I bought this book for my mother, since she traced our ancestors back to the Kirkpatricks, who came from Scotland and settled on the Protestant side of Belfast in the 1700's.
It was interesting to read about the history behind each poem or essay and I liked learning about the author of each piece and how their works may have influenced other writers.
It was not a suspenseful page turner, but it was a nicely researched book to sit and contemplate with.

The Strangers House is a really interesting read - part history lesson about Northern Ireland and events leading up and including "the Troubles" as well as mini biographies about many Irish authors and poets - and I am embarrassed to admit until I read this book, I was only familiar with two of them. Not only did I learn about these authors and their upbringing, Alexander Poots very capably analyzes their writings in the context of their biographies and the importance and meaning of home to each of these authors. I found the writing to be really enjoyable and I have added new authors to my list to read!

Thank you to Netgalley and Twelve Books for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

Thank you to Net Galley for a copy of The Stranger’s House by Alexander Poots in exchange for a honest review.This is a well written non-fiction book about Northern Ireland- a country set apart from the Republic trying to find its own voice and identity after years under British rule.As a first generation daughter of a mother born in the republic but still part of Ulster in County Cavan, this story hit home with me.It describes the trouble and violence that became synonymous with the name Northern Ireland but it also describes the rich cultural history that is part of Northern Ireland’s heritage.I particularly loved the poetry included in this book.A must read for lovers of Irish heritage.

I really enjoyed this book more than I thought I would it is about northern Ireland poets in those who write literary fiction The book talks about the different counties the rivalries the things most written about and the theme that writers from Ireland cannot avoid from the beginning of poetry, literary books ET see The thing I enjoyed the most was the samples of the books and poetry and the little biography of the author put in I learned about authors I never knew love poems I’ve never heard and found it all so very interesting this is really a great book and anyone who loves literary fiction and or poetry should love this book I certainly do and I certainly did. I want to think the author AnNet Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review

This title will be welcomed by academics and others who want to take a deep dive into the literature of Norther Ireland. The context within history and politics is explored in the introduction before moving into the other chapters. These explore works of both poetry and prose. Readers will discover new writers along with those of whom they have already heard. They will also leave the book understanding its title.

This is a book to be read by those who want to understand more about the complexities of Northern Ireland. Insights come from the writers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Twelve Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

I can't quite tell you what Alexander Poots' The Strangers House is about. Sure, Northern Ireland and some of the writers who come from there or passed through. Is it history? Somewhat. Is it literary criticism? Yes, but not entirely. Is it an attempt by the author to understand a place that often defies explanation? Yes, definitely.

Generally, doing all of these things in one book is a total disaster. Somehow, Poots put together a book which seems to flow so easily that you can't help but float along with the narrative. In some ways, the book feels like a poem itself. You get short biographies of authors and events but just enough to understand how they connect to the greater narrative. You'll hear about the Troubles, but almost as a background detail to a piece of literature. It begs the question of what someone who knows nothing about Northern Ireland would take from this. However, as someone whose ancestors all came from Ireland, I can only speak as someone who has at least a baseline understanding of the people and topics in the book.

An author talking about other authors can come off as fawning, and at its worst, pretentious. Poots never falls into this trap. He doesn't tell the reader these authors changed the world. Instead, he just lets us know how important they are to him.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Twelve Books. The full review will be posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com on 3/14/2023.)