Summer at the Garden Café

Ah Finfarran, such a perfect little place, I find myself wishing it were real and I could go there. It will not be a spoiler to say that everything works out happily for librarian Hanna Casey and her friends and neighbours. These characters are written so clearly, so realistically, and they endure—or should I say put themselves through—such angst, such self-imposed, all-too-human suffering, that I found myself wanting to throttle them at times throughout the narrative (Aideen, Jazz, and Hanna, this means you!) So the fact that they could each come out the other side, not without the well-placed words of their cantankerous elders, makes me hopeful. There must be something in the water, on that magical Irish peninsula.

Thank you librarything for sending me an advanced copy of Summer at the Garden Cafe by Felicity Hayes-McCoy in return for my honest review.

As this book is the continuation of The Library at the Edge of the World, I read that book first. I am glad that I did, and at the same time I am sorry that I did. As there are recurring characters and story-lines in the second book, it made sense to read the books in order, but I think that it was a mistake to read them one right after the other, so close together in time. Both novels are reminiscent of one of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy. But, where I found the first book charming, the second book, with the exception of Maggie Casey’s back-story, while enjoyable, was a little boring. I loved show more the minor character Fury, but I found the main character Hanna difficult to like, though I wanted to. I think if I had read the two books further apart, I would have liked the second book more. I am definitely in the minority here so it might be best to read it and judge for yourself.
3 1/2 stars. show less

I loved reading this second book in theFinfarren Peninsula series. I had read the first novel, but feel this book can stand on its own. The story centers around Hanna, the town’s librarian, and her friends and family. She has recently restored her Aunt Maggie’s cottage, and has found an old diary that helps her explore her roots. This is a gentle, comforting novel set in a small Irish town. it was a delight to read!

Summer at the Garden Cafe is presumably the second in what will be a series of books about the fictional Irish peninsula of Finfarrian. I have not read the first book, but this feels very much a stand-alone. There are references to efforts to close the library where the central character, Hanna Casey, is librarian, which I presume is detailed in the first book, but it clearly is not central to this story.

The story is woven around an old diary found by Hanna, written by her Aunt Maggie. But it veers off in numerous directions, following other characters from Hanna's family, a co-worker and his girlfriend, a student and her mother originally from Pakistan, a couple who run a B&B, plus others in the town. It makes for a very slow start to show more the book, because it takes a long time to really figure out where the story is headed. The ending leaves various plot threads hanging, setting up another sequel, but one of those is just sort of dropped in at the last moment. I found the last third of the book compelling, but I had to push myself at times to get to that point.

The writing is beautiful, and the descriptions of the scenes very engaging. I was ready early on to book a ticket to Ireland. In the end, I enjoyed Summer at the Garden Cafe, and I would probably read a sequel, but I wouldn't put this on my list of best books of the year. show less

Another really great book in the Finfarran Peninsula series by Felicity Hayes-McCoy. This time round, the story focuses more on Hanna's daughter, Jazz, and her deceased aunt, Maggie. You learn a lot more about Maggie's past and about how Jazz is recovering from the car accident she had in the first book of the series. The story also lets us better get to know Hanna, her mother, Mary, her former mother-in-law, Louisa, her co-worker, Conor, his girlfriend, Aideen, new library exhibit worker, Ameena, her mother Saira, psalter donator, Charles, ex-husband, Malcolm, budding romantic interest, Brian, and of course the local eccentric and protector of all things Finfarran and the people therein, Fury, and his scrappy, yet lovable little dog, show more Divil. What a wonderfully written book about interesting, likeable, and relatable characters all set in a location that I would love to visit. I can imagine myself stopping in to the library in Lissbeg to get a good book to read by the coast, doing a bit of shopping at the old convent, and picking up a bite to eat from the HabberDashery. Truly charming, comforting, and delightful. After having read the first three books, I hope for more because I really want to continue to visit these people, this beautiful edge of the world where they live, and their stories. show less

This novel is a sequel to “The Library at the Edge of the World,” set in Ireland with a librarian protagonist. It is very cozy and immersive, set in a bucolic town that is doing a beautiful job with an economic revitalization effort, but not much happens. There are many characters (which is fine), all demanding a fair amount of emotional involvement by the reader (which is tiring). An interpolated diary by a dead great-aunt, discovered like a buried treasure, adds zero interest and even some confusion. The author switches back-and-forth among the characters and story lines, sometimes jarringly. This would be a good choice for the reader who is tired of preachy inspirational fiction, but desires no sex, violence, crime, or even show more excitement in a novel. I was still waiting at the end for a climactic event that never occurred. A novel needs some dramatic tension, some problem to solve. I liked the characters but the various interrelationships (mother and daughter (times three); landlord and tenant with crush on landlord; star crossed lovers) were, in the end, completely forgettable. show less

I received an Early Reviewers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I read the first Finfarran book and enjoyed this Irish small town with it's interesting characters. This 2nd book finds the small town of Finfarren going through some positive changes now that a priceless psalter is now on display in the town's library. Librarian Hanna has just fixed up her Aunt Maggie's cottage when she discovers her aunt's old diary that offers many fascinating clues to her family history. Daughter Jazz is living and working in Finfarren, and has emotional issues of her own. Hanna is dealing with problems involving her ex-husband, her mother-in-law, her mother and the romantic interest of a local architect . While I enjoyed the novel, I show more found it difficult to follow in places. The conflicts between several of the characters were not always clearly defined, as if something was missing. Still, the plot was unique and the story enjoyable enough. show less