Home Stretch
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-27 00:51:09
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Graham Norton
- ISBN：1473665167
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Summary
Shame and longing can flow through generations， but the secrets of the heart will not be buried for ever。
It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding。 The day before the ceremony a group of young friends， including bride and groom， drive out to the beach。 There is an accident。 Three survive， but three are killed。
The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town。 Connor is one of the survivors。 But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver。 He leaves the only place he knows for another life， taking his secrets with him。 Travelling first to Liverpool， then London， he makes a home - of sorts - for himself in New York。 The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced， somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life。
But the secrets， the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced。 And before long， Connor will have to confront his past。
Graham Norton's powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results。
It is 1987 and a small Irish community is preparing for a wedding。 The day before the ceremony a group of young friends， including bride and groom， drive out to the beach。 There is an accident。 Three survive， but three are killed。
The lives of the families are shattered and the rifts between them are felt throughout the small town。 Connor is one of the survivors。 But staying among the angry and the mourning is almost as hard as living with the shame of having been the driver。 He leaves the only place he knows for another life， taking his secrets with him。 Travelling first to Liverpool， then London， he makes a home - of sorts - for himself in New York。 The city provides shelter and possibility for the displaced， somewhere Connor can forget his past and forge a new life。
But the secrets， the unspoken longings and regrets that have come to haunt those left behind will not be silenced。 And before long， Connor will have to confront his past。
Graham Norton's powerful and timely novel of emigration and return demonstrates his keen understanding of the power of stigma and secrecy - with devastating results。
Reviews
Amo
，
I really enjoyed Graham's first two novels but this book is a mess。 There's no depth to this book and everything happens so quickly。 The original premise of the accident and the first few chapters describing the fallout are great and then it rapidly goes downhill。 There is no character development， the plot twists are predictable and I just felt like the story had very little substance。 I really enjoyed Graham's first two novels but this book is a mess。 There's no depth to this book and everything happens so quickly。 The original premise of the accident and the first few chapters describing the fallout are great and then it rapidly goes downhill。 There is no character development， the plot twists are predictable and I just felt like the story had very little substance。 。。。more
Tracy Donachie
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Although predictable， I really enjoyed the book。 A quick read - I was completely engrossed in the story。
Hayley
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Graham Norton is a hugely successful Irish comedian and actor， though I know him best from the snippets that turn up on my Facebook feed of his TV show where he interviews celebs from the entertainment industry。 I have always found him to be warm， funny， and very likeable。 It turns out he also writes fiction and The Home Stretch is his third。 Though it’s a decent enough novel of families， choices， and decisions， I think I’ll stick with my Facebook snippets in future。In 1987， in the rural Irish t Graham Norton is a hugely successful Irish comedian and actor， though I know him best from the snippets that turn up on my Facebook feed of his TV show where he interviews celebs from the entertainment industry。 I have always found him to be warm， funny， and very likeable。 It turns out he also writes fiction and The Home Stretch is his third。 Though it’s a decent enough novel of families， choices， and decisions， I think I’ll stick with my Facebook snippets in future。In 1987， in the rural Irish town of Mullinmore， a car crashes at speed into a ditch。 Three of the six young occupants are killed outright and one is rushed to hospital in a coma。 Two walk away with no injuries: Connor Hayes was the driver and， in shame， his family arranges for him to go and work construction in Liverpool。 But Conner is a closeted gay man and once his building site coworkers find this out， he can no longer stay there。 Martin Coulter， the other survivor and the handsome son of the town doctor， starts courting Conner’s older sister Ellen。The novel then skips to 1995 and the action has moved on。 This is one of my troubles with the novel; like a Greek tragedy all the action happens off stage。 By the time we rejoin our characters， Conner is living as an openly gay man in London and Ellen is married to Martin with two children。 We are told， rather skimpily， how this comes about but surely these liminal shifts should be what the novel focuses on？There is one final time skip to 2012 （during which， once again， a lot happens but we only see the end result） and， in theory at least， everything we thought we knew turns out not to be true。 Except， of course in practice， it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb from very early on。I found it hard to get to know the characters because so much of the development happens while we’re not in the room - they just emerge， changed， a few years later。 There’s some interesting thoughts about the changing acceptance of homosexuality in Ireland which we see through Conner’s eyes and later his nephew’s， but we never actually see the way that tolerance emerges， it just changes from one time period to the next。I’m not sure who this gently undemanding and perfectly pleasant fiction is intended for， perhaps bigger fans of Graham Norton than me。Thanks to HarperVia and Netgalley for the digital review copy。 。。。more
Sarah Thurley
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great family dramaAnother great read from Graham Norton。 Loved all the twists and turns over the years， keeping you guessing till the end。
John Adams
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This was a good book， I liked it a lot。。。。 If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Steph
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Another entertaining read。
Estelle
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A brilliant book to listen too and to read。 Equally wonderful。 Ellen and Connor pulled me in。 Finbarr was fabulous。 A brilliant gentle story that spans many years and changes in life and country。 This would be a fabulous film。
Stella
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Excellent Excellent from beginning to endSummed up the negative attitudes and its effects on livesStill some way to go for complete acceptance Love his booksMore please Graham
Lyndele
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Really loved Graham's last two books， but this one fell a bit flat for me。 A bit disappointing。 Really loved Graham's last two books， but this one fell a bit flat for me。 A bit disappointing。 。。。more
wendy crowther
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Great readGraham has written another captivating story 。 I was so immersed in it that I put on an Irish reading voice！ Lots of twists and turns 。
Ann Black
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Loved ThisI have read Grahams other books but I found this by far his best yet。 The twists and turns， the intricacy of the relationships between the characters was just wonderful， the time travel taking you back and forth added to the mystery of it all， I love how Graham writes， and I thoroughly enjoyed this， really unputdownable。
Ray Banks
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Very well written 。。。。。 characters well developed and great story line。 Enjoy ！！！！
Diane Ferbrache
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I could not put this book down！ From the tragic first chapter to the increasingly emotional twists and turns， this is a wonderful story about tragedy， family， resilience， acceptance， and （of course） the cost of secrets and lies。 There are notes of "social commentary" and some insight into the political climate in Ireland， but none of that overwelms the story of this family。 Connor and his sister are both relatable characters and their stories felt incredibly true to life。 Norton is a new author I could not put this book down！ From the tragic first chapter to the increasingly emotional twists and turns， this is a wonderful story about tragedy， family， resilience， acceptance， and （of course） the cost of secrets and lies。 There are notes of "social commentary" and some insight into the political climate in Ireland， but none of that overwelms the story of this family。 Connor and his sister are both relatable characters and their stories felt incredibly true to life。 Norton is a new author to me， this is the first book of his I have read， but it certainly won't be the last。 。。。more
Stephanie Ebner
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I loved the characters and the story。 Written in a wonderfully clever way。
Karen Jones
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Loved this book， enjoyed the story， had to keep reading to find out what happens， brilliant read， would recommend this book
Dustin
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What an amazing book。 I was immediately captivated and did not want to put it down。 Book after book， Graham Norton shows what a great writer he is。The story was heartfelt and showed so well， how harsh times were but how times have changed to become a better place。I was not even past 20% of the book when I knew that I would rate this 5/5 stars！
Nuala Dunne
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Graham Norton is a great storyteller， as with his last two novels， this one is a page turner。 At first I was disappointed， only because the subject matter of the book is similar to a book I had just read。 I had expected to escape into a book that didn't make me think too deeply。 However， I soon got into the story with its twists and turns， I was hooked and had to keep reading。 I enjoyed the book and found that it really made me think about the struggles that people face in their lives due to pre Graham Norton is a great storyteller， as with his last two novels， this one is a page turner。 At first I was disappointed， only because the subject matter of the book is similar to a book I had just read。 I had expected to escape into a book that didn't make me think too deeply。 However， I soon got into the story with its twists and turns， I was hooked and had to keep reading。 I enjoyed the book and found that it really made me think about the struggles that people face in their lives due to prejudice。。。。but there is more to it than that， it opens your mind to see situations from many different sides。 。。。more
Sue
，
I really enjoyed this。 Graham Norton has a great， easy to read style and believable characters。
Chelsea Berry
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52 Book Club Prompt # 22: A family sagaI've watched GN on TV for many years and I really enjoyed his autobiography so I was excited to read one of his novels。At first I was a bit confused。。。 the first chapter introduced a lot of characters。。。 but then it focused on a couple of different stories and pretty soon I didn't want to put the book down。 A really enjoyable read。 52 Book Club Prompt # 22: A family sagaI've watched GN on TV for many years and I really enjoyed his autobiography so I was excited to read one of his novels。At first I was a bit confused。。。 the first chapter introduced a lot of characters。。。 but then it focused on a couple of different stories and pretty soon I didn't want to put the book down。 A really enjoyable read。 。。。more
Lynda
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I read this book without realising who the author was and I’m glad because otherwise I might have looked for humour and this book， whilst having moments of humour， explores serious issues facing everyday people。 It is distinctly Irish and Norton has a very clear writing style where details add rather than distract。 It begins with a tragedy involving youngsters in a small Irish town and goes on to explore changing attitudes and values， relationships and family ties whilst also tracing Ireland’s p I read this book without realising who the author was and I’m glad because otherwise I might have looked for humour and this book， whilst having moments of humour， explores serious issues facing everyday people。 It is distinctly Irish and Norton has a very clear writing style where details add rather than distract。 It begins with a tragedy involving youngsters in a small Irish town and goes on to explore changing attitudes and values， relationships and family ties whilst also tracing Ireland’s progress from sexual intolerance to law changes。 Connor and Ellen， brother and sister， are the key characters。 Norton appears to like all his characters to a lesser or greater degree and this gives the story heart。 。。。more
Ruth Dipple
，
Graham Norton has a gift for creating three-dimensional characters - ordinary people whose lives are entangled by secrecy， guilt and someone who is willing to manipulate people for his own ends。 The story covers several decades， during which the characters come to realize the truth about themselves and their families in the wake of a devastating car accident。 Much of this involves coming to terms with sexuality， their own and that of family members， and it is handled very subtly and delicately。 Graham Norton has a gift for creating three-dimensional characters - ordinary people whose lives are entangled by secrecy， guilt and someone who is willing to manipulate people for his own ends。 The story covers several decades， during which the characters come to realize the truth about themselves and their families in the wake of a devastating car accident。 Much of this involves coming to terms with sexuality， their own and that of family members， and it is handled very subtly and delicately。 I enjoyed it very much， and found it very thought-provoking。 。。。more
Laura Robinson
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I was not expecting to enjoy this as it is far from what I would usually read， however I was pleasantly surprised！ A good plot twist
katherine
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A 'can't put it down 'This had so many twist and turns 。 I probably cried at least once a chapter。 The characters pull you in and you need to read quickly to find out their fate 。 Just beautiful and heart warming and a hateful villan。 What's not to like ！？ A 'can't put it down 'This had so many twist and turns 。 I probably cried at least once a chapter。 The characters pull you in and you need to read quickly to find out their fate 。 Just beautiful and heart warming and a hateful villan。 What's not to like ！？ 。。。more
Amanda Larkman
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I've read all of Graham Norton's novels so I was expecting a gentle and well-written Irish story。 I knew there would be well-drawn characters and humour。This novel took me by surprise in that I found the plot so gripping。 The gradual unfolding of what really happened on the day of the crash kept me turning the pages and Norton handles the changes in Ireland that led to the legalisation of gay marriage well。 He uses the lens of a family and it is very moving。 You never feel Norton is shoving a po I've read all of Graham Norton's novels so I was expecting a gentle and well-written Irish story。 I knew there would be well-drawn characters and humour。This novel took me by surprise in that I found the plot so gripping。 The gradual unfolding of what really happened on the day of the crash kept me turning the pages and Norton handles the changes in Ireland that led to the legalisation of gay marriage well。 He uses the lens of a family and it is very moving。 You never feel Norton is shoving a political agenda at you， but he makes his point nonetheless。 I really enjoyed following Connor and Ellen's journies and I agree with other reviewers this has a feel of John Boyne's 'The Heart's Invisible Furies'。 I look forward to the next one， Norton is maturing into a gifted writer。 。。。more
Mary
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed this book。 It's an easy read but Norton writes well。 Story: Connor is growing up in Ireland with his parents， Dan and Connie who run a pub， and his younger sister， Ellen。 It starts in 1987 with a car crash in which 3 young people die （a bride and groom the day before their wedding） and David， an only son to a single mother。 The bride's sister is critically injured and the driver and 1 other passenger survive。 Connor wasn't driving but takes the blame。 It is the son of the local I really enjoyed this book。 It's an easy read but Norton writes well。 Story: Connor is growing up in Ireland with his parents， Dan and Connie who run a pub， and his younger sister， Ellen。 It starts in 1987 with a car crash in which 3 young people die （a bride and groom the day before their wedding） and David， an only son to a single mother。 The bride's sister is critically injured and the driver and 1 other passenger survive。 Connor wasn't driving but takes the blame。 It is the son of the local doctor， Martin Coulter， who is really driving and whose car it is。 Life in the small town of Mullinmore is never the same after the crash for those who've lost a loved one plus Connor and his family who bear so much guilt。 Connor is despatched to Liverpool to work for a builder there， a cousin of friends of his parents。 He is forced to flee to London after a short time because he sees one of his housemates in a booth in a gay bar and the chap beats him up and throws him out of the house。 The story skips from 1987 to 1988， 1995 and then 2012 through to 2019。 Connor ends up living in the States and is with the same chap， Tim， for 16 years。 He's a kept man， though， because Tim earns enough for them both and they have a good life together。 They split up and Connor goes into a bit of a downward spiral。Meanwhile， Ellen marries Martin and is absolutely miserable。 They have 2 children， Finbarr and Aisling。 He is often away but Ellen doesn't ask too many questions about where he is and what he's doing。 Finbarr goes to the States and bumps into Connor。 He works out who he is and eventually Connor goes back to Ireland to the parents he hasn't seen for 32 years。Finbarr marries his boyfriend。 Ellen finds happiness with Shane。 Martin comes back for Finbarr's wedding and looks a lot older。 Connor and Ellen have decided never to tell his children that he was behind the wheel， not Connor。 They also discover that he's also gay and had lots of relationships including a long one with a French man。 。。。more
Ally
，
A nice read。 Well written。 Themes obviously close to the heart of the author。
Lily
，
Pleasantly surprised with this one！ A really heart warming story and told so well。 Maybe a little too long but overall great。
Erika
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Very good storyline， although it was obvious what had happened as the story developed。
Lorraine Williams
，
Brilliant read
Karen Carter
，
I really enjoyed this novel that takes us into small town life in Ireland with all the claustrophobia that our hometowns can entail。 We see how a tragic accident can fracture lives and change its direction forever for those both directly and indirectly involved。This novel is about loss and regret but also about acceptance and learning to be happy and comfortable in your own skin。 I really enjoyed it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Home Stretch
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Home Stretch&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Home Stretch&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0