Prophet Song
- Downloads：6285
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-19 07:23:52
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Paul Lynch
- ISBN：1038661730
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
George
，
Great writing。 Scary book given what is going on in the world。 The book is intense throughout。 Mr。 Lynch never lets up。 I can understand how it was selected as the winner of the Booker Prize。
Melisa Boyd
，
Hardcover
Nick Ford
，
“History is a silent record of people who didn’t know when to leave”。 This book is POWERFUL。 It holds a mirror up to the reality lived by so many around the world - and tells this story in an incredibly relatable way。 Paul Lynch wrote this book before and during lockdown with the Syrian crisis in mind; how a modern society can collapse leading to years of violent infighting that has a devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people。 It’s horrific that by the time it’s won the Booker， we can a “History is a silent record of people who didn’t know when to leave”。 This book is POWERFUL。 It holds a mirror up to the reality lived by so many around the world - and tells this story in an incredibly relatable way。 Paul Lynch wrote this book before and during lockdown with the Syrian crisis in mind; how a modern society can collapse leading to years of violent infighting that has a devastating impact on the lives of ordinary people。 It’s horrific that by the time it’s won the Booker， we can add several other humanitarian crises caused by those in power to the list this story can relate to。 The world’s a total shit-show。 We all know how awful it is， but the setting of modern day Ireland and the focussing on the rather unremarkable life of Eilish and her family hits this feeling like a giant wrecking ball。 Eilish could be anybody the reader knows， even the reader themselves。 She’s just a woman with her family trying to get on with life。 She has an ordinary job， deals with the same struggles as people up and down the country - teenage kids， a dad with dementia…focussing the novel on her experience takes away any attention on those in power and hones us in on the impact to ordinary people。 Throughout， you can make parallels to the situation brewing in the west - and that’s when it almost turns into a horror…or a warning。 It’s beautifully written。 It’s lyrical and full of profound prose - yet fast-paced in a way that some of it reads as a thriller。 Huge 1984 and Handsmaid Tale vibes to it， yet feels totally fresh and original。 I also love how he is able to find the humour at certain points within the darkness。 I find Irish writers to be pros at this， looking to the comedy in the mundane and everyday against darker themes。 Don’t get me wrong， it’s far from a laugh a minute here - but the few moments of lightness were appreciated。 I won’t do any spoilers， but as the book builds it becomes almost traumatic。 For me， the military hospital just gave me goosebumps as I was reading it （if you’ve read it， you know…）。 Utterly heartbreaking。 Paul Lynch has attempted to unpack a lot of issues and themes into the book and I think he does so incredibly successfully considering the complexity。 There are so many people I want to throw this book at - people who could do with gaining a little perspective and empathy。 。。。more
Cliff Reeves
，
Prophet Song tells brilliantly the story of a contemporary Ireland slipping into authoritarian rule -- from the perspective of Eilish as she struggles to protect her children， her husband and her family。The story is grim from start to finish， but I've never felt more involved。 In part that's because of the unusual narrative style。 There are no quotation marks， yet it's easy to follow who is speaking or what they are doing。 The story is written in the third person but only from the perspective of Prophet Song tells brilliantly the story of a contemporary Ireland slipping into authoritarian rule -- from the perspective of Eilish as she struggles to protect her children， her husband and her family。The story is grim from start to finish， but I've never felt more involved。 In part that's because of the unusual narrative style。 There are no quotation marks， yet it's easy to follow who is speaking or what they are doing。 The story is written in the third person but only from the perspective of Eilish。 Each long paragraph is really a short chapter and once you get used to that the narrative just flows and somehow draws you in to the gradually worsening environment。This sounds bleak and it is， but the story reinforces the value of civility， law， and humanity 。。。 and how easily it can be eroded。Unconditional recommendation！ 。。。more
B。 Rule
，
Another in the "it can't happen here" genre， this one distinguishes itself by keeping the focus tightly on a single family as fascism slides into civil war。 The travails they face are horrifying precisely because of how believable they are: truly awful things occur， but they're rarely dramatic and instead feel like the kinds of collateral damage that just happen when the enormous machinery of death awakens。 While Lynch's story occurs in Ireland， it's easy to imagine it transposed to Syria or to Another in the "it can't happen here" genre， this one distinguishes itself by keeping the focus tightly on a single family as fascism slides into civil war。 The travails they face are horrifying precisely because of how believable they are: truly awful things occur， but they're rarely dramatic and instead feel like the kinds of collateral damage that just happen when the enormous machinery of death awakens。 While Lynch's story occurs in Ireland， it's easy to imagine it transposed to Syria or to a future U。S。 The text is low-key， a kind of soft murmuring of inevitability。 Lynch didn't immediately register with me as a great stylist， but it's very effective for what it is。 I've read a handful of the Booker short-list this year， and I understand why this one won even if I'm less certain it's the best-written。 But a great book isn't all about the technical skill， and this one is saying something important at a time when the personal costs of political violence are often elided or othered。 We comfortable Westerners may feel this is something that only happens Over There， but this book is a sobering reminder that the veneer of civilization is easily torn away when we cease to treat each other as fully human。 In-group politics feels good because we taste the potent drugs of acceptance and righteous anger， but its wages are immiserating dehumanization when that agonistic attitude is unchecked。 We've been fucking around， and Lynch is here to show us what it can be like to find out。 It's a terrifying lesson and all too real。 。。。more
Jonathan
，
I cannot argue with the Booker Prize committee。 This is a totally gripping， if rather harrowing， dystopian story。 The characters， particularly the protagonist Eilish， are well developed。 I felt her pain， her anguish and her desperation。 If a government can invoke emergency powers in the event of a crisis， then there will always be a suitable crisis。 That’s where it starts。 Now read on and see where that leads…
Esther Huntington-Whiteley
，
I was bored
Brent Byerley
，
Interesting dystopian novel that shows how quickly a society can turn into fascist rule with utter destruction。 Lots of run on sentences， but this seems to be the style of recent Booker prize novels。
Tanya
，
I really like how this book is written， the stream of consciousness style。 And the theme is so timely that I find myself flinching away。 I’m flinching so hard I only made it to 7%。
Kevin
，
Paul Lynch wrote a fictional novel about a country devolving into chaos and war， but was so obviously influenced by actual events over the last 4 years。 His book begins when the government gives itself "emergency powers" and then proceeds to enact draconian measures to control the populace。 Followed by the restricting of civil liberties。 They then criminalize dissent， and arrest people who have views contrary to the governments approved opinions。 They close the schools， cause inflation， and shor Paul Lynch wrote a fictional novel about a country devolving into chaos and war， but was so obviously influenced by actual events over the last 4 years。 His book begins when the government gives itself "emergency powers" and then proceeds to enact draconian measures to control the populace。 Followed by the restricting of civil liberties。 They then criminalize dissent， and arrest people who have views contrary to the governments approved opinions。 They close the schools， cause inflation， and shortages。 This is the point in his novel where his fictional story breaks from the real live responses to Covid in supposed enlightened democracies。 His world devolves into a civil war as backlash to the abuse of power where in real life so many stood by while any dissenters where persecuted and prosecuted beyond the rule of law。 The Prophet Song is cautionary tale and struck very close to my heart。 。。。more
David A Townsend
，
the price of life that is suffering， and she sees her children delivered into a world of devotion and love and sees them damned to a world of terror， wishing for such a world to end， wishing for the world its destruction， and this who remains an innocent and she sees how she has fallen afoul of herself and grows aghast， seeing that out of terrors come pity and out of pity comes love and out of love the world is redeemed again， and she can see that the world does not end， that it is vanity to thi the price of life that is suffering， and she sees her children delivered into a world of devotion and love and sees them damned to a world of terror， wishing for such a world to end， wishing for the world its destruction， and this who remains an innocent and she sees how she has fallen afoul of herself and grows aghast， seeing that out of terrors come pity and out of pity comes love and out of love the world is redeemed again， and she can see that the world does not end， that it is vanity to think the world will end during your lifetime in some sudden event， that what ends is your life and your life only， that what is sung by the prophets is but the same song sung across time， the coming of the sword， the world devoured by fire， the sun gone down into the earth at noon and the world cast in darkness the fury of some god incarnate in the mouth of the prophet raging not of the end of the world but of what has been done and what will be done to some but not others， that the world is always ending over and over again in one place but not another， and that the end of the world is always a local event， it comes to your country and visits your town and knocks on the door of your house and becomes to others but some distant warning， a brief report of the news， an echo of events that have passed into folklore。 。。。more
Prakriti Kandel
，
"Prophet Song" authored by Paul Lynch emerges as the winner of Booker Prize 2023。 The unprecedented sequence of events has shattered my heart and left me wondering about humanity as I try to comprehend how Eilish must have felt。 "She sees how happiness hides in the humdrum， how it abides in the everyday toing and froing as though happiness were a thing that should not be seen， as though it were a note that cannot be heard until it sounds from the past。" - Prophet SongAs Eilish juggles between th "Prophet Song" authored by Paul Lynch emerges as the winner of Booker Prize 2023。 The unprecedented sequence of events has shattered my heart and left me wondering about humanity as I try to comprehend how Eilish must have felt。 "She sees how happiness hides in the humdrum， how it abides in the everyday toing and froing as though happiness were a thing that should not be seen， as though it were a note that cannot be heard until it sounds from the past。" - Prophet SongAs Eilish juggles between the grief of losing her husband to Garda National Services Bureau （GNSB） and safeguarding her four kids， she maintains her calm amidst the political madness。 I can feel the extreme tension and helplessness Eilish feels when her children accuse her of not doing anything to bring their father back home。 As the story unfolds， there is one riot going outside in the public and another protest going on inside the family - with each child showing peculiar trauma response。"Sometimes not doing something is the best way to get what you want， sometimes you have to be quite and keep your head down， sometimes when you get up in the morning you should spend more time choosing your colors。" - Prophet Song Though a powerful depiction of human emotions under the circumstances of war， not knowing exactly what political scenario is going on made me a little frustrated。 The story goes on and on forever about how Eilish is struggling to keep the family together but never speaks about what has happened to her husband or what is happening in the country。 The missing political context is the lacuna of the story。 。。。more
Rachel Rajan
，
Interesting read that pulls you in all too credibly to a version of a crumbling society。 The scenarios are uncomfortably recognisable and echo relevant themes within current societies。 The end I thought was an effective and powerful reflection of how difficult and dangerous choices have to be made when circumstances push you。 Sometimes the writing style was a bit challenging to keep track of and on occasion came at the expense of the storytelling。
Eleanor Truong
，
4。5Too relevant it gave me chills
Moshidi Manaka
，
Wow！ The type of book that will live with you forever and a future classic。
Marjorie Hewitt
，
Prophet SongSimply terrifying。 So much of our world at war now - can this book be prescient of where we are heading？This book is written like a thriller - long， long sentences - dialogues not indicated by quotation marks。 Truly deserves the Booker Prize。 Traumatised reading。 Will not forget this book for years。 Reality？Could be - keep reading our newspapers and maybe it will be real。 Terrified。
Doreen Maloney
，
abolutely haunting。 disturbing。 very powerful
Ann Graham
，
This is a powerful， haunting， heart-breaking story of a country， on a universal level， and a family， on a more intimate level， on the brink of collapse。 An imaginary Ireland is sinking under a totalitarian government， tyranny rules， civil war breaks out， as one after another， people are ‘disappeared’， leaving families， and the Stark family in particular， completely lost and devastated。 On a person level， Lynch details the lengths one mother will go to in order to keep her family safe。 From the o This is a powerful， haunting， heart-breaking story of a country， on a universal level， and a family， on a more intimate level， on the brink of collapse。 An imaginary Ireland is sinking under a totalitarian government， tyranny rules， civil war breaks out， as one after another， people are ‘disappeared’， leaving families， and the Stark family in particular， completely lost and devastated。 On a person level， Lynch details the lengths one mother will go to in order to keep her family safe。 From the opening scene where the secret police knock on Eilish Stack’s door， looking for her Trade Union husband， the pressure， the fear and the violence start to mount until it becomes unbearable。 I wanted to keep reading and reading this book， but at times， it affected me so deeply， so physically， that I had to take a break。 The ending is one of the most haunting reads and one that will stay with me for a long time。 A deserved winner of the Booker Prize 2023。 。。。more
Lauren Capece
，
🤌🏼❤️
Brett Oaten
，
Compelling but completely unsettling and bleak AF。 Eek
Mario
，
I rarely read a book so quickly， but PROPHET'S SONG made me think about it all day， I needed to know what happened。 It's heart wrenching， unapologetic and to the point。 An amazing addition to the repertoire of dystopian novels， letting us know how vile humanity can become and what to expect from right leaning ideologies which must never come to fruition。 I rarely read a book so quickly， but PROPHET'S SONG made me think about it all day， I needed to know what happened。 It's heart wrenching， unapologetic and to the point。 An amazing addition to the repertoire of dystopian novels， letting us know how vile humanity can become and what to expect from right leaning ideologies which must never come to fruition。 。。。more
Carol
，
A very hard book to get through。 It’s a book about a privileged western family suddenly thrust into the maws of a fascistic murderous state so it’s very relatable to a privileged western reader。 Therein also it’s flaw as these horrors， dreaded by many of us， are visited upon others routinely （Gaza for the last 70 years， anyone？）。 The prose is good and especially urgent in the last quarter， but all too frequently， especially in the first 3/4， almost comically overwritten。 This is a painful diffic A very hard book to get through。 It’s a book about a privileged western family suddenly thrust into the maws of a fascistic murderous state so it’s very relatable to a privileged western reader。 Therein also it’s flaw as these horrors， dreaded by many of us， are visited upon others routinely （Gaza for the last 70 years， anyone？）。 The prose is good and especially urgent in the last quarter， but all too frequently， especially in the first 3/4， almost comically overwritten。 This is a painful difficult read especially given the current exacerbation of horrors in Gaza and the drowning of so many thousands of migrants desperate for a better life and similarly fleeing oppression。 Glimmers of greatness throughout， makes one wish for a more consistently great writer at its helm。 。。。more
Jarrett
，
A dark destruction of an Irish family as the country devolves into military chaos。
Erin Templeton
，
This book is low-key terrifying。
Rik
，
2023 Booker Prize
Lizzy
，
A perfect book for this moment， about a fictional authoritarian Ireland and the descent of a society into chaos。 "The end of the world is always a local event。" A perfect book for this moment， about a fictional authoritarian Ireland and the descent of a society into chaos。 "The end of the world is always a local event。" 。。。more
L。
，
Wow。 I don’t have much to say beyond that I’m in awe of the skill it took to write this。 It’s masterful how the author manages to build the tension more and more as the book goes on。 And the characters get under your skin and into your heart without you even noticing。 What an amazing read。 I’ll be sure to revisit this in the future。
Steven Witt
，
Booker Prize winner Prophet Song by Paul Lynch is so well written， and a true nightmare of a story。 Set in Dublin， Ireland at some future time， Dublin's government has become fascist and nobody is safe。 Main character Eilish， mother of four， has many difficult choices as she tries to protect her family。 But too many things are out of her hands。 What will she do， how far will she go to do what she has to to protect whoever she can？ Everyone will be impacted。 This story is heartbreaking， and as da Booker Prize winner Prophet Song by Paul Lynch is so well written， and a true nightmare of a story。 Set in Dublin， Ireland at some future time， Dublin's government has become fascist and nobody is safe。 Main character Eilish， mother of four， has many difficult choices as she tries to protect her family。 But too many things are out of her hands。 What will she do， how far will she go to do what she has to to protect whoever she can？ Everyone will be impacted。 This story is heartbreaking， and as dark as Cormac McCarthy's The Road。 It is so well written。 Some have complained that the book contains no paragraph breaks， and includes no use of quotation marks for dialog。 The story is so compelling and draws you in so completely， they aren't needed。 This adds to the urgency， and Kafkaesque paranoia of the story。 The story is prescient， and makes you understand that this can happen anywhere。 If it does， you will become powerless。 Really excellent book， not for everyone。 。。。more
Ann
，
I don't really get the hype about this book。It's surely not the only one describing a state sliding into totalitarianism。Yes， it is frightening how this could happen to a civilised western country especially with the recent new order laws in UK showing just too much similarity。 But I didn't need this book to make me aware of this。The writing is good。 The pace is good。Still， I don't think Eilish is portrait well。 She loves her husband but she doesn't come across as overly concerned when he is tak I don't really get the hype about this book。It's surely not the only one describing a state sliding into totalitarianism。Yes， it is frightening how this could happen to a civilised western country especially with the recent new order laws in UK showing just too much similarity。 But I didn't need this book to make me aware of this。The writing is good。 The pace is good。Still， I don't think Eilish is portrait well。 She loves her husband but she doesn't come across as overly concerned when he is taken to who knows where and she hasn't even contact with him let alone can visit him。 And this from a person who didn't believe her government would tap her phone。。。 She doesn't even know where her husband is and that doesn't phase her！ She's just busy keeping her son out of trouble。She also doesn't seem to have a problem with suddenly being the sole breadwinner of the household on a part-time （？） salary with 4 children， one of them an infant。There's more talk about the world around and everything that's going on than her immediate existential concerns （husband gone， single parent）。 This doesn't convince me。Maybe a different protagonist or even a third person perspective would have been better。Later on in the book， the theme moves towards the question when to leave and the ordeal of being trafficked by ruthless people。What also irked me a bit with this book was the heavy philosophical metaphors delivered with a somber dark tone from characters who came across as shallow or crazy （her dad， the neighbor， Eilish herself）。 It felt like the author tried to hard。 There was a lot tell。。。 It felt too much like preaching。 。。。more
Noll
，