Felicity Hayes-McCoy

Another wonderful visit to Finfarran to spend some much needed time with Hanna Casey, her cantankerous mother, Mary, lovely daughter, Jazz, partner, Brian, and all the 'ordinary people' who grace the pages of Felicity Hayes-McCoy's books ... Aideen, Conor, Una, Brid, Dan, Charles, and of course, and never least of all, Fury and the Divil who hold such a special place in my heart. This book of The Year of Lost and Found was subtitled, "Ordinary People. Extraordinary Secrets." ... there really show more was nothing ordinary about the people ... they are warm, rough, difficult, gentle, thoughtful, intelligent, stubborn, kind, inquisitive, and so much like you and me that I feel I really know them after reading all the books in this series. And the secrets are no more extraordinary than those that we all hold in our own lives, our families, our friendships, towns, villages, or cities. Who do we really hurt holding secrets but ourselves? And who do we free upon sharing them? This book fleshes out the answers to those questions brilliantly. This was a truly beautiful book that I didn't want to end. show less

Another wonderful getaway to the edge of the world. Life in the glen is going well for Hanna and Brian and work at the library continues to be good and oftentimes exhausting for Hanna. Hanna's overbearing mother, Mary, is her usual self ... charming and frustrating. Jazz is loving her job at her grandmother, Loisa's, all-natural, organic cosmetics company where she's really taking to marketing. Conor and Aideen are busy juggling life on the farm, work at the library and Haberdashery show more restaurant, and being newlyweds. Charles is still calling on Fury to come and fix the ancient boiler at the castle and stay for a chat and a cuppa. And Fury is still hard at work mending more than boilers and rooves that need fixing ... he works his magic in his usual way to fix the lives of all those around him as well. A friend from Hanna's past shows up in Lissbeg and before long Hanna is thinking about life in London.
The way this wonderful story blends all these lives together is remarkable. Felicity Hayes-McCoy brings such real characters to life on the page that you feel as if you've known them all forever ... you just want to sit down with the story, a nice strong cup of tea, and the time to visit and immerse yourself in their world for a while. I can't wait for more from the Finfarrin series! show less

Probably 3 and a half, but I rounded up.

Initially, I was frustrated with this book because there wasn't enough library in it. Having the word Library in the title (and that I'm a librarian) was one of the reasons I picked this up. Books about libraries, book stores, and books almost always delight me. About halfway through, though, I decided this needed more library and nearly quite reading. Last year I quit watching The Walking Dead because there aren't enough zombies. If you're going to show more advertise yourself as something then follow through. Anyway, I read on and the library definitely has a role to play in the second half. If you're looking for quirky library stories and mishaps though, that's not this book; try Ian Sansom.

This is a very Irish story set very much in its locale with its people trying to boost their local economy while saving their sense of place and community. That's its main redeeming quality. Ultimately, I did enjoy the book though it's a bit more Maeve Binchy than my typical fair. There are also a lot of characters to keep straight. I could have used a list of characters at the front. By the end, though, I knew most of them...and that's part of the fun. show less

Another lovely entry into the Finfarran series. I love how Hayes-McCoy lets us get to know multiple characters by shifting perspectives -- it's not an easy technique to employ without leaving the reader confused or feeling disjointed, but she is very good at it. The "main character" here is Cassie Fitzgerald, the free-spirited Canadian granddaughter of Pat and Ger, who are friends of Mary Casey, who is the mother of Hanna Casey, whose story began the series (in a small town like Lissbeg, you show more are never far from the core narrative). Cassie shows up in Lissbeg yearning for a sense of belonging, which she has failed to find in her driven, goal-oriented family. She quickly finds herself in the middle of all the small-town intrigue, charming some people and irritating others. She is annoyingly perfect, offering just the right attention to just the right people and situations, showing up to help just when help is needed, stuff like that, but just when you feel like you want to slap her perfect face, she shows her humanity by getting entangled with the wrong guy. This story is Christmas-themed, in that the plots and action are centred around the annual Christmas market, but I felt okay reading it in early November (especially since I will most likely be ignoring Christmas this year). As always, the small dramas of the Finfarrians are relatable and charming, the prose flows naturally, and it remains a place I wish I could visit -- and I suppose I always can, in my imagination! show less