A very charming short story by a very charming author. I love anything he writes. I've never met a book of his that wasn't five starred.

Immersive and cozy. It's a short story I never wanted to end - I just want to live in this world forever. Thanks Mr. Tóibín, NetGalley and the publisher.

"The Shortest Day" follows an Irish archaeologist as he travels to the ancient burial chamber at Newgrange in December. Will a long-hidden secret be revealed to him? Author Colm Tóibín treats the professor and those he encounters with great tenderness in this beautifully written short story.

“Some people do not ever think about the light at Newgrange. For them, it is a rumor, an old story. It is like ghosts and fairies. But there are others who know it is true, who even feel it in the air on the morning of the solstice, who bow their heads in that time as they might bow their heads at the ringing of a bell.”

This novella was published this month, and it was a very quick, but enchanting read! It takes place in Ireland at Newgrange, which instantly intrigued me, because I’ve been there.

Tone
I feel like serene or quaint are the best words coming to mind for descriptions of this book. It provides a beautiful image of Newgrange and highlights the past and present connecting. It’s also the short of book I would describe as full of November vibes (even though it technically takes place in December during the solstice).

Length
I did find myself wanting a bit more. I appreciated that we didn’t get more and it almost felt like a picturesque story as a result. But at the same time, it was such a great idea, and while the simplistic way it was told left me intrigued, I also wanted more depth to some of the interactions / story line BECAUSE I was so intrigued by the idea. I still can’t decide if that is a good or bad thing honestly.

Overall, it is a super short read that is well worded and I would recommend for the atmospheric vibes the author creates.

*Many thanks to Colm Toibin, Amazon Original Stories, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A superbly written novella set during the Winter Solstice at Newgrange, an archeological jewel in Ireland. I loved the way the past and the present interconnect and are bound by the secrets. Another grand offering by the Author whose writing I follow and enjoy.

THIS is how you tell a story. Easy reading, enchanting and fun, this was a perfect little novella. His writing is so beautiful. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

A charming short story about an archeologist and the spirits of Brú na Bóinne, a neolithic tomb in Ireland. Toibin does an amazing job evoking the ethereal magic that I felt when I visited a few years ago. Absolutely worth the quick (31 pgs) read. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I was very excited to see the Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín. During my time in Ireland, I was able to visit Newgrange (and other passage tombs and sacred areas). There is something eerie and ethereal about entering Newgrange. When you get there, you see cows and sheep grazing in fields nearby and Newgrange quietly overseeing it all. Tóibín's short story draws the reader in and makes the reader wonder who (or what) exactly creates the feeling that surrounds a visitor when they enter the passage tomb. I really enjoyed the novel and read it shortly after Samhain. I found it very fitting that I was reading this short story a few months before the sacred time it describes. The story made me wonder what locals have known for decades or centuries, and what knowledge about these sacred sites is guarded and unknown to outsiders. As we near the winter equinox, this is a good short story to curl up with.

Please be advised that I received this short story for free through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Shortest Day" tells a story of an archeological burial site in Ireland from the perspectives of an archeology professor and the spirits residing in the tomb on the day of the winter solstice.

Colm Toibin was on a few of my reading lists at uni, and his books were among favourites of mine. He has a very particular style that goes perfectly with the stories he tells, whether it is a tale of an Irish girl forced to go working in the US ("as in "Brooklyn") or a semi-biographical story of one of the most mysterious writers of the turn of 19th and 20th centuries ("The Master").

"The Shortest Day" is my first encounter with Toibin in a short, more concise form. I was a little apprehensive, as I am with most of the short stories, but I'm happy to say I was pleasantly surprised. I was hooked from the first few paragraphs. The writing style, as expected, was perfect. Toibin was somehow able to capture the atmosphere of mystery and mysticality of an ancient tomb.

Even in this short form, the mastery of Colm Toibin's story-telling is clearly visible. "The Shortest Day" captivates the reader from the first page and leaves them satisfied yet craving for more prose from the Irish writer.

An interesting novella about the Winter Solstice and it's mystifying affect on a burial chamber in Ireland. The curtain between the spirit world and the living world seems to move aside on this special day of the calendar and a ray of light infuses the dead with the ability to go on for another year. But what happens when a mortal man, an archaeologist with a special interest in the site, decides to visit Newgrange on the shortest day of the year? What do the townspeople know about this phenomenon?
What will happen when mortal man and spirit world meet?

A quick but interesting read.

In a short science-meets-spirituality story an archeologist in Ireland discovers a surprise when he travels to a site on the Winters Solstice.

I thought this was a lovely little story and I appreciated the different perspectives. Overall a happy and positive story with a lightness to it. Toibin also writes so smoothly that it’s easy to get caught in it.

My only complaint and I wish there was more - but of course it preserves what was told so much better at its short length.

*i received an arc in exchange for an honest review*

From the land of ancient magic and one of the best modern Irish writes is a short story about Newgrange. Newgrange is the ancient burial site that is a large mound with one entrance. Archeology Professor O'Kelly has spent years taking groups to Newgrange during the summer to study the site. This year he has decided to spend part of the Christmas break studying Newgrange on his own. But Newgrange has a secret that almost no one knows and you might only discover if you are there on the Winter Solstice.
Toibin is a master of Irish story telling at various lengths and taking what seems like a simple, normal life story and creating something so enjoyable to read.

The Shortest Day by Colm Tóibín is a charming novella about Newgrange in Ireland, a burial chamber that is older than Stonehenge and just as interesting, more even. The story is told from several human perspectives as well as the ghosts which inhabit the structure and are anxious to protect it and themselves on the shortest day of the year: the day on which the suns exactly correctly and lights up the tunnel and the tomb. Very few humans know about this phenomenon and the ghosts which it to remain so. Professor O'Kelly has travel from his home to spend a few days with the drawing in the tunnel. This is his passion: archeology. He cherishes this site and counts himself lucky to be study in Ireland.

What a positive, interesting story. One, because I was unfamiliar with Newgrange, and two, all interested parties revered and protected it. Tóibín told everyone's story in simple, precise language, giving each its due respect. It is not along book, but well worth the read. I recommend it.

I was invited to read a free ARC of The Shortest Day by Netgalley. All opinions and interpretations contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #theshortestday

The shortest day is a glorious short story with Newgrange monument at its core. We are introduced to archaeologist Professor Kelly who is retuning to Newgrange before Christmas after falling under its spell that same summer. The place intrigues him 'a living breathing spirit'. This was a time before the secret of Newgrange was known to all but a few locals who wanted to keep this scared place secret 'we do not meddle with the invisible world as they do not meddle with us' and who try very hard to keep the Professor away. Similarly the tale explores the perspectives of the spirits of Newgrange Dalc, Sceal, Urlar to name but a few who are so wise and captivating and yet still questioning. I enjoyed this aspect of the tale as I had never thought of the spirits inhabiting Newgrange and now I want to find out more about them. This tale puts in perspective the significance of having something to look forward to at a time of darkness and knowing our place in the grand scheme of things 'we must respect mystery and silence and spirit.' and even then shortest day of the year can be special.

I recommend this short story for all history lovers, explorers and for those who are curious about those who lived before us and their beliefs. A very satisfying short read on a winters night.

Great short story. Wish it had been longer. Creepy, atmospheric, and interesting. Going to now try and find more by this author.

Colm Tóibín can always be relied upon to tell a good tale whether it is 400 pages or 31.

The Shortest Day is the story of archaeologist Professor O'Kelly, a rediscovered burial site in Ireland and the secret within it. Stunningly atmospheric and the perfect short story for this time of year.

The Shortest Day is a short story about an archeologist and the spirits in the cave in which he is working. Add in a secret about these spirits and the cave and it all makes for a very satisfying read.

Ah! I’m not sure what I think of this. I did enjoy it especially during this spooky season.
I thought it would be much spookier than it actually turned out to be. I’m not complaining though!
I’d love a longer version of this just to explore the characters more. I especially liked the characters in the burial chamber.

This is about an archaeologist studying an ancient site and learning about its mysterious secret. Set in Ireland during the winter solstice. Oooooh ~atmospheric~

If you’d like a quick, atmospheric, and character driven story, then this is the one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook copy!

This was a wondeful short story! For so few pages, it was full of lore and spirits and respect those who came before. I loved the idea of a very special moment happening in a cave that was hidden from those alive today. I appreciated the two perspectives, the archeologist and the spirits. I liked that although one moment was given from only one perspective, you could imagine the other at the same time.

For so short, I was completely pulled into this story and was sad when it ended. I loved it!

Professor O'Kelly is working on Newgrange, a Neolithic burial site, and he takes his work very seriously, never allowing any rumor or speculation to influence what he learns by analyzing the physical evidence he unearths in his job. Yet, he recognizes Newgrange has a complexity and an intensity that make him want to know more, to one day uncover the key to its secrets. But can he and those living near the excavation really hope to understand those lying under the stones and their beliefs when they're separated by more than 5000 years?

I found this story heart-warming and I enjoyed reading it a great deal, though the beginning was perhaps a bit slow. I really liked the setting and how the burial site was described and felt that it had a very pleasant Christmassy feeling.