Cathy Kelly
Author of Just Between Us
About the Author
Cathy Kelly is the author of five novels.
Works by Cathy Kelly
Bomvol Winterverhalen 1 copy
Associated Works
A Paris All Your Own: Bestselling Women Writers on the City of Light (2017) — Contributor — 84 copies, 5 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- KELLY, Cathy
- Birthdate
- 1966-09-12
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- author
journalist - Organizations
- UNICEF
Sunday World - Short biography
- Cathy Kelly was born 12 September 1966 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but raised in Dublin.
Cathy initially worked for thirteen years as a newspaper journalist with a national Irish Sunday newspaper, where she worked in news, features, along with spending time as an agony aunt and the paper’s film critic. However, her overwhelming love was always fiction and she published her first international bestseller, Woman To Woman, in 1997. She did not become a full-time writer until she had written another two books, and finally decided to leave the world of journalism in 2001, moving to HarperCollins Publishers at the same time. Her trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.
Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.
Cathy lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow. - Nationality
- Ireland
- Birthplace
- Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
- Places of residence
- Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK (birth)
Enniskerry, County Wicklow, Ireland
Dublin, Ireland - Associated Place (for map)
- Ireland
Members
Reviews
I love Cathy Kelly books, they always make me feel warm and squidgy inside; but they're not all sunshine and rainbows, as the characters have to go through some tough times to come out the other side stronger and happier. Cathy's writing is as bubbly and effervescent as a bottle of Prosecco so I couldn't wait to get stuck into her new novel: The Year that Changed Everything and I positively whizzed through it as fast as a cork shooting out of a bottle.
Three women, unknown to each other, show more celebrate milestone birthdays on the same day and it's certainly a day they will never forget: Callie is 50 and her house is raided by the fraud squad as she is hosting her birthday party, Sam is 40 and goes into labour on her birthday, and Ginger is 30 but selflessly spends the day celebrating her friend's wedding rather than her birthday. All three characters are strong and unforgettable with the common thread of unconditional family love running through their stories.
I really identified with Ginger and felt my jaw drop when I read a line about her not wearing heels to comply with the unfeminine persona she had created to protect herself from heartbreak. Although I do wear flat shoes because I have a problem with my back, there are occasions where I could wear heels but refrain from doing so. I asked myself why and the honest answer is that I believe I'm not attractive enough to wear heels, so why would I want to draw attention to myself? I reminded myself that beauty is in the eye of the beholder so treated myself to a new pair of heels. Not plain black, oh no, but sparkly Wizard of Oz style 'look at me' heels. Gulp! Thank you for giving me the courage to buy my fabulous new shoes, Cathy Kelly. I will need to summon my inner Ginger to have the courage to wear them!
There are quite a few pearls of wisdom in The Year that Changed Everything that I could liken Cathy Kelly to my personal Dalai Lama; I certainly felt unexpectedly enlightened by some of the passages in the book. Take the quote that Joanne gave to her sister, Sam, for example:
"You can't change other people: you can only change how you react to them."
So simple, yet so very true. I'm definitely going to remember this and repeat it like my personal mantra. I admit that I'm not a people person, so people do often annoy me but I'm going to practise changing my reaction to them.
The Year that Changed Everything is a fabulous, unexpectedly enlightening book that did more for me than any self-help book has ever done. The warm and effervescent writing of Cathy Kelly will make this a firm favourite among her many fans, myself included.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less
Three women, unknown to each other, show more celebrate milestone birthdays on the same day and it's certainly a day they will never forget: Callie is 50 and her house is raided by the fraud squad as she is hosting her birthday party, Sam is 40 and goes into labour on her birthday, and Ginger is 30 but selflessly spends the day celebrating her friend's wedding rather than her birthday. All three characters are strong and unforgettable with the common thread of unconditional family love running through their stories.
I really identified with Ginger and felt my jaw drop when I read a line about her not wearing heels to comply with the unfeminine persona she had created to protect herself from heartbreak. Although I do wear flat shoes because I have a problem with my back, there are occasions where I could wear heels but refrain from doing so. I asked myself why and the honest answer is that I believe I'm not attractive enough to wear heels, so why would I want to draw attention to myself? I reminded myself that beauty is in the eye of the beholder so treated myself to a new pair of heels. Not plain black, oh no, but sparkly Wizard of Oz style 'look at me' heels. Gulp! Thank you for giving me the courage to buy my fabulous new shoes, Cathy Kelly. I will need to summon my inner Ginger to have the courage to wear them!
There are quite a few pearls of wisdom in The Year that Changed Everything that I could liken Cathy Kelly to my personal Dalai Lama; I certainly felt unexpectedly enlightened by some of the passages in the book. Take the quote that Joanne gave to her sister, Sam, for example:
"You can't change other people: you can only change how you react to them."
So simple, yet so very true. I'm definitely going to remember this and repeat it like my personal mantra. I admit that I'm not a people person, so people do often annoy me but I'm going to practise changing my reaction to them.
The Year that Changed Everything is a fabulous, unexpectedly enlightening book that did more for me than any self-help book has ever done. The warm and effervescent writing of Cathy Kelly will make this a firm favourite among her many fans, myself included.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less
This all started out very well indeed and I was instantly hooked on Chrissie and her gift of sight, uptight Faye and betrayed Maggie. At the beginning of this book, I loved them all and couldn't get enough of them, to be honest. Heck I even liked teenage daughter Amber and that, for me, is a very hard sell.
So, a strange kind of kudos to the author then for somehow taking that very strong beginning and tearing the whole thing into tiny pieces. It all starts to go wrong about halfway through show more when we start finding out those deep dark secrets - and they turn out to be either (a) super-cliched or (b) no kind of decent secret at all.
I mean Faye's secret is a naughty night out with her callow would-be rocker boyfriend when she gets pregnant with Amber, and then flings herself into a self-imposed Pit of Shame, which means she can never talk about the whole thing and believes she's some kind of slapper. Really???! To me, as an Essex Gal, that just seems like a decent night out, after which we all have a laugh with our girlfriends and move on. I couldn't honestly believe Faye would change her whole personality and style so she makes herself unattractive to men for the next eighteen years, and even makes up a marriage and dead husband to put Amber off the scent. It's totally ridiculous.
Not, however, as ridiculous as Maggie, with whom I lost sympathy when she bounces back from her doomed love affair and meets another more suitable man within about a minute or so. Honestly??? That whole scenario was just laughable, again, and so slushy it made my teeth itch. I also thought her way of getting over being a victim of bullying at school was simply unbelievable, on all counts.
Nor indeed as ridiculous as the whole Amber plot: Amber ditches taking her exams and her plans to be an artist, and runs off to America with her would-be rocker boyfriend - yes, this is exactly the same type of man as her mother had all the trauma about, so doesn't Ms Kelly know any other kind of Bad Boy? Do they all have to be would-be rockers? How I long for some sweet young heroine to run off with a man who wants to be an accountant and plays cricket for his local village team, but alas I fear I might be waiting a while …. Anyway, Amber soon realises her man is hopeless and leaves him - but not before some passing stranger in the States has offered her a fortune as he loves her artwork (on the strength of one scribbled picture at a party!) and longs above all things to sponsor her talent. Major Unreality Alert!! Is the author playing a trick on us? This one made me laugh out loud this time, and groan too. And yes, in the end, Amber comes home and it's all marvellous and perfect, etc etc. Yawn …
All this ridiculous plotting would have been just about acceptable, almost, but what really made me angry as a reader was the way Chrissie is held up as a shining example of goodness and yet finally tells her poor husband James about her long-ago infidelity in the most cruel and heartless way I can ever imagine anyone giving that kind of news to their spouse. It's not Chrissie's infidelity I had a real problem with (though it is of course hugely cliched again …) but how cold and downright nasty her way of confessing it actually is. I found that scene very shocking, and I really wanted to give her a huge slap and tell her to grow up. I was glad when James walked out - he could definitely get someone a whole lot nicer. However, of course, eventually he comes back and says it doesn't really matter. Um, again, no. That's not how betrayal works in real life - the way back is never this easy.
The only characters who kept my sympathy throughout and who were really worth any attention were the lovely Shona (a friend of Maggie's) and her husband Paul - now they were a class act, very witty and wonderful together, and I wish the book had been about them.
However, all in all, I was relieved to get to the end of all this nonsense. Overall, it's a mismanaged and mis-written book, in which a strong start is sadly and comprehensibly ruined.
Verdict: 2 stars. Disappointing and frustrating. show less
So, a strange kind of kudos to the author then for somehow taking that very strong beginning and tearing the whole thing into tiny pieces. It all starts to go wrong about halfway through show more when we start finding out those deep dark secrets - and they turn out to be either (a) super-cliched or (b) no kind of decent secret at all.
I mean Faye's secret is a naughty night out with her callow would-be rocker boyfriend when she gets pregnant with Amber, and then flings herself into a self-imposed Pit of Shame, which means she can never talk about the whole thing and believes she's some kind of slapper. Really???! To me, as an Essex Gal, that just seems like a decent night out, after which we all have a laugh with our girlfriends and move on. I couldn't honestly believe Faye would change her whole personality and style so she makes herself unattractive to men for the next eighteen years, and even makes up a marriage and dead husband to put Amber off the scent. It's totally ridiculous.
Not, however, as ridiculous as Maggie, with whom I lost sympathy when she bounces back from her doomed love affair and meets another more suitable man within about a minute or so. Honestly??? That whole scenario was just laughable, again, and so slushy it made my teeth itch. I also thought her way of getting over being a victim of bullying at school was simply unbelievable, on all counts.
Nor indeed as ridiculous as the whole Amber plot: Amber ditches taking her exams and her plans to be an artist, and runs off to America with her would-be rocker boyfriend - yes, this is exactly the same type of man as her mother had all the trauma about, so doesn't Ms Kelly know any other kind of Bad Boy? Do they all have to be would-be rockers? How I long for some sweet young heroine to run off with a man who wants to be an accountant and plays cricket for his local village team, but alas I fear I might be waiting a while …. Anyway, Amber soon realises her man is hopeless and leaves him - but not before some passing stranger in the States has offered her a fortune as he loves her artwork (on the strength of one scribbled picture at a party!) and longs above all things to sponsor her talent. Major Unreality Alert!! Is the author playing a trick on us? This one made me laugh out loud this time, and groan too. And yes, in the end, Amber comes home and it's all marvellous and perfect, etc etc. Yawn …
All this ridiculous plotting would have been just about acceptable, almost, but what really made me angry as a reader was the way Chrissie is held up as a shining example of goodness and yet finally tells her poor husband James about her long-ago infidelity in the most cruel and heartless way I can ever imagine anyone giving that kind of news to their spouse. It's not Chrissie's infidelity I had a real problem with (though it is of course hugely cliched again …) but how cold and downright nasty her way of confessing it actually is. I found that scene very shocking, and I really wanted to give her a huge slap and tell her to grow up. I was glad when James walked out - he could definitely get someone a whole lot nicer. However, of course, eventually he comes back and says it doesn't really matter. Um, again, no. That's not how betrayal works in real life - the way back is never this easy.
The only characters who kept my sympathy throughout and who were really worth any attention were the lovely Shona (a friend of Maggie's) and her husband Paul - now they were a class act, very witty and wonderful together, and I wish the book had been about them.
However, all in all, I was relieved to get to the end of all this nonsense. Overall, it's a mismanaged and mis-written book, in which a strong start is sadly and comprehensibly ruined.
Verdict: 2 stars. Disappointing and frustrating. show less
I have only recently been introduced to Cathy Kelly's books and, although they deal with some difficult subjects, they are so heart-warming and never fail to draw me into the story. It's a chunky book at just over 500 pages which resulted in my being completely invested in the Brannigan family story; I experienced laughter, anger, sadness and joy in this warm and engrossing family saga.
The common theme for me is the strong women characters. Cari is the strongest of all after being left at show more the altar 3 years earlier. Cari never wants to see Barney again but that could prove a bit difficult as he jilted her for her second cousin, Traci. Cari is an editor and through her story we get a wonderful glimpse into the publishing world; there's even a lovely mention about the voluntary work that bloggers do to promote books. Cari's cousin, Jojo, will never accept her father's second wife after losing her mother, Lottie, so tragically 2 years ago. Jojo has her own demons to deal with as she starts down the rocky tear-filled path of IVF. Bess is Jojo's new step-mother. She loves Jojo's Dad, Edward, but struggles with the animosity that Jojo directs towards her. Bess is planning a 70th birthday party for Edward and as all the Brannigan women come together there are sure to be fireworks and tears.
Please do not be put off by the size of this book; I could easily have read another 500 pages about the Brannigan family. I loved the quotes at the start of each chapter; some are tips for a happy marriage and others are thought-provoking, inspirational words of wisdom from, for example, the Dalai Lama, Oscar Wilde, Henry Kissinger, Galileo and my personal favourite, Gloria Steinem.
Secrets of a Happy Marriage is one of those books that reaches into your heart and gives you a virtual hug. It's a curl up on your favourite chair with a hot chocolate/cup of tea/glass of wine kind of book. Before you know it you will have whizzed through it and be left with the feeling that you were part of the Brannigan family yourself. Filled with love, laughter, tears and hope - it's a completely captivating read.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less
The common theme for me is the strong women characters. Cari is the strongest of all after being left at show more the altar 3 years earlier. Cari never wants to see Barney again but that could prove a bit difficult as he jilted her for her second cousin, Traci. Cari is an editor and through her story we get a wonderful glimpse into the publishing world; there's even a lovely mention about the voluntary work that bloggers do to promote books. Cari's cousin, Jojo, will never accept her father's second wife after losing her mother, Lottie, so tragically 2 years ago. Jojo has her own demons to deal with as she starts down the rocky tear-filled path of IVF. Bess is Jojo's new step-mother. She loves Jojo's Dad, Edward, but struggles with the animosity that Jojo directs towards her. Bess is planning a 70th birthday party for Edward and as all the Brannigan women come together there are sure to be fireworks and tears.
Please do not be put off by the size of this book; I could easily have read another 500 pages about the Brannigan family. I loved the quotes at the start of each chapter; some are tips for a happy marriage and others are thought-provoking, inspirational words of wisdom from, for example, the Dalai Lama, Oscar Wilde, Henry Kissinger, Galileo and my personal favourite, Gloria Steinem.
Secrets of a Happy Marriage is one of those books that reaches into your heart and gives you a virtual hug. It's a curl up on your favourite chair with a hot chocolate/cup of tea/glass of wine kind of book. Before you know it you will have whizzed through it and be left with the feeling that you were part of the Brannigan family yourself. Filled with love, laughter, tears and hope - it's a completely captivating read.
I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less
I really don't have much to say except that now I don't have anymore Maeve Binchy books to read, I have been seeking an author to feel the void, I think that Cathy Kelly is doing nicely for me right now.
"Between Sisters" is about sisters Coco and Cassie living in Dublin. Cassie is the oldest and fiercely protective of younger sister Coco. Their mother abandoned their family when Cassie was 7 and Coco only 1. They were raised by their paternal grandmother Pearl and made do with a there but show more not present father who died when they were young. The whole book is mostly about them, their grandmother, their families, and other people that come into their orbit.
Cassie is struggling with two hormonal teen girls and her husband who is always over at his mother's house doing her honey do lists since her husband's father has passed away. Cassie wants the perfect family and is scared that every five minutes she is going to lose it all. She has a tyrant for a boss (don't we all) and is doing her best to not clobber her husband Shay for never being around.
Coco is still devastated over a breakup she had with over four years ago. She contents herself with her best friend Jo and being godmother to Jo's younger daughter Fiona.
I loved both sisters equally while reading though felt puzzled that halfway through Kelly introduces a girl who is going to fashion school who I didn't quite grasp what she had to do with things. I honestly thought that she slowed down the book a bit. I initially didn't get the woman we are introduced to in the prologue, but things become clearer the further along you read in the book.
Kelly also includes two male POVs and man oh man I wanted to kick Cassie's husband in the rear end.
I honestly have no complaints about anything I read. I just thought it was a lovely story. We had some humor, some sadness, and some HEAs which are always nice.
If I am going to have a quibble about anything, I would say that cutting out the fashion student POV would have made the book flow together much easier. I think going into her whole family's backstory was a bit much with everything else we got in this book. show less
"Between Sisters" is about sisters Coco and Cassie living in Dublin. Cassie is the oldest and fiercely protective of younger sister Coco. Their mother abandoned their family when Cassie was 7 and Coco only 1. They were raised by their paternal grandmother Pearl and made do with a there but show more not present father who died when they were young. The whole book is mostly about them, their grandmother, their families, and other people that come into their orbit.
Cassie is struggling with two hormonal teen girls and her husband who is always over at his mother's house doing her honey do lists since her husband's father has passed away. Cassie wants the perfect family and is scared that every five minutes she is going to lose it all. She has a tyrant for a boss (don't we all) and is doing her best to not clobber her husband Shay for never being around.
Coco is still devastated over a breakup she had with over four years ago. She contents herself with her best friend Jo and being godmother to Jo's younger daughter Fiona.
I loved both sisters equally while reading though felt puzzled that halfway through Kelly introduces a girl who is going to fashion school who I didn't quite grasp what she had to do with things. I honestly thought that she slowed down the book a bit. I initially didn't get the woman we are introduced to in the prologue, but things become clearer the further along you read in the book.
Kelly also includes two male POVs and man oh man I wanted to kick Cassie's husband in the rear end.
I honestly have no complaints about anything I read. I just thought it was a lovely story. We had some humor, some sadness, and some HEAs which are always nice.
If I am going to have a quibble about anything, I would say that cutting out the fashion student POV would have made the book flow together much easier. I think going into her whole family's backstory was a bit much with everything else we got in this book. show less
Awards
You May Also Like
Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 35
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 4,746
- Popularity
- #5,295
- Rating
- 3.4
- Reviews
- 109
- ISBNs
- 490
- Languages
- 12
- Favorited
- 6