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Summary
Summary
"Heart-warming . . . reminiscent of Maeve Binchy and Roisin Meaney." --Irish Examiner
In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg and Jenny Colgan comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy's U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland's stunning West Coast.
As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland's West Coast, Hanna Casey tries not to think about a lot of things. Like the sophisticated lifestyle she abandoned after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or that she's back in Lissbeg, the rural Irish town she walked away from in her teens, living in the back bedroom of her overbearing mother's retirement bungalow. Or, worse yet, her nagging fear that, as the local librarian and a prominent figure in the community, her failed marriage and ignominious return have made her a focus of gossip.
With her teenage daughter, Jazz, off traveling the world and her relationship with her own mother growing increasingly tense, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula's fragmented community. And she's about to discover that the neighbors she'd always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined.
Told with heart and abundant charm, The Library at the Edge of the World is a joyous story about the meaning of home and the importance of finding a place where you truly belong.
Reviews (3)
Kirkus Review
A librarian returns to her small Ireland hometownand the cast of eccentric characters who live there.After divorcing her cheating husband, 51-year-old Hanna Casey finds herself living back home in the Irish countryside with her nagging mother. Although Hanna lived a sophisticated life in London while she was married, now she has to once again get used to the slower pace of life in Lissbeg. As her daughter, Jazz, travels the world working for an airline, Hanna earns her living as the town librarian. With a reputation for being stuck-up, she avoids fraternizing with the locals; instead, she wants to focus on restoring her great-aunt's old cottage so she can finally move out of her mom's house. But when a group of bureaucrats comes up with a tourism plan that will involve closing the Lissbeg library, Hanna becomes the reluctant leader of a campaign to save it. As Hanna gets more involved in the lives of the people in her community, she begins to realize that Lissbeg isn't just any other townit's her home. Bursting with lovably wacky characters (most notably the cantankerous builder Fury O'Shea), this novel creates a richly drawn world. Although the characters are charming, Irish author Hayes-McCoy's U.S. debut presents a realistic view of what it's like to live in a small town where employment opportunities are slim. Those who are seeking an adventure-filled thrill ride should look elsewhere, but readers searching for a slow-paced, gentle look at small-town Ireland will find a lot to love. A sweet and relaxing story about the importance of community. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
When Hanna-Mariah Casey returned home to the Finfarran peninsula of Ireland after her marriage fell apart, she never imagined that, five years later, she'd still be living with her mother and driving the local library bookmobile. Wildly unhappy, she decides to renovate a cabin left to her by her great-aunt so she can get out of her mother's house, a choice that plunges her into the lives of her neighbors. Her gruff contractor, Fury, has taken over her renovation project, which she is told he'll give back when he is good and ready. Her bookmobile patrons are bringing her housewarming gifts. Even worse, she is dragged into a local budget debate that could mean the end of her job. Hanna gradually realizes that reviving connections among Finfarran's residents may be what will save them all. The spot-on descriptions of Ireland's dusty country roads and expansive sky all but leap off the page and provide the true joy of Hayes-McCoy's first novel. Hanna's background story fails to paint her as a librarian to love, but Maeve Binchy and Patrick Taylor fans will find much to enjoy.--Babiasz, Tracy Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
DEBUT The "edge of the world" is the southwestern coast of Ireland, on a fictional peninsula (think Dingle). Librarian Hanna Casey, who has returned to her Irish hometown after discovering her English husband's infidelity, drives the mobile library van among the villages of the Finfarran Peninsula. But all is not sunshine in this beautiful, remote region. Developers and business interests plan to close the local library, consolidating services distantly, further fragmenting the social interaction of the area's local residents. When the plan is disclosed, Hanna finds herself leading the community's pushback. Nuns, fishermen, senior citizens, young entrepreneurs, crusty curmudgeons, the local rich family recluse, and library patrons band together to bolster their common purpose. Verdict Making her fiction and U.S. debut, the author of The House on an Irish Hillside delivers an appealing novel that will delight Maeve Binchy fans. There are plenty of good discussion points about the nature of community for book clubs and thoughtful readers.-Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Chicago © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
