Category: Sheila O’Flanagan

What Eden Did Next by Sheila O’Flanagan- an absorbing contemporary story of choices faced by a young woman

May 9, 2022

What Eden Did Next by Sheila O’Flanagan

In this thoughtful novel set in contemporary Ireland, Sheila O’Flanagan has set up a series of dilemmas for a young woman who has had to deal with tragedy in her fairly recent past. O’Flanagan draws on the lives of the comfortably off to tell the story of Eden, left in one terrible instant a widow with an unborn child by the tragic death of her husband. Understandably rocked by this event, she has had support from her husband Andy’s family over the years since, and she has devised a way to feel close to him. This book looks at what happens when she begins to feel ready to make a fresh start, but the past in its various guises seems to drag her back, before her daughter Lila, before Andy and to another life. 

This searingly honest book looks at the emotions behind family ties, both actual and arranged by circumstance. There is romance, a rekindled and yet new formed attraction to someone from before the complications, who suddenly reappears in a new form, with a new backstory of his own. It speaks powerfully of the lingering influence of gratitude, of assumptions made by others for one’s future, and the shock of the sudden urge to move on, to change. It is cleverly set in an area where local gossip mimics family communications, where women see a lone man with a daughter as an opportunity, and a family assumes that a bereft daughter in law will never move on. It features remarkable characters including a strong minded older woman with some memorable views , as well as the would-be matriarch desperate to keep her son’s memory alive.  At the heart of this brilliantly written novel is Eden, still shaped by her past, but discovering that moving on may not be impossible. I found this a truly absorbing novel that offered so much, and I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and review it. 

Throughout the book we read letters that Eden writes to Andy, posting them so they arrive at her house addressed to him. They are moving accounts of what is going on in her life,and are fascinating to the reader as insights as to what Eden is really thinking, the essence of how she is coping without him. They express the love she still feels for him, as well as what is happening with Lila, a daughter he did not know of unless it was in the last frantic words Eden whispered to him. As the book progresses she uses the letters to reflect on her feelings, her surprise at meeting a man from her past in a very different set of circumstances. As she begins to feel the pressure from past events in her life, as before meeting Andy she lost both parents suddenly as a child, she is forced to consider the effects of her losses, as well as her ties to those who were there to take care of her. When she discovers that her carers were challenged by their responsibilities she learns more about her life. The real test comes when Andy’s mother makes plans that reflect her own interests rather than Eden’s, and a choice emerges that will hurt and upset someone whatever she decides.

This is a relatable and sometimes funny novel that reflects a real life dilemma for a woman poised on the edge of a potential new start. The romance element is relatable in terms of its hesitant and confusing beginnings. While Valerie, Andy’s mother, is a particularly vividly drawn presence in this novel, I enjoyed the reading of the other characters in the street where Eden works, Elizabeth being a particular favourite for her forthright views, though the gossip whatsapp conversations are also very entertaining. This is such a well written and absorbing novel that I recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading of the dilemmas and choices facing women in the twenty-first century.  

Three Weddings and a Proposal by Sheila O’Flanagan – a woman must consider her options in contemporary Dublin

May 31, 2021

Three Weddings and a Proposal by Sheila O’Flanagan 

Delphine’s story is at the heart of this contemporary novel which deals with a woman’s choices. On one level she is a successful woman, an Executive assistant to Conrad Morgan, a multimillionaire businessman. Her relationship with her boss is one of devotion “I never want him to be disappointed. He depends on me to deliver”. He is the head of an investment firm, moving and growing other people’s money and he is remarkably successful. Delphine is first seen buying a bracelet for his young and beautiful girlfriend Bianca, a fabulous thirtieth birthday present with beauty and history. On the other hand, Delphi as she is known to her extensive family, has no permanent boyfriend, or husband, an empty if wonderful house, a career which takes her on amazing trips around the world. She has female friends, but it soon emerges that she cannot find a plus one for her brother’s wedding. This book looks at, through Delphine’s eyes, how women think of their work, their careers and relationships. Her voice is of a woman who wonders if she has it all, indeed, whether she wants everything. Lively, funny and realistic, this is a story of  a woman whose family has expectations of marriage as the route to happiness, who has business acumen if not ambition, and has to consider in a relatively short time her options. I really enjoyed it and found it an enthralling read. I was very pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this contemporary novel. 

The book opens as Delphine is trying to buy a bracelet for some £100,000 while coping with the demands of her brother to let him know the name of her plus one for his wedding. She comes from a large family in Dublin, where it is important to live close to each other in all senses. Delphine’s singleness is a cause for concern for her family, and the nature of her relationship with her demanding boss is perhaps misunderstood. A law graduate, her successful career has been built on arranging life for Conrad, making sure he is at all his meetings well prepared, his business and charitable interests well organised. Although not earning money directly for the company, she eases the way for Conrad to earn fantastic amounts for investors and himself. She likes his wife Martha, the ultimate executive’s wife, making a home for him and the children and entertaining contacts suitably. More recently Conrad has found a much younger girlfriend, and while Delphine has met her and quite enjoys her company, she knows that Conrad’s lifestyle has changed. An unpredicted event means that Delphine must consider everything, her relationships with past boyfriends, her family’s expectations for her. She realises that men’s and women’s attitudes to their careers are so different  that it can be difficult to understand where they overlap. She also realises several things about herself, if only how she reacts to pressures that she could have never foreseen.

This book has much to say about women’s lives in a post – pandemic world. It speaks of their fear of missing out compared with their career progress, the pressure from well meaning family and friends to “settle”, and the real need to find their own way. It shows real insight, a powerful view of women’s lives through fiction, a strong voice in the face of discrimination against women in the workplace despite their progress towards equality. It is entertaining and meaningful, a real dose of reality amongst the humour and personal crisis. The writing takes the reader along, cleverly posing and answering questions, and I recommend it as a vividly written novel of a woman’s life and choices. 

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan – the paperback publication of a novel of two women finding clues for life

March 4, 2021

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan 

An idyllic literary tour of France and Spain sounds a most attractive idea for a holiday, staying in beautiful hotels, exploring small towns and cities, eating fabulous food, all sounds wonderful. However, the two women who undertake this journey in this lovely book from Sheila O’Flanagan’s  are both traumatised and searching for a new perspective to be able to cope with their recent respective pasts. Deira has been in a relationship with Gavin for thirteen years, coped with various challenges, and now feels betrayed. Grace is an older woman whose strong willed husband is dead, but she still has many questions and regrets about the man who controlled most of her adult life. Meeting by accident or fate, thrown together on this unusual journey by unique circumstances, this is a book which explores more than beautiful scenery in their search for new lives, or at least a way of coping with their present ones. This dynamic book looks at the cost of love and relationships for women in contemporary Ireland, and the strength of new friendship in coping with the challenges that women face. I found this a remarkable and wholly enjoyable read, full of genuine insight, beautiful descriptive writing and a powerful picture of women who have regrets. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this novel. 

The book opens with Deira acquiring a convertible and very desirable car from her ex partner’s car parking space. They had booked a trip with it from Dublin by ferry to France. Deira decides that although they have split up, she still wants to fulfil her ambition of driving around Paris in an open top car. She is angry with Gavin for more than just breaking up with her in finding a younger woman; she now feels her chances of becoming a mother slipping from her. She accidentally meets Grace, an older woman of serene beauty who gives the impression of coping brilliantly with life. However, after a small accident and no longer being able to drive the disputed car, Deira discovers that Ken, Grace’s late husband, has left her a series of puzzles on his laptop relating to the hotel rooms he has booked for her to stay across France. It emerges that Ken had been one of Deira’s literature lecturers at University, and she helps Grace to solve the mainly author related clues on a treasure hunt. As they travel together they reveal their individual traumas to each other; Deira’s sense of betrayal, Grace’s realisation of how Ken had dominated her life and always assumed that she would cope. They both have their points of despair, but in each other they begin to discover a mutual support in their journey through beautiful countryside. 

This is a genuinely lovely read in which the setting shimmers with sunshine and comfort, but is shadowed by the emotions that both women struggle to come to terms with as they share some times and also separately consider their lives. It shows how women can give up their independence and their chance to live their own fulfilling lives. It shows how women, people, can go through truly difficult times, as Grace says “And you look back and and say, that was a terrible week, or month or year.But you’ve got to remember that it’s only a tiny amount of your whole life.”. I enjoyed this read of what feels like real life in some respects, when ironic events can bring home what we have, and what we have achieved. I thoroughly recommend this book for its wonderful writing, its insight into the questions many people, certainly women, ask, and its sense of momentum as the two women travel hopefully.     

The Women Who Ran Away by Sheila O’Flanagan – two women search for clues for life

July 22, 2020

 

An idyllic literary tour of France and Spain sounds a most attractive idea for a holiday, staying in beautiful hotels, exploring small towns and cities, eating fabulous food, all sounds wonderful. However, the two women who undertake this journey in this lovely book from Sheila O’Flanagan’s  are both traumatised and searching for a new perspective to be able to cope with their recent respective pasts. Deira has been in a relationship with Gavin for thirteen years, coped with various challenges, and now feels betrayed. Grace is an older woman whose strong willed husband is dead, but she still has many questions and regrets about the man who controlled most of her adult life. Meeting by accident or fate, thrown together on this unusual journey by unique circumstances, this is a book which explores more than beautiful scenery in their search for new lives, or at least a way of coping with their present ones. This dynamic book looks at the cost of love and relationships for women in contemporary Ireland, and the strength of new friendship in coping with the challenges that women face. I found this a remarkable and wholly enjoyable read, full of genuine insight, beautiful descriptive writing and a powerful picture of women who have regrets. I was so pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this novel. 

 

The book opens with Deira acquiring a convertible and very desirable car from her ex partner’s car parking space. They had booked a trip with it from Dublin by ferry to France. Deira decides that although they have split up, she still wants to fulfil her ambition of driving around Paris in an open top car. She is angry with Gavin for more than just breaking up with her in finding a younger woman; she now feels her chances of becoming a mother slipping from her. She accidentally meets Grace, an older woman of serene beauty who gives the impression of coping brilliantly with life. However, after a small accident and no longer being able to drive the disputed car, Deira discovers that Ken, Grace’s late husband, has left her a series of puzzles on his laptop relating to the hotel rooms he has booked for her to stay across France. It emerges that Ken had been one of Deira’s literature lecturers at University, and she helps Grace to solve the mainly author related clues on a treasure hunt. As they travel together they reveal their individual traumas to each other; Deira’s sense of betrayal, Grace’s realisation of how Ken had dominated her life and always assumed that she would cope. They both have their points of despair, but in each other they begin to discover a mutual support in their journey through beautiful countryside. 

 

This is a genuinely lovely read in which the setting shimmers with sunshine and comfort, but is shadowed by the emotions that both women struggle to come to terms with as they share some times and also separately consider their lives. It shows how women can give up their independence and their chance to live their own fulfilling lives. It shows how women, people, can go through truly difficult times, as Grace says “And you look back and and say, that was a terrible week, or month or year.But you’ve got to remember that it’s only a tiny amount of your whole life.”. I enjoyed this read of what feels like real life in some respects, when ironic events can bring home what we have, and what we have achieved. I thoroughly recommend this book for its wonderful writing, its insight into the questions many people, certainly women, ask, and its sense of momentum as the two women travel hopefully.   

 

This novel is a contemporary story which contrasts in some ways with the historical novels or classic books that I often review, but I think that some of the issues it discusses transcends the time in which it is set. The themes of limitations on women’s lives and much more really dominate this book as it does in many historical books, even if the twenty first century is supposed to be a time of equality. Not an obviously “feminist” book, this novel does look at some of the dilemmas which women face today, and how they can begin to cope.  

Her Husband’s Mistake by Sheila O’Flanagan – Roxy must decide what she truly wants when her husband fails

March 10, 2020

 

Roxy makes a discovery that rocks her world. Her husband, father of her two children, is found to be behaving very badly with the next door neighbour. It is an even more difficult time for Roxy to be confronted with the sight as it is the day of her father’s funeral. It not only rocks fundamentally her relationship with her husband Dave, but makes her reconsider all the parts of her life as she has known them. She suddenly realises that the car that her father has left her, that she uses in her work as a driver for private clients, may offer an alternative  way of life. This is a story of a woman confronted by new experiences and a change of perspective in every way. While she appreciates her children, and her relationship with her now widowed mother, she is unsure as to whether she can forgive and forget her husband’s mistake. This is a book about the choices facing women in contemporary society, and individuals facing family challenges whatever their financial situation. This well written book shows great insight into life in the twenty first century, with some of the choices that people face. I was really grateful for the opportunity to read and review this excellent book.

 

Roxy and husband Dave, children Mica and Tom live in an pleasant house in Ireland. Together for many years, Dave runs his own plumbing business and Roxy has worked part time over the years. When her father falls ill, Roxy takes over his clients and drives an expensive car for clients keen to travel in comfort with a professional driver. She meets a variety of clients, ranging from an eccentric actress to a mysterious businessman called Ivo Lehane whose weekly routine of visits to a shabby area are strange and lucrative. When her father dies she is staying with her mother along with the children, and in view of Dave’s act of infidelity she opts to stay on for longer. She describes her indecision regarding her future as swinging between the option to return home and forgive and forget, or to stay away and try and make a new future for herself and her children. As she begins to explore her potential future she meets new people and possibilities. Her mother reveals a secret that makes Roxy reassess the basis of her knowledge of people, and question her choices. As her mother begins to make a new life, Roxy knows that she must work out what is truly important for herself and those who she loves.

 

This is a book which shows great insight into contemporary choices and lifestyles. It questions the nature of family love and loyalty and its implications for the future. I loved the lighter moments of genuine humour and family dynamics, and how what Roxy truly wants is not always what people expect. There is compromise and suspense as Roxy considers her options as events threaten to overtake her. Roxy and indeed the other characters are memorable creations,and the plot is realistic throughout. I recommend this book as far from being a straightforward romance, but actually a more subtle contemporary novel. 

 

I really enjoyed this book, which maintained several layers of suspense right until the end, as well as a few surprises.

Meanwhile we had a fascinating book club this afternoon, when we discussed Robert Harris’ “Enigma”, which I reviewed several years ago on this site. There was much talk about Bletchley Park and the way that even the most able women were relegated to more minor roles, as well as several admissions that the codes were a little tricky…