This collection of stories is set in Portobello, on the edge of Dublin city centre, just inside the canal. The stories reflect on characters on the edge of life, personalities that do not quite fit in: Michael, the country boy who drowns himself; Harry, the old Jewish dealer living alone; Liam, the crude but jovial emigrant returning to Ireland for a visit. Through the author's eyes, and through the eyes of his other characters, we follow his progress from the first story, 'Settling In', to the final one, 'Mr Pock'. Old friends are met, in loss or renewal, making or trying to make fresh starts, or looking back though the glass of time. Disappointment, happiness, uncertainty lead to the realization that this place has become – what the author had always thought was elsewhere – his home. Written over the past thirty years, these earnest and deeply human anecdotes form a greater story – of one man's life in one place. Views: 55
I never set foot in J's bedroom . . . I presume that even J's mother rarely set foot in there and only in genuine emergencies, perhaps because not even she was protected by the awe that he held for her. He wouldn't let anything touch his mother, but that wouldn't necessarily have stopped him from touching her breasts . . . Even though I spent a lot of time in my grandmother's house as a child, I can't picture J's room at all. I don't know where the bed was, though there must have been one, and I don't have a clue what else could have been in there. I simply can't picture it. Venturing in there during the years of the stench would have been hell. I would have died of disgust . . . Today, it's my study. I've always written novels in there, but until now it had never occurred to me to write about my mentally-impaired-at-birth uncle J. About him and his room. About the house and the street. And about my family. And our gravestones. And the Wetterau, which is the whole world .... Views: 55
Trinity, Bride of West Virginia is the 35th in the unprecedented 50-book American Mail-Order Brides series. After a fire at the Brown Textile Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts, twenty-two-year old Trinity Kroger agrees to become a mail order bride, traveling to West Virginia. Her intended, Mr. John Witherspoon, is nearly fifty-eight-years old. Shocked by the age difference, it is far too late to change her mind, the ceremony taking place immediately. Nathanial Witherspoon tries to stop his father from making a grave mistake, arriving at City Hall too late. The shabbily dressed young woman in his father's company cannot be his new stepmother. It would be impossible, because, although poor and uneducated, she's the loveliest thing he has ever seen. Trinity is drawn to Nathanial, who showers her with gifts and clothing, writing heartfelt letters. She came to West Virginia to find a place of belonging. Never could she have imagined falling in love so deeply - so passionately, yet not with her husband. Nathanial has stolen her heart, but they can never be together. Views: 54
Patrick McGinley's sixth novel, true to his distinctive style, is set in the austere and haunting landscape and shoreline of the author's native county, Donegal, Ireland. Love and death appear as the inescapable enigmas of being in the world. The Red Men is rich in vocabulary, in the particularities of daily life, and in various surprising areas of arcane lore. Views: 53
This novel is set during the Spanish war. Four subtly connected stories, narrated with the same language but with the individual styles of the different narrators that shape the true main protagonist of this story: defeat. Views: 53
On the outer deck of a North Sea ferry stands Futh, a middle-aged and newly separated man, on his way to Germany for a restorative walking holiday. After an inexplicably hostile encounter with a hotel landlord, Futh sets out along the Rhine. As he contemplates an earlier trip to Germany and the things he has done in his life, he does not foresee the potentially devastating consequences of things not done. The Lighthouse, Alison Moore’s first novel, tells the tense, gripping story of a man trying to find himself, but becoming lost. Views: 52
A sweet, clean historical romance novel by USA Today bestselling author Carré White. Saffron Fossett is a capable, feisty young woman, who is courting one of the richest men in town, Silas Hefferman. Having been in mourning following her mother’s death, she eagerly anticipates a marriage proposal, although her pa isn’t all that fond of the fair-haired young man. Looking for work, after having been a wagon master and trapper, Micah Blaylock and his Indian friend, Deer Runner, arrive in Fern Valley during an outbreak of rabid bear attacks. As the town struggles to protect itself from these vicious, diseased animals, Saffron and her family find themselves in peril. After a hunting party is formed, Saffron is the only woman allowed to join, having proven herself a good shot. Accompanied by her beau, Silas, and Micah, a bond forms between the brunette beauty and the mysterious mountain man. The group soon finds itself in dire circumstances, which will test the mettle and faith of each person on the journey. The Rocky Mountains, although wild and beautiful, hold a danger far greater than rabid bears. Categories: Victorian romance novels, historical romance bestsellers, sweet historical romance, pioneer western novels, Colorado history, clean historical romance, inspirational historical romance, action adventure historical romance, Christian historical romance, 19th century fiction, Victorian romance suspense. Views: 49
Spirited and independent, lady's maid Nan Smithen has ambitions far beyond her station. Marriage to a wealthy businessman enchanted by her youth brings her position, children and a comfortable union. Until her doting husband is killed on an ill-fated trip to revolutionary France.Alone with three young children, Nan faces a bleak future, for there is no money left. But the strength of will that brought her this far drives her on. A newswalk in Mayfair is her first step towards establishing a business empire that will soon stretch throughout London and beyond. Nan's fortune starts to grow.Then Calverly Leigh, a dashing—and dangerous—cavalry officer waltzes into Nan's life and she discovers there is much, much more to life than selling the Tuppenny Times.Tuppenny Times, first published in 1989, is the first book of the Easter Empire trilogy. Views: 49
It took Henry VIII 28 years, three wives, and a break with Rome before he secured a legitimate male heir. Yet he already had the illegitimate Henry Fitzroy. Fitzroy was born in 1519 after the King's affair with Elizabeth Blount. He was the only illegitimate offspring ever acknowledged by Henry VIII, and Cardinal Wolsey was even one of his Godparents. So just how close did he come to being Henry IX? Views: 47
