Akin Hardcover – September 10, 2019

I bought this book because I liked Room so much, and I liked the set up for this story of a 79 year old man making a trip to Nice, France with his newly aquatinted, 11 year old foul mouthed great nephew. Others have summarized the story. I’d just like to say that I am a huge reader and I loved this book. I liked the two characters, the setting, their interactions with each other, the humor and the empathy that the uncle was able to display in order to understand and interact better with his gr-nephew. The reason for the trip, in order to learn more about his own mother’s life during the war, was interesting and helped start the fragile bond the young boy began with this side of his family.

We first meet Upper West Sider Noah Selvaggio on the cusp of his 80th birthday as he makes final preparations to spend a week in Nice, the city of his birth, a city he hasn't seen since being removed from there as a child in 1944. Having been widowed 10 years before, he is accustomed to being alone, but just before his departure date he finds himself with an eleven year old grand nephew, and "Being alone, his normal condition for the past decade, was forbidden to Noah this week." What makes Emma Donoghue's writing so immersive is she doesn't take the easy route, there are no shortcuts or cliches here. This is a perfect example of why author visits are so important. Although I finished the book yesterday, I decided to write my review after lunch with her today, and was rewarded with insights unavailable previously. For instance, she shared the part her own son played in the development of the character of Michael, how an eleven-year-old would behave and talk, is given shape through her son's suggestions. So Michael is more relatable as a person than usual.When asked how she made all her books so different from one another, she remarked that she got easily bored, and would use research only once instead of regurgitating the material in future works. And this book grew out of fascination and affection with the city of Nice through living there for a year, the landscape and the history, the food (she giggled when saying that all those delicious meals could be written off as research). And the life of Henri Matisse and his relationship with his daughter. This therefore is not the usual Holocaust story, but one based on a little known historical fact thanks to the unique geographic location of Nice and the part it has played. Emma Donoghue says she looks at the sun drenched beauty of Nice's seascape, and also sees the dark underside that took place there, and she illuminates even while she humanizes.

I would like to start this review by saying that I am a fan of Emma Donoghue. She is an extremely talented and intelligent author. She is capable of creating characters you feel you know and novels of great depth that you can completely disappear into. My personal favorite is Frog Music, Slammerkin and The Sealed Letter are also excellent and I highly recommend them. Akin, however, was a disappointment. The characters feel two dimensional, the interactions between the elderly Noah and the adolescent Michael are lazy and cliched. The "mysteries" of Noah's mother and Michael's father are explored halfheartedly. I might not have judged this novel so harshly if it's author weren't so brilliant. I also would have never read the whole novel had it been by a lesser author. I see by the many 5 star reviews that others disagree with me but to me this felt like Ms Donoghue was just phoning it in.

I adore the writing of Emma Donoghue! She tackles such diverse subjects and does well with all of them. This novel was full of emotion and the description of the tremendous difference between the life of a man living in Manhattan and widowed and his great nephew with whom he is forced to take care of as the only available relative. Their relationship is rocky to say the least, but Donoghue gives us a hint of the relationship that they will forge together. One knows that Noah and Michael will be good for each other.

A compelling story about an older man trying to piece together the puzzle in the past and a young boy who suddenly comes into his life on the eve of a trip to Nice. Had more humor than I expected and I like that aspect of the old mans character. Thoroughly engaging and compelling. Highly recommend.

Its main weakness was the repetition of Noah’s imaginary tale of his mother. Noah’s theoretical machinations grew tiresome. Nevertheless, the interactions between Noah and Michael were well told and the story was compelling. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened in the end.

I didn't like this book or think it was well-written. The old guy takes his grandnephew to France, and neither one of them is anyone to travel with. The story is burdened by side plots of WWII partisanship in the Resistance, about which there is great controversy, but it's not well teased out. I didn't like the excuses that allowed the parents of the kid to escape their accountability for his birth or upbringing. And cheap sideswipes at "the man" for not caring enough for the downtrodden needed more substance.

The wisdom of the you g and the old collide in this novel about the history of a city I too love. what we learn in a lifetime be it short or long can be encompassed within a city. The changes the city and a human being make in a lifetime are entwined within this story of war both WWII and our modern day war with drugs. The beauty of family and the chemistry a family embodies are explored and the what we learn becomes a part of us. Much to love in this book.

I have read all of Emma Donaghue's other novels and enjoyed them allin their own way, especially Slammerkin.I'm giving this two stars after regretfully deciding not to finish the book despite making it to the half way line.The plot and the central characters don't grip me. I don't find it unrealistic-just humdrum.The author nearly managed to make the humdrum well written enough to drag me on, but I am certain that when I get to the end I would just feel let down.Thanks.

I've read most of this author's novels, and am a fan of her writing. After investing in the hard back, I was excited to read this. But, despite enjoying her ever-brilliant prose, I was disappointed by the slow and disjointed story, and also found 12 year old Michael unconvincingly grown-up and too perceptive at times, although there are wonderful authentic and funny responses from him too. All in all, sad to say, this is my least favourite of her books.

As a visitor to Nice for many years I recognised a few of the places mentioned. I really enjoyed the differences between the old man & the child. Beginning as enemies they ended up caring for one another through the journey & the solving of the photographic puzzle.

Well written and a good read if you like the characters

Well written, engaging, end felt like a bit of a rush to tie up loose ends.

Emma Donaghue s prose is as appetizing as ever and her habitation of an octagenarian is a delight, and blended with a modern 11 year old boy a perfect study in contrasts, new and old. Reminiscent of On Golden Pond but very much its own relationship.And while the death thing is politely there, it s not as dreary and sad as so many of the few tales that include us, nor as trite and tired as most stories about elders. Nor is it sex mad and foolish.Brava, Ms Donaghue. So grateful for your contribution to Canlit and positive senior life.Next how about some more powerful senior women? Like wife Joan, only alive? Like you plan to be some day?

Noah Selvaggio is a few days away from his 80th birthday, when the phone rings with a request from a social worker to meet his grand nephew, Michael. Michael's mother was recently sent to prison and his grandmother was taking care of him when she passed away. Other than his mother's sister, Noah appears to be his only living relative. Noah was planning to spend a week in Nice, France, his birthplace to try to solve a mystery concerning his mother which happened during the war, after he had been sent to live with his father in America as a toddler. He has a handful of old pictures and wants to track down the people and places in them.He now has to choose whether or not to bring Michael with him, an eleven year old boy, he did not know and his only connection was that he was the son of his sister's son, Victor who had died of a drug overdose.Akin is a wonderful choice of titles for this book. That is what it's all about. Emma Donaghue writes with the same expertise that she showed us in her book "The Room". A book which I have never been able to forget. This is a good story, written by a great writer.

I really liked this book. I could dive into an analysis of the subject matter, the characters’ distinct voices and their relationships, Donoghues’ merits as a writer, and many other criteria to make my case. However, I would much rather tell you that as I read it I felt drawn into the story, immersed in its time and place, sharing feelings and thoughts with the characters, and connected at an emotional level. In other words, my assessment of the book, rather than coming from an intellectualizing exercise to rationalise its merits, is derived from experiencing the pleasure of reading it. I remember feeling this way when I read the author’s previous novel, The Wonder. Good writing has that power.

This book kept me interested all the way. I found the main characters so compelling, not to mention interesting, likeable, funny. It was heartwarming all the way through, even the many conversations that had an 11 year old kid using the "f" word came across as funny and understandable rather than contrived or attention-seeking. Both plots were excellent - the one to do with the two of them inadvertently forming a family bond and the look back at the events of WW2 that Noah was exploring. This book was captivating and really quite brilliant.

I absolutely loved this book. It was entertaining and well written. This was my first book by this author and I was almost sad when I finished reading it as I absolutely love the relationship that the great nephew and her great uncle had with each other.

I somewhat enjoyed this story and even th the ending was predictable at least it was happy. I did not know that the Naxi's actually took over the Excelsior Hotel in Nice. If you read this story, please goggle the hotel to get all the history. It was a light read with we'll form characters, and I would recommend it.

Emma Donoghue's book Akin, brings to life a part of history easily forgotten, the war years in Nice in 1943 and 1944, when the Germans came to occupy the city replacing the Italians who had capitulated to the allies. Nice had been one of the last refuges for European Jews and by 1943, they represented perhaps 25% of the city population, coming from all over Europe. The Italians in Nice were not interested in harming the Jews, but the descent of the Germans and their anti-Semitic butcher, Alois Brunner arrived in September 1943 to begin the round-up of the Jews and their deportation towards Auschwitz. As a historian of Jews in Nice, I am grateful for Ms. Donoghue's introducing her readers to the Marcel Network who saved 527 Jewish children, one of the most successful examples of Jewish resistance, and realities of the war in this region.

Love her writing style. Almost unbelievable story due to the main character's age.

Readable, and slowly enjoyable, but not a blockbuster like Room.

This is a beautiful book, an engaging story that captivates right to the end. I loved it so much I bought it as a Christmas present. Definitely recommended reading.