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A review by ravenclaw_28
The Transatlantic Book Club by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
3.0
The Transatlantic Book Club by Felicity Hayes-McCoy is a truly uplifting tale of love, loss and family. Set in the imaginary town of Finfarren on the West Coast of Ireland, we're introduced to Pat and Cassie, a family from two sides of the Atlantic joined together after the passing of Pat's husband Ger.
Part of a series, The Transatlantic Book Club is a perfect standalone novel and is perfect for wet rainy days, curled up in your favourite spot with a hot cuppa and oversized blanket.
Even though I enjoyed this book, I found the storyline to be quite slow and jumped all over the place. I actually enjoyed the parts that jumped back into the past more than what was taking place during the present. I did love the connection the book had to the real world that gave this book its name. It's truly inspiring that there's actually a book club out there that is spread across two continents and was made truly possible due to the advancements of modern technology.
I think everyone is aware of the large numbers of Irish people who emigrated to the United States for generations in search of the American dream, to escape religious persecution or simply out of curiosity. I don't know personally a lot about why people moved, being an Englishwoman but I definitely think Ireland's history whether at home or abroad is fascinating interwoven throughout time.
The characters of Finfarren are the same. I loved the way people's families could be traced back no matter how many generations removed they were from their original roots. My favourite characters had to be Pat Fitzgerald and Mary Casey, two sides of the same coin joined together in widowhood, and a lifetime of friendship. Pat was kind, gentle and honest whereas Mary was all smoke, mirrors and barbed wire. Two vastly different individuals that complimented each other perfectly.
I understand that in all good romances, there's always a love-triangle but I really hated the introduction of Brad, the billionaire Cruise ship guy. He just wasn't needed as we didn't really get to understand Cassie's character fully, as I felt the story focussed a lot on Pat and the past she left behind in Resolve. What would have made this even better was if Jack Shanahan had jumped on a plane to Finfarren and made a life with Cassie instead of acting like a kicked puppy over Skype.
This was a charming book full of life, colour and side-splitting humour. A great quick read that kept me amused for days.
Part of a series, The Transatlantic Book Club is a perfect standalone novel and is perfect for wet rainy days, curled up in your favourite spot with a hot cuppa and oversized blanket.
Even though I enjoyed this book, I found the storyline to be quite slow and jumped all over the place. I actually enjoyed the parts that jumped back into the past more than what was taking place during the present. I did love the connection the book had to the real world that gave this book its name. It's truly inspiring that there's actually a book club out there that is spread across two continents and was made truly possible due to the advancements of modern technology.
I think everyone is aware of the large numbers of Irish people who emigrated to the United States for generations in search of the American dream, to escape religious persecution or simply out of curiosity. I don't know personally a lot about why people moved, being an Englishwoman but I definitely think Ireland's history whether at home or abroad is fascinating interwoven throughout time.
The characters of Finfarren are the same. I loved the way people's families could be traced back no matter how many generations removed they were from their original roots. My favourite characters had to be Pat Fitzgerald and Mary Casey, two sides of the same coin joined together in widowhood, and a lifetime of friendship. Pat was kind, gentle and honest whereas Mary was all smoke, mirrors and barbed wire. Two vastly different individuals that complimented each other perfectly.
I understand that in all good romances, there's always a love-triangle but I really hated the introduction of Brad, the billionaire Cruise ship guy. He just wasn't needed as we didn't really get to understand Cassie's character fully, as I felt the story focussed a lot on Pat and the past she left behind in Resolve. What would have made this even better was if Jack Shanahan had jumped on a plane to Finfarren and made a life with Cassie instead of acting like a kicked puppy over Skype.
This was a charming book full of life, colour and side-splitting humour. A great quick read that kept me amused for days.