Publication Date: 14th April 2023
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
3.5 Stars
One Liner: Heartwarming but slow; mixed feelings but satisfied
Marianne’s grandmother, Collie Keane, passed away three months ago. Marianne, living in New York (and struggling with her own things) couldn’t visit her grandmother during her last days. However, Marianne is invited to the reading of Collie’s will and is stunned to find that her grandmother left the Kilteelagh House to her, along with the responsibility of her orphaned nieces.
Marianne’s aunt Katherine is furious. Marianne isn’t sure if she wants to uproot her life from the States and settle in rural Ireland (no matter how much she enjoyed her days with Collie). However, the now-abandoned Kilteelagh House and her grandmother’s letters nudge Marianne to give it a try.
Life isn’t easy, but Marianne gets to know more about Collie and the house as she navigates her current situation and restarts her career. Things seem to be settling well until one letter threatens to tear it apart. Can Marianne find happiness and love with her new family?
The story comes from Marianne’s third-person POV.
What I Like:
The setting is beautiful. One of the main reasons I read books set in Ireland is the setting. While the countryside and small town aren’t fully detailed, we get a clear picture of the Kilteelagh House and the beauty around it. The story needed this atmosphere to create the mood.
Katie is a cute girl (though sometimes she acts bigger than her age). She is struggling with the loss of her mother and grandmother (and the fear of not having an adult to call her own). Yet, she is quick to love, laugh, and forgive. A darling, for sure!
Collie is such a personality! Though she isn’t alive or active throughout the book, she is the core of it. Her letters are timed to perfection and exactly match Marianne’s moods. She elevates the plot to the next level.
Dolores is another wonderful character. As Collie’s friend, she readily becomes a supporter and guide to help Marianne throughout her struggle with the kids and the Kilteelagh House. Her no-nonsense approach cuts through the mess and makes Marianne more assertive. Fiknete enters in the second half and has a lovely role in the book.
Jack is a good guy. There’s no romance as such in the book, but something that is supposed to be slow-moving (not burn, as there is little or no tension between the characters). Thankfully, I wasn’t looking for a strong romance, so it worked okay.
One thing I agree with Marianne- you should never have to deal with guests and strangers on your doorstep at 6.30 AM! That is not the time to talk to people. Sigh!
What Could Have Been Better for Me:
The pacing is sedate and cannot be rushed. While that’s still okay, the fact that most issues that arise are solved quickly means that my interest dipped in some places. Katherine and Rachel don’t have much depth and seem to have the task of creating tension for Marianne.
A few time jumps were confusing. Some days are long and detailed, while others have just one scene before moving on to another. Not all time jumps had scene breaks ( this is an ARC), though I hope they’ll be sorted in the final copy.
The blurb says the kids are Marianne’s nieces, but they are her aunt’s daughters. Technically, Rachel and Katie should be her sisters/ cousins. Katherine is an aunt to both parties. (I’m assuming that’s how relations work in Ireland too). Also, it’s a little hard to fit the characters in their respective slots based on their ages. It feels like watching a Hindi daily soap after the fourth leap and half a dozen character replacements (and reentries).
Marianne is a little hard to deal with. I think this comes from trying to make her more realistic and relatable instead of being too goody-goody. However, this makes her appear unnecessarily rude in some scenes. It’s not an issue with her character arc but with the dialogue tags and writing.
I’m not a fan of infidelity (in fiction or real life), no matter how romantic it appears and how many sacrifices the characters make. I’m not deducting points for this, as the whole element is handled quite well (and unrealistically), but I have to mention it here.
To summarize, The Irish House is indeed a heartwarming novel about families, relationships, love, and choices. It’s a little slow and has a few issues, but leaves us with a satisfied feeling.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC.
#NetGalley #TheIrishHouse
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