Irish Girls About Town

I flew through this book of 15 stories, all written by Irish women. The theme throughout is that of relationships, ranging from familial to marriage, and even though there is a single theme, there are enough variations of it to make it easy to read and just as easy to enjoy.

My personal favorites were "Soulmates" by Marian Keyes, "The Twenty-Eighth Day" by Catherine Barry, and "Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods" by Cathy Kelly. Don't get me wrong though, there is not a bad story in the bunch, it's just that I felt compelled to list the ones that stick out in my mind the most.

"Soulmates" is an interesting tale about two 'perfect' people fated to meet and be together because they are, yes, soulmates. Everything is just right when it comes show more to these two: their meeting, their courtship, and subsequent marriage. But when trouble looms on the horizon, their friends harbor a secret hope that all will unravel, and do so badly. I will leave it for you to read the story to find out what happens.

"The Twenty-Eighth Day" is for anyone who has suffered through PMS – and I just don't mean the woman:

"I am being tormented and tortured by some unknown force I cannot touch or feel. It's like somebody else has taken over my body, mind, and soul. There is a demon spirit inside me, telling me to do inappropriate things, prompting me to say hurtful, offensive words, urging me to be the meanest b---- that ever walked the earth."

"Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods" initially appears to be a story about a woman who needs a vacation from her boring life, to experience something more exciting than "not having a Chinese takeaway on Friday nights but…shock, horror…having pizza instead." No sooner does the vacation begin than a snag threatens to destroy all her hopes. However she eventually learns that the trip she is on is one of self-discovery, for as she notes, "Although my own world had shifted on its axis after the holiday, in the office nothing had changed." Things around her remained the same, it was she who had changed - who needed to change - so she could see those things, and herself, more clearly.

I am giving this book a 5 star rating since I truly could not put this book down. Not once.

Note: As with the U.K. and Irish edition, Barnardo's and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul will benefit from the sale of this edition of Irish Girls About Town. show less

A compelling collection of short stories from Ireland's known and less known. These mostly focus on romance and relationships but there are also mysteries. Not all of equal quality, but very balanced and enjoyable.

Some of the stories in this book were a little too "romance novel"ish for my tastes but some were quite good. The Twenty-eighth Day, which is about a woman with severe PMS, by Catherine Berry was quite funny given the topic. Your Place or Mine by Gemma O'Connor is not at all what you would expect from the title;in fact, the ending is creepy. Carissima by Maeve Binchy is a story I had read before but it reminds me why Binchy is so well-liked. Playing Games by Catherine Dunne had a totally unexpected twist at the end. So I'm giving it an average rating because some of the 16 stories were quite good but some were pedestrian.

This is a collection of short stories written by Irish female authors. While the stories vary considerably, they are all about love in its many disguises.

A few of the stories feature more mature women … sometimes living lonely lives until they find a way to open their hearts to possibilities … but most deal with younger women and the men they love, or hope to love, or love to hate. There are some very true-to-life girlfriend scenarios (including the “with friends like her, who needs enemies” scene), and some cringe-worthy “looking for love in all the wrong places” stories. And there are stories that renew one’s faith in love and reinforce belief that “love will find a way.”

On the whole, it’s an enjoyable anthology.

A really great short-story compilation for that rainy or cozy fall/winter afternoon. Heart warming and engaging.

This book is pretty much what you might expect it to be: light stories by female Irish authors. They are chicklit, for the most part, some better written than others. A few extend beyond the first-world romance that overloads chicklit and explore more interesting territory.

An easy read, good for the beach or airplane.

Mixed bag of short stories - outside my normal genre so i can't judge objectively but I liked some a lot, suspect others are more harlequin-weight - but a fun quick read if you're at all interested I do recommend.