Hello fellow book bloggers. The whirlwind of putting the house on the market, selling in two days and getting in contract for another put my head in a spin. While I had finished two books prior I've yet to get it together for reviews. Those two are coming up next week as I have to have a goal. And I need some fun time that doesn't involve boxes, bubble wrap and labels 😊
Currently reading Elena Ferrante's book The Story of a New Name, the second in the trilogy, with Susan as a buddy read. I like it better than the first book and the story picks up where book one left off.
I had finished The Book Club by Roisin Meaney and couldn't remember if I posted it so...here it is.
The Book Club by Roisin Meaney grabbed me by the name of the book as well as the setting. A book club and it's in Ireland - yes, please. Just about all of it takes place in Ireland with some London memories thrown in. I enjoyed the mentions of Doolin, Cliffs of Moher and Nenagh, all places we have visited years past.
The main characters are listed in the front so I bookmarked that page for reference as I read. A makeshift library was created by Beth Sullivan as the town didn't have a library for the residents and the book club met in this cozy book filled cabin. The location was near the Sullivan home off a cliff with ocean views. That might be a deal breaker for me - moving to a town without a library. Good for Beth creating an impressive collection for the readers in town.
Beth is a 72 year old retired widow who has had her share of tragedy. Her only daughter, son-in-law and a granddaughter were killed in a car accident. Immediately after the accident her other granddaughter named Lil dropped out of college, stopped speaking then then moved in with her grandmother. This is important to the entire story line.
The story weaves in and out with several characters overlapping each other's lives. Not one single unlikable character in the book. Next door to Beth we have Tom, the newest addition to the community who has moved from Dublin to the Kerry coast. He is renting a house from Beth located next to hers. The empty house was her deceased daugher's so you know there will be emotional moments over that. Tom also has a secret and he doesn't reveal that to his new community.
The characters are well developed so I had a good mental picture of them and the dialogue was smooth. A coastal Kerry setting, a book club, a pub, a gift shop and nice people made this a feel-good book. While I wasn't tempted to abandon the book there were things that I wish had panned out differently near the end.
For instance, we eventually learn what Tom was hiding but it doesn't come up until near the end of the book. It's something people may not be comfortable with had they known about it without understanding the circumstances. Also Lil's constant writing in a notebook to communicate, as it's evident she has no medical reason to remain silent, got a little contrived. Things wrap up quite neatly but so quickly at the very end...meaning a few pages from the end. All the secrets and turmoil could have been introduced earlier, in my opinion, instead of a rushed ending. It leaves the reader to come up with their own conclusions to what happens to certain characters.
That said, I would read another of Irish author Roisin Meany's books as I was kept interested and love the setting. 3.5 stars
Loki
Last but not least - have a look at unbridled joy. Loki rolling in the sunshine.
Sharing with Deb at Readerbuzz for Sunday Salon and Joy for British Isles Friday.
