Customer Reviews
A modern classic - By: DS, 22 Aug 2008 
I loved this book! I was not expecting this book to be as good as the reviews but was surprised. The characters were superb, each one jumping out of the page. The writing flowed beautifully throughout the book. There are not many boooks that I would read again, but Star of the Sea is the exception to that rule.
A very well built story - By: Francesconi Alessandra, 27 Jun 2008 
I did reallly enjoy the reading of this book. A captivating story set back at the time of the Great Famine, one of the darkests periods in Irish history. Very well defined characters & a plot that entangles you until the end. Maybe a few reduntant pages, from time to time, but overalll a book I strongly recommend.
Enjoyable froth - By: Ingaborga, 21 Apr 2008 Star of the Sea is a good old fashioned tale of adventure & romance on the high seas. Most of the passengers of the eponymous ship are fleeing Ireland, a country brought to its knees by potato blight & famine, for a new life in America, the promised land. In the first class cabins, aristocrats, servants & writers play out their own personal dramas, while down below in steerage, a mysterious club footed passenger roams the decks, contemplating the terrible choice he has before him. The ship's captain, Lockwood, fills in many of the gaps with his matter of fact Captain's Log.
Much of the story is told in flashbacks, as we learn more about teh characters' past lives & the events that led up to their decision to sail to America. Lord Merridith's privileged life is sharply contrasted with the grinding poverty of the Irish peasants. No holds are barred in O'Connor's descriptions of the degradations they suffered in order to survive.
It's a gripping yarn in places, a nicely inconsequential page turner that rips satisfyingly along to its conclusion. Where it fails is, occasionallly, in the characters' voices - Merridith's somewhat affected, aristocratic speech is sometimes uneasily grafted upon other characters. The frequent references to "Chas" Dickens are irritating at best & frankly ridiculous at worst. And the ending, while overlong, is frustratingly vague, discursive & inconclusive. But if you're looking for a fun, forgettable way to while away the time, this novel should do the job.
Beautifully woven tale revealing a shocking history - By: P. Bilzon, 18 Apr 2008 I have to agree with the majority of the previous reviews. This a beautifully woven tale revealing a shocking history; a chapter from British history of which I was not aware & which goes some way to helping understanding the resentments of recent years.
The tale is slow to get started, but soon we get the intricate back stories which form the texture of the novel. I won't give away the ending, but I thought it stretched credibiliy - the only low point.
A joy to read. - By: Icarus, 09 Mar 2008 O'Connor has produced a masterpiece with Star of the Sea. A book which is filled to the brim with tortured souls on their way to the United States to escape the hardship of their past. A film version has been muted which is understandable although I fear it will never live up to the standard of the book
