It's the start of the 1960s, and the world is changing. But for one woman, it seems things have changed too much already. From the bright-eyed girl growing up in a small Irish village, to the confident young woman running a fine English hotel, Tara's life seems to have changed beyond recognition.
A heartwarming saga of family and friendship, duty and desire, perfect for fans of Maureen Lee and Lyn Andrews from storyteller Geraldine O'Neill.
It is 1973 and Connie Devine prepares to leave County Offaly to study medicine in Manchester. Her mother Kate, however, had her heart set on Connie going to university in Dublin and is bitterly disappointed not to get her wish. She fears that her daughter will make a life for herself in England and settle there. Also, Manchester is the home of the beautiful and successful Tara Kennedy, Connie s aunt, and Kate for reasons of her own is determined that Connie will have no contact with Tara. Then, before she leaves Offaly, Connie encounters Tara s young brother-in-law, William, at a party. They are instantly attracted. But when Kate discovers that William has a guilty secret, she exposes it to break up the romance. Settled at Manchester University, Connie tries to forget William. She begins a weekend job which Kate has organised, looking after children. Initially dazzled by the luxurious house on Silver Street, and the generous money she earns there, Connie comes to realise the couple are reckless in their lifestyle and neglectful of their children. Then, an incident occurs on Silver Street which threatens to shatter Connie s hopes of a medical career, and Kate s worst fears are realised when Tara is brought into the picture.
As she puts the final stitches in her perfect wedding dress, Sarah Love receives dreadful news which wrecks all her future plans. Heartbroken and humiliated, she leaps at a chance to make a fresh start away from her native Tullamore.
A heartwarming saga of family and friendship, duty and desire, perfect for fans of Maureen Lee and Lyn Andrews from storyteller Geraldine O'Neill
Growing up in 1950s Kilnagree in Co Clare Rose Barry lives a quiet, predictable life. Working part time in a local pub while helping her grandmother at home her only ambition is to marry a decent local lad and stay close to home. In Offaly her pretty cousin is hiding dark secrets, and flees to the peace of Kilnagree.
Cara Gayle is one of life's pleasers. A young, country school-teacher in 1960s Ireland, she spends her life looking after her philandering husband, Oliver, and her pious mother, Maggie. When Cara's seventh wedding anniversary reveals her husband's latest infidelity, Cara decides it's time to do something for herself. Offered the chance to escape her loveless marriage for a few weeks by accompanying her parents to a family wedding in Lake Savannah, upstate New York, she's only too keen to accept. The gorgeous scenery and the relaxed, American approach to life make Cara more aware than ever of how narrow and unfulfilling her life in Tullamore has become. When she meets Jameson Carroll, a reclusive artist who lives with his young son on the shores of the lake, Cara embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime passionate affair. Yet in the background, her return to Ireland and life with Oliver looms. Can Cara Gayle find the courage, at long last, to finally please herself?
A captivating and immersive saga from an emerging talent in women's fiction.
Raven-haired Kate Flowers lives on the banks of the canal in Ballygrace, looking after widowed mother, Mary, and undependable brother, Brendan, who works on the barges. Life starts to change when Kate meets handsome boatman, Michael O'Brien, and she casts aside her dreams of nursing, for the conventional path of marriage.