The Misremembered Man

Jamie McCloone is a farmer, living on the farm in northern Ireland his adopted parents left to him. In his early forties, he longs for companionship and a family so he answers a 'Lonely Hearts' advertisement from schoolteacher Lydia Devine. She's a spinster, living and taking care of her invalid mother.
The story alternates from Jamie's time in the orphanage as a small boy where he was abused and starved to adult Jamie and Lydia's lives. The orphanage sections are very dark; the boys suffered terribly much as the girls did in the Magdalene laundries. This cruelty is offset wonderfully by the poignant and funny sections with Jamie and Lydia as adults. There were a few scenes that made me laugh out loud.
The author manages to balance the show more story well. Her writing is lyrical and her dialogue is masterful. Schoolteacher Lydia mentally corrects and awards points for correct grammar. Jamie and his friends are rougher, and they speak in an Irish dialect that works perfectly.
I understand this is a debut novel. It's just lovely, and I can't wait to read more from this author. show less

Jamie McCloone was abandoned as a baby in 1934, to a convent in Ireland: a place where a priest abused him, and some hard hearted nuns looked the other way. Now 41 years old, living by himself in a run down 100 year old cottage in the Irish countryside, he is suffering from depression, dragging himself through each day with only the comfort of his dog Shep, and his neighbors Paddy and Rose McFadden. Rose worries about Jamie and suggests that he look for a wife by taking out an ad in the newspaper. In another part of town, Lydia Devine, a never married school teacher, is living at home taking care of her over-bearing widowed mother. Lydia doesn’t date, and when she gets invited to a wedding she realizes that she’ll need a date, so show more she takes out an ad in the same newspaper.

The story evolves around these two lonely people taking a chance, hoping to find happiness. The author, Christina McKenna, has written a compelling story using their voices, and flashbacks to the abuse Jamie suffered during his childhood. Christina is an amazingly talented writer, who has crafted a piece of fiction that shines brilliantly in the midst of its underlying dark tale of abuse. Reading the first page convinced me of her writing ability, and in the last chapter my heart was racing and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. 5 stars; and a warning for anyone sensitive to child abuse; the scenes are graphic, but can be skipped over because you’ll know when they are about to happen. show less

This is the debut novel of Northern Irish author Christina McKenna, the first in the Tailorstown series. It is a literary historical fiction that shifts between the 1930s and 1970s in Northern Ireland. The two main characters, awkward farmer Jamie McCloone and prim, repressed school teacher Lydia Devine, are in their 40s and looking for some companionship. Lydia is trying to escape the authoritarian clutches of her mother and to find a date for a wedding. Jamie is egged on by his hilarious, supportive neighbours to embark on a date.

The chapters alternate between the comical present and Jamie’s grim, traumatic and dark upbringing in a 1930s Catholic orphanage, abused and mistreated by the nuns and priests. These chapters were a show more harrowing read and not for the faint-hearted and probably too much for me. It was at times a sharp juxtaposition between the humourous brogue of Jamie’s neighbours, and then the dank, fetid evil of the orphanage.

This was a well-written read which captures the lilt of rural Northern Irish dialogue brilliantly, but be prepared for the heavier themes, and don’t go in expecting a gentle romance, it is not a romance novel at all. 4 stars. show less

I got this as a kindle daily deal bargain book. it looks and sounds like a romance between two forty somethjng people in rural Ireland but that is not quite accurate.


Our main characters are both lonely and unhappy people looking for companionship and they do find it with each other but not before dealing with a variety of obstacles. The book makes extensive use of flashbacks detailing one character's horrific life in an orphanage and I undrstand why they were there and appreciate what those scenes added but I found them to be too heavy handed.

The rest of the book is just OK - a little bit sweet, a little bit funny, a little bit over done.

Jamie mccloone lost his last relative and is depressed when he is encouraged by his friends to answer a lonely hearts ad. Lydia has placed the ad to get some life away from a sickly controlling mother. Their process to meeting and their meeting is touching and humorous. Interspersed with this are scenes from Jamie’s years in a brutal orphanage. Very well done.

The Misremembered Man is James McCloone, a 41 year old bachelor who lives a chaotic and slovenly life on a small Irish farm. Lydia Devine is a spinster of a similar age, brow-beaten by her aging mother. Both James and Lydia are convinced by their friends to place an ad in the lonely hearts column, and commence an awkward correspondence.

As McKenna relates their story, she also explores James' past life in a Catholic orphanage, explaining why he struggles so much with life, and has difficulties with simple things such as cleaning.

The book has two quite distinct moods. The story of James' and Lydia's awkward relationship is played a little bit for laughs, and is a stark contrast to McKenna's account of the horrific abuse Jamie suffered in show more the orphanage. The ending is perhaps a ittle too pat, but overall this is a book well worth reading. show less

I laughed, smiled, cried...followed the journey by rickety car, bicycle and yellow pointy shoes. A story of love finding you in a very untraditional way...but take note it is not a romance.