This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Ireland is centre stage today with St. Patrick’s Day celebrations taking place all over the globe. And while curling up with a good book is more our style than green beer and rowdy parades, it doesn’t mean we won’t be celebrating. In fact, we’ll be re-reading some of our favourite Irish women’s fiction tonight (probably while scoffing Baileys ice-cream). Fancy joining us? Here are eight books by Irish authors we heartily recommend.
1. Rachel’s Holiday by Marian Keyes – “How did it end up like this? Twenty-seven, unemployed, mistaken for a drug addict, in a treatment centre in the back arse of nowhere with an empty Valium bottle in my knickers …” Rachel Walsh – of Marian Keyes’ beloved Walsh family – has a penchant for recreational drugs and has checked in to Cloisters, which is Dublin's answer to the Betty Ford Clinic. What ensues is both utterly hilarious and heartbreakingly raw. You won’t be able to put the book down.
2. Saving Grace by Ciara Geraghty – You’re in for twists and turns galore when Grace O'Brien wakes up next to nerdy Bernard from IT. Was it the out of date Baileys that made her cheat on her perfect boyfriend Shane? And if it was, why can’t she get the red-haired computer geek out of her mind now that their night of illicit passion is over?
3. The Disengagement Ring by Clodagh Murphy – After numerous failed relationships, Kate O'Neill is ready to settle down, so she accepts when her New Age Shaman boyfriend Brian proposes. The only snag is that her entire family disapproves of the news, and her eccentric actress mother, Grace, has hatched a plot to scupper the engagement. She enlists the help of Will Sargent, Kate’s unrequited love interest and manager of mega cool rock-band Walking Wounded, who offers Kate a job cooking for the band while they’re holed up in Tuscany working on their new album.
4. Things We Never Say by Sheila O'Flanagan – Abbey Andersen's life in San Francisco has hit a rut. She has been dumped via Post-It note and her career is going nowhere. But things are about the change when Fred Fitzpatrick has a solicitor contact Abbey about a long-buried family secret.
5. Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy – Written with Maeve Binchy’s trademark warmth, compassion and wit, Light a Penny Candle follows shy and genteel Elizabeth White, who is evacuated from Blitz-battered London to stay with the boisterous O'Connors in Kilgarret, Ireland. You'll be buying up the entire Binchy back-catalogue in no time.6. Mad About You by Sinead Moriarty – Emma and James have weathered many a storm in their 10-year marriage. However, when James starts getting texts from a stranger – texts that show startling insights into their lives – Emma starts to feel isolated and begins questioning everything about their relationship. A real page turner.
7. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern – When a travelling library arrives in Tamara Goodwin’s tiny village, bringing with it a mysterious, large leather-bound book locked with a gold clasp and padlock, a discovery is about to shake her to the core. Has magic made the impossible possible? Are the words written on the book’s pages really her future?
8. The Memory Box by Sarah Webb – It’s only when Pandora tests for a hereditary family illness that she becomes intent on finding Oliver, her ex-boyfriend and father of nine-year-old Iris. But Olivier lives in Paris and he has no idea that Iris even exists. Nevertheless, Pandora is determined for Iris to know the truth about her handsome, charismatic father. So she creates a memory box filled with photos, letters and mementoes of the magical time she spent with Olivier in the city of lights. Kleenex at the ready.
Do any of these titles strike your fancy? Do you have a favourite Irish women’s fiction author or novel?