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  • Say Nothing

  • A True Story Of Murder and Memory In Northern Ireland
  • By: Patrick Radden Keefe
  • Narrated by: Matt Blaney
  • Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (392 ratings)

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Say Nothing cover art

Say Nothing

By: Patrick Radden Keefe
Narrated by: Matt Blaney
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2019, shortlisted for the National Book Award for Nonfiction 2019, a Time’s number one Best Nonfiction Book of 2019 and New York Times best-seller.

One night in December 1972, Jean McConville, a mother of 10, was abducted from her home in Belfast and never seen alive again. Her disappearance would haunt her orphaned children, the perpetrators of this terrible crime and a whole society in Northern Ireland for decades.

In this powerful, scrupulously reported book, Patrick Radden Keefe offers not just a forensic account of a brutal crime but a vivid portrait of the world in which it happened. The tragedy of an entire country is captured in the spellbinding narrative of a handful of characters, presented in lyrical and unforgettable detail.

A poem by Seamus Heaney inspires the title: 'Whatever You Say, Say Nothing'. By defying the culture of silence, Keefe illuminates how a close-knit Irish society fractured; how people chose sides in a conflict and turned to violence; and how, when the shooting stopped, some ex-combatants came to look back in horror at the atrocities they had committed, while others continue to advocate violence even today.

Say Nothing deftly weaves the stories of Jean McConville and her family with those of Dolours Price, the first woman to join the IRA as a front line soldier, who bombed the Old Bailey when she was barely out of her teens; Gerry Adams, who helped bring an end to the fighting but denied his own IRA past; Brendan Hughes, a fearsome IRA commander who turned on Adams after the peace process and broke the IRA's code of silence; and other indelible figures. By capturing the intrigue, the drama, and the profound human cost of the Troubles, the book presents a searing chronicle of the lengths that people are willing to go to in pursuit of a political ideal and the ways in which societies mend - or don't - in the aftermath of a long and bloody conflict.

©2018 Patrick Radden Keefe (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic Reviews

"Smart, searching, and utterly absorbing, Say Nothing sweeps us into the heart of one of the modern world's bitterest conflicts and, with unusual compassion, walks us back out again along the road to reconciliation. This is more than a powerful, superbly reported work of journalism. It is contemporary history at its finest." (Maya Jasanoff)

"Keefe uses the old Irish phrase, 'Whatever you say, say nothing,' to suggest and to say just about everything. His great accomplishment is to capture the tragedy of the Troubles on a human scale. By tracing the intersecting lives of a handful of unforgettable characters, he has created a deeply honest and intimate portrait of a society still haunted by its own violent past. A bracing, empathetic, heartrending work of storytelling." (Colum McCann)

"A shattering, intimate study of how young men and women consumed by radical political violence are transformed by the history they make, and struggle to come to terms with the blood they have shed, Say Nothing is a powerful reckoning. Keefe has written an essential book." (Philip Gourevitch)

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    5 out of 5 stars

Unnecessary Victims

This true story deserves 5 stars. It takes one deep into the minds of those who perpetrated murder and torture in the name of a united Ireland. Focusing on the murder of a perceived informer - a widowed mother of ten children - the author weaves into the narrative a detailed history of that particular time during 'the troubles' and, although the story concentrates on the actions of the IRA, rather than their loyalist counterparts, who were just as murderous, the chilling witness statements from those involved are riveting. The terrible irony is that a political solution was the only way this 'war' would be resolved, and such a resolution subsequently happened, showing that the thousands killed and maimed were all, in the end, unnecessary victims.

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  • Overall
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couldn't 'put it down'

Narrated like a thriller, impeccably researched, very listenable and important work, kept me enthralled right through to the end.

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An amazing story and story teller

One of the best audio books I’ve listened too. An incredibly balanced account on a complex and recent struggle. Well worth listening to.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellently researched and presented

It's clear that extensive research and work went into Say Nothing, which I appreciate greatly. The book looks at The Troubles, focussing on the story of a missing mother from Belfast and some other key figures. The author presents the events as clearly as can be done, putting them in historical context and giving insight into the actions and decisions made.
Say Nothing gave me a deeper appreciation for The Troubles and the people who endured it.

My only issue is that occasionally the editing is a little clunky, leaving a few strange pauses, but it's certainly not enough to detract from the otherwise high quality narration.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Enthralling account of the Troubles.

The narration was top notch, Matthew Blakey’s voice is very calming! Sometimes there were long pauses in strange places though which may be due to editing? A thoroughly researched account of the events preceding, during and following the Troubles; that kept me enthralled, I just wanted to keep listening and learning more.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating story, disappointing narration

Although it only covered one side of a conflict the story was compelling. Unfortunately it was spoiled to a degree by the narration which was littered with mispronunciations. A pity - it spoiled an otherwise good listen.

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My book of 2021

fantastic storytelling and a nuanced history of The Troubles. Found it hard to stop listening.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Comprehensive history of the IRA

Easy to follow, really changed my perception of how glorious I thought the IRA were and how much I admired Gerry Adams. It dragged on a bit in some areas. The narrator was okay, a few mispronunciations here and there but the long pauses in the middle of sentences were a bit distracting sometimes. It's a good book - 8/10

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Impressive overview

Well-written, sensitive and insightful. The narration starts to take on strange pauses halfway through and a number of English words are mispronounced but it in no way mars the unfolding of the narrative. So many strands are followed and brought together with good balance. I wish none of it were true.

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really good

only lost a star on the profomance side due to the elongate pausing between words. think this has more to do with recording than the reader, towards the end of the book.

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