Home Feed
Home
Search
Search
Add Review, Blurb, Quote
Add
Activity
Activity
Profile
Profile
Akin
Akin | Emma Donoghue
28 posts | 28 read | 22 to read
A retired New York professor's life is thrown into chaos when he takes a young great-nephew to the French Riviera, in hopes of uncovering his own mother's wartime secrets in the next masterpiece from New York Times bestselling author Emma Donoghue. Noah Selvaggio is a retired chemistry professor and widower living on the Upper West Side, but born in the South of France. He is days away from his first visit back to Nice since he was a child, bringing with him a handful of puzzling photos he's discovered from his mother's wartime years. But he receives a call from social services: Noah is the closest available relative of an eleven-year-old great-nephew he's never met, who urgently needs someone to look after him. Out of a feeling of obligation, Noah agrees to take Michael along on his trip. Much has changed in this famously charming seaside mecca, still haunted by memories of the Nazi occupation. The unlikely duo, suffering from jet lag and culture shock, bicker about everything from steak frites to screen time. But Noah gradually comes to appreciate the boy's truculent wit, and Michael's ease with tech and sharp eye help Noah unearth troubling details about their family's past. Both come to grasp the risks people in all eras have run for their loved ones, and find they are more akin than they knew. Written with all the tenderness and psychological intensity that made Room an international bestseller, Akin is a funny, heart-wrenching tale of an old man and a boy, born two generations apart, who unpick their painful story and start to write a new one together.
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
review
LibraryCin
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Mehso-so

It was good. Kept my interest, though it wasn‘t terribly fast-moving. I sure did dislike the kid, though

review
JillR
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

A comforting read about 80 year old Noah who takes in his 11 year old great nephew as emergency foster carer. Noah is a middle class science academic, Michal a tough, streetwise kid living in borderline poverty. They travel to Nice for Noah to reflect on his childhood and a mystery about what Noah‘s mother got up to during the war. This wasn‘t as brilliant as Room, but is a sweet story of the bond that forms between Noah and Michael.

Cathythoughts Lovely review 👍🏻❤️ 4y
33 likes1 stack add1 comment
blurb
JillR
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

I really don‘t need any more books right now given my huge TBR pile...do I?! Well, I had a birthday voucher to spend and we always need more books don‘t we?! Can‘t wait to get started on this stack. Just need to actually find some reading time now😳

review
Hooked_on_books
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

On the cusp of his 80th birthday and only lifetime trip to his native Nice, which he left as a small child, Noah suddenly becomes the caretaker of his great nephew Michael, a kid largely without an anchor. This is not a new story, but Donoghue tells it well and twines in the tale of Noah learning about his family‘s past. I didn‘t love it, but I enjoyed it.

LiteraryinPA I find Emma Donaghue to be so hit or miss for me. I loved Room but haven‘t really connected to the other 2 books of hers I‘ve read. I‘m glad you liked this one! 4y
Hooked_on_books @LiteraryinLititz It‘s funny, she writes so well, but I‘m surprised she chose this storyline. It‘s just been done so many times before. And when you have something as incredible as Room, it‘s hard for other things to compare to it. I really liked The Wonder but didn‘t love Astray. 4y
40 likes2 stack adds2 comments
blurb
JennyM
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

Enjoying this great book and a bit of ☀️ . And I‘m also hiding from the kids ...you haven‘t seen me 🙈

la_rose_noire @JennyM Let us know how long you were able to stay hidden. 🤣 5y
JennyM @la_rose_noire it was a glorious 15 minutes😆 5y
BarbaraBB Looking good! Enjoy 🌞 5y
See All 10 Comments
Cathythoughts I definitely didn‘t see you 🤫... Enjoy Jenny X 5y
TrishB You need the invisible cloak 😁 5y
batsy 😆 5y
Kalalalatja 😂😂 enjoy! 5y
JennyM @BarbaraBB @Cathythoughts @TrishB @batsy @Kalalalatja thanks all - it was so lovely while it lasted. 5y
Rissreads Gorgeous cover 🤩 5y
BiblioLitten 😍☀️ 4y
69 likes1 stack add10 comments
review
Messiejessie
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

This was a sweet story. I enjoyed watching Noah and Michael slowly warm up to each other.
Emma Donoghue writes protagonists with different perspectives really well.
I loved Room so much for this reason.
Akin is more subtle and I think it doesn‘t compare to Room, but it‘s a nice story.

review
Ubookquitous
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

Deserves more attention: 2 excellent distant relatives 69 years apart but strangers until thrown together. Donoghue captures the nostalgia & regrets of aging and the confidence & nonchalant attitude of a preteen determined to not be seen as pitiable. Donoghue deftly tackles current social issues & the complex nature of living in Nazi-occupied France yet keeps the story intimate. The two discovering points of similarities often had me laughing.

MicheleinPhilly I agree wholeheartedly. Shame this was released the same day as The Testaments. It was completely ignored. 5y
BookishMe @MicheleinPhilly I didnt know that. I enjoy her writing, while Atwood can be a hit or miss ;o this is definitely a book I'd read, unlike that award-winning title 😉 😉 5y
Ubookquitous I do love most of Atwood‘s work, but Emma is a very different writer who I love for different reasons. 🙂 Akin wasn‘t as powerful as Room but is far more subtle. 5y
21 likes3 stack adds3 comments
review
Kazzie
Akin | Emma Donoghue
Mehso-so

Didn‘t really like it. Wasn‘t that invested in the story. I know I was supposed to feel bad for the kid, but he was just annoying

review
JenniferP
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

I really enjoyed this book about an older gentleman, Noah, who takes custody of his 11 year old grand nephew. They go on a pre-planned trip to Nice, France to explore Noah‘s mother‘s role in WWII, building their relationship along the way. A few plot holes, but an enjoyable book.

BarbaraBB Great cover as well. 5y
CafeMom Love this author. I have read 2 of her books both 5 star reads. 5y
Reviewsbylola Wow, I didn‘t realize she had a new book! 5y
21 likes1 stack add3 comments
review
Acoleman
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

Read this one for book club and fell in love with it. Such a sweet relationship between a young boy and an old man.

9 likes1 stack add
blurb
juliegumdrop
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

One of the book clubs at my library branch is reading this and it was a good time to pick it up. I am thoroughly enjoying the writing and the main character telling the story. #currentlyreading #bookclub

review
Bibliogeekery
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

I have devoured everything Emma Donoghue has ever written. This offering felt a little clumsier in places than some of her other books but I still enjoyed it on the whole. A seventy-nine year old man brings an eleven year old nephew he has just met to Nice for a week and hijinks ensue. It's a tale about family connections, WWII intrigue and human relationships.

Tamra I have loved her work too, but I‘ve started the audio version of Akin 2x and it just didn‘t hook me. 😢 5y
Bibliogeekery @Tamra so it's not just me. . . 5y
JillR I‘m really looking forward to this one! 5y
Cathythoughts I have this one too 👍🏻❤️must get to it soon 5y
50 likes1 stack add5 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

Reading and watching the sunset in this first day of 2020. 😍📚

Bookwormjillk Beautiful 5y
AmyG Gorgeous 💕 5y
JulAnna Wow! Beautiful! 5y
Bookzombie Gorgeous 😍😍😍 5y
readordierachel What a view 😍 5y
60 likes5 comments
blurb
Bibliogeekery
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm curled up at a cottage with a stack of books and a warm fire. Life feels pretty good right now!

Suet624 Yummy. 5y
Redwritinghood Happy New Year! 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Happy New Year! 5y
Bookzombie Happy New Year! 🥳 5y
42 likes4 comments
review
charl08
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

Brilliant book.

Kind of bizarre reading about sunny Nice huddled under a fluffy blanket listening to the rain hit the window.

BarbaraBB I am so attracted to the cover of this book! I am glad it is a good read as well! 5y
charl08 @BarbaraBB it ticked all the boxes for me. 5y
45 likes2 comments
quote
charl08
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

...this snapshot had none of the picturesque aspects that centuries of artists had captured: the skirts, the parasol, the human flow.

Picture via unsplash
@schluditsch" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://unsplash.com/@schluditsch

quote
charl08
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

Noah is asked to look after the son of his nephew, an 11 year old he's never met, when the child's grandma dies. The two meeting highlights the different worlds within New York.

blurb
Cathythoughts
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

#MOvember I havnt read yet , but I believe the character Noah is about to embark on his first trip back to Nice sinse he was a child ... but, the #future has other plans for him. Such is life .... I‘m looking forward to reading Akin. It will be my first by this author

Cinfhen #CoverCrush I ALMOST bought this book yesterday but was waiting for more reviews ~ please keep me posted 5y
Cathythoughts @Cinfhen I will. I was going to start it next ... but another book has turned my head 😁🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
Tamra I started the audio and bailed. I don‘t know what it was, but I couldn‘t focus. But I will try again another time because I do love Emma‘s writing! 5y
64 likes1 stack add4 comments
blurb
danibel
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

Currently reading

review
Redheadrambles
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Panpan

⭐️⭐️

It pains me to report that this is a hot mess. In my notes I have written : Pretentious wind bagging, Wikipedia entries disguised as novel, Stop saying Dude ! , it‘s not exciting to read about characters googling historical information, lonely planet guide to Nice ?. There is just not enough story here and it is criminally boring ! At this point Emma Donoghue and I part company.

BookNAround How disappointing! 5y
27 likes1 comment
review
GerardtheBookworm
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

Akin defined as related by blood or a play on words of 'a kin', which describes this new Emma Donohue book. Here, we have a retired professor in his late 70's reluctantly bestowed guardianship of his eleven year old rebellious great grandnephew. Together, they uncover family secrets that occurred during World War 2 in France while trying to connect as a family unit.

quote
Lindy
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

“How come there‘s no sand?”
“I don‘t know,” Noah said. “It‘s all pebbles around Nice.”

(Photo: me on the beach in Nice in 2004.)

saresmoore I love this photo! 5y
Lindy @saresmoore Thanks. At first glance, you might think I was looking at a mobile device, but this was in the olden days. It was probably a shell. 5y
Tanisha_A It's really a beautiful photograph! 5y
See All 7 Comments
Lindy @Tanisha_A Thanks. My sweetie studied photography and journalism at college. She has a good eye. 5y
Cathythoughts Lovely 5y
batsy I agree, it's a beautiful photo 💜 5y
Lindy @Cathythoughts @batsy I am a bit embarrassed by the fuss—this cropped phone shot of a photographic print isn‘t even a good reproduction. But it feels good to be on the receiving end of loving fuss, so… thank you very much. 😊 5y
49 likes7 comments
review
Lindy
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

His potty-mouthed 11-yr-old great-nephew is a last-minute addition to the travel plans of a pedantic 79-yr-old science professor. Never mind the age gap, they‘ve only just met, so it‘s awkward spending a week together in France. The dialogue is excellent; “kay” for yes, “I‘m good” for “no.” There‘s a bit of WWII resistance mystery & some humour in this quiet contemporary novel about relationships & family history. #CanadianAuthor

55 likes3 stack adds
blurb
Lindy
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

I was looking for a photo of me in Nice to go with my review of the tagged book and instead I found a photo of me caught at an awkward moment while talking to the very gracious Emma Donoghue. This was taken at the Lambda Literary Awards in New York in 2011, when my sweetie‘s first collection of poetry was shortlisted.

Lindy The poetry book that was up for a Lammy in 2011: 5y
mcipher Awww, you look so inquisitive, it‘s cute! Not awkward!! 5y
Lindy @mcipher ☺️😘 5y
See All 14 Comments
sarahbarnes Very cool on both fronts!! 5y
Lindy @sarahbarnes 😊Thanks. 5y
LeahBergen Love it! 👏🏻👏🏻 5y
DivineDiana Fantastic! 5y
Lindy @DivineDiana Thanks. I have a good life. 😊 5y
batsy How fabulous is this! 👌🏽 5y
Lindy @batsy 😘 5y
Suet624 That‘s awesome! 5y
Lindy @Suet624 😊I always get tongue tied around authors I admire, but Donoghue was so nice it was easy to talk to her. 5y
Suet624 💕💕💕 5y
51 likes14 comments
quote
Lindy
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

He tugged a magazine out of the seat pocket: Plaisirs d‘Azur. It was bland, gushy stuff about “le lifestyle des expats.” He puzzled over what distinguished an expat from an immigrant; it seemed the word was reserved for whites from the West who decamped to sunnier climes.

charl08 This quote caught my eye too. Great book! 5y
Lindy @charl08 😊Thanks for commenting. 5y
41 likes1 stack add2 comments
quote
Lindy
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

…they got ice cream from Fenocchio, the gelateria that claimed to have more than a hundred flavours. Noah chose olive, simply because he‘d never find it anywhere else. Several licks in, he decided that there was a good reason ice cream was rarely flavoured with olives, but he couldn‘t face getting in line again.

pigeonsandcrows This so reminds me of a similar time I tried jalapeno ice cream! 5y
Lindy @pigeonsandcrows Hmmm. 🌶+🍦 Did you finish it? 5y
pigeonsandcrows It's been a while, but I'm going to say that was a hard no! 5y
Lindy @pigeonsandcrows I tried chocolate chili ice cream this summer. I was expecting something more subtle than chili flakes; I ended up picking most of them out. 5y
44 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
MicheleinPhilly
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image
Pickpick

Emma Donoghue is one of my all time favorite writers. No 2 of her books are ever alike. The scope of her creativity is truly amazing and the depth and breadth of research she does when writing fiction that contains true historical elements is awe-inspiring. In this she recounts the heroics of the Marcel Network who saved hundreds of children from death at the hands of the Nazis in Nice. Magnificent. 4⭐️

Crazeedi Sounds like a great book, will have to look for, I've not read this author yet,( that I can remember ) 5y
Ashley_Nicoletto I‘ve been curious about this one. Now that I have a trusted review I might have to snag it. 🤣 5y
MicheleinPhilly @Crazeedi She has a robust catalog! 5y
See All 10 Comments
MicheleinPhilly @Ashley_Nicoletto This one definitely flew in under the radar because it was released the same day as The Testaments. My local store had to special order it! 😱 5y
Tamra Thank you for posting! I love her writing and didn‘t know she has a new novel out. 😃 5y
Crazeedi @MicheleinPhilly I've heard of her, will look up her books! Thanks! 5y
MicheleinPhilly @Tamra I was amazed at how little attention it got. 5y
Reviewsbylola I will always read her books, even though she can be hit or miss for me. When I like her books, I LOVE them! 5y
73 likes5 stack adds10 comments
blurb
elkeOriginal
Akin | Emma Donoghue
post image

This ARC was a delightful surprise on my doorstop - surprise free #bookmail cannot be beat!
This sounds like a family history digging into previously unknown WWII connections for the MC. It‘s going on top of my TBR for sure. I mean, it‘s Emma Donoghue!

40 likes2 stack adds