Marian Keyes

As autumn begins I find myself in need of hot chocolate in book form, so I read another Marian Keyes. This one was charming, warm and funny in her typical fashion with some interesting themes and quite a few laughs (some other reviewers have said they were missing the funny, but I found myself laughing quite often and was a little surprised to see that many readers were disappointed in this book). I was a little sad that Stella was so passive until the very end; she kept reacting instead of show more acting and most things that happened were brought about by other characters. Not in a damsel in distress way, though, her passivity was mostly due to insecurity and the desire for peace and harmony (i.e. not to piss people off) - this is Marian Keyes after all, and her characters never feel like tropes to me. I was hoping for a more profound moment of catharsis for Stella, some growth and peace with herself, but I guess some people are like that and stay that way, and it's probably more realistic than a big personality makeover. Didn't find that too annoying though and I actually enjoyed the more terrible side characters, so this was a pretty good read for me, and as usual I tore through it in the shortest time possible. Happy sigh. show less

Yesterday I took my three-year-old son to the library. We had just selected a stack of books and had sat down to read them together, when over the loud-speaker a librarian’s voice announced that I was to come to the circulation desk. I assumed I had left some paper with my name on it in one of the books I had just returned, so I calmly put my son’s books down, scooped him up, and made my way to the desk.
When I got there, there were two policemen waiting with the librarian, and all three show more of them had dour looks on their faces. I looked from one to the next, but they all seemed hesitant to tell me whatever news they had for me. It was only a moment of silence, but for an irrational space of time, I was sure that something terrible had happened to someone I love, and somehow these people knew and it was now their job to tell me. I remember thinking, “This is it. This is what it’s like to find out something horrible.”
It turned out to be nothing at all. I had parked my car too closely to another car that was owned by a very pregnant lady. She couldn’t get in, so I needed to re-park my car. I was happy to do it, mostly because I felt grateful that I had somehow averted disaster.
And the whole experience reminded me of a book I’m reading. The moment of certainty where you’re sure that your world is coming crashing down around you is beautifully expressed throughout the entire story of Anybody Out There? by Marion Keyes. For Keyes fans, this book is a natural progression in her series about the Walsh family daughters. Three previous books have focused on different siblings; this one takes up with Anna, the second-to-youngest “flakey” daughter. (Other books about the Walsh family include Watermelon, Rachel’s Holiday, and Angels). Anna was labeled as flakey in those other books, a branding from her sisters, and it seemed well-deserved at the time. Now, hearing from Anna’s perspective, I’m struck with two truths: 1. Anna is only a little flakey. 2. Marion Keyes is a master at both loving her characters and at writing about them objectively. Few authors are good at both.
Each book has improved upon the last, and each offers a whole new view of the loveable and eccentric Walsh family. Anybody Out There? begins in Ireland, where Anna is staying with her parents and her youngest sister Helen, while recovering from a horrible accident. Soon Anna returns to her home in NYC, a city she shares with her sister Rachel. I won’t give anymore details about the story, other than this: It is a brilliant tale of love and loss, because Keyes writes it in a way that forces the reader to experience the same emotions as Anna, as she is having them. It’s at once funny and heart-breaking, and it will leave you with the hope that it’s possible to survive the worst of catastrophes and still have your personality in check.
Whether or not you’ve read other books by Marion Keyes, you’ll be able to enjoy Anybody Out There? because it’s instantly relatable. Whether you’ve suffered a tragedy, or you’re like me (lucky enough to only have had a scare from time to time), this book is one to enjoy, learn from, cry over, and laugh at. How many books offer such promise? Read it – you won’t be sorry. show less

I've been trying to remember when I first read Rachel's Holiday and I've come to the conclusion that it must have been when it was first published in 1997 as I clearly remember looking forward to Marian Keyes' next book, Last Chance Saloon, being published because I had loved Rachel's Holiday so much. In fact, I've always thought that this book was my favourite Keyes. Did I still think that after my reread? Well, read on.

Rachel Walsh is 27 and living in New York, away from her family in her show more native Ireland. You might think this means she has her life together but in fact her life is a mess, lurching from drug to drug, drink to drink. Rachel is a bit of a catastrophe but a fun-loving, somewhat likeable one. She shares a flat with her best friend, Brigit, and has a boyfriend who gets her hot under the collar but one drug-fuelled night too many sees her returning to Ireland to enter The Cloisters, a rehab centre that Rachel, in her haze, expects to be full of Jacuzzis, saunas and swimming pools.

Rachel's Holiday is THE most wonderful book. It's full of humour that had me laughing out loud on so many occasions. Keyes has such a dry and witty way of describing people and situations that just chimed with me. But there is a serious story underneath Rachel's surface, that of addiction and the effects not only on the addict but on those around them. Rachel and her fellow 'inmates' at The Cloisters go on such a journey, both physical and emotional, that it's impossible not to feel for them. I was so moved and at one point tears sprang into my eyes as I realised there was more to one of the characters than I (and Rachel) had at first realised.

At 600 pages you might imagine the story would dip in the middle, or not keep the reader's attention. Wrong! I was fully embroiled in Rachel's story from beginning to end and if it had been longer I would have been rejoicing. I'm certainly thrilled to know that we’ll be hearing more from Rachel in Again Rachel, out February 2022.

So is it still my favourite Keyes? Yes! Rachel's Holiday is superb in every way. It's emotional, it's sexy, it's hilarious, it's thought-provoking and thoughtful, and it's real. I LOVED it! show less

I was a little reluctant to start this book as I had seen some very mixed reviews, but, after reading it, my faith in Marian Keyes is still strong. Tackling some difficult issues such as abusive relationships and alcoholism, mixing in some dirty politics and adding a group of cross-dressing men, she knows how to serve up an interesting read.

Told from the point of view of four women whose lives have been impacted by popular politician Paddy de Courcy, the story does jump around quite a bit. show more Just when you settled into one woman’s story, you were whisked away into another woman’s life. Luckily, the stories grabbed me immediately and I found most of the women sympathetic and grew to care about them. Lola’s story in particular, after I adjusted to the choppy writing style that was used to define her, was a real attention grabber. Broken-hearted, leaving Dublin to live in a tiny seaside town, this stylist and her adventures had me in stitches. Her trannie-club meetings were hilarious. Off-setting this, Marnie’s story was sad, but like a three-car collusion, hard to look at, but impossible to turn away from. Grace, the voice of reason, was a woman to root for, and Alicia, the least mentioned, and the least known, was intriguing, as much for what we visualized for her future as for her current story.

As ever in a Marian Keyes book, I was entertained and enthralled, and I for one, really enjoyed This Charming Man. show less