If you’re looking for a taste of Ireland, both past and present, these books are sure to please. From historical fiction to modern romance, there’s something for everyone on this list.
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue
The Wonder by Emma Donoghue is a historical fiction novel set in 1850s Ireland.
The book tells the story of a young girl named Anna O’Donnell who, after mysteriously surviving for weeks without eating, becomes a subject of fascination for the townspeople and a source of hope for those seeking miracles.
As Anna’s case continues to baffle the doctors and locals, a nurse named Lib Wright is sent to investigate whether or not she is truly a medical miracle.
The Wonder follows Anna and Lib’s story as they both deal with the challenges that come with Anna’s case. As Lib gets to know Anna, she starts to question the girl’s true motives and whether or not she is really as innocent as she seems. The novel is a suspenseful and heart-wrenching story that will leave readers questioning the true meaning of miracles.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Normal People by Sally Rooney follows the complicated relationship between Marianne and Connell from their school days through college and into adulthood.
It’s an intimate look at two very different people trying to find their way in the world.
The novel tells the story of Marianne and Connell, two high school students in small-town Ireland. Marianne is from a wealthy family and is considered a genius, while Connell is from a working-class background and is popular at school.
Despite their differences, they develop a close friendship that eventually turns into a romantic relationship.
However, Marianne’s family disapproves of Connell and they eventually break up.
This leads to a period of estrangement between the two, during which time Marianne becomes involved with another man.
Eventually, Connell and Marianne reconnect and begin a new relationship.
However, they must grapple with the challenges that come with being from different social backgrounds.
The novel explores themes of class, love, and friendship. It is a moving and thought-provoking story about two people who are trying to find their way in the world.
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
Even in the competitive field of memoirs about growing up poor in Ireland – Angela’s Ashes still manages to stand out.
Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is a Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir of McCourt’s childhood growing up in poverty in Limerick, Ireland during the 1930s and 1940s. It’s a powerful story of survival and resilience.
It was published in 1996 and won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1997.
McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrants.
His father, Malachy McCourt, was an alcoholic and could not keep a steady job, later abandoning the family all together.
McCourt’s mother, Angela Sheehan McCourt, was left to care for her children on her own.
The family lived in poverty, and McCourt often went hungry as a child.
In addition to hunger, McCourt faced other difficulties during his childhood, including illness, losing family members to hunger, and prejudice due his father coming from the North and being suspected for “having Protestant blood”.
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McCourt also had a close relationship with his mother, who remained supportive of her children despite the difficult circumstances they faced.
Angela’s Ashes is an important work of 20th-century literature. It provides a rare glimpse into the life of a poor, Irish family in the mid-1900s. Despite the dark topic, the book stand out for being heart-warming and often funny at times.
McCourt’s frank and honest account of his childhood is both heartbreaking and humorous. The book has been praised for its lyrical prose and for its ability to capture the human experience and remains a staple of Irish literature.
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy
Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy is set in the 1950s in the small Irish town of Knockglen. It follows the lives of a group of friends as they navigate love, loss, and betrayal.
Maeve Binchy’s Circle of Friends tells the story of a group of friends who grew up together in a small town in Ireland.
The novel follows the friends as they move to Dublin to attend university, and then as they begin their adult lives.
The novel explores the themes of friendship, love, and betrayal, and examines how the choices we make can affect our lives in ways we never anticipated.
Binchy’s novel is a warm and affectionate portrait of a group of friends who are bound together by their shared history. Circle of Friends is a moving and ultimately uplifting novel about the power of friendship.
In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French
In the Woods (Dublin Murder Squad, #1) by Tana French is a mystery novel set in Dublin, Ireland. It follows Detectives Rob Ryan and Cassie Maddox as they investigate the murder of a young girl.
The novel is told from the perspective of one of the detectives, Rob Ryan. Rob is haunted by his own experiences as a child, when he and two friends went into the woods and only he came out alive.
As the investigation unfolds, Rob begins to piece together what happened that day, and how it may be connected to the current murder case.
In the Woods is a gripping mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Tana French, one of the Ireland’s best female writers, is a master of suspense, and her writing will keep you hooked from start to finish. If you’re looking for a thriller that will keep you up all night, this is the book for you.
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Darkfever (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning
Darkfever (Fever, #1) by Karen Marie Moning is the first book in the Fever series. It’s a paranormal romance set in Dublin, Ireland, that combines Irish folklore, thrillers and suspence.
It follows MacKayla Lane as she tries to find out who killed her sister.
While in Dublin she discovers that she has the ability to see into the Fae world and is drawn into a conflict between the two races.
“Darkfever” is a fast-paced, action-packed novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Moning has created a fascinating world filled with magic and mystery, and her characters are complex and intriguing.
“Darkfever” is an addictive read that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next book in the series.
Are you Somebody: The Accidental Memoir Of A Dublin Woman – Nuala O’Faolain
Nuala O’Faolain was an Irish journalist and author.
She was best known for her memoir Are You Somebody? which was a best-seller in Ireland and the United Kingdom.
O’Faolain was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1940.
Her father was a doctor and her mother was a nurse. She was educated at a convent school and then at University College Cork. She later worked as a journalist in Dublin and London.
Her memoir Are You Somebody? was an instant best-seller in Ireland and the UK.
The book details her life growing up in Ireland, her experiences as a journalist, and her struggle with depression.
If you love Irish literature, you’ll love this book. O’Faolain recalls growing up in Ireland in the 1950’s and coming of-age of in the 1960’s.
Studying literature and hanging in the literary circles in Dublin, this book sometimes seems as a “Who’s Who” list of Irish journalists and writers.
O’Faolain memoir is very critical of the misogyny of the Catholic church, and the sexism and double standards that played such a large part in Irish culture at the time.
Unlike McCourt’s memoir, for better or worse, gender and the politics of sex are front and center in Are You Somebody.
O’Faolain died in Dublin in 2008. She continued to write and publish until her death.
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