Set in Saigon during the Vietnam War, Absolution is plot-heavy but beautifully written. Our narrator, a young newlywed who followed her husband overseas, is brought into the world of the American expats, specifically one woman. It was a fascinating account of the war as it affected women, both the Americans and the Vietnamese. I lost the plot a little bit when we fast forwarded in time but honestly still loved the book.

Wonderful. Thoughtful. Sheds light on the forgotten heroes of a time where men were at the center of history. I believe I reviewed this audiobook al long time ago and seem to have forgotten the ebook version. But I loved it! I loved the text so much it was nice to be able to go back and highlight its many beautiful sentences.

Not her best effort but enjoyable nonetheless. Fans of Alice McDermott won't be disappointed. Looking forward to her next one.

Brilliant, as to be expected from one of the greatest novelists working today. A novel of sublime moral inquiry, characters drawn with a mastery that that will keep them in your mind forever. I interviewed Alice on my podcast, Reading the Room, where we discussed the novelist’s role as absolver of their characters, the importance of a compelling opening scene, creating nuanced, real characters, setting this story in 1963 Saigon, the epistolary structure of the novel, how she writes hard truths and cares for herself in the process, her reading life, what teaching has taught her about craft, and some burgeoning ideas for her next work.

I chose this book because I found this cover and title intriguing, but unfortunately did not end up working for me. I do think other readers will enjoy it though!

This is without a doubt her best novel yet. The characters, the mood, the setting and the writing were all lovely. The setting and research was well done and just beautiful.

This book was really enjoyable to read. I really liked the writing and the style of writing and the characters were easy to go for. I have not read much about Vietnam during this time so it was a really interesting perspective to read about.

3.5*
This is a book about Vietnam that deals not with the war but with the wives of men working in Saigon. It’s 1963 and Tricia is married to an oil engineer who is currently working for the US Navy. Charlene is married to a businessman.

Charlene is wealthy and enamored of the handmade items designed by one of the hired help. She concocts a plan to sell the wares to other affluent Americans with the thought that she’s helping the locals. Of course, she has her own interests in promoting the venture.

McDermott provides insights into women and their role in society in the 60’s; their acquiescence to their husband’s needs and their role as adornment, rather than partner. Catholicism plays a role here and impacts the way the women perceive their duty. Neither of the two wives was very likeable. Perhaps this was deliberate on the part of the author, to keep the reader distanced from a sense of sisterhood with the women.

The novel highlights how Americans think of their actions as beneficent, looking down on those less fortunate. The blindness to their own condescension, their lack of understanding, their misinterpretation of the ramifications of their actions – all this shows an underbelly that’s not always pleasant. Interesting story but not terribly engaging.

Absolution by Alice McDermott was a beautiful book. The vivid description of Vietnam was so visceral I could feel the heat and humidity through the pages.
I loved the relationship between the wives who were very different but created a beautiful friendship in the midst of war.
This book was excellent and I highly recommend.

Just ok. I read another Vietnam adjacent story near this one and I think it made it hard for me to appreciate this. Might have been wrong time!

I’m just going to chalk this one up to “not for me,” as the majority of my reader friends mostly adored this book. (That makes me sad, because I, too, wanted to love this one!)

I was excited to read about women during the Vietnam era, and while the characterization of one of the characters was phenomenal (yes, McDermott can write a rather unlikable character like nobody’s business), this book just had too many characteristics of the “things I don’t particularly like in a book,” i.e. I’m generally not a fan of first person, and in this case, the book is supposedly an epistolary novel which, however, does not, in any way, come across as a letter. It’s just a lot of awkward “and you wouldn’t remember this” as well as “in those times”… Second, grammatically, the author’s incessant use of interrupted internal comment (with dashes and parentheticals) as she’s “writing” the letter, grated on my nerves. And finally, this is slice of life storytelling – just a series of vignettes about different events and no real ‘story.’

I love literary fiction but feel there has to be something driving the characters. At the end of this book, I just wasn’t sure of anyone’s motivations. Why did they do the things they did? Did they grow or learn lessons from their actions? Was there remorse, longing, acceptance?

It read as “I am a character, and here are the things that happen to me,” not “I am the character and I make these decisions so that things do or don’t happen to me.” Yes, yes, I get it that women in the late 60s had little agency, but Tricia just never grows. Ever.

I still can’t figure out why the author chose letters between Tricia and Rainey when their relationship was not at all developed. This perplexed me throughout. And Rainey’s section at the close of the book bubbles up for a nanosecond, and then we’re at “the end.” The ending? Oh, goodness. I was reading on e-book and thought, no, surely there are more pages…

I didn’t mean for this to be a rant, but I can’t say I enjoyed this book. The nuance of the character’s actions in various scenes was insanely good, the writing – aside from the interrupted comments (see what I did there?) – was good.

I didn’t connect to the characters and therefore didn’t make an emotional bond that kept me invested. I’ve got other Alice McDermott on my shelf, so I’m willing to give her another try, especially since my reader friends love her so!

This was a bit of a slog for me. Just sad and depressing without much of engaging plot. It may also be that I read this book after the The Women because I was interested in reading more about Vietnam , but this was slowed comparatively.

I have been a fan of Alice McDermott for many years. 'Absolution' is a novel that takes a close-up lens of the wives of soldiers just prior to, and during, the Vietnam War. The wives, for the most part, appear to be beholden to their spouses in a very patriarchal culture that was prevalent in the United States at that time. They rely on permission for most everything. Some of them secretly choose to escape their husband's approval and go out on there own. They all seek absolution by trying in some way to lesson the pain they view around them. They may visit hospitals, leper colonies, or give Barbie Dolls to the ill.

The novel is epistolary, letters written by women to one another. I enjoyed this book but I felt it was not in the league with Ms. McDermott's best. I recommend it highly as I would any novel written by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advanced Review Copy.

Wives of men assigned to Vietnam before the beginning of the war form a bond and try to do good. This book can not compare to The Women by Kristen Hannah, a great novel of the women nurses in Vietnam.

STUNNING!!! I’ve gone out and picked up several of Alice McDermott’s backlist off the strength of this beautiful book. I was completely swept away by the writing, which is absolutely gorgeous but also entirely readable and believable - from the rich historical details to the fully drawn characters.

I was completely invested in the lives of Tricia and Charlene - it’s one of those books where you think I’ll just read a chapter or two and before you know it you’re ten chapters in and showing no signed of stopping.

Absolution also asks the reader to reflect on tough questions and situations - sometimes you can think you’re doing the right thing when you’re not. There is more harm than good, in the end. McDermott deals with these reckonings in a graceful way, making the nuance elegant rather than clunky.

This was the right balance of pacey and character-driven. I loved it.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

My apologies for leaving a review this late! I tried to get into the story but apparently I'm an outlier here. I see a lot of people love it on Goodreads though! Some stories just don't stick :(

The voice of the narrator captivates immediately here. These young wives in Vietnam took me so many unexpected places. There was underlying tension enough so that I could never relax, nor could I stop reading. Thought provoking and atmospheric.

This was not my favorite of her books - it felt sanitized and I didn't like that. However, my least favorite McDermott book is still better than most.

I really enjoyed this! This is only my 2nd novel by Alice McDermott, & so far she yet to disappoint! I did not love this one quite as much as I loved The Ninth Hour, but it came pretty close.

Another piece of historical fiction, tho Absolution provided a more exotic setting and took us to Saigon which I really enjoyed, I love when I get to read about places that feel really foreign and beyond what is familiar to me. Our MC Tricia is the wife of a military man & she hooks up with another wife & they bebop around the area doing good works when they can. I loved the juxtaposition between Tricia’s calmness & quiet discernment & her friend Claires more boisterous energy. Between the two of them, we got to see the city in such an interesting light, their unique personalities highlighting and accentuating certain parts of the city & novel.

McDermott’s writing is top notch, it’s the sort of writing that is lyrical & refined, but also accessible & intuitive. She is succinct, but definitive. I will definitely be reading every single one of her books’!! A solid 4 stars.

The lives of expatriates in Saigon early in the Vietnam conflict should be compelling reading for many. While I was drawn to the setting and the historical significance of the events, I found the main characters hard to relate to and many of the early scenes in the plot tedious. Additionally, the significance of the story was largely revealed in the publicity summary accompanying the review edition. In all, it was not a fulfilling reading experience for me.