|
|
Post by susanmay on Jun 5, 2008 9:49:13 GMT
I thought these two new releases from Poolbeg looked great:
Guarding Maggie by Ellen McCarthy
Maggie walked into her yard and found a strange man standing there, with her dog walking circles around him.
Maggie has lived at home all her life with only a brief stay in Scotland and Dublin She cares for her elderly mother and older brother Pascal, who has controlled and dominated every aspect of her life.
After Pascal’s suspicious death from an apparent asthmatic attack, secrets from the past start to emerge and Maggie discovers someone is watching her every move. Maggie thought she had control of her life for the first time in over forty years after Pascal’s death but now she’s more scared and alone than ever.
All her life her family have sheltered her from the outside world. But who is guarding Maggie now?
|
|
|
|
Post by susanmay on Jun 5, 2008 9:51:46 GMT
My Husband's Lover By Erin Kaye:
When Chris’s old friend Bernie turns up, all the way from sunny Australia, she welcomes her with open arms. But that’s before Bernie steals her husband, Paul. Now she must rebuild her life. Paul, on the other hand, is all set for a new start with Bernie. Until, that is, he discovers what she’s been hiding from him. Meanwhile Karen has her own troubles. She’s always disguised her low self-esteem behind a lively personality. But when she suspects her husband Tony of having an affair, her world falls apart. In fact, happily married father-of-two Tony feels his life is complete. It’s amazing what people can keep hidden from those closest to them.
|
|
|
|
Post by claire on Jun 5, 2008 11:19:04 GMT
both sound very good Susan
|
|
|
|
Post by hannah24 on Jun 5, 2008 16:10:02 GMT
Will definately order the Guarding Maggie one Susan and the other sounds just as intriging!
|
|
|
|
Post by Mary on Jun 5, 2008 20:40:19 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by allyoconnell on Jun 6, 2008 9:28:47 GMT
I'm reading Guarding Maggie and the moment and I'm not finding it great. It's full of cliches about rural and Catholic Ireland and I don't get how it's supposed to be crime, at least not yet. At the moment we've got a sixty year old woman and her eighty year old brother beating her, not exactly cheery reading!
|
|
|
|
Post by Oonagh on Jun 6, 2008 15:18:32 GMT
must look out for it!!
|
|
|
|
Post by franmt on Jun 9, 2008 18:59:21 GMT
Hi I was going to buy Guarding Maggie, but it sounds a touch depressing so I think that I might give that one a miss. If you like crime books, Arelene Hunt has new book coming out later in the year. All of her other books were brilliant. Lynda La Plante has a new one coming out soon too. I like all of her books except the last one, so hopefully this one will be good.
I'm reading My Husbands Lover. It's really good.
|
|
|
|
Post by claireallan on Jun 12, 2008 20:24:20 GMT
Guarding Maggie isn't supposed to be a crime book though - it's more of a kitchen sink drama. I've interviewed Paula Campbell from Poolbeg on the new Crimson imprint and she said the books were meant to be kind of "Robson Green, ITV, Sunday night dramas" type of thing.
Someone in work lifted my copy before I got to read it though!
|
|
|
|
Post by allyoconnell on Jun 13, 2008 9:07:02 GMT
Well I finished it and there were three murders in it and I think it was trying to be crime but not enough to frighten off normal Poolbeg readers ie no bloody bits! I hate being negative cos God knows it takes a huge amount of work to write a book (and I haven't done it yet!) but this one was just really over the top melodramatic and very silly and full of cliches about rural Ireland which makes me wonder if the author is actually Irish as it almost came across like an Americans view? Aran jumpers and abusive eighty-year-old men in thrall to the church and all that kind of thing.
If this is what they will all be like then I won't be rushing out ot buy another Crimson. And it certainly didn't suggest anything like Robson Green to me, most of the characters were past their sixties!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by claire on Jun 13, 2008 10:16:02 GMT
love it when someone gets really honest about a book, thanks for that Ally
|
|
|
|
Post by susanmay on Jun 13, 2008 10:24:19 GMT
Thanks for the review Ally. Good point you made about leaving out the "bloody bits". I think some publishers think that us chick-litters aren't able to handle a good gory scene!  |
|
|
|
Post by allyoconnell on Jun 13, 2008 10:54:19 GMT
love it when someone gets really honest about a book, thanks for that Ally Oh god Claire, was I too honest? Hope it didn't come across as nasty or flippant as it wasn't intended that way! In honesty I take my hat off to anyone who can write a book and get published so I hate being negative but I'm a reader too and this just didnt do it for me. |
|
|
|
Post by allyoconnell on Jun 13, 2008 10:55:33 GMT
Thanks for the review Ally. Good point you made about leaving out the "bloody bits". I think some publishers think that us chick-litters aren't able to handle a good gory scene! Yes, Susan that's exactly how I felt, it was almost as if we were being 'protected' from the nasty bits which I think did a disservice to the story and thats why it felt unrealistic? |
|
|
|
Post by claire on Jun 13, 2008 11:00:31 GMT
I think sometimes people are too careful about what they say. You said nothing bad about the author or the book in general but you explained very well why it didn't work for you. Thats what I liked about what you said
|
|
|
|
Post by susanmay on Jul 3, 2008 9:05:04 GMT
I just noticed on the main page Ellen McCarthy's website. Its only dawning on me now that she is the lady who one the Saoige and O' Shea short story competition last year. www.ellenmccarthy.ie/index.htm |
|
