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Summary: author wishes to thank reviewers!!!
Review: Catherine Barry, the author of 'The 28th Day' in 'irish Girls about town' wishes to thank the reviewers for their wonderful warm compliments about her short story on pmt! Her novels 'The house that jack built' and 'Null and Void' can be purchased on www.amazon.co.uk
Thanks to all readers for taking the time to write a review!
Sincerely,
Catherine Barry.
Rating:
Summary: fun but very lightweight
Review: Compared to an anthology like LADIES' NIGHT AT FINBAR'S HOTEL, this is an extremely lightweight anthology. The stories in this collection are well-written but "easy"-- a handsome man always turns up in time for a broken-hearted girl (with one notable exception); stories often end with "surprises" and twists that give a chuckle but do not inspire reflection. It's like a collection of reprints from a Cosmopolitan magazine, without the soft porn. No surprises, not much real insight. Good to read before bed, in other words, but a little disappointing. Some notable exceptions are Mary Ryan's "A good catch," which allows the reader to have a bit more insight into the situation than the painfully naive heroine who didn't realize she was being chatted up by a pimp, and Annie Sparrow's "The Unlovable Woman" which also has a bittersweet flavor as the heroine fails to recognize love when it literally knocks on her door. Marian Keye's "Soulmates" is one of the best in the book, consisting almost entirely of reaction to a frustratingly perfect couple who somehow manage a frustratingly perfect divorce! Unfotunately many of the others, including Maeve Binchy's "Carissima," were very forgettable, and many smacked a lot of wish-fulfillment. Nothing wrong with that for a light read. For literature, LADIES' NIGHT... is a much better offering.
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Summary: What's not to LOVE in this book?
Review: Couldn't be better, especially if you love the authors, love feminine point of view writing, love all things Irish, and love a collection of wonderful stories that make you laugh, weep, and rejoice, sometimes all in the same story. These tales are as celebratory of female friendship as good heart-to-heart girl-talk. The best moments, to me, are when tradition-bound Irish mores come face-to-face with 'someone different' (read 'scandalous') - all seasoned with pink-cheeked Irish wit and red-nosed Irish charm.
A winner on all counts.
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Summary: Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Charm of Irish Literature
Review: Even before I married a boy of Celtic descent and acquired the right proper name of O'Hara, I was always drawn to the stories of the Irish, with their balance between reverence and irreverence, wit and misery. So when I was offered IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN, a collection of short tales by sixteen of today's premiere and rising star female Irish authors, I replied "of course." And I am glad I did. Joan O'Neill's "De-Stress" asks the age-old question, "Can one really mend a broken heart by falling into the arms of an incredibly handsome, tall young man with black hair and Mediterranean-blue eyes with biceps the size of babies' heads?" Apparently, yes, one can. Every woman will find herself nodding her head in agreement as she reads Catherine Barry's "The Twenty Eighth Day." Read on: "I know I have PMT (PMS). I know what it is. I know why it happens. I know all about the hormonal imbalance. But all the knowledge in the world will not abate the terrific storm that looms in our normally happy abode. I know it passes and I know I can't help the way I feel. All the same, it doesn't stop me from wanting to stick a knife in Michael's eye." Tessa, "desperate to get married," is Mary Ryan's "A Good Catch," an innocent. She moves out on her own, late in life, determined to find a husband and instead finds herself unknowingly living next door to a prostitute. Naïve to the end, even after discovering who her neighbor is, Tessa refuses to see it. In Marian Keyes's "Soulmates," Georgia and Joel are the perfect couple. Born on the same day in the same year in the same city, how could they not be meant for each other? They move in together, marry and have children; in other words, they make all the predictable steps a couple is expected to make, only they do them perfectly. No matter what the rite of passage, none of their friends can top how Georgia and Joel pull it off. But then there's that pesky old adage 'all good things must come to an end.' And when the couple begins to question if they were even born on the same day, life unravels...perfectly. That's just a sampling --- a quarter of the stories --- that await you in IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN. If you enjoy the charm of Irish literature like I do, then you will love this collection of Maeve Binchy, Sarah Webb, Tina Reilly and others. --- Reviewed by Roberta O'Hara
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Summary: You Just Can't Go Wrong!
Review: How could you go wrong with book that has contributions from Maeve Binchy (Circle of Friends / The Scarlet Feather / Tara Road) Marian Keyes (one of my personal favs : Watermelon / Rachel's Holiday / Under the Duvet) and Cathy Kelly (Someone Like You / What She Wants)?? Well, I'll answer that for you. You can't. This wonderful collection of stories from the best of Irish writers is a true find and a wonderful introduction for those who aren't familiar with their work. It's a really nice and funny collection that can bring you to tears one minute and laughter the next. I just loved it - and there is no doubt that I will be giving this away for gifts in the near future! Cheers!
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Summary: What a delightful read!
Review: I always love to get my hands on new Irish writing as I am half Irish and spend many many vacations in the country. Irish Girls About Town is the kind of book you will not be bringing to sell in your second hand bookshop as it is the kind of book you'd like to hang onto for years. Like some of the other viewers here I agree that Ms. Mackle's story was terrific but Mary Ryan's story was excellent too and I liked Maeve Binchy's story about a single woman who is taken advantage of by her married siblings who claim to be too busy to look after their elderly mother. Young or old, if you're a woman you'll love this collection.
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Summary: SIXTEEN SMART IRISH SHORT STORIES
Review: I am a fan of short stories and IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN was certainly not a disappointment. This book is a collection of sixteen short stories of the newest and best Irish women writers of pop fiction. Each story is focused on some aspect of a woman's love or involvement with a man. Many are written with smart insights and witty humor which I enjoyed much. Among them there are several that resonated with me after I put the book down including "Soulmates" by Marian Keyes (envy is a negative human quality); "The Twenty-Eighth Day" by Catherine Barry (a very funny take on PMS); "The Cup Runneth Over" by Julie Parsons (marital affairs can burn both conspiring partners); "The Ring Cycle" by Martina Devlin (a wedding ring just won't go away); and "The Unlovable Woman" by Annie Sparrow (sometimes the best things are right before our eyes). IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is an excellent means to get acquainted with Irish women authors who you may have previously been unfamiliar with. At the end of each story there is a short bio which makes it easy to pursue other works by authors that you enjoyed. In addition, there are also authors that are already well known such as Maeve Binchy. Another good quality of IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is that all benefits goes towards charity. As explained in the book's forward, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardo's are two organizations that brings great benefits to the people of Ireland, Britian and the world. Read this book, and you may just be as entertained as I was. Enjoy!
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Summary: Simply the best
Review: I have never enjoyed a book of short stories as much as Irish Girls About Town. Each story was well crafted and was competly different to the next. Maeve Binchy's story was warm and very clever, as always she has managed to capture the essence of true friendship in the web of her story telling, but the biggest surprise of all was new-comer Marisa Mackle with her hillarous story 'Girls Week-end' she has clearly claimed her stake as Ireland's hottest new writer, and I'm delighted that I bought the book or I would have never got the opportunity to sample her work- I now have another author to add to my list of favourite writers!
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Summary: Smart and fun read!
Review: I liked this book immensely! My only disappointment is trying to find some of the other titles these authors wrote previously!
Rating:
Summary: Smart and fun read!
Review: I liked this book immensely! My only disappointment is trying to find some of the other titles these authors wrote previously!
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