Home
/
Fiction
/
The Berlin Wall Cafe
The Berlin Wall Cafe
Dec 31, 2025 5:55 PM

Author:Paul Durcan

The Berlin Wall Cafe

WINNER OF THE 2014 IRISH BOOK LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

This was the collection with which Durcan broke through to the huge and appreciative audience he enjoys today. In the first part are poems of great satirical comedy and also of great passion and indignation, and in the second part, poems about the break-up of a marriage so intense they would hurt if they weren't also possessed of the healing gifts of truthfulness and humour. In The Berlin Wall Café Durcan has located that space between the walls and barriers societies and individuals erect - a no-man's-land of the free imagination where we meet as the vulnerable and comical human beings we are. It contains some of his very best work.

Reviews

Fuller is a master storyteller. a rollicking picaresque yarn. a portrait of a high-spirted woman, sexually curious and intellectually insatiable

—— Sunday Telegraph

A Moll Flanders of our time. A remarkable piece of work

—— Irish Sunday Independent

The writing is so funny and the set-pieces so brilliant

—— The Times

Perhaps the most poised piece of writing Hornby has yet produced . . . only this writer has the wit and the stringency to take on this easy comedy and draw compelling, even universal pathos from it

—— Observer

Brilliantly funny

—— Heat

Pins you in your armchair and won't let go . . . How to be Good? How to be bloody marvellous more like

—— Mail on Sunday

It does exactly what it says on the cover. Hornby's prose is artful and effortless, his spiky wit as razored as a number-two cut

—— Independent

Vintage Nick Hornby. Very funny and very clever, and packed with wit and brilliance

—— Spectator

Magnificent...In A God in Ruins, she's written not only a companion to her earlier book, but a novel that takes its place in the line of powerful works about young men and war, stretching from Stephen Crane's Red Badge of Courage to Kevin Powers' The Yellow Birds and Ben Fountain's Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk.

—— Washington Post

Kate Atkinson just keeps getting better…A God in Ruins is a stunner…I laughed out loud…this bleak and beautiful book…Atkinson’s genre-bending novels have garnered critical praise, but nothing on the order of a Rushdie, or even an Ian McEwan. A God in Ruins should change that.

—— Chicago Tribune

A sprawling, unapologetically ambitious saga that tells the story of postwar Britain through the microcosm of a single family, and you remember what a big, old-school novel can do...especially impressive.

—— Tom Perotta , New York Times Book Review

Atkinson follows up her Costa Award-winning Life After Life with a dazzling novel about the genteel Todd family… The narrative is less slippery, but no less compelling.

—— People

A riveting exploration of the complexities of family life

—— Psychologies

Kate Atkinson's understanding of how we work is off the scale

—— Sainsbury's Magazine

If you were blown away by Life After Life, you'll be dazzled by this companion piece...an extraordinary tour de force.

—— Woman and Home

An engrossing read by any standards. One that kept me up late at night to discover what would happen next.

—— Irish Independent

A compelling, and oddly uplifting, read

—— Monica Tomas , Totally Dublin

Intricate and inventive

—— Daily Telegraph

What a privilege and pleasure it is to read… The book hooked me from the first chapter… I recommend this book, as I would all the others by this author.

—— Jan Jeffery , Nudge

Engaging . . . You know what Eggers wants to say, he says it quickly, and he says it with a respectably righteous fury. And, ultimately, he says it with a compassion that's always been present in his work . . . Fascinating.

—— Mark Athitakis , The Washington Post

Within 212 pages, Eggers displays a delicate, haunting, sometimes dire picture of the world. It may not be a comfortable read, but it's an interesting take on what we believe to be true and what we hope to be true.

—— Mark Lopez , Alibi.com

If you were blown away by Life After Life, you'll be dazzled by this companion piece...an extraordinary tour de force.

—— Woman and Home

An engrossing read by any standards. One that kept me up late at night to discover what would happen next.

—— Irish Independent

A masterpiece of storytelling and a master class in how fiction works. It's also incredibly, surprisingly funny. It's my current death row book. If I was only allowed one last read,this would be it.

—— Cathy Rentzenbrink , Stylist

One of Britain’s most accomplished novelists.

—— Ed Cumming , Observer

An ingenious and atmospheric novel.

—— Simon Shaw , Mail on Sunday

Lawrence Osborne is an experienced, competent author with an impressive knowledge of Asia… Comparisons with Graham Greene seem to be generously offered by other reviewers and I’ve already alluded to Conrad and a Patricia Highsmith yet my impression is that Mr. Osborne has a style all of his own.

—— Gill Chedgey , Nudge

Enright has delivered a fine work about how you can’t escape the past.

—— John Dennehy , National

[A] wonderful book.

—— Woman’s Way

The novel of [Enright’s] already storied career.

—— Irish Central

With language so vibrant it practically has a pulse, Enright makes an exquisitely drawn case for the possibility of growth, love and transformation at any age.

—— People Magazine

No-one quite matches Enright for her quality of writing, her deftness of insight.

—— Neil Stewart , Civilian

This is a captivating, spellbinding evocation of how your nearest and not-so-dearest can wreak emotional havoc.

—— Psychologies

Glitteringly good.

—— Kerry Fowler , Sainsbury’s Magazine

The Green Road has been receiving glowing reviews and it's easy to see why. The story, set over four decades, gives us deep insights into the five main characters, all of whom tell us something about ourselves as Irish people, and all of whom you are sorry to leave as a reader.

—— Edel Coffey , Irish Independent

Enright is the most extraordinary writer – her style is simple and honest, no gimmicks, just straight to the heart.

—— Victoria Hislop , Sainsbury’s Magazine

A powerful evocation of leaving and returning home.

—— Ruth Scurr , Financial Times

Masterful.

—— Fiona Wilson , The Times

Watch out for it come Man Booker time.

—— Sunday Times

Enright captures beautifully the tensions of…forced festive gatherings, the sibling rivalry and the maternal melancholy of a woman who does not understand her feelings towards her own children.

—— Good Book Guide

Richly and sensuously realised, it’s vivid with the particularity of places and people and bruisingly intelligent.

—— Tessa Hadley , Guardian

Enright shows real insight and perception when it comes to family relationships. It’s a well-structured and well-paced narrative.

—— Mandy Jenkinson , Nudge

Written with raw and brutal honesty, this is one to savour.

—— Justine Carbery , Irish Independent

Enright’s writing is sharp and lucid and full of beautiful phrases and descriptions.

—— Reading Matters

I love Enright’s style and the spidering out of the siblings’ lives.

—— Claire Skinner , Daily Express

There is beauty and darkness, hypocrisy and humility; it wouldn’t be an Irish novel without them.

—— Sarah Churchwell , New Statesman

The Green Road, about one Irish family, confronts all that is essential: love, death, mothers and our own flawed selves. It is written with a kind of tenderness, beauty and insight that transmogrifies humdrum experience into the epiphanic and back again.

—— Arifa Akbar , Independent

Blisteringly funny and keenly perceptive.

—— Peter Kemp , Sunday Times

Deeply affecting, crackling with wit, and consistently magnificent.

—— Stephanie Cross , Daily Mail

A globe-trotting, kaleidoscopic portrait of Irish siblings and their difficult mother.

—— Justine Jordan , Guardian

A magnificent novel about family and belonging told in stark yet sparkling prose.

—— Stylist

A fierce, funny, loosely woven family saga.

—— Alex Preston , Observer

[A] darkly glinting novel of family life.

—— Ruth Scurr , The Spectator

A bravura example of shifting voices and perspectives, all of which benefit from Enright’s splendid prose and careful restraint.

—— Sarah Churchwell , New Statesman

Enright dissects [her character’s] foibles with warmth, wit and a bracing lack of sentimentality.

—— Simon Kuper , Financial Times

A book you don’t put down until it is finished, dragging you right into the heart of another Irish family as only Anne Enright can.

—— Keelin Shanley , Irish Times

A family saga, beginning with intense and beautifully detailed character studies.

—— Mark O'Halloran , Irish Times

I... enjoyed The Green Road for the dialogue, the clever narrative structure, and the gnarled, contemporary sense of family values.

—— Paul Durcan , Irish Times

I could not put it down. Chapter two is a masterpiece.

—— Edna O'Brien , Irish Times

Stylish prose that charts the fortunes and misfortunes of this family over a period of 25 years.

—— Anne O'Neill , Irish Times

In this brilliant, captivating novel, the poised, impossible and always disappointed matriarch Rosaleen Madigan makes life difficult for her children at a Christmas gathering.

—— Charlotte Heathcote , Sunday Express

Few Novelists pick apart domestic relationships with the poetry and precision of Anne Enright.

—— Claire Allfree , Metro

Sharp yet oh so subtle storytelling […] this is an author at the height of her formidable powers.

—— Stephen Meyler , RTE Guide

An exquisitely written portrait of a family, and a country, on the cusp of enormous change.

—— Paul Nolan , Hot Press

Exquisitely written and hugely enjoyable.

—— National

A brilliant approach to the sadness of a disconnected family, who are like satellites out of sync.

—— Anthony Cummins , Sunday Telegraph

Enright’s virtuosic tale of an Irish family- the Madigans- across continents and decades withholds closure but doesn’t skimp on pleasure

—— five stars , Daily Telegraph

A compelling novel, full of astute observations, beautifully written, sometimes stark and other times aching with longing

—— Collette Sheridan , Irish Examiner

The sweep of the book and Anne Enright's way fo pulling this global migratuon story together with such energy and detail puts her in somewhere beside Toni Morrison

—— Independent, Ireland

Heart-wrenching novel… The surgical precision of Enright’s writing makes you feel that she can, in Wordsworth’s words, “see into the life of things”. There is a singing simplicity to it that tugs at your heart…A masterly work.

—— Christina Patterson , Sunday Times

Beautifully observed. Enright is a great writer.

—— William Leith , Evening Standard

Bold and brilliant.

—— The Week

Incredible… I’m totally captivated.

—— Annie Mac , The Sunday Times

An evocative story about family ties and belonging.

—— Western Morning News

A brilliant read.

—— Western Morning News

A story of fracture and family, selfishness and compassion.

—— SheerLuxe.com

Sharply funny portrait of an Irish family meeting for a final Christmas.

—— Metro

Within pages I was wrapped in the warmth of Enright’s prose… This is a beautiful book… Enright is unquestionably a fantastic writer who, for me with this novel, conjured up the world of a family with all its highs and lows that felt like they might be having this reunion down the end of your road… Enright does two of my favourite things in fiction. She makes the ordinary, and everything we take for granted, seem extra ordinary. She also gives voices to those who have not been able to share their tales… The writing is stunning.

—— Simon Savidge , Savidge Reads

An evocative story about family ties and belonging. Anne Enright is deservedly a well-respected writer.

—— Western Morning News

Enright's novels are fantastically well-crafted, eloquent and funny… Each character is beautifully realized… She finds unexpected adjectives, brilliantly exact description, the spot-on emotion. Her writing is lyrical but always unsentimental. There is pleasure in reading every paragraph, and an enormous wisdom throughout the pages.

—— Mumsnet

Truly wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant… It completely envelops you in the story and will leave you wanting more.

—— Belfast Telegraph Morning

Wonderful… The dialogue is particularly brilliant, capturing all the barbed snappiness of dinner with siblings.

—— Herald

I fell headfirst into the beautifully written prose of this novel, so authentic and charming in its telling of one Irish family over more than two decades. Each vibrant character gets a turn in almost short stories of their own that feel almost like entities in their own right. I adored it.

—— Cathy Levy , Red Online

A resonant, masterly work.

—— Sunday Times

[An] exceptional novel.

—— David Nicholls , Guardian

This is a flawless book, it’s utterly flawless… It has just touched so many other readers. This book is heartbreaking… A beautiful examination of unhappy families… The power of Anne’s writing is you all see a reflection of your own family…it’s tender and it’s beautiful and deserves to be widely read.

—— Victoria Sadler

Enright is undoubtedly one of our most prominent novelists

—— Elif Shafak , Week
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved