women

audio fiction (~9 hrs 43min) - mobile librarian builds a life for herself after her kids are grown, no thanks to her asshole ex-husband, in a fictional coastal small town community of Ireland (book 1 in series, works fine as a standalone).

This is a gently drifting story with not a lot of surprises--a mild-mannered potential love interest Brian Morton does show up in the middle third of the book, but the main conflict appears to be looming budget cuts (halfway through the book). Overall I enjoyed the Irish lilt of the narrator and the well-meaning (if nosy) cast of characters.

2024 reading challenge: takes place in a library; takes place in a small town; construction project (a dilapidated old house left in an inheritance) ( )

The first word that comes into my head when I recall this book (which I only just now finished) is lovely. It is a lovely story, through and through. Hanna Casey is a librarian and a sourpuss. She has returned some years earlier to her native home in Ireland after years in London, married and raising a daughter. Her return is precipitated by a divorce, which partially explains her lingering bitterness. The perspective of this novel switches seamlessly between Hanna, the main voice, and a few supporting characters, as Hanna has to put aside her gruff exterior and work to mobilize her community, which is facing a life-altering change. Of course the setting and the story are near and dear to my heart. I’ve never been a small town librarian, but the descriptions here make me wish I could be, despite Hanna’s discontent. I do know the reality of trying to explain to non-believers the value of the library, and I admire the struggle put up by these downtrodden but resilient folks. Finfarran is an imaginary place, but the author brings it to vivid life. I can hardly wait to visit again. ( )

audio book. Easy read/listen, set in Ireland, main character is a 51-yr old woman who basically drives a bookmobile, so I liked her instantly. She is flawed in that she married a brutish man who is a manipulative jerk. There are some politics, some romance, some hospital issues, some conflict, some changes and some wonderings in this story. Fury O'Shea was a fun character. Nice book for winter drives. ( )

While the place descriptions were both vivid and lovely, the plot was lacking
and the characters hard to care about, given their selfish, stupid secrets and cruelty. ( )