‘WHOSE LIFE IS IT ANYWAY?’ by Sinead Moriarty

Author Sinéad Moriarty is back with another humorous look at life and love in this, her fifth novel, ‘Whose Life Is It Anyway?’. This novel seems to be at times stuck a little in the dark ages and although it is set in the 1980s the reader does wonder whether things really were that bad. Also the Irish family involved are somewhat stereotyped.

The plot centres on writer Niamh O’Flaherty, who is not on the look out for love when she’s in a bar with her friends and meets the delectable Pierrre– tall, dark and handsome and she is soon won over by his charms and enjoys a whirlwind romance.

She is attracted to his sense of humour, his maturity and his devastating good looks and she can’t wait to share her good fortune with her friends– her family though are quite another story.

Niamh was brought up in Liverpool but her parents Mick and Annie are still Irish through and through– their home is a shrine to all things Irish, the Blessed Virgin is everywhere and all their children were forced to go to Irish dancing classes when they were younger– and the now adult children are expected to find a ‘nice Irish man’ to settle down with– not an older French man who is black.

Therein lies the whole problem and from the beginning to the end of the book we follow Niamh’s desperate struggle as she tries to pluck up the courage to break the news of her boyfriend’s colour to her brother, sister, mother and eventually, her father. Why Pierre would stay with her and why she dragged out the issue is anybody’s guess.

In addition, the couple have the added problem of Pierre’s posh parents who look down on Niamh and believe she is not good enough for him! They want ‘a nice French girl’ like his last fiancèe.

‘Whose Life Is It Anyway?’ is interspersed with funny tales from Niamh’s previous romances and the trials and tribulations of her best friends. Will Niamh get her man in the end? You’ll just have to wait and see…

Bestselling author Sinéad Moriarty, pictured right, lives in Dublin with her husband and two sons. She was born and raised in Dublin, where she grew up surrounded by books. Her mother is an author of children’s books.

Growing up, Sinéad says she was inspired by watching her mother writing at the kitchen table and then being published. From that moment on, her childhood dream was to write a novel.

After university, she went to live in Paris and then London. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London, that she began to write creatively in her spare time.

After a couple of years toying with ideas, she joined a creative writing group and began to write ‘The Baby Trail’. Shortly after the novel was published, Sinéad had a baby boy– a very happy ending to her own Baby Trail.

Since writing the book, Sinéad has moved back to Dublin, where she lives with her husband and baby son.
The second and last titles in the The Baby Trail series– ‘A Perfect Match’ and ‘From Here to Maternity’, are also published by Penguin. Sinéad’s last novel was ‘In My Sister’s Shoes’.

‘Forgive and Forget’ by Patricia Scanlan

Patricia Scanlan usually delivers a riveting read and her latest offering is no exception. It is a delightful read but for the disappointing ending. You read the entire book hoping for a conclusion and are instead left with a frustrating question mark.

Debbie is about to get married to Bryan, who is far from the perfect groom. He hasn’t exactly won over the estranged parents of his bride-to-be and is feeling just a little bit trapped with the idea of walking down the aisle, though he does genuinely love his future wife in his own way.

But there are problems… Debbie’s parents split when she was just a child and she has never forgiven her father Barry for walking out on her. Even now, as her big day draws near she refuses to allow him to walk her down the aisle, despite her mother Connie’s best efforts to persuade them to heal their long-standing rift.

Barry is confused and unhappy in his new marriage to younger model Aimee. He left Connie for her some time ago and together they had Melissa, now a rebellious teenager.

What ensues is a great story with some interesting characters, all of whom are faced with major decisions to make.

‘Forgive and Forget’ is an enticing read and fans of Scanlan will enjoy getting immersed into the trials and tribulations of Connie and Barry’s lives and their extended families. The only complaint I have about the book is the last three words which took the good out of it for me.

I would have thought a book should have had a beginning, a middle and an end. I felt cheated and it looks like I’ll have to wait at least a year for a conclusion to this story and that I feel is a little unfair.

‘Forgive and Forget’ is published by Transworld Ireland.