This book is centred around Sinead, a young women with a terminal illness lying in an Irish hospital. She has hidden this from everybody but has told a fat magpie!

Ms Feeney then shows us how to use words (and lists!) when Sinead describes life and all the other patients around her. I am still not sure if there is much of a story but there is sadness mixed with a bit of humour. Even if you struggle with the prose and writing style, the author's use of metaphors and adjectives is impressive""

"Galway Girl" (Steve Earle) it isn't!

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House for the chance to read and review this book.

I found it difficult to get into the book. I persevered but did not really want to bother to finish it and did not care what happened. Thanks for an advanced copy from Netgalley.

Thankyou netgalley for this emotionally raw book. This book had me feeling everything yet at the same time smirking at the dry humour I love. As you were is a fantastic debut novel by Elaine Feeney that lands us in an Irish hospital with Sinéad. A wife, a mother, and someone dying of cancer. But she hasn't told anyone about the disease eating away at her, with the exception of Google. At times i felt I was reading something that came straight from the ramblings of someone who was mad, especially in regards to the character Jane who is also a patient, working in care myself I have come across many people with dementia and Elaines realistic portrayal had me reminiscing on many conversations I had in the past with such people. Sinéad's internal battles both mentally and physically are portrayed as she comes terms with her past and the day she saw that one magpie for sorrow and recieved her diagnosis. The characters were so lively and animated and felt so personal and relatable. It might not be everyone's preference in writing but I for one really enjoyed it

Sinéad Hynes has a secret which she has told to a magpie but no-one else. Not even her family.
This is a story about women for women. It will make you cry. It will make you think. It is about inspirational women, women who fail and women who try.

I unfortunately didn't enjoy the subject matter or style of this novel but it may have more appeal to other readers.

This has an intriguing rhythm to it and the stream of conscious writing feels very fitting for the working mind of someone extremely ill however it does make for a very challenging read. It’s hard to relate to the main character and she doesn’t really show many likeable traits, that said it has some other interesting characters once you get past their fragmented stories. The book deserves high acclaim however I think the reader needs to be willing to put effort into the reading of this.

A topical and driven book which denotes the struggle a woman faces with her cancer diagnosis.
In lieu of the interesting stylistic decisions Feeney makes, and the complete commitment to exploring the human condition in such a devastating situation, I found that this did not quite pack the punch it perhaps intended to...
The prose came in hard and fast, bowling the reader over with it's gung-ho presentation of the protagonist and her plight. There are echoes of Milkman and The Glorious Heresies in the portrayal of the Irish 'way', and the Irish voice. However, the intensity and harsh freneticism of the narrative voice felt forced so early in the story, ultimately leaving little space for movement and growth to a most effective climax.
It's not to say that I couldn't appreciate that the 'blow' of such a diagnosis was reflected in the 'blow' of the dialogue and imagery handed to the reader. Yet, the effect got lost somewhere along the way because it was relentless. In the latter part of the book, I sadly, (and frustratingly), found myself caring less - wanting a change in pitch, in tone....more nuance in the way the emotions and experiences of this woman were shown.
This said - the prose style and its inventiveness in manipulating structure and image was intriguing, impressive and allowed for some particularly brilliant moments of metaphor to strike at empathy. The flashback sequences ensured attention was retained, the twisting pace of this novel simultaneously building a back story and illustrating the hospital stay.
Overall, despite the struggles I had with narrative voice, this was a book which tackles a dark subject matter with humour, dignity and truth. Feeney's core purpose is admirable in giving voice and humanity to cancer and our stark lack of control over it. The 'magpie' metaphor, woven throughout, is clever and poignant, and retains impact on the reader right to the end

I struggled to finish this book I'm afraid to say! The staccato, strange narrative made it hard to follow and to empathise with the main character. I didn't care enough about her to try and decipher the brain to page narration.

This was quite a tough read for me as I have been through cancer treatment but it was also quite deep. The main character is not always likeable But in the end, you warm to her. The story weaves its was through some pretty difficult topics like abortion and women’s rights.
The way it is written is a bit jumpy, a lot of thoughts jumbled together but I feel that was a deliberate ploy to show the reader what goes through someone’s head when it that position.
Ultimately heartbreaking and an amazing first novel but not an easy, lay on the beach type read....which is ok, as beaches are banned right now anyway!

Siobhan has a terminal illness but she cannot bring herself to tell her husband and children or the other patients of the hospital ward she has recently arrived in. This marvellous book explores the long term effects our childhood can have on the way we lead our lives, the truth behind the veneer of a happy marriage and family, and the many ways women need and help each other Beautifully written, achingly sad yet strangely uplifting., this will stay with me.

As You Were is a story about Sinéad Hynes, a youngish woman in the West of Ireland, living with a terminal diagnosis. Her old life was shattered by the diagnosis - on her way home she saw a lone magpie and this divides her live into Before Magpie and After Magpie. Sinéad decides not to tell anyone - least of all her husband and three children. As her condition worsens, Sinéad requires more intensive palliation and is eventually hospitalised.

There are also thoughts about the dying process - about how is becomes public property. However much Sinéad wants to keep it a private affair, she cannot do this. She believes she is entitled to a private hospital room, but she is put on display in a ward with others. The doctors' conversations are audible. Sinéad is expected to make particular choices, to respond in a predictable way. Dying has become a conveyer belt, the manufacture of a commodity. Sinéad can try to hold out, but inevitably there comes a point where her secret cannot hold out, and she has to confide.

As Sinéad languishes in hospital, she is able to observe the rivalries that play out between her fellow patients and their families. There are opportunities to explore their back-stories, giving vantage points from different strata within the Irish social order - whether from an uneducated woman with a large family; a doting schoolteacher; a local politician or the migrant healthcare workers who are part of the new Ireland. Their stories are compelling, sometimes heartbreaking. There was a sense that, as the patients died and passed the baton on to their children, so too the old order of Ireland was dying and being replaced by new hope. Goodbye to the all powerful church and state. Goodbye to the pious morality. Goodbye to the control of women's bodies.

This could have been a sad book, a dreary book. But it isn't. Sinéad is (somewhat ironically) full of life and determined not to just curl up. She still has opinions; she has a wry humour, she is still interested to watch the Irish economy disintegrating - seeming to compete with her in a race to the grave. This is a novel about a person, not a death. It's actually quite uplifting.

"Father always told me I was Fine. So as the years went by I grew increasingly mistrustful of bad news bearers. Miss Sinéad Hynes was fine. Father said so. I was Fine. I am Fine."

Having spent a short stint in hospital at the beginning of the year, I found this book incredibly powerful. It tells the story of Sinéad, a young wife and mother in hospital with a tumour. Written from her perspective we learn not only her tale but those of the eclectic collection of patients surrounding her. I myself was on a ward with a Jane and a Margaret Rose who, over my brief time with them, I came to love for their little quirks and eccentricities.

This novel doesn't have a big, dramatic story arc, it instead focuses on the small interactions within the monotony of life in a hospital bed. The conversations that on a normal day would seem innocuous but under the circumstances become melodrama, Sinéad's endless list making in her head because there's simply nothing else to do, the fear but also the resignation to this life that has been thrust upon everyone in the ward.

Feeney captures these moments with such clarity and profound detail that at times I found it rather unnerving and quite a hard read, as if Sinéad was reliving my experience. This did not detract from the beauty, sadness and sheer reality of the story and despite it transporting me back to a personally difficult time in my life, I'm incredibly grateful to have read this beautiful book.

This is the story of Sinead, a young women with a tumour in an Irish hospital. It is told through her eyes and follows the mixed group who share the same ward. Quite fast paced, at times very funny but also at times full of pathos as deeper stories are revealed. I very much liked the writing style, but some reader could find it chaotic. It gave the impression of family gatherings where a story was being told, the story-teller became distracted and set off on a complete tangent so that you never knew how the story ended.
Sinead has a lot to come to terms with and isn't a talker. I can identify with that. I hope things work out for her and her family .
Thank you to net galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A remarkably prescient story. Elaine Feeney has an incredible voice and insight into less-discussed aspects of our society. I was so impressed with this one, thanks for the ARC!

A brilliant idea: presenting the tragicomedy of life through the patients of a hospital ward, delivered in an unbelievable annoying writing style that didn't work for me at all! Sorry!

This novel opens with Sinead saluting a magpie, after a bad diagnosis. There is then a style of writing that is somewhat of a stream of consciousness. Unfortunately I felt it added nothing to the book or storyline and I often just skipped past it.
Much of the story is then moved to the hospital ward where Sinead is a patient. And somehow, she still hasn't told her family the diagnosis and they are not asking. But the characters most explored are the other patients on the ward.
In the end it all seemed a bit frustrating.

Stylistically this is not going to be for everyone. If you like the way the book fuses a number of different and innovative storytelling methods including prose poetry and rendered dialogue, then you will probably love this as I did. On the other hand I can see how it would prevent a barrier for some. This is a story of a mother who has not told her family about her terminal cancer. It’s also the story of Ireland, both in relatively modern times, and how a lot of the bad outlook and dicey politics has been inherited. I probably cut this book far more slack because as an Irish woman, I felt what this was all saying very keenly. And there are certainly difficult scenes – a Magdalene laundry for example. But it’s also told with the wry wit and humour, and tender poignancy so characteristic of Irish stories. It’s a beautiful book. If you like literary fiction, give it a try.

The book had an interesting premise and concept, though at times it was difficult to read for several reasons. The book was full of interesting characters and there was a great focus on mental health, trauma, morality and mortality, and each of these concepts were handled well. However, the style of the writing and frequent focus on heavy subject matters meant it could be hard to read at times, and made the pacing feel slow.

This is perhaps the first book I've read where I've believed the main character is facing their own mortality. It weaves together the grief and fear of facing death and illness with everything else that comes with it, and Sinéad feels like a woman who is scared of what is happening to her, yet we don't feel that fear in every moment, although when we do it is punctuated and emphasised. It is an emotional read due to this, and I found myself with a lump in my throat quite often.

I very much enjoyed the difference between the three women on the ward featured in the book and how they interacted with each other, there was a focus on their friendship and how they all grew to love and care for each other. As well as this, I liked what each women brought to the story and their differing experiences and views of life, whilst unfortunately one life was more interesting than the other two it was not so bad I was rushing through the book to hear from only that one women again. What eclipsed the narration of their lives past and present was the focus on women friendship, and how important that is, the three women built a community so strong that it meant Sinéad was able to be free from her own past - it was beautiful to read.

There was also an intriguing exploration of mental health relating to trauma in this novel and how it can impact decision making and one's future. It was nice to see an author who did not pretend trauma could be swept under a rug or couldn't impact people's health decades after the traumatic event. It didn't seem like Feeney was trying to suggest trauma could be cured nor that it would ruin your life, but rather it was something that would stay with you and you should be aware of that, and manage it accordingly - which is how trauma is.

In addition to this there was a compelling running commentary on Ireland's history and it's politics. As someone who is ignorant of Irish politics and history I found this aspect of the book particularly fascinating, as it appeared Feeney largely commended the country's attitudes towards women but also it's failure to fully realise the promise it had made to it's citizens with independence. This commentary seemed to run hand in hand with the main character's motives and history and it was clear Feeney was condemning the impact of Ireland's failures and broken promises to it's citizens.

Yet, the writing at times could be confusing. The narration could feel muddled, perhaps because we're following an unreliable narrator, but also as it's sometimes difficult to distinguish the present from the past in the form of flashbacks. As well as this, Sinéad has an ongoing monologue inside her head of what she believes her father would think or say to her, which is not clearly stated when it first happens and rather the reader is left to decipher what is happening in the narrative. Without any clear distinction between past and present narration, but also with the possibility of someone else narrating at the same time, the reader can be left confused and unsure of what the character is thinking or feeling in the present moment; whilst you can decipher what is going on it is not immediately clear and takes attention away from the grief and trauma Feeney so expertly showcases.

Despite the book's positive attributes, I wouldn't recommend it to those who feel they wouldn't or couldn't read about illnesses or hospitals in great detail, as this does nothing to hide the horrors of disease or the fragility of life. Whilst I strongly admire the author for making this an uncomfortable read in this way, and refusing to censor the truth or make it a less bitter pill to swallow, it is however something you should be aware of as a reader.

Whilst this is not a book I would readily recommend due it's heavy subject matters, it is a book I would recommend if you can bare to constantly face them. It does not shy away from hardship but I believe it also brings some hope and love to these topics, as well as shines a light on the importance of friendships amongst women.

Difficult reading at times as I have a family member going through a terminal illness. The characters were lively and realistic. I felt the lead character Sinead was cold at times and it took me a while to warm to her, however, her experience was realistic and heartbreaking. The fellow members of her ward were all realistic and believable which made the reading more enjoyable. I liked the authors style and use of language, I felt it moved me along as a reader at quite a pace.

This debut novel is a tribute to the spirit and resilience of Irish women - brimful of the usual Irish angst, but thankfully - what could have been a depressing read - is lightened with wry Irish humour. At times the narrative borders on farce and it could be easily translated to a stage play as most of it takes place in a mixed hospital ward. Feeney displays a mastery of revealing character through dialogue and I found her sympathetic portrayal of the patient with dementia particularly skilful and moving. I'm looking forward to future work by this talented writer.