Dublin 4...

It's the last day of March and my Irish event.  I decided this year to start with Maeve Binchy's books from the beginning.  I wanted to see her characters develop.  This particular one was an early work and consisted of 4 short stories.  A very nice read.

Book Description from Amazon.ca

A society hostess invites her husband’s mistress to dinner. A country girl savours the delights of city life. A student faces the dilemma of unmarried pregnancy. A drink-ridden photographer tries to relaunch a shattered career.

I have to tell you they all spoke to me. But the last one had me in tears.

Dublin 4 has all of Maeve Binchy’s intimate grasp of human feelings, her marvellous ear for dialogue and her subtle sense of life’s confusion. The stories bubble with fun and wit — yet sometimes leave a taste of sadness.

I read this book for my Ireland Reading Challenge. Photo of book I own.

The Yellow House a read along, Part 4

Well this is my last post about his very good book.  Carrie at Books and Movies has been hosting a read along and this is our final discussion post.  Carrie asked us the following questions:
Welcome to our final read-along discussion of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have finished the book. (You can read our previous discussions here: part one, part two, and part three.)
Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t finished it and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post and the comments section.


:
Were you as angry as I was when Eileen slept with James while pregnant with Owen’s baby, in order to pass the baby off as his?

I don't think I was angry, I sort of saw that she felt for James, and that maybe this was one time she had to be absolutely sure she was not in love with James.  I do understand her reasoning for trying to pass off Owen's baby as James, considering the dangerous time.
Was Owen’s reaction to that justified, in your opinion?

Yes I think Owen is justified.
 
Did you understand why Eileen was so torn about reporting what she knew about James’ plans for the mill?

Yes, I understand she didn't want to betray "the cause" but at the same time she was sympathetic to the lives that might be affected were James to be successful. 

What about her hesitancy to marry Owen?

I think this might have been her wisest decision, it was way to easy getting involved with James and hopefully she would not have been so quick to decided.  Owen would wait I would assume. 

What did you think of how things ended for the following characters: Frankie, Lizzie, Terrence, Fergus, and, of course, James?

I found the only good ending was Lizzie's. I'm afraid that you cannot give someone back their lives, and even though Eileen was going to look after Frankie, it was just sad.  James I think was expecting to die for the cause, and quite honestly I think the reader expected that too.  Terrance and Fergus, well it was just sad.

Were you satisfied with the way things ended for Eileen’s mom?

Eileen's mom will of course not regain her sanity, she may have come out a little but should she look around at Frankie and her husband, surely she would loose it again.  Just sad. 

And, lastly, were you happy with how things ended for Eileen?
Well Eileen did get the Yellow House back, and her family is all together again, but what a cost.  I'm not sure she'll forget anytime soon.  Missing Owen, well I suspect that's a good thing, how will things continue, realistically, life will not be easy. 

my thoughts:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I couldn't follow the designated schedule, I just needed to know what happened.  I found the historical references very enlightening and interesting, and I'm glad I didn't have to root for one or the other team.  I only had to let Love take it's course.  Thanks to Carrie for hosting and for the great questions.  It was a blast!


I also am linking this book up to the WWI challenge hosted by War Through the Generations although this book isn't specifically about an incident in the WWI, it certainly gives us a glimpse through Owen's eyes, about the whole affair.   You can read all my reviews Part 1, Part 2 , Part 3 and the discussions that ensued.

Photo of book I own.

The Copper Beech...

For some of my leisure reading I thought I'd write my review as the Show me 5 that was previously the Show Me 5 Saturday formula, even though it's Sunday and I believe the meme is no longer...

1. The Book I read was The Copper Beech, Maeve Binchy

2 Words that describe the book: Irish Fiction

3 Settings where it took place or characters you met:  The book is set in Shancarrig, Ireland a smallish rural town not far from Dublin.
The characters include the Parish Priest, Father Gunn, and then the new priest Father Barry, An Attorney and his family (mostly his son) The doctor,  The Hotel owner and one of the daughters, The school teachers, The wealthy family on the hill, and a couple of school mates from the poorer part of town.

4 Things you liked and/or disliked about it:  There is little I disliked about the book, I really enjoy how Binchy weaves the town together, their relationships with each other, to tell only the story of the Beech Tree in front of the school.  The storyline leads us to really get involved with each character and come to either like or dislike them.  We feel their pain and happiness all while learning of the way of life in their small town.  This particular book takes us through the lives of the characters from an early part to adult and even old age.  There is always a secret, and always a body, and more unplanned pregnancies that you can shake a stick at.  I always like to see the underdog come out strong and morally responsible. Yeah Maeve.!

5 Stars or less for your rating?
 I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because it kept me entertained, didn't upset me, or make me wild, was not politically correct all the time, was just enjoyable.

 One of my favorite lines from early in the books is: Thinking of Mrs. Kennedy standing there hatted and gloved and sorrowfully disapproving he asked God to let the thing be done right, to inspire young Jim and Nora Kelly, the teachers, to set it up properly. And to keep that mob of young savages that they taught in some kind of control.

I read this book for my Ireland Challenge, TBR Challenge, I decided I wanted to read Maeve's books in the order in which she wrote them, and just for fun.

Photo of book I own.

The Yellow House... a read along Part 3

 Welcome to our third read-along discussion of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first six sections of the book, and be finished with the section titled “Passion, 1921.” (You can read our previous discussions here: part one and part two.)
Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t read this far and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post.
I'm a little late in posting my thoughts on this portion of the read a long, you see I couldn't wait, and I finished the book.  Carrie at Books and Movies is our hostess (Thanks Carrie).  Carrie asked us to post questions of our own.  Well Serena and Savvy Verse & Wit had some great thoughts as did Anna at the diary of an eccentric, I've posted my thoughts on these questions here, as well as on their blogs.  I'm thoroughly enjoying this book, so much so that I've ordered another of Flavey's books.

My only question continues to be, who is P.J. Mullens and why does he seem to be in charge, and why does he seem to know everything?  Could he be the "sin" Eileen's mother talked about? Or is he just a nice guy.  I've refrained from using the "Och" at he beginning of my sentences, my family was getting a little ticked off with it.  "give it a rest mom" is what I got.

Serena from Savvy Verse & Wit asks;
Here’s a question, do you think Owen has a right to ask Eileen for something in return for his kindness and do you think he goes too far asking her to give up her role in the Troubles and commit to volunteer work?

Also, what do you think Owen’s frankness with Eileen about her behavior say about their relationship?

my thoughts on this:

I like to think that Owen, is a good person and understands the troubles that Eileen has grown up with, and in this he thinks if he replaces that rage with acts of kindness she'll become who he thinks is hidden under that rage.  I like the frankness, let's face it she's not had a proper parent during those teen years, P.J. Mullens and his wife were substitute.  I also like the fact that the author has made Owen neither Catholic or Protestant.

Do you think Owen is right that confronting the past can help us heal? Do you think it will help Eileen?

I do think confronting the past will help Eileen heal.  She was a child, and now she's a grown up (as my little people would say) The conditions in the hospital should be part of the cause, after all she see the enemy as human and not just some idealistic dream. Right or wrong side, these are lives involved.

Anna from  diary of an eccentric  asks.
*Do you think Frank is justified in abandoning his family and in the treatment of his sister?
my thoughts:  I think from the beginning of the book Falvey establishes that Frank is different, so the behaviour is expected and perhaps if he and Eileen were closer as children, and if Eileen and her Da would have made an effort to keep in contact with him, things might have turned out differently.  So yes, I do think Frank's abandonment is justified.  Heck if a man I called my father and a girl I called my sister just left me to be with a man that hated me, and a mother that was clearly not well, I dump them too. Eileen just reached out to Frank when she needed him, and had little sympathy for what he needed. 
*Do you think finding Lizzie will help Eileen’s mom to heal?
No I think, once you've lost your marbles your done for. It might help Eileen.

*What do you think about Owen buying the Yellow House?
my thoughts:  I fully expected that.  Let's face it, who would have the money?  And Historically it would make sense as well. I'm not sure why he bought it, was it his wife he hoped to share it with, or was Eileen the reason all along? It certainly couldn't be because it was such a happy, and lucky place.

Photo of book I own.