The Secrets of Primrose Square is set in a fictional residential area of Dublin. Behind the closed doors of the square there are secrets, which of course, will not remain secret for much longer. Susan and Melissa are mourning the loss of young Ella, their respective daughter and sister. Susan blames one of Ella’s school friends for her death and has taken to standing outside his house each night s a constant reminder of what he has done. Pre-teen Melissa is worried that she is also going to lose her Mum who is sinking into a deep depression since the death of her elder daughter. Pensioner Jayne is expecting a visitor from the US; Someone she has never met before, but one with whom she hopes to further develop their online relationship. Her family are not happy though, suspecting their ‘inheritance’ will disappear as their mother follows her dreams. Nancy has just moved to Dublin from London to work at the National Theatre. She hopes to leave behind bad memories and experiences as she rents a house in Primrose Square, but this is just the start of her problems.
I fell in love with Dublin when I visited there a few years ago and since then I have enjoyed a number of books set there, as I can imagine myself walking in the characters’ footsteps. For that reason I was really looking forward to reading this book.
There is much to like and enjoy about this book. The main characters are all women, and although they all face adversity throughout the novel, they all eventually overcome their demons. Furthermore, they all do it themselves, with the help and support of their friends; none of them have to rely on a man to help them regain their confidence and self respect. There is a huge emphasis on friendship and how strong relationships can help you during the difficult times of your life, and also how good it is to share your successes with your friends.
It was interesting to see the different types of challenges that each of the women faced, and how they initially reacted, before taking a positive stand e.g. pretending it wasn’t happening; trying to deal with the problem alone; blaming others.
At times the story was very moving, and I had the occasional lump in my throat. At other times it is very uplifting and there are some funny moments. The character of Irene, the snobby daughter in law is quite amusing, and I’m sure most readers will know someone like her.
However, the book is not without flaws. The book focuses on just three houses within the square; you soon get to know the inhabitants pretty well, and they are sympathetic and generally well drawn characters, although they do descend into caricature at times. Many of the secondary characters were also quite predictable: the warring ‘dames’ at the theatre; the wronged boyfriend; the antagonistic son bought off by the new boyfriend. The title led me to expect that there would be more than three houses involved in the story. In fact, there is little or no mention of any one else at all from the square. A few extra characters would have given the book a little more variety and depth. Also, ‘secrets’ is rather a strong word to use. Only one of the characters has something that she is hiding from her neighbours. It seems that the only people in the dark about most things are the readers , due to the device the author uses to reveal a little more of the story each chapter, ending each with a gentle ‘cliff hanger’.
I have to say that the ending is rather predictable as I had worked out how most of the story lines would end, long before the final reveals.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I would not rush to read another of Claudia Carroll’s books right away.
I fell in love with Dublin when I visited there a few years ago and since then I have enjoyed a number of books set there, as I can imagine myself walking in the characters’ footsteps. For that reason I was really looking forward to reading this book.
There is much to like and enjoy about this book. The main characters are all women, and although they all face adversity throughout the novel, they all eventually overcome their demons. Furthermore, they all do it themselves, with the help and support of their friends; none of them have to rely on a man to help them regain their confidence and self respect. There is a huge emphasis on friendship and how strong relationships can help you during the difficult times of your life, and also how good it is to share your successes with your friends.
It was interesting to see the different types of challenges that each of the women faced, and how they initially reacted, before taking a positive stand e.g. pretending it wasn’t happening; trying to deal with the problem alone; blaming others.
At times the story was very moving, and I had the occasional lump in my throat. At other times it is very uplifting and there are some funny moments. The character of Irene, the snobby daughter in law is quite amusing, and I’m sure most readers will know someone like her.
However, the book is not without flaws. The book focuses on just three houses within the square; you soon get to know the inhabitants pretty well, and they are sympathetic and generally well drawn characters, although they do descend into caricature at times. Many of the secondary characters were also quite predictable: the warring ‘dames’ at the theatre; the wronged boyfriend; the antagonistic son bought off by the new boyfriend. The title led me to expect that there would be more than three houses involved in the story. In fact, there is little or no mention of any one else at all from the square. A few extra characters would have given the book a little more variety and depth. Also, ‘secrets’ is rather a strong word to use. Only one of the characters has something that she is hiding from her neighbours. It seems that the only people in the dark about most things are the readers , due to the device the author uses to reveal a little more of the story each chapter, ending each with a gentle ‘cliff hanger’.
I have to say that the ending is rather predictable as I had worked out how most of the story lines would end, long before the final reveals.
Overall, I did enjoy the book, but I would not rush to read another of Claudia Carroll’s books right away.