I’ve just finished An Early Wake, Sheila Connolly’s latest book in the County Cork series. I give it 4/5 stars. I’m going to start with the things I didn’t like, so I can move on to the things that I loved:
Maura is one of the most irritating, self-absorbed main characters I have ever encountered. She really is a broken record- never had any friends or family other than her grandmother so she doesn’t know how to make friends, she doesn’t understand life in Ireland- she’s from big city Boston, she doesn’t trust people because you couldn’t trust people in Boston, she’s only running the pub for money, on and on and on. In the second instalment, it really seemed like she was starting to get away from her perma-sceptical state of being but alas, here we are again. This book, it’s the every three pages, “I don’t know Irish music.” I remember reading that there was music at the pub, so Maura would have known it. I really hope Connolly allows Maura to actually grow and change in the next book. Or just gets rid of her and continues to write about the town.
Which leads me to what I love: THE TOWN. I probably have a skewed perspective as I lived in Ireland for a year, and I love the people there, but the townsfolk are really the backbone of the story. They are all unique and slowly developing, and Connolly does well at gradually introducing more of them. They are all saints for putting up with Maura and the grumpiness that accompanies her! Billy is so lovable, it was great to see more of him. Sean is sweet and actually pretty good at his job! Mick is a good guy and he is finally starting to be more involved in the stories. I’m loving that the town (and all of its inhabitants) is starting to be fleshed out!
I suppose we will be waiting for another year or bit!
Until tomorrow,
The Historian!
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