Senegal, the Lux Mundi
