--- product_id: 142358636 title: "Akin" price: "€ 18.47" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/142358636-akin store_origin: IE region: Ireland --- # Akin **Price:** € 18.47 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Akin - **How much does it cost?** € 18.47 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ie](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/142358636-akin) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Akin: 9780316491990: Donoghue, Emma: Books Review: An eighty year old man's coming of age story - "Akin" was a good find. An eighty year old man had come to America without his mother, at four years of age, as a refugee from France during WWII. He had become a chemistry teacher with his wife, who had died childless a few years before the book opens. The man is just about to go back to France for the first time, and look up his heritage. However, due to several calamities, his 11 year old grand nephew comes to live with him when his father dies of a drug overdose and his mother is arrested for drugs. The social worker gets an emergency passport for the boy, and off they go to Nice. There isn't much of a story, just these two trying to get along with each other, having never met before taking off to France. The old man's grandfather had been a famous pre-war photographer, and his mother had helped her father. Among her possessions were a few photographs she treasured, but the old man didn't know why. So they tried to identify places in the photographs, and reconstruct their importance. The boy helps surprisingly with his cell phone and new eyes on old problems. But the story is basically the uneasy relationship between the man and the boy, when both are in new circumstances. The descriptions of Nice are wonderful, and makes the reader want to go visit. No violence, no explosions, but some explorations in family memories and history. Was the old man's mother a collaborator with the Nazis? Or a hero? There are some ups and downs, against the background of Carnival parades. If anything, this is a coming of age story about an eighty year old man. A good read, interesting characters, and highly recommended. Review: Unusual plot, well written and vivid, but... - Its main weakness was the repetition of Noah’s imaginary tale of his mother. Noah’s theoretical machinations grew tiresome. Nevertheless, the interactions between Noah and Michael were well told and the story was compelling. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened in the end. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,468,223 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #866 in Historical World War II & Holocaust Fiction #2,095 in World War II Historical Fiction #10,766 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (3,128) | | Dimensions | 6.6 x 1.4 x 9.7 inches | | Edition | First Edition | | ISBN-10 | 0316491993 | | ISBN-13 | 978-0316491990 | | Item Weight | 1.25 pounds | | Language | English | | Print length | 352 pages | | Publication date | September 10, 2019 | | Publisher | Little, Brown and Company | ## Images ![Akin - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71dcKGtSrUL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An eighty year old man's coming of age story *by R***N on August 17, 2020* "Akin" was a good find. An eighty year old man had come to America without his mother, at four years of age, as a refugee from France during WWII. He had become a chemistry teacher with his wife, who had died childless a few years before the book opens. The man is just about to go back to France for the first time, and look up his heritage. However, due to several calamities, his 11 year old grand nephew comes to live with him when his father dies of a drug overdose and his mother is arrested for drugs. The social worker gets an emergency passport for the boy, and off they go to Nice. There isn't much of a story, just these two trying to get along with each other, having never met before taking off to France. The old man's grandfather had been a famous pre-war photographer, and his mother had helped her father. Among her possessions were a few photographs she treasured, but the old man didn't know why. So they tried to identify places in the photographs, and reconstruct their importance. The boy helps surprisingly with his cell phone and new eyes on old problems. But the story is basically the uneasy relationship between the man and the boy, when both are in new circumstances. The descriptions of Nice are wonderful, and makes the reader want to go visit. No violence, no explosions, but some explorations in family memories and history. Was the old man's mother a collaborator with the Nazis? Or a hero? There are some ups and downs, against the background of Carnival parades. If anything, this is a coming of age story about an eighty year old man. A good read, interesting characters, and highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unusual plot, well written and vivid, but... *by J***R on October 7, 2019* Its main weakness was the repetition of Noah’s imaginary tale of his mother. Noah’s theoretical machinations grew tiresome. Nevertheless, the interactions between Noah and Michael were well told and the story was compelling. I kept reading because I wanted to know what happened in the end. ### ⭐⭐⭐ Talk, think, research, speculate, rinse, repeat *by L***Y on September 8, 2020* If you loved "Room," you will likely be disappointed with "Akin." Donaghue saddles herself with the tired plot of a crusty childless elder who reluctantly agrees to take in a sullen child relative s/he's never met. And of course the first thing they do is head off to Nice during Carnival. There's a family mystery to be solved, but the plot advances through extended periods of thinking, on-line researching, book reading and speculation. Occasionally snip of this loose end. Once in a while tuck in this little corner. Read some more, talk a lot, think, think, think. It is a wonder the child does not die of ennui. There's an historical nugget deep inside this novel, the story of a small cell of Nicoise who sheltered hundreds of Jewish children and saved them from the eastbound trains. That's a story I'd like to read more of. Another book like "Akin"? Not so much. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ie/products/142358636-akin](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/142358636-akin) --- *Product available on Desertcart Ireland* *Store origin: IE* *Last updated: 2026-04-28*