This was read on a flight from London Gatwick to Cork sometime in the late 1990s.

Small stories that relate how time goes on within the Irish society after the war. The daily "no problem" life of an easy-going people, that resigns to accetp its fate: from the invariably rainy weather to the emigration must. Böll describes with great accuracy in a delightful smooth way the landscapes, the houses, the farmer daily work, the rain, the pub, the arriving sailor, the society, the hours... slowly fighting against the clock. Böll also portrays often the Irish society and their optimistic doing against tragedy, as the opposite to the German folk. Nice reading. ( )

Full of humour, observation and humanity. A great book by a great writer. ( )

This is a short but absolutely lovely book describing Boll's trip with his family to Ireland in 1954. It's not a typical travelogue, but more Boll's impressions of Ireland and the Irish. He describes the countryside, the people, and their habits in lyrical language that is full of metaphor. Although the writing is beautiful and he is clearly taken with Ireland, he does not over-romanticize it--he sees the economic and other problems as well as the beauty. I was left with an impression of a place that simply did not belong in the twentieth century. In a later-written note at the end, Boll addresses how much things had changed in Ireland even by 1970. (Note: this review concerns the English translation.) ( )