Rating: 
Summary: Irish mysticism at its best...
Review: The lure of the Irish tale weaves its way into the hearts and minds of even the Irish. The Nature of Water and Air paints a picture of the beauty of Ireland and its stories. One cannot resist reading further as the stage is set with ancient Irish lore interwoven with modern Ireland. Clodagh, the narrator is a girl with a troubled life. Her situation is not ideal, and one forgets when this story is set. The timelessness of Irish folklore is evident in Clodagh's own story. Her life is shrouded in myth and confusion, secrecy and lies. A coming of age tale, with an entirely different setting-- this book will move you. The nature of the Irish story is always mystery. The Nature of Water and Air definitely follows this idea. Clodagh is curious, she wants to understand her past, a past that is so secreted by her family. McBride manages to take tragedy and interweave it with Catholic culture, Pagan ritual, and Irish legend. The web created by this is an Irish story on all levels of Irish culture and history. Each step delving further into each, until one realizes it is truly the nature of water and air that drive the Irish tale. McBride has a gift for creating despair. The prose she creates whisks you into a depressing, confusing life. However, even in the darkest of times, Clodagh perseveres and wades through her life with a true strength of character. The Nature of Water and Air is truly a gift to be shared. A brilliant first novel for McBride and truly a great read. I look forward to reading many more by McBride.
Rating:
Summary: Irish mysticism at its best...
Review: The lure of the Irish tale weaves its way into the hearts and minds of even the Irish. The Nature of Water and Air paints a picture of the beauty of Ireland and its stories. One cannot resist reading further as the stage is set with ancient Irish lore interwoven with modern Ireland. Clodagh, the narrator is a girl with a troubled life. Her situation is not ideal, and one forgets when this story is set. The timelessness of Irish folklore is evident in Clodagh's own story. Her life is shrouded in myth and confusion, secrecy and lies. A coming of age tale, with an entirely different setting-- this book will move you. The nature of the Irish story is always mystery. The Nature of Water and Air definitely follows this idea. Clodagh is curious, she wants to understand her past, a past that is so secreted by her family. McBride manages to take tragedy and interweave it with Catholic culture, Pagan ritual, and Irish legend. The web created by this is an Irish story on all levels of Irish culture and history. Each step delving further into each, until one realizes it is truly the nature of water and air that drive the Irish tale. McBride has a gift for creating despair. The prose she creates whisks you into a depressing, confusing life. However, even in the darkest of times, Clodagh perseveres and wades through her life with a true strength of character. The Nature of Water and Air is truly a gift to be shared. A brilliant first novel for McBride and truly a great read. I look forward to reading many more by McBride.
Rating:
Summary: a gripping seductive tale
Review: This book consumed me! I haven't read a book since Memoirs of a geisha that grabbed my attention the way this did. I can't stop thinking about it. The descriptions of Ireland put you there. You can smell the ocean, her description and detail are so intense. The feelings this book produces are so provocative and dangerous. Regina McBride is huge! Everything about the book was poetic. Can you tell I loved it!!?? And guess what? I never write reviews...
Rating: 
Summary: Folklore and mystery combined
Review: This book is beautifully written, almost poetic. Regina McBride tells a gripping story that revolves around love, folklore, and the ability to find yourself. Clodagh is on a journey to discover herself and the secrets of her family. She wants only to find some acceptance and love. She does find it but only to realize that other darker things are at work here. The atmosphere in this story is what helps to make it so compelling. We can almost see the buildings, the water and the fires that burn. We can most definitely feel Clodagh's pain and anguish. While this is a dark story, it is worth the read. I hated to see it end.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting yet gripping...
Review: This book was unlike most books out there. The author has an incredible way of describing the most simple things and it really paints a vivid picture for the reader. The characters were all very interesting as was the storyline. It took a twist at the end that no one in the world would have expected. At first I thought the twist would be the demise of the mood the writing had created, however that was not the case. This was the author's first book and I cannot wait for the next one. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like an intelligent, haunting, and vivid read.
Rating:
Summary: very good read
Review: This is a very enjoyable book which mixes the magic and mystery of Ireland, spirits, and selkies into one story about a girl growing up and searching for information about her parents' identities and her own. Even though her mother is alive for much of the story, she isn't forthcoming with details, and Clodagh feels she hardly knows her mother, especially her mother's past. Clodagh's dead twin sister often feels as if she too is nearby. The truth about her parents, and also herself, comes as a surprise.
Rating:
Summary: POWERFULLY EVOCATIVE -- INTENSELY EMOTIONAL
Review: This is one of the most moving novels I've read in some time -- and a difficult one to review without giving away the core of the story. Don't worry -- I'm not going to do that. McBride's writing is like filigree -- incredibly detailed and delicate, filled with much more than it would seem the words on the pages could contain. The young woman at the center of the story, Clodagh Sheehy, is made as real as the water and air of the title -- and just as hard to hold. Her mother was a tinker -- one of the traveling people of Ireland -- described so aptly as 'never easy in the world of houses'. Clodagh is one of a pair of twin girls -- her sister, Mare, is sickly and weak, and is as much her other half as could be imagined. When she dies, and Clodagh's mother turns her love away from her surviving daughter, the young girl's world is rocked and crushed. Her life becomes a struggle to reclaim the love of her mother -- and to understand this dark, complicated woman, so different from all those around her. Her quest also has at its heart a yearning to know her father. It leads her away from the comforts of her home and into the world of the traveling people -- where things she never imagined are opened to her. There is a gentle sadness that pervades Clodagh's story -- but it never becomes maudlin, and that is to the credit of this fine writer. There is also great beauty and mystery in abundance here -- told in shimmering prose that makes the Irish landscape and culture come alive for us. This book is a treasure chest filled with life and wisdom. An old tinker woman -- a character who appears only briefly toward the end of the story, says it well: 'Buadhann an thoighde ar an gcinneamhain' -- 'Patience conquers destiny'.
Rating: 
Summary: Cheesy romance novel
Review: This is one of the worst books I've ever read. I only finished it because it was selected by my book club. Full of long flowery descriptions and a short predictable plot. At one point the author even describes in flowery language the experience of peeing on one's own feet as a pleasurable experience. The passion is this book will gross you out.
Rating: 
Summary: A bit too contrived for my taste
Review: This romance novel attempts an oedipal tragedy (sans tragedy) with the father unknowingly sleeping with his daughter. Their baby boy, Finvarra, who is named after the fairy king, is abnormally normal. Clodagh and son find shelter with Aunt Lily, who magically is transformed from a grumpy old maid into a guardian angel by baby Finvarra. The father, Angus, disappears from the ending, so we don't know what becomes of his exile or suffering. Another problem I had with the story was Agatha's suicide, with daughter Clodagh cheering her on in the distance. Not very realistic for a child who craves her mother's love. Finally, this is another Irish-American author who has lived in Ireland only briefly, but feels compelled to write about a country she can only know as an outsider, resulting in an overly-romantic interpretation of Irish history and myth. However, she is a gifted writer with great potential, which I believe will become more manifest as she matures.
Rating:
Summary: Heart Breaking
Review: To say that this book broke my heart is not enough. This book hurt me. Without giving away the plot and any secrets within it, I simply recommend this book to people who have the time and desire to read something new, different, and essentially life-changing. Not an easy read, emotionally or literally, but very recommended.
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