Time Present and Time Past by Deirdre Madden
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Time Present and Time Past by Deirdre Madden

82%

6 Critic Reviews
Almost poetic in its control and well-chosen details, this novel finds the universal and the unique in a deceptively unassuming look at one family.
-Kirkus

Recommended by

NY Times, Guardian, Financial Times, Guardian

Synopsis

A quiet but emotionally resonant portrait of a middle-class family in pre-crash Ireland, Deirdre Madden’s latest novel is understated and gorgeously crafted. Madden touches upon abstract ideas in a clear and accessible way, letting her characters graze past one another even as they search for intimacy and closeness. In tightly controlled prose, this beguiling novel meditates on the passage of time and the futility of memory by dwelling on the actions and preoccupations of everyday people.
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About Deirdre Madden

See more books from this Author
Deirdre Madden is from Toomebridge, Co. Antrim. Her novels include The Birds of Innocent Wood, Nothing is Black, One by One in the Darkness, which was shortlisted for the Orange Prize, and Authenticity. Her most recent novel Molly Fox's Birthday also was shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She teaches at Trinity College, Dublin and is a member of the Irish Arts Academy Aosdana.
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Published January 1, 2013 by Faber and Faber. 240 pages
Genres: Literature & Fiction. Fiction
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Critic reviews for Time Present and Time Past
All: 6 | Positive: 6 | Negative: 0

Kirkus

Excellent
on Mar 20 2014

Almost poetic in its control and well-chosen details, this novel finds the universal and the unique in a deceptively unassuming look at one family.

Read Full Review of Time Present and Time Past | See more reviews from Kirkus

NY Times

Good
Reviewed by SARAH FERGUSON on Sep 05 2014

Madden’s thoughtful, beautifully written novel is a reminder that we’d do best to acknowledge the fact that everything is always changing, and to savor what we can of those passing moments Eliot called the “still point of the turning world.”

Read Full Review of Time Present and Time Past | See more reviews from NY Times

Guardian

Above average
Reviewed by Hannah Rosefield on Jul 06 2013

Time Present and Time Past moves between Fintan, his wife, sister, mother and aunt, showing that for each of them – and by extension, for each of us – the past is as pressing and real as the present.

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Guardian

Good
Reviewed by Hannah Rosefield on Jul 06 2013

Madden's clear, precise prose allows us to share Fintan's heightened, near-supernatural awareness...

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Guardian

Good
Reviewed by Helen Dunmore on Jun 21 2013

This is a subtle, deeply thoughtful novel, its tone so clear that the writing plays over character and action like water over stones.

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Financial Times

Good
Reviewed by David Evans on Jun 21 2013

Some readers may be put off by the lack of incident; others will relish the novel’s slow, digressive rhythm. I found it exquisitely done.

Read Full Review of Time Present and Time Past | See more reviews from Financial Times

Reader Rating for Time Present and Time Past
65%

An aggregated and normalized score based on 19 user ratings from iDreamBooks & iTunes


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