A Song for Issy Bradley
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A Song for Issy Bradley
Narrated by:
Emma Gregory
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Narrated by:
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Emma Gregory
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By:
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Carys Bray
About this listen
This is the story of Ian - husband, father, and Mormon bishop - and his unshakeable belief.
It is the story of his wife Claire's lonely wait for a sign from God.
And it is the story of seven-year-old Jacob. His faith is bigger than a mustard seed, probably bigger than a toffee bonbon, and he's planning to use it to mend his family with a miracle.
©2014 Carys Bray (P)2014 W F Howes LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"A brilliant debut, compelling and profoundly moving" (Nathan Filer, author of The Shock of the Fall)
"Carys Bray is a strikingly original new voice in fiction. I loved this tender, moving, funny and deeply truthful story about a family and a faith tested to breaking-point." (Helen Dunmore)
Hard act to follow!
Simply wonderful.
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This is a book about a family dealing, or completely failing to deal, with catastrophe. It is also a book about faith - both in God and in the tenets of one’s chosen religion.
The religion here is Mormonism - father Ian was born and raised in the faith, while mother Claire converted in order to marry Ian.
Claire has qualms about the religion even before the catastrophe, but it is her faith in God that’s tested afterwards. Her reaction is extreme, very, and while she had my sympathies, the fall out from her reaction impacted very negatively on her family, so my sympathy waned somewhat as time passed.
Ian faith is seemingly total - he relies on the well worn-sop that “it’s God’s will”, to make everything alright, and he absolutely cannot fathom Claire’s reaction to events.
Their children also struggle to fit what happens and their reaction to it into their faith, but the most poignant is little Joseph. He believes with the unquestioning totality of a young child, so when he’s told miracles happen if you pray, he believes he can achieve his own miracle. His scenes were the most painful and difficult for me to listen to - he places his trust in his parents, his church, his God, and in various ways, they all let him down.
The book presents organised religion in a poor light - probably intentionally. When one character prays for forgiveness for allowing a boy to kiss her chest (not her breasts, just her chest) she also prays for his forgiveness as it had been “her fault” for allowing him to glimpse said chest. There are many examples that had the non-believing, feminist me huffing in outrage! Suffice to say, I did not emerge from this book thinking warm fuzzy thoughts about Mormonism!
Beautifully narrated with all characters having their own “voice”, and that, combined with the desire to know what happens to this family, was enough to keep me listening when the endless gloom all got a bit much. Oh, and I didn’t like the ending!
Well written and narrated, but a sad book
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A song for Issy Bradley
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insightful view into the Mormon church .
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Stunning
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dog walker and avid audio book listener
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I like to say as little as possible about plots of books because I myself prefer to go in as blind as I can. So all I'll say is that this Mormon family struggles to come to terms with what's happened to them and I struggled to keep my interest in their story.
The story itself could've been so much more. The beginning was good and I thought I was on to a winner. I also loved Jacob and his take on the world around him.
However, we don't spend anywhere near enough time with him to make up for his narrow minded father, who is so blindly dedicated to his church that it struck me as bordering on fanaticism.
Most of the other characters seem blinded by their belief system as well and extremely out of touch with the world in which we currently live. It felt way too contrived in parts and I didn't buy into it.
Maybe I'm too much of an agnostic to understand that kind of behaviour. On the other hand, I've read a few reviews from people who say they're Mormon and they dispute a lot of what's portrayed in the book.
Dull, boring and slow
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What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?
Too weird. Was on hols, had all time in world but it just didn't engage me.Has A Song for Issy Bradley put you off other books in this genre?
BitWho might you have cast as narrator instead of Emma Gregory?
Less droning voice!You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really!Couldn't be bothered to finish it
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