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. ( )

A quick, easy summer read. ( )

Took me two tries to get thru this book. I have slowed down in Feb finding another hobby called reselling. Getting my footing and being inattentive to reading. Only 4 books in feb!! ( )