In this sequel to The Library at the Edge of the World, librarian Hanna Casey - who lives in the town of Lissberg on Ireland's Finfarran Peninsula - is happy with her refurbished cottage and the library's upgrades, but she still has personal concerns.
In this novel, we get a glimpse into Hanna's life now, and views into the lives of other residents of Lissberg. I'd recommend starting with the first book, to obtain a better understanding of the characters.
*****
Hanna Casey, head librarian of the Lissberg Library, is pleased with the institute's new display of the Carrick Psalter (Book of Psalms), a priceless, beautifully illustrated tome that was donated by a local resident. The Psalter, which is expected to draw tourists from far and wide, is showcased in a secure room that funnels visitors into a state-of-the-art gift shop, where patrons can purchase Psalter-related memorabilia.
Example of Psalter
To add to the pleasant ambiance, the library now boasts a Garden Café that abuts an aromatic herb garden.
It's been several years since Hanna divorced her cheating, ratfink husband Malcolm, and she's become friendly with a new man, architect Brian Morton.
Hanna is avoiding a serious relationship with Brian, however, because she's anxious about her 21-year-old daughter Jazz. Jazz is still jittery from a car accident six months ago, and is furious with her father - whose long-term cheating was just revealed to her.
While she finds her feet, Jazz - who used to be a flight attendant - is working at a Bed and Breakfast run by Susan and Gunther, a hard-working, ambitious young couple who also sell goat milk products online. Jazz is excellent with the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Holly, who likes Jazz's bedtime stories.
Jazz refuses to see her London-based father because of his past perfidy, but remains close to her mother and grandmothers.
As it happens, Jazz's paternal grandmother Louisa (a wealthy Englishwoman) is staying with her maternal grandmother Mary (an eccentric Irishwoman) and - unlikely as it seems - the gals are making it work.
All of Jazz's relatives have opinions about what she should do with her life, but Jazz doesn't want to hear any of it right now.
Another important character in the story is part-time library assistant Conor, who still works on his family farm.
Conor has been seeing Aideen, co-owner of the HaberDashery restaurant, and is completely smitten with her.
Aideen lacks confidence, though, and feels especially insecure when Conor hobnobs with his co-worker, a beautiful Pakistani student named Ameena. For her part, Ameena has little use for any Irish lads, most of whom are 'eejits' in her eyes. (I love that word. 😄)
In the course of the story we also meet Aideen's business partner/friend Brid - a fount of common sense; and Ameena's mother Saira, who dreads the day her beloved child will go off to university.
To round out the cast of major characters, Fury O'Shea -the opinionated builder/jack-of-all-trades who upgraded Hanna's cottage - makes an encore appearance. Fury is always accompanied by his dog 'the divil', and the two are quite the heroes this time around.
A high point of the novel for me is Hanna's discovery of the hidden diary of her great aunt Maggie, who writes about her brother Liam's participation in the 1920 war for Irish independence, and her own exile to England at the age of 17, for mysterious reasons. The diary entries forge a connection between past and present, and inspire Hanna to research her family history.
I also like to read about Hanna's new cottage, a cozy home where she can sleep and cook.....and relax on a bench overlooking the ocean, with a cuppa in the morning and a glass of wine in the evening.
As the story unfolds we observe the characters experience a gamut of feelings, including love; hate; friendship; diffidence; envy; snobbery; jealousy; longing; fulfillment; rejection; loss; and so on.....a microcosm of the real world.
I enjoyed the book, but found it to be slower and less compelling than the first book in the series, with too little action and insufficient drama. Still, I think readers who enjoy small town character studies will like the novel.
Rating: 3 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment