The Temporary Gentleman

Written by Sebastian Barry

Narrated by Gerard Doyle

A stunning new novel from the Man Booker shortlisted author
of The Secret Scripture

In this highly anticipated new novel, Irishman Jack McNulty
is a “temporary gentleman”-an Irishman whose commission in the British army in
WWII was never permanent. Sitting in his lodgings in Accra, Ghana, in 1957,
he’s writing the story of his life with desperate urgency. He cannot take one
step further without examining all the extraordinary events that he has seen. A
lifetime of war and world travel-as a soldier in WWII, an engineer, a UN
observer-has brought him to this point. But the memory that weighs heaviest on
his heart is that of the beautiful Mai Kirwan, and their tempestuous,
heartbreaking marriage. Mai was once the great beauty of Sligo, a magnetic yet
unstable woman who, after sharing a life with Jack, gradually slipped from his
grasp.

Award-winning author Sebastian Barry’s The Temporary Gentleman is the sixth book in his cycle of separate
yet interconnected novels that brilliantly reimagine characters from Barry’s
own family.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: May 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781482987225

Reviews for The Temporary Gentleman

[lunarreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

a very well written book by Barry who seems to make it his lifetime achievement of writing on the human relations that aren't very successful whilst they could be. The main character in this book reflects on his life and alcohol made it a kind of a roller coaster with ups, but certainly with downs. Tangled between pure luck on one hand, and the circumstances in Ireland with the second World War on the other hand. Taking the luck for granted and in the impossibility to escape from the circumstances, due to the drinking, the catastrophe is closely and the will to avoid it seems to lack.Barry avoids to have it too much black and white and is a master in nuance. The main theme, in my humble opinion, is that one can not play out of his league. A too big difference in social background between partners in a marriage is and will always be a major issue, love has to be very strong and even then, will love be enough? Questions that receive no answer because in the end of this book, luck has just ran out. Sadly so.

[st5croixsue · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful prose. A story about love, marriage and the spiral into alcoholism set in the 1950's.

[staffreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful prose. Tragic and poignant story of love, marriage, and the spiral into alcoholism - set in the 1950's

[annewk · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sebastian Barry writes so head-shaking beautifully that, after reading him, it takes me days to recover. The Temporary Gentleman is Jack McNulty's story. Jack is Irish, another member of the family Barry covers or alludes to in his other novels (notably in A LONG, LONG WAY,THE WHEREABOUTS OF ENEAS MCNULTY, ANNIE DUNNE, and my all-time favorite, THE SECRET SCRIPTURE), and he's also an officer, as an engineer, in the British army based in Africa during and after WW II. He is madly in love with his wife Mai but it's a challenging relationship not only because because Jack is seldom at home in Ireland but also because Mai is an unusual person with her own demons.The biggest demon in the story is alcohol and we also learn early on that Jack likes to bet on horse races. There are so many moments in this book when I wanted to shout DON'T DO IT! And to mutter, "How could you?" And isn't that always the mark of a successful author -- to provoke such reactions?There are a couple of missteps, I think -- two near-death experiences that I probably need to reread to understand their significance. The ending was telegraphed but maybe that was OK; I felt satisfied when I realized what was going to happen.But, as in his other books, Sebastian Barry astounds with his command of language. What a pleasure to read this latest novel.

[musichick52 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I rarely have difficulty writing a review of a book that i have enjoyed reading, until now. This book is dark and disturbing. The love bond between Jack McNulty and his wife Mai is twisted and revolting. The term "temporary gentleman" refers to more than Jack's military years and applies to most aspects of his life. What kind of family man becomes a bomb de-fuser? What kind of man sneaks money from his wife's secret stash of cash to pay his gambling debts and bar bills until there is none left? What kind of man allows the lien holder to take the house because he cannot say no to his wife's extravagances and their shared alcohol addiction? What kind of man observes his wife's abuse of their children and takes off the next day? What kind of man deliberately finds ways to avoid living with his family? Both husband and wife are lonely and madly in love with each other. Reading this book filled my evening with sadness. But the language used and the writing style are beautiful and elegant. I was transported back to an earlier century. I loved learning of the tales of emerging African states. I loved hearing the tales about life in the Ireland that was and to be. But I am still left with sadness. Lost years and misunderstood signals. Selfishness and tragedy. My emotions remain torn open. Kudos Mr. Barry, a job well done. My thanks to the Penguin First to Read program for a complimentary copy.

[stephengoldenberg · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sebastian Barry is the only writer that I sometimes wish I could write like. His prose style is poetic and beautiful but does not distract from the narrative as I find many self-consciously poetic prose writers do. This is a heartbreakingly simple story of one man's life and his doomed failing marriage. Despite its simplicity, it manages to span over 50 years and include the struggle for Irish independence, the 2nd world war and African colonialism.
Its only drawbacks for me were the abrupt, unconvincing ending and a reliance on the stereotypical link between the Irish and alcoholism.

[bodachliath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sebastian Barry's "A long long way" and "The secret scripture" are two of my favourite novels, and this one is in many ways just as enjoyable. A flowing and beautifully written narrative, this is the moving story of an aging recovering alcoholic, looking back from self-imposed exile in West Africa on his life and reflecting on his mistakes and how they destroyed the life of his wife. All of Barry's novels are loosely interconnected, telling the stories of members of the same extended family, interwoven with the social history of Ireland, which in this book is contrasted with post-colonial Africa

[adrianburke_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed but the African bit did not work for me.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the most boring and repetitive tale of unrepentant alcoholism I've ever read.Except for the torpedoed opening, it continues slowly and predictably, with no redemption.I chose this for the Irish Challenge - what a letdown.

[thejohnsmith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Temporary Gentleman details the life of Jack McNulty. It tells a story that is tragic and touching, sometimes sad enough to make you want to stop reading, but so beguiling and marvellously written that you can’t put it down.