The Yellow House a read a long... Part Two

Welcome to our second read-along discussion of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first four sections of the book, and be finished with the section titled “Insurrection, 1919-1920.”
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.

Were you surprised by the turn the romantic storyline took?
  OCH! is all I want to say, (I'm slowly becoming Irish)I can't tell you what a dork I must be, I never saw that coming.  I too thought Owen and Eileen would be a romance like Romeo and Juliet, where on earth did |James come from, I mean really, he was suppose to be in the seminary and then off to war and back to the seminary.  And didn't he turn out to be a gem of a son and brother.  She must have seen some warning signs, she's a bright girl, but then again, when one thinks with their underwear! 
What do you think of James? Is his treatment of his family – all in the name of the cause – justified?
  I admire people who can commit to an important cause, BUT not at the expense of your family. I firmly believe one should make a choice.  While the cause might be very important, we owe our family's the protection and loyalty of a parent/husband/wife.  I think James is a horrible, self important individual who should have remained single, and left Eileen, who already had a sad existence, alone. But then there might not be a story to tell.

W hat do you think of Eileen’s reaction to James’ final betrayal – the emptying of her savings account?
I wanted to jump through the pages and beat the CR_P out of him.  And imagine the likes of that woman handing over her money to James and then gossiping about it.  I guess confidentiality was not a issue in those days, but really.  How horrible do people need to be to each other?  The nerve!  I too am worried about Eileen's sanity.  I hoping that a she finds the strength to carry on, in spite of that creep she married.  And I remind myself that she is Catholic and no divorce is in the horizon,  there are some thing that only a funeral can solve. (Aren't I awful).

How do you think the author is handling the intricacies of the political situation?
I too think that Falvey is doing an excellent job in informing the reader of the current political unrest in Ireland. She's created an incredible balance in the situation, so we are not cheering for one or the other side.  And I also agree that both sides could have sat down and talked a little more effectively to prevent such senseless violence. 

I'm having a horribly difficult time dragging out this book, I WANT to finish it.  (Pst. almost have). 
 I'm still enraged with James, and where on earth is that saintly mother of his that's probably just kneeling and praying for her beloved golden boy not to get hurt.  Get in there and smack him up side the head and tell him to get back to his family.  But, then again any woman who would make a step-son sleep in a shed so her golden boy is comfortable is not a Christian in my eyes.  And imagine the witch changing the baby's name to suit herself.  Well all I have to say she better not give Eileen power of attorney over her health, I sure would be pulling the plug on her.  And what's all this with P.J. Mullens and Terrance and the mad mother.  I see a secret in the works.


I'm thoroughly enjoying this book, it's making me wild, and now if my son choose to do his masters in Ireland, I think I might be moving. If you haven't joined us, there is still time.  Thanks to Carrie for hosting.  I'll be enjoying a green beer whilst finishing this one up today..
For next week, we will read through page 238 in the hardcover edition, which includes these sections: “Truce, 1920-1921? and “Passion, 1921.”

The Yellow House a read a long... Part One

Carrie over at Books and Movies is our hostess for The Yellow House  read-along by Patricia Falvey. If you’re following our schedule, you should have read the first two sections of the book: “Glenlea, County Armagh, 1905″ and “Queensbrook Linen Mill, 1913.” 

Spoiler alert: We will be discussing the book in detail, so if you haven’t read those sections and don’t want to read any spoilers, you should skip this post.

What do you think of the writing?

I'm thoroughly enjoying the writing of this portion of the book. I find it easy to read and hard to put down.  I've not yet mastered the art of reading more than one book at a time so I'll be having a difficult time this week waiting for the next post.  I love the vivid descriptions of the landscape, and I do believe that parents told their children long drawn out tales of the geographical and historical aspects of their existence .  My mother could have easily been one of these people, we use to get some really action packed stories about the who's who and where and why for.  Were they the real thing? don't know, but like Carrie I agree that a young girl with a father who seemingly was not all that learned could know the correct terminology.  this didn't seem to bother me all that much, I just thought it was an author's creative license.  Non the less I've enjoyed the book to this point..

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What do you think of Eileen’s parents?

 I'm saddened by this whole relationship.  I mean I knew that there had to be some drama, but how unfortunate.  I was half expecting this Irish family to be on the dole ( not sure of the spelling) and the father being a drunk and abusive, so it was a nice change that this Da actually loved his wife and children, and was just not very capable at providing for them.  The whole thing is just sad.

It seems that the book is heading in a romantic direction when it comes to Eileen and Owen Sheridan. What do you think of this potential romance?

This is a romance with true troubles ahead!  I may actually have to sit down and map out the relationship according to my professors guidelines.  I hope they have the good sense to move to another part of the world like the U.S. to be together if that's where the author leads them, but if not it will be an unrequited love. Reminds me a little of the movie An Officer and a Gentleman.   If they decided to fight society and remain in their homes it may be history repeating itself.

Of coarse for me after having just finished reading Water for Elephants, I want everyone to run away and join the circus.

As we closed the second section, the world is on the brink of the First World War, and Ireland is being torn apart by the fight for Home Rule. Have you learned anything about Ireland or the world at this time period that was new to you?

 I'm not very knowledgeable about Irish history, so I am glad that the author is giving us glimpses of what was happening, again I feel like I need to do a little more research into this matter, but Yes, I am learning a fair bit about the historical aspect of Ireland in relation to their involvement in the war.

These are all the questions  Carrie came up with  for this section. Check out what the rest of the group have to say at Books and Movies  and if you haven't joined us, there is still time. 

Photo of book I own.

If Irish Eyes were smiling.

I've decided to participate in  the second annual Ireland Reading Challenge hosted by Books and Movies in the next week or so, Carrie will be posting a list of suggested titles and authors to help with your challenge.

For those of you interested in joining me in the challenge, here are the details:

~ The challenge runs from January 1, 2011 to November 30, 2011.

~ Any books read for this challenge can also apply to other challenges you are working on.

~ Re-reads are allowed.

~ Any book written by an Irish author, set in Ireland, or involving Irish history or Irish characters, counts for the challenge – fiction, non-fiction, poetry, audiobooks, children’s books – all of these apply.

~ Choose your commitment level:

Shamrock level: 2 books
Luck o’ the Irish level: 4 books
Kiss the Blarney Stone level: 6 books

~ Write up a post indicating that you are participating (feel free to copy the lovely graphic at the top of this post), and then add your challenge post’s link to the Mr. Linky on the main challenge page.

~ You don’t have to list your books ahead of time – just have fun reading throughout the year.

~ I will put up a page for the challenge in my left sidebar, and add a Mr. Linky for reviews and wrap-up posts.

~ Everyone who fulfills their challenge level and writes at least one review is eligible for the giveaway prize at the end of the challenge: a copy of Tipperary by Frank Delaney. Wrap-up post and giveaway details will go up at the beginning of December, which is why the challenge ends on November 30th.

My level is going to be Shamrock Level and I haven't decided what to read yet, Pssst I'm sure Maeve Binchy will be on that list.  There will also be a read-a-long in March.  Looking forward to it. In my library adventures I do put a four leaf clover on the spines of the books written by Irish authors. My husband's cousin was stationed in Ireland during his time in the military and boy did he bring home some lovely antiques. So I'm thinking an antiques book?