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The Blackwater Lightship

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The Blackwater Lightship
First edition cover
AuthorColm Tóibín
Cover artistMary Lohan
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPicador
Publication date
1999
Publication placeIreland
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages273 pp (first edition hardcover)
ISBN0-684-87389-3
OCLC43333551
823/.914 21
LC ClassPR6070.O455 B57 2000

The Blackwater Lightship is a 1999 novel written by Irish novelist Colm Tóibín. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Tóibín conceived the book while traveling in Spain and, as he did not have access to a typewriter, bought a pen and notebook, which prompted his return to writing in longhand.[1]

Plot summary

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The story is set in Dublin and County Wexford[2] and described from the viewpoint of Helen, a successful school principal living with her husband and two children in Ireland. She learns one day, that her brother Declan, who is homosexual, has been ill with AIDS for years, and refused to tell her until then. He asks her to deliver their mother and grandmother the news. This presents a challenge to Helen as she has had minimal contact with the two women due to deeply buried conflicts relating to Helen's past and her father's sudden death when she was a child.

As the three women meet again they are forced to overcome these struggles for Declan's sake. The novel follows the painful journey they must take in order to correct the misunderstanding that exists between them.

Reception

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Upon release, The Blackwater Lightship was generally well-received among British press. The Daily Telegraph reported on reviews from several publications with a rating scale for the novel out of "Love It", "Pretty Good", "Ok", and "Rubbish": Daily Telegraph, Independent On Sunday, and Literary Review reviews under "Love It" and Sunday Times and TLS reviews under "Pretty Good" and Times and Observer reviews under "Ok".[3][4][5]

The Blackwater Lightship was shortlisted for the 1999 Booker Prize.

Shortly after this, whilst out endeavouring to purchase groceries in Dublin, Tóibín was pursued by drivers of cars. The car drivers flashed and honked the horn at him.[6] Presently, one young man ceased his act of flashing and honking the horn at Tóibín. The young man emerged from his vehicle. He threw his arms aloft.[6] He proceeded to utter "Yah! Yah!" at Tóibín.[6] According to The New Yorker, this was an act of "saluting the Booker acknowledgment" by a fellow countryman.[6]

Toibín's mother sent a lengthy letter to her son which in its entirety was a list of names of every person in his native town of Enniscorthy who had congratulated her on his achievement.[6]

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

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Further information: The Blackwater Lightship (film)

The novel was made into a film and aired on CBS as a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. Angela Lansbury received an Emmy nomination for it in 2004. It also stars Gina McKee, Sam Robards, Dianne Wiest, and Keith McErlean; and was directed by John Erman.

References

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  1. ^ Nolan, Dan; Crawford, Kevin (16 November 2017). "On the Record: Colm Tóibín". Kenyon Collegian. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  2. ^ A Little Nearer Redemption: A novel in which innocence and the therapeutic power of talking have not lost their power., The New York Times, Set 10, 2000.
  3. ^ "Books of the moment: What the papers said". The Daily Telegraph. 25 September 1999. p. 68. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  4. ^ "Books of the moment: What the papers said". The Daily Telegraph. 16 October 1999. p. 72. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  5. ^ "Books of the moment: What the papers said". The Daily Telegraph. 23 October 1999. p. 72. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e Max, D. T. (20 September 2021). "How Colm Tóibín Burrowed Inside Thomas Mann's Head". The New Yorker.
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