Status
Available
Description
The novel tells the story of two people who collide with each other just as the whole world seems to be caught between the drama of Obama's election and the catastrophic collapse of the global economy. Bruno is a middle-aged American banker who has come to Ireland as a refugee from the financial meltdown in his own country. Addie is an out of work Irish architect. When she meets Bruno, her life seems to be on a downward spiral. Addie and Bruno's story is a story of nationality and identity, of the power of optimism to defeat despair and the unstoppable march of time. It's the story of two people who find joy together when they were least expecting it
User reviews
LibraryThing member shanklinmike
Love story between Irish girl (Addie) and distant cousin from America (Bruno). Their relationship is wonderfully written and woven about their families and relations. The characters are well defined and I found the book an enjoyable read. Won't give the end away but it does tug at your emotions!
LibraryThing member kiwifortyniner
The story of Bruno an American who comes to Ireland to seek out his roots and meets Addie who is looking after her father who has injured himself. When they meet they form an instant connection, but their love is tested in ways they would not expect. I got into this book quite quickly and was
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enjoynig it, but there is not much of a plot to it and I lost interest a bit. There were movng parts to the story, when I really felt for the characters, and the characters were well drawn, but I was a little disappointed with it. I enjoyed it but was not greatly excited by it. Show Less
LibraryThing member readingwithtea
"A human anachronism, sitting there fossilising in the window while the rest of the world carried on without him."
Kathleen MacMahon's debut novel hit the headlines for receiving a £600,000 advance from Sphere, unheard of in today's difficult publishing economy. A huge stake on a novel about an
I can't fault this novel, and yet I'm struggling to be hugely enthusiastic about it either.
Addie, Hugh, Della and Brian are fun characters, each carefully drawn and with plenty of difficult back-story; their meetings and interactions sufficiently awkward and serendipitous at once to be credible, each not seeking out what lands with them. Addie, in particular, struck a chord; a lonely woman of 38, professionally successful but with a string of terrible men in her wake, seeking companionship from a rescue dog and salvation in the strong arms of the sea. Her sister Della seems to have it all - the happy family life, the outgoing character, the interesting wardrobe choices; and yet Della is obviously melancholy herself.
The novel is very set in its time; the 2008 US federal election is a constant theme and I fear the novel will date because of this. Nevertheless, Brian's American-ness is strong and well-conveyed; the conflict between his desire to be more than American, more than Obama v McCain, Gore v Bush, and his Irish cousins' reluctance to let him claim any Irishness is unexpected and simmers for quite some time.
Part of the beauty of this novel is that it doesn't really have a plot; it has some people and some circumstances and the author sits back and stirs the pot every now and again but mostly just lets the characters interact.
Kathleen MacMahon's debut novel hit the headlines for receiving a £600,000 advance from Sphere, unheard of in today's difficult publishing economy. A huge stake on a novel about an
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American man who escapes the 2008 election by travelling to Ireland to seek out his family roots. His roots aren't so keen to be dug up though, with difficulties of their own including broken wrists, recent miscarriages and a rescue dog named Lola.I can't fault this novel, and yet I'm struggling to be hugely enthusiastic about it either.
Addie, Hugh, Della and Brian are fun characters, each carefully drawn and with plenty of difficult back-story; their meetings and interactions sufficiently awkward and serendipitous at once to be credible, each not seeking out what lands with them. Addie, in particular, struck a chord; a lonely woman of 38, professionally successful but with a string of terrible men in her wake, seeking companionship from a rescue dog and salvation in the strong arms of the sea. Her sister Della seems to have it all - the happy family life, the outgoing character, the interesting wardrobe choices; and yet Della is obviously melancholy herself.
The novel is very set in its time; the 2008 US federal election is a constant theme and I fear the novel will date because of this. Nevertheless, Brian's American-ness is strong and well-conveyed; the conflict between his desire to be more than American, more than Obama v McCain, Gore v Bush, and his Irish cousins' reluctance to let him claim any Irishness is unexpected and simmers for quite some time.
Part of the beauty of this novel is that it doesn't really have a plot; it has some people and some circumstances and the author sits back and stirs the pot every now and again but mostly just lets the characters interact.
Show Less
LibraryThing member saffron12
First, this book immediately pulled me in, which is an excellent thing. Second, I love that Bruno, the American visiting Ireland to find his roots, gets so into filling out his family tree (I love genealogy, personally.) Third, I find the main character, Addie, very frustrating because she is so
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turned off by the interest in the genealogy. Fourth, there really is just one way this could end. A little predictable. Show Less
LibraryThing member DubaiReader
Fabulous cover, awful title.
I loved this book, but I have to say I was not impressed by the title - surely the whole reason for reading a book is to find out how it ends!?
Having got that complaint out of the way, I found the book ran along at a good pace and the characters were believable.
Bruno has
Addie's father is very hesitant about meeting this American relative and so Addie tries to steer clear of him. Eventually Bruno becomes impossible to avoid and she actually discovers that she likes him. It is an improbable pairing, with very different backgrounds and an age difference of some 12 years, but the attraction is undeniable.
Needless to say, not everything runs smoothly and the ending was a tear jerker, if a bit contrived.
There are some lovely characters, including Addie's cranky old father and her sister and family of four girls. The little dog is a bit overplayed, but then I'm not a great dog lover. The wasn't a huge amount of depth to the story but I found it well written and entertaining, which is what I look for in a book.
I loved this book, but I have to say I was not impressed by the title - surely the whole reason for reading a book is to find out how it ends!?
Having got that complaint out of the way, I found the book ran along at a good pace and the characters were believable.
Bruno has
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just left the Lehman Building in New York, his stuff packed into a cardboard box. It is the beginning of 'The crash' and Obama is running for president. Bruno decides to fulfil his late father's greatest wish and return for a visit to relatives in Ireland. Addie, meanwhile, is nursing her elderly father, who has fallen and broken both wrists. She has moved into his house with her little dog and spends her time walking on the beach, swimming whatever the weather and designing swimming pools.Addie's father is very hesitant about meeting this American relative and so Addie tries to steer clear of him. Eventually Bruno becomes impossible to avoid and she actually discovers that she likes him. It is an improbable pairing, with very different backgrounds and an age difference of some 12 years, but the attraction is undeniable.
Needless to say, not everything runs smoothly and the ending was a tear jerker, if a bit contrived.
There are some lovely characters, including Addie's cranky old father and her sister and family of four girls. The little dog is a bit overplayed, but then I'm not a great dog lover. The wasn't a huge amount of depth to the story but I found it well written and entertaining, which is what I look for in a book.
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LibraryThing member julia.flyte
Della and Addie's mother died when they were young and they were raised by their father, Hugh, a prominent doctor. Now they are in their late 30s. Della is happily married with four children. Addie has never married - although she's had heartache along the way - but has forged a career as an
I have mixed feelings about this book. I felt quite ambivalent about it throughout, but when I finished it I realised that the characters had got under my skin more than I thought they had. One problem for me is that the author's writing style is very detached. You are told about this great love at its centre but you never really feel it. Bruno in particular never really stepped off the page for me as a fully fleshed person. At times the author addresses the reader directly, but that just compounds the feeling of detachment for what is going on.
The book builds towards an ending which should come as a surprise (be careful to avoid reviews with spoilers!), but in fact there are clues throughout which most readers will pick up on. Otherwise it's a slow moving, character driven story - which would be more successful were the characters more engaging. A good book, but not a great one.
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architect. Into their lives comes Bruno, a distant American cousin who decides to visit Ireland on a spur of the moment whim after losing his job with Lehman Brothers. Bruno and Addie meet and almost immediately fall in love. However this is a book about endings. Hugh worries about the outcome of a malpractice suit that is bringing brought against him. Bruno worries about the outcome of the upcoming American election. And Addie worries about what the future will hold for her and Bruno.I have mixed feelings about this book. I felt quite ambivalent about it throughout, but when I finished it I realised that the characters had got under my skin more than I thought they had. One problem for me is that the author's writing style is very detached. You are told about this great love at its centre but you never really feel it. Bruno in particular never really stepped off the page for me as a fully fleshed person. At times the author addresses the reader directly, but that just compounds the feeling of detachment for what is going on.
The book builds towards an ending which should come as a surprise (be careful to avoid reviews with spoilers!), but in fact there are clues throughout which most readers will pick up on. Otherwise it's a slow moving, character driven story - which would be more successful were the characters more engaging. A good book, but not a great one.
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LibraryThing member coolmama
I felt this was a beautiful, heartfelt and tender debut by Kathleen MacMahon.
The year: 2008--financial meltdown, Celtic Tiger, Obama runs for president. So much hope and heartbreak.
Bruno Boylan looses his job and goes to Ireland to trace his family. He falls in love with a distant cousin, Addie.
A
The year: 2008--financial meltdown, Celtic Tiger, Obama runs for president. So much hope and heartbreak.
Bruno Boylan looses his job and goes to Ireland to trace his family. He falls in love with a distant cousin, Addie.
A
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lyrical story - told so well I felt I was in the room with them--of their relationship, and their family, and some secrets. Show Less
LibraryThing member camharlow2
You will almost undoubtedly enjoy a captivating first novel from an Irish writer who creates a cast of fascinating characters who engage the reader. The story takes place in Dublin in late 2008 just after the financial crisis. This leads Bruno to travel from New York after losing his banking job,
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in search of his Irish ancestors as he seeks to flesh out his family tree. In the course of his search, he meets Addie, a second cousin and a tender relationship quickly and unexpectedly develops between the pair. The complications of the prior life of the two of them and also the relationships between the different parts of the family are deftly outlined by Kathleen MacMahon. Their doubts about each other and their respective families have a convincing tone which creates a moving and enchanting tale. Show Less
Awards
Waverton Good Read Award (Longlist — 2012)
Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award (Shortlist — 2013)