This is a book you can read fairly rapidly because the writing is smooth and natural. It's a story mainly about women of different ages and they are very different from one another. They are not stereotypical so we get to find out more about them as the story develops rather than guessing at first glimpse. What they have in common is that they are all strong women.
Another ever-present character is the author's picture of Dublin itself, an historic and much-loved city.
The lives of the characters, their interactions and their journeys through grief and dilemmas is quite fascinating. The women themselves find each other of huge interest and mostly have good-hearted intentions. This gives a warm feeling which offsets some of the more stark and tragic aspects of their lives. It's always rather lovely when characters we like manage to resolve their situations to achieve the happiness we feel they deserve.
What puzzled me, however, was the use of a technique found more usually in mysteries, with the writer holding back from the reader important parts of a character's background and even some history already well known to many of the characters.
Another ever-present character is the author's picture of Dublin itself, an historic and much-loved city.
The lives of the characters, their interactions and their journeys through grief and dilemmas is quite fascinating. The women themselves find each other of huge interest and mostly have good-hearted intentions. This gives a warm feeling which offsets some of the more stark and tragic aspects of their lives. It's always rather lovely when characters we like manage to resolve their situations to achieve the happiness we feel they deserve.
What puzzled me, however, was the use of a technique found more usually in mysteries, with the writer holding back from the reader important parts of a character's background and even some history already well known to many of the characters.