Nora Webster

Nora Webster
AuthorColm Tóibín
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherScribner
Publication date
October 7, 2014
Publication placeIreland
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
ISBN9781439138335

Nora Webster is a historical novel by Colm Tóibín, published October 7, 2014 by Scribner. The story is set in Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland, and in Brooklyn, New York in the middle of the 20th century.

Reception

Nora Webster is a New York Times best seller.[1]

On The Omnivore, in an aggregation of British press reviews, the book received an "omniscore" of 4.0 out of 5.[2] On Bookmarks January/February 2015 issue, a magazine that aggregates critic reviews of books, the book received a (4.0 out of 5) based on critic reviews with a critical summary saying, "Nora Webster is a subtle meditation on grief, home, family, and memory by an internationally respected writer at the peak of his craft--a meditation in prose that is curiously flat and seemingly empty but that reflects, with perfect clarity, the fullness of life".[3][4]

The book received starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews[1] and Booklist,[5] as well as positive reviews from Publishers Weekly[6] and Shelf Awareness.[7]

Kirkus called Nora Webster "[a] novel of mourning, healing and awakening," noting that "its plainspoken eloquence never succumbs to the sentimentality its heroine would reject."[1]

The audiobook, narrated by Fiona Shaw, received positive reviews from Booklist[8] and Library Journal.[9]

Kirkus Reviews named Nora Webster one of the best fiction novels of the year.[1]

Awards for Nora Webster
Year Award Result Ref.
2014 Booklist Editors' Choice for Adult Fiction Selection [10]
Costa Book Award for Novel Nominee [11]
Eason Novel of the Year Shortlist [12]
2015 Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction Shortlist [13][14][15]
Folio Prize Shortlist [16]
Hawthornden Prize Winner [17]
2016 Europese Literatuurprijs Nominee [18]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Nora Webster". Kirkus Reviews. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Nora Webster by Colm Toibin". The Omnivore. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Nora Webster". Bookmarks. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Nora Webster". Bibliosurf (in French). 4 October 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  5. ^ Hooper, Brad (August 2014). "Nora Webster". Booklist. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Fiction Book Review: Nora Webster by Colm Tóibín. Scribner, $27 (384p) ISBN 978-1-4391-3833-5". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. ^ Krocker McKeon, Cheryl (21 October 2014). "Nora Webster". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. ^ "Nora Webster". Booklist. 1 April 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  9. ^ Knapp, Mary (1 January 2015). "Nora Webster". Library Journal. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Booklist Editors' Choice: Adult Books, 2014". Booklist. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  11. ^ Brown, Mark (18 November 2014). "Costa 2014 book awards shortlist includes first novel by ex-Mormon". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  12. ^ Sussler, Betsy (3 November 2014). "Awards: Irish Book; Banff Mountain". Shelf Awareness. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  13. ^ Ott, Bill (6 April 2015). "Shortlist Announced for the 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Fiction and Nonfiction". Booklist. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  14. ^ Morales, Macey (8 April 2015). "ALA unveils shortlist for 2015 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction". American Library Association. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  15. ^ "BEA 2015: Shortlist for the Carnegie Medals". PublishersWeekly.com. 27 May 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  16. ^ Brown, Mark (23 March 2015). "Akhil Sharma wins Folio prize for fiction". the Guardian. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Colm Tóibín scoops Hawthornden Literature Prize". RTE. 23 July 2015. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Nora Webster". Goodreads. Retrieved 6 January 2022.


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