I read six books in May, all fiction, with three of them by Irish authors. That seems to be a theme for me in 2022!
1) The Temporary Gentleman by Sebastian Barry. This was the second in the McNulty family trilogy and I would say it was the second-best of the three. It is the story of Jack McNulty who was writing his life story as he sat in his small home in Accra, Ghana. His life was a sad story: his commission in the British Army in WWII was not permanent, he traveled the world as a soldier, then was an engineer. His marriage failed in the end. He was a man who did not have much positive to say about how his life had been.
2) Four Letters of Love by Niall Williams. Another Irish author and story. This book is about two people who had lived rather tragic childhoods.
When Nicholas was twelve, his father heard from God that he was to become a full-time painter, so he quit his job to paint...the father sold the car, sold most of their furnishings and the family struggled to survive. Nicholas was made fun of at school.
When Isabel (who lived on an island off the opposite coast where Nicholas lived) was eleven, she and her younger brother went out for the afternoon. Her brother, Sean, was a musical prodigy and was pretending to play the fiddle while Isabel danced. Suddenly the music stopped and when Isabel turned around she saw Sean having a seizure. He had lost all speech and movement. Isabel blamed herself.
Go forward years later, and Isabel and Nicholas met on her wedding day. Isabel was marrying someone that she did not love. Nicholas was trying to locate his father's last surviving painting, which Isabel's father had won years ago. So it was that Nicholas was at Isabel's home, and so it was that Sean began to speak, sing and move. After a while, he was well enough to go with Nicholas to see Isabel on the mainland. And that is when Nicholas and Isabel fell in love with each other.
The "four letters of love"? Nicholas wrote them to Isabel. What became of them? What became of Isabel and Nicholas? You will have to read the book!
3) When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain. This book is a mystery, not the usual writing of Ms. McLain. I hope that she continues to write mysteries! It was very good. It is about a detective from San Francisco who specializes in missing persons. She needed a break, both personally and professionally, so she took some time off and went up to a cabin in Medicino. Right away, she learned of a missing girl, then more missing girls, until a pattern became clear and she and the local sheriff began working together.
It is quite a good story!
4) The Deep Dark Descending by Allen Eskens. I have long been a fan of Mr. Eskins writing. This is a mystery about a homicide detective whose wife had been killed in a hit and run years before. Suddenly, he learned that her death was actually a murder. Now he is faced with choosing to be a revengeful man or a law-abiding police officer. This is a very good read!
5) A Thousand Voices by Lisa Wingate. I enjoyed this book! It is the story of lovely, talented twenty-year-old Dell Jordan who had just returned from a year abroad with a traveling symphony. Her foster parents who have raised her since she was thirteen, wanted her to go to Julliard, but Dell was not sure that is still what she wants. What she wanted most was to learn more about her Native American father. All she had to go on was his name on her birth certificate and a place in Oklahoma that her birth mother had mentioned to her years ago. She went to the area and began to investigate who and where her father was.
6) History of the Rain by Niall Williams. Yes, it is also by an Irish writer and takes place in Ireland. This is a very slow reading- book. I couldn't quit reading it, but it was a bit of a chore. However, for once, I was rewarded with an ending I liked that made the whole book worth it!
Ruthie Swain was home from college after having collapsed. No one knew what was wrong. Her bedroom was up on the third floor, full of her dead father's books. She decided to try to find/know her father through his books. Along the way, she uncovered her family history in Ireland, and found that, just maybe, she is going to be fine!
