Category Archives: Reading Ireland

“The Boatman’s Wife” by Noëlle Harrison – Book Review

Posted on March 27, 2021 by Fictionophile

Secrets. We all have them, yet some are more consequential than others. When young Lily Fitzgerald is widowed at the tender age of twenty-four, she discovers that her beloved husband has been harboring a serious secret indeed. 2017 – Lily … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Bookouture, Reading Ireland, Women's fiction | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

“Season of Second Chances” by Aimee Alexander – Book Review

Posted on March 25, 2021 by Fictionophile

Grace Sullivan left her small Irish village to go to university in Dublin. She wanted to follow in her beloved father’s footsteps and become a doctor. While in the big city she met and fell in love with Simon Willoughby, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Favorite books, Reading Ireland, Women's fiction | Tagged , , , , | 15 Comments

“The Pull of the Stars” by Emma Donoghue – Book Review #ReadingIrelandMonth21

Posted on March 18, 2021 by Fictionophile

An intense and grim story about three days in a Dublin maternity ward during the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918. Influenza derives from the Latin word influentia, meaning “influence of the stars. The influenza pandemic of 1918 killed more people … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Historical fiction, Literary fiction, NetGalley, Reading Ireland, What's In A Name Reading Challenge | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments

“Treacherous Strand” by Andrea Carter – Book Review #ReadingIrelandMonth21

Posted on March 13, 2021 by Fictionophile

This mystery, the second in a series set in Inishowen, is a well written mystery with likeable characters.  The protagonist is Ben O’Keeffe a country solicitor.  Her law practice is the most northerly solicitor’s office in Ireland. ‘Ben’ is short … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Edelweiss, Mystery fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

“Life Sentences” by Billy O’Callahan – Book Review #ReadingIrelandMonth21

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Fictionophile

1920 – The first story we read is that of Jer (Jerimiah). A man who, born in dire poverty in an Irish workhouse, has gone on to fight in the trenches of WWI and raise a family of six children … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Family sagas, Historical fiction, Literary fiction, NetGalley, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

“Big Girl, Small Town” by Michelle Gallen – Book Review #ReadingIrelandMonth21

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Fictionophile

Majella lives a routine-filled, rather bleak existence in a small town in Northern Ireland. She is twenty-seven years old and lives with her mother who is a depressed, and depressing alcoholic. Majella’s Mother is not a widow, but she doesn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, debut novels, Edelweiss, Literary fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

♣ ♣ March is ‘Reading Ireland Month’! ♣ ♣ #ReadingIrelandMonth21 #IrishFiction #begorrathon21

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Fictionophile

For the past several years now, Cathy, over at 746books.com has hosted Reading Ireland Month to promote Irish literature and authors. As I enjoy novels with Irish settings, I am only too keen to participate each year. If you do … Continue reading →

Posted in Anticipated titles, Reading Ireland | Tagged , | 21 Comments

“From a Low and Quiet Sea” by Donal Ryan – Book Review

Posted on March 26, 2019 by Fictionophile

Part I- Farouk The war is Syria has escalated and finally reached the town where Farouk, a doctor, and his wife Martha, a biologist, and their young daughter live. When a boy is crucified in public, this serves as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Edelweiss, Literary fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , | 9 Comments

“The Rebels: and other short fiction” by Richard Power – Book Review

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Fictionophile

“A beautifully crafted collection that reflects the best of the Irish short story tradition.” The stories The Rebels – It was a time when corporal punishment and segregation in Irish schools was the norm. A time when schoolboys brought a … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Edelweiss, Reading Ireland, Short stories | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“The lost child” by Patricia Gibney – Book Review

Posted on March 19, 2019 by Fictionophile

I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed the first two novels in Patricia Gibney’s Lottie Parker police procedural series.  They were fantastic! I’ve been meaning to read the third in the series for some time now – I’m SO glad to report … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Mystery fiction, Page turners, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

“Undertow” by Anthony J. Quinn – Book Review

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Fictionophile

Blurb:  The body of a dead police detective drifts ashore at Lough Neagh. What appears to be a simple case of suicide takes on a more sinister tone when Detective Celcius Daly travels across the Irish border to the desolate … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Political fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“The Ludlow Ladies’ Society” by Ann O’Loughlin – Book Review

Posted on March 12, 2019 by Fictionophile

Connie Carter is reeling from the death of her five-year-old daughter, Molly. Her husband, Ed Carter, murdered their daughter, and then himself. Grief stricken, she suffers a break-down and for two years barely gets through the interminable days. Now, she … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, NetGalley, Reading Ireland, Women's fiction | Tagged , | 3 Comments

“Path into Darkness” by Lisa Alber – Book Review

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Fictionophile

“A haunting tale of family secrets, madness, and healing”. Lisfenora, Ireland.  Renown for its annual matchmaking festival. The ‘matchmaker’ in this case is the terminally ill Liam. Knowing that his end is near, he appoints his daughter, Merritt Chase, to … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Mystery fiction, NetGalley, Reading Ireland | Tagged , | 12 Comments

“Madam Tulip” by David Ahern – Book Review

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Fictionophile

Twenty-something Derry O’Donnell is an out-of-work actress.  With bills to pay, and talent to use, she is frustrated that her agent seems to have forgotten her phone number.  When Derry and her friend Bella (another out-of-work actress) put their heads … Continue reading →

Posted in 1st in series, Book Reviews, Mystery fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

“The yellow house” by Patricia Falvey – Book Review

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Fictionophile

For the 4th title of my Reading Ireland Month challenge, I chose a book that has been on my Kindle for a couple of years.  It is a debut novel steeped in Irish history and peopled with unforgettable characters. “Indeed, … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Favorite books, Historical fiction, Reading Ireland | Tagged , , | 13 Comments