The Irish House: A totally heartbreaking and powerful story about families, secrets and finding your way home
My dearest Marianne, have you ever completely loved one person? What I am about to tell you now, I have told no one… Beautiful Kilteelagh House in Ireland, with its avenue of trees and its acres of wildflowers, was somewhere Marianne thought she’d never be again. At least, not without her beloved grandmother Collie. But when Collie passes away, she has just one request – for Marianne to leave behind her glamorous life in New York and to raise Collie’s orphaned granddaughters in the wild Irish countryside. Heartbroken and determined to fulfil her grandmother’s dying wish, Marianne has no choice but to say yes… All Marianne and her cousins have left is each other, and letters from Collie that keep arriving from beyond the grave. They become a lifeline for Marianne, and she soon realises that her grandmother still has a lot to still teach her. And after a chance encounter with gorgeous local handyman Jack, Marianne wonders if Collie believed being back at Kilteelagh House would help her find love, too? Soon, Marianne can’t help but begin to fall in love with this place that is so full of memories, of secrets, and perhaps even a little bit of Irish magic. But then out of the blue, a letter from Collie arrives that changes everything… Will Marianne ever be able to decide where her heart truly belongs? Or will she have to run away from the only people who have ever truly understood her? An absolutely heartbreaking and heart-warming read overflowing with Irish charm that will make you laugh, cry and hold your loved ones close. Perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Cathy Kelly and Kathleen McGurl.
Book Review
Review for 'The Irish House' by Ann O'Loughlin.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Ann O'Loughlin, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 11th April 2023.
This is the first book I have read by this author.
I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'An absolutely heartbreaking and heart-warming read overflowing with Irish charm that will make you laugh, cry and hold your loved ones close. Perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Cathy Kelly and Kathleen McGurl.' I am a huge fan of Susanne O'Leary so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 41 chapters The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in County Wicklow, Ireland 🇮🇪 UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture. The fact that this book is based in Ireland is even better as I have been on holiday in Ireland many times so may even recognise some places Ann has set the book around.
This book is written in third person perspective with the main protagonist is Marianne Johnson. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
OMG! OMG!! I cannot remember the last time I was so gutted to come to the end of a book!! I absolutely fell in love and it genuinely felt like I was packing my bags and being whisked away from my Irish holiday when I read the last page. Absolutely gorgeous!!!
The book is so well written with its stunning and vivid descriptions that I genuinely felt that I was standing with throughout feeling the Irish breeze in my hair and smelling the ocean. The synopsis and cover suited the storyline perfectly.
This book is a stunning story of loss, love, grief and moving on with life. It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with heartbreak, family, love, loss, secrets, friendship, caring, moving on, and so much more. Ann's writing and descriptions are so evocative I really felt I was right next to Marianne the whole time. While you are reading you can see the daffodils, feel the velvet dresses and smell the Irish air. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with Marianne and going through her stress, pain, love, struggles, hope and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, anger and forgiveness and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I was utterly glued to the pages and I could not bring myself to put it down. I was carrying my kindle around with me to read it every chance that I got and I had tears absolutely streaming down my face several times and both happy and sad!! Marianne leaves her New York life to come to Ireland to hear her Gran's will being read. She is absolutely shocked to discover that her Gran has left her home and the guardianshipo of her other grandchildren Katie and Rachel not to her daughter Katherine but to herself and she has no idea what to do!! The will declares that she has a year to decide whether to stay and keep the home and become guardian to her cousins or whether to leave and the home and land gets sold and split between herself and the rest of the family. Marianne's Aunt Katherine is absolutely disgusted and angered that her mother has left the home to her grandchild instead of her daughter and constantly belittles Marianne, threatens her and tries to make her life a misery along with other members of the community including the lady who runs the post office Bridie and her friends on the commitee. Marianne refuses to back down and tries to make a life for herself at Kilteelagh house. Along the way she receives letters from her dead gran Collie giving her advice while also revealing parts of her life that Marianne and many others had no idea about. Marianne also makes friends in Collie's previous friends Dolores and Fiknete and starts falling for Jack. This book is a stunning story filled with emotions about love, self-discovery, hope, healing and grief that sweeps you into the stunning Kilteelagh Manor and Balgaddy, Ireland where secrets are held, hope is given and lives are changed. Ann made Kilteelagh Manor and Balgaddy come alive and portrayed the village life perfectly. Ann describes life in a small community perfectly with everyone knowing who is who, living in a small village myself I see this all the time. I love the fact that there is a hint of mystery and some suspense weaved through the storyline as the reader discovers that Collie is hiding a secret that could change several lives. I would absolutely love to see Ann bring Kilteelagh Manor back to life in another of her stunning books and I am keeping my fingers crossed that she will as I would love to read more about Marianne and what happens next along with many of the other characters. I was devastated when I turned the last page and realised I had come to the end of my holiday there and had to unpack my suitcase and return to rainy Wales!! You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down and devour it in one sitting like I did!!! I was gobsmacked by the twist at the end which I did not see coming so a HUGE congratulations Ann for managing to shock me. It isn't an easy feat as I have read so many books of different genres that it gets harder and harder to not work out what is happening, especially in romance books so a huge congratulations is in order!! This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and I cannot wait to jump straight into the next book by this amazing author and have already added all her books to my wish list. This would make a stunning movie and a gorgeous series (Hint, Hint Ann ;) !! Clear your schedules as you will not be able to put this stunning page turner down!! The characters are strong, well rounded, realistic and I became completely invested in Marianne, Rachel and Katie. I felt each of their pain, heartbreak, betrayal, guilt , anger, sorrow and so much more. My heart broke for each of them who went through so much change and more (but I can't say more as I don't want to spoil the storyline for anyone) . Marianne not only leaves New York City which is a huge, bustling place to come to the small village of Balgaddy but is also asked to become a parent to her cousins Rachel and Katie while getting grief from her aunt Katherine. All of this plus she has lost her Gran, her parents and also her job while she knows nobody in this new place. She is shunted by Bridie at the post office and isnt even allowed to put a notice in the window. Rachel is 15 years old and rebellious and Katie is 6 year old and innocent and Marianne has never dealt with children in her life!!! Her aunt Katherine is absolutely vile to her and tries everything to get her to give up the house and the children but Marianne stands strong. I love the fact that she is such a strong, female lead as being female myself I love to see such strong willed female role models in books. I also love the fact that she is so determined to make it work while being under so much stress from so many different directions. I have got to be careful I dont give too much away so I will leave it there about Marianne. The other main characters include Rachel, Katie, Katherine, Dolores, Jack and Fiknete. We also get to know Collie through the letters she has sent to Marianne after her death. My heart goes out to Rachel and Katie who are so long to lose their mum and then their gran who was looking after them after their mum died, who also died so cloes to Christmas. It is such alot for anyone to lose a parent but for such young children to lose their Mum and then lose the person who was looking after them as a Mum is so much to bare. Rachel is a typical teenager who does rebel and loses her way but she is also an amazing sister to Katie and is always trying to cheer her up. Katie is such a sweet little girl and it is a joy to see how she tries to see the positive things in life. I absolutely adored watching the relationships between Marianne, Rachel and Katie grow and develop and many times I had a tear in my eye. I adored Dolores who was larger than life and justy refused to take no for an answwer. I loved how she is there for Marianne and drags her out of bed when she is feeling down. She is an amazing support for her and everyone needs a friend like Dolores!! We dont meet Filknete until later in the book but she definitely left an impression and made me laugh with her pushy and demanding attitude at times, especially when Marianne gives her a cuppa and biscuits!! I could not abide Katherine and Bridie who were just horrible people kicking Marianne when she was already down but I will say I did later warm to Katherine. I also liked her husband Steve who was definitely the more level headed and sensible of them both. I adored Jack who was such a sweet man, he did an amazing job in the house and was a great support to Marianne and I oved watching how their friendship develop. We only meet Collie through her letters but I enjoyed reading about her life at Kilteelagh and I was absolutely mind blown by what we discover towards the end!! All of the characters were such strong people that they willl stay with me for a long time!!! I have got to mention the absolutely adorable, but the very naughty Benji!!! I am a huge animal lover so any pets and animals in books get bonus points for me and this one gets extra because he is such a big part in this story and because he is such a wicked chap!! Regardless of how I felt about the characters they all worked perfectly together to make this gorgeous book an unputdownable memorable one that will send you off onto a stunning holiday away to Ireland!! Ann did a fantastic job of bringing each and every one of them to life and I would love to meet them all (well, almost all) again. Another hint Ann!! Congratulations Ann on an absolutely stunningly beautiful unputdownable book!!! I am looking forward to reading more of your previous and future books. I would absolutely love to see this book turned into a movie!!! Welcome to my favourite romantic author list and here's to your next success 🥂
Overall an absolutely stunning, heart warming romance that will have you heading off to Ireland in the blink of an eye.
Genres covered in this novel include Women's Friendship Fiction, Women's Sagas, Romantic Comedy, Women's Writers & Fiction, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Women's Fiction, Women's Domestic Life Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Romance Novel, Women's Literary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Suspense, Mystery, Domestic Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Friendship Fiction, Domestic Drama, Sagas and Holiday Fiction amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Mary Alice Monroe, Debbie Macomber, Sheila O’Flanagan , Nicholas Sparks, Susanne O’Leary, Cathy Kelly, Kathleen McGurl and just anyone and everyone whether you are looking to get away or for romance this is the book for you!!!
369 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £9.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author bio:
Ann is the Irish author of five novels and has been translated into eleven languages. Her first novel The Ballroom Cafe was also an ebook bestseller and in the top 20 bestselling books of 2015 on Amazon UK. Ann loves to write and often gets up at 5am to get the words down, before starting her other job of writing as a news reporter. A leading journalist in Ireland, Ann has covered all major news events in a long career with Independent Newspapers, Ireland. She is now a senior journalist with the Irish Examiner specialising in legal issues. Ann has also lived in India. Originally from the west of Ireland she now lives on the east coast with her husband and family.
Author social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annoloughlinbooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/annolwriter
Newsletter: https://www.bookouture.com/ann-oloughlin
Purchase Link
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0BS6ZR7LFsocial
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