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Audrey Magee
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The Colony: 'Vivid and memorable.' Sarah Moss Kindle Edition

by Audrey Magee (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,865 ratings
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SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE

SHORTLISTED FOR THE KERRY GROUP IRISH NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2022

'Vivid and memorable.' SARAH MOSS
'Luminous.' Observer
'I utterly ADORED it.' MARIAN KEYES
He handed the easel to the boatman, reaching down the pier wall towards the sea.

Mr Lloyd has decided to travel to the island by boat without engine - the authentic experience.

Unbeknownst to him, Mr Masson will also soon be arriving for the summer. Both will strive to encapsulate the truth of this place - one in his paintings, the other by capturing its speech, the language he hopes to preserve.

But the people who live on this rock - three miles long and half-a-mile wide - have their own views on what is being recorded, what is being taken and what is given in return. Soft summer days pass, and the islanders are forced to question what they value and what they desire. As the autumn beckons, and the visitors head home, there will be a reckoning.
''Beautifully written.' STELLA, The Telegraph
'The Colony contains multitudes. . . with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water.' The Times
'The Colony is a novel about big, important things.' Financial Times
'Beautiful, haunting and incredibly powerful book.' FÍONA SCARLETT

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  1. Print length
    386 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber & Faber
  4. Publication date
    1 Feb. 2022
  5. File size
    2.8 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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  1. What are you up to, Séamus? My name is James. And you know that. Your Irish name is Séamus. I use my English name. I prefer the Irish. It’s not your choice, JP.
    Highlighted by 69 Kindle readers
  2. Why aren’t you in Algeria unpicking the damage caused by French? Why come here giving out to the English for all their awfulness when you have done exactly the same.
    Highlighted by 66 Kindle readers
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From the Publisher

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Packshot of The Colony with praise quotes for the book around it against a blue background

Product description

Review

'I've always believed that good fiction can go to the beating heart of human reality in ways more likely to resonate with a reader than any textbook. A good novel strengthens empathy as well as the imagination and encourages us to see another world from a perspective that travels beyond our own interests. And this novel is better than good. Its beautifully realised lament for lost language and cultural sustainability has universal relevance.' - Canberra Times

'Intelligent and provocative . . . What a relief it is to find a novel that treats the reader as a grown-up, that is fresh without chasing literary fashion, provocative but not shouty, and idiosyncratic but fully satisfying from the strange comedy of its opening pages to its decisive conclusion . . . The Colony contains multitudes - on families, on men and women, on rural communities - with much of it just visible on the surface, like the flicker of a smile or a shark in the water.' - The Times


'Austere and stark . . . a story about language and identity, about art, oppression, freedom and colonialism. The Colony is a novel about big, important things.' - Financial Times


'A vivid and memorable book about art, land and language, love and sex, youth and age. Big ideas tread lightly through Audrey Magee's strong prose.' - SARAH MOSS


'The Colony: so brilliant in its quiet tragedy, so revealing in its precision. It haunts me.' - TSITSI DANGAREMBGA


'A careful interrogation, The Colony expertly explores the mutability of language and art, the triumphs and failures inherent to the process of creation and preservation.' - RAVEN LEILANI


'The Colony is brimming with ideas about identity and soul; a canny, challenging, and never less than engrossing read.' - LISA MCINERNEY


'The Colony is a brilliant and thoughtfully calibrated commentary about the nature and balance of power. There is violence here, but, most impressively, Audrey Magee captures that more insidious cruelty-the kind masked as protection, as manners.' - MARY BETH KEANE


'Audrey Magee has written a lyrical, rich, and emotionally powerful novel. The Colony comes alive like a brooding and beautiful canvas painted off the Irish coast.' - DOMINIC SMITH

Review

The Colony is a beautiful, haunting and incredibly powerful book; a reading experience unlike any other, so vivid you can see it all unfold in front of your eyes. Audrey Magee has a true storytelling gift, with a phenomenal ear for dialogue. Big themes are handled here with the subtlest of touches, with a sense of dread gradually creeping up on you, right until its devastating yet inevitable conclusion. Absolutely mesmerising. -- Fíona Scarlett

An absorbing read. ― NB Magazine

The Colony is a brilliant and thoughtfully calibrated commentary about the nature and balance of power. There is violence here, but, most impressively, Audrey Magee captures that more insidious cruelty-the kind masked as protection, as manners. -- Mary Beth Keane

The mistrust of mainlanders, and the misogyny of some island men, makes for interesting terrain. -- Sarah Gilmartin ― Irish Times

The Colony is a vivid and memorable book about art, youth, love and sex, land and language. Big ideas tread lightly through Audrey Magee's strong prose. -- Sarah Moss

Magee's involving and original novel considers questions of imperialism, ownership, power and exploitation on both a grand scale and an intimate one, obliquely and head-on . . . there is droll humour, too, and the whole is animated by her characters' often entertaining back-and-forth. ― Daily Mail

Reading Audrey Magee's The Colony is like being swept through by a powerful current. I was held, captivated, on this remote island with its wild landscape, unforgettable inhabitants, and two outsiders intent on finding their own version of the truth. It's an experience - and I highly recommend it! -- Jo Browning Wroe

I utterly ADORED The Colony by Audrey. Such an INTERESTING novel about imperialism, colonisation, language and art, beautifully written and oh my God, the West of Ireland dialogue. -- Marian Keyes

Audrey Magee has written a lyrical, rich, and emotionally powerful novel. The Colony comes alive like a brooding and beautiful canvas painted off the Irish coast. -- Dominic Smith

The Colony is a novel of outstanding resonance, with a portrayal of language in a post-colonial landscape that is both masterful and subtle. -- Andrea Cleary ― Business Post

The Colony is suffused with the rhythms of life, death, art, and nature. It is by turns gentle and violent, confronting and sorrowful . . . it has, in its own quiet way, much to say. ― The Tablet

A careful interrogation, The Colony expertly explores the mutability of language and art, the triumphs and failures inherent to the process of creation and preservation. -- Raven Leilani, author of Luster

The Colony is brimming with ideas about identity and soul; a canny, challenging, and never less than engrossing read. -- Lisa McInerney

'The Colony: so brilliant in its quiet tragedy, so revealing in its precision. It haunts me.' -- Tsitsi Dangarembga

A novel about language (among many other things) must have language as its master and Magee makes her own mastery look effortless. Prose spills into verse, as fluid and natural as water. Dialogue merges into stream-of-consciousness and you hardly notice. Her descriptions of a beautiful stretch of land within a beautiful but treacherous ocean are as dazzling as the sun-speckled glints on the ocean itself. This one might just sweep the boards.

-- Anne Cunningham ― Sunday Independent

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B094PTL9QT
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber (1 Feb. 2022)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 1,865 ratings

About the author

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Audrey Magee

Audrey Magee

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Audrey Magee was born in Ireland and lives in Wicklow. Her first novel, The Undertaking, was shortlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction, for France's Festival du Premier Roman and for the Irish Book Awards. It was also nominated for the Dublin Literary Award and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction. The Undertaking was translated into ten languages and is being adapted for film. Her second novel, The Colony, published in 2022, has already been optioned for film and is receiving stellar reviews around the world. For those reviews, readings and interviews with Audrey, please visit her website www.audreymagee.com

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
1,865 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book enjoyable and brilliant. They praise the writing style as well-written and easy to read. Many appreciate the unique and thoughtful style. However, opinions differ on the plot quality - some find it engaging while others feel it's unsatisfactory or meandering.

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ReadabilityWriting styleStyleCharacter developmentPlot quality
14 customers mention ‘Readability’14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoyed the book. They found the writing style refreshing and the story engaging. The book is described as brilliant, fabulous, and heartbreaking.

"...Possibly the finest Irish novel since Solar Bones and Milkman. *..." Read more

"An excellent book. Great characters, well written and makes you think. Unanimous approval from the book club!" Read more

"...The book gets three stars for the unique writing style, which is quite refreshing...." Read more

"...that immerse you in their world from the start and deliver a profoundly rewarding experience that will leave you thinking and reflecting for a long..." Read more

9 customers mention ‘Writing style’7 positive2 negative

Customers find the writing style engaging and easy to read. They mention the characters are well-developed and the words flow smoothly.

"...(incredibly easy to read and do we still have to write like Jane Austen?)..." Read more

"An excellent book. Great characters, well written and makes you think. Unanimous approval from the book club!" Read more

"Well written and very evocative." Read more

"...It's well-written but not what I was expecting." Read more

6 customers mention ‘Style’6 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's unique style. They find it well-written and evocative, though some feel it could be improved.

"...criticism I’ve read is that its too long (it’s a perfect length), its modernist..." Read more

"...Overall, I'd recommend the book purely for the refreshingly unique style, but "could do better", as my teachers used to say!" Read more

"Well written and very evocative." Read more

"yup, a nice-looking book, well-posted and packaged. way too soon to say if I like the book itself!" Read more

3 customers mention ‘Character development’3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's characters. They find the characters engaging and three-dimensional, immersing them in their world.

"An excellent book. Great characters, well written and makes you think. Unanimous approval from the book club!" Read more

"...An engrossing story with real three dimensional characters that immerse you in their world from the start and deliver a profoundly rewarding..." Read more

"...You are given a strong sense of the character of the main figures...." Read more

8 customers mention ‘Plot quality’4 positive4 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the plot quality. Some find the story engaging and enjoy the narrative technique. Others feel the plot is unsatisfactory, with meandering writing style and an uninteresting Irish language storyline.

"...An engrossing story with real three dimensional characters that immerse you in their world from the start and deliver a profoundly rewarding..." Read more

"...It loses two stars for: an often meandering, stream of consciousness style of writing (I'm sure some sentences ran over a page); a frequent lack of..." Read more

"I really enjoy Audrey Magee's narrative technique - pared down to it's essentials. You are given a strong sense of the character of the main figures...." Read more

"...I don't really read literary fiction as it's plotless and the story in this meandered only after the first 100 pages so I thought I was reading..." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Malling
    5.0 out of 5 stars It’s not a safe time to be a young Irishman in London.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 May 2022
    Verified Purchase
    ‘It’s not a safe time to be a young Irishman in London.’
    It wasn’t in 1979.
    The Colony is set during that Summer on a remote Gaelic speaking island when Earl Mountbatten and others were blown up and sectarian assassinations or attempts took place almost daily. In London, I was told by a work colleague that he would no longer talk to me as I ‘had killed Mountbatten’.*
    The Colony deals with the relationship between Ireland and England by focusing on an English artist coming to the Island to find himself. However, this is not some dreary weighty tome pointing fingers. The first thing that grabs the reader is the humour. Has humour died in contemporary Irish novels? It’s the lifeblood of the place from the dour, dry and black humour of the North to the lighter optimism in the South. Ian Paisley and Martin McGuiness where the Chuckle Brothers wasn’t an act.
    The second is the description of the life in a dying community. It’s not Man of Aran cod Irishness but the unescapable march of progress that condemns the picturesque to colourised photos of a black and white past nobody wants to live in.
    The third is the subtlety of the story. Magee has conveyed the relationship vividly within a tiny cast seemingly marooned from the unfolding Troubles and yet as affected by it as its victims and perpetrators.
    Some of the criticism I’ve read is that its too long (it’s a perfect length), its modernist (incredibly easy to read and do we still have to write like Jane Austen?) and the ending is weak (only its ideal as there is no ending to this relationship, only change).
    Possibly the finest Irish novel since Solar Bones and Milkman.

    *The Colony doesn’t answer why someone felt emboldened to say this, but it does supply the context.
    42 people found this helpful
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  • Critic in the City
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 March 2023
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    Really enjoyed
    One person found this helpful
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  • Carol Smith
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stays with you
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 July 2024
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    An excellent book. Great characters, well written and makes you think. Unanimous approval from the book club!
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  • Dunroving
    3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story, but difficult writing style
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 April 2023
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    Overall, the story was engaging and different than many modern novels. The underlying theme is the collision between an ancient way of life on a small Irish island and two "incomers," who have their own less than altruistic reasons for visiting the island over one summer in the 1970s. Lloyd is a frustrated English artist hoping for inspiration from the rugged cliffs, and Masson is a French linguist misguidedly trying to document the Irish language in this small community. The two incomers do not get on, and neither truly has the wellbeing of the island and its inhabitants at heart.

    Interspersed between chapters on the events and interactions on the island are much briefer chapters (often just paragraphs) describing one of the many killings that happened on the mainland at that time, as part of The Troubles. These feel quite incongruous and inexplicable for the first three-quarters of the book, until later on when they begin to be discussed by the islanders as they hear the news on the radio.

    The book gets three stars for the unique writing style, which is quite refreshing. It intertwines many different themes, usually (but not always) seamlessly: the conflict (real and metaphorical) between the English and French and their former colonists (Irish and Algerian); the selfishness and self-importance of artists and academics; the rugged way of life on small islands; the senseless atrocity of violence during The Troubles; the processes involved in creating drawings and paintings; power (of the incomers) and exploitation (of the islanders).

    It loses two stars for: an often meandering, stream of consciousness style of writing (I'm sure some sentences ran over a page); a frequent lack of clarity of the book's message; rather unsatisfactory plot elements (I won't spoil anything by giving details); a sometimes plodding style of expression.

    Overall, I'd recommend the book purely for the refreshingly unique style, but "could do better", as my teachers used to say!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • David Madden
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Colony
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 July 2023
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    A book that explores the modern social, political, cultural, historical and economic journey of Ireland. A book of great scale of passion and love but never gets to a satisfactory conclusion.
    One person found this helpful
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  • JohnnyP
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful, informed and provocative.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 May 2023
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    You might think that there's not much more to be said about post-colonial relationships, rural isolation and the legacy of Catholic Church autocracy in Ireland - and even less interesting to say about it! But Audrey Magee's brilliant book will show you how wrong you are. An engrossing story with real three dimensional characters that immerse you in their world from the start and deliver a profoundly rewarding experience that will leave you thinking and reflecting for a long time afterwards. The book is fantastic, and the audiobook is almost as good too!
    4 people found this helpful
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  • claire.wm
    4.0 out of 5 stars Evocative
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2022
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    Well written and very evocative.
    One person found this helpful
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  • suehobkinson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bought as a gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2024
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    Friend enjoyed the book
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Clayton Curtiss
    5.0 out of 5 stars It doesn't get any better than this
    Reviewed in the United States on 16 August 2022
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    The joy of this novel is discovering a little known corner of our world and then living out one of the most vicious eras in world history, The story of an English painter and a French linguist on a small Irish island in the Atlantic becomes a true accounting of the Irish tragedy at the hands of the British and French. The book is long listed for the 2022 Booker and I dearly hope it wins so as to bring this marvelous piece of writing and story telling to a wide audience. Do yourself a favor and read it,
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  • ujjwal kumar
    5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I ever Read
    Reviewed in India on 13 May 2023
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    this book is a whole different experience.
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  • IGO
    4.0 out of 5 stars Colonialism
    Reviewed in Germany on 16 August 2022
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    and its different ways of changing relations. It is about power and the way you cannot escape the reality of it.
    Just having a personal life, a small life far away of big events is an illusion.
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  • Anita Thomson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this!
    Reviewed in Australia on 17 March 2024
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    This novel was one of the most captivating I have read in a while. So beautifully written.
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  • Hesh
    4.0 out of 5 stars different
    Reviewed in the United States on 2 September 2022
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    Some what confusing at first but when you get into the story it is powerful. The sorrow of the Irish war is frightening.
    Hesh
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