A sweeping saga of Ireland follows two families from the 1960s to the 1990s as Kerry Laraghy, the daughter of a racehorse trainer, meets Brandon Lawrence, a wealthy heir longing to escape his life and a doomed marriage. A first novel.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
A rebellious daughter sows her wild oats before coming home to feed them to her horses in this heavy-handed debut from Ryan, a journalist with Dublin's Evening Herald. The novel, which spans from 1968 to the 1990s, opens in Ireland as Kerry Laraghy, the spoiled red-haired heiress of Ashamber, her family's 900-acre horse farm, is celebrating her 18th birthday. She had promised her father, Eamonn, that she would remain at Ashamber and learn to train thoroughbreds. Yearning to experience the '60s, however, Kerry rebels and heads to Paris where her twin brother, a brooding fashion designer, lives. But shortly after arriving in the City of Lights, she meets and very quickly marries Darragh de Bruin, an Irish street musician (which causes her outraged da to disinherit her). They move to Senegal to do volunteer work, but the marriage collapses. Pregnant and miserable, Kerry goes to New York where, two months after the birth of her son, Killian, Kerry learns that her parents have been attacked by the Irish Republican Army. She rushes back to Ireland, hoping to see them alive-but arrives too late. Although her father has left her penniless, his will stipulates that she can inherit the house, the estate and a valuable horse, Blue Moon, on the condition that the farm shows an annual profit. Kerry accepts her father's challenge and receives help from a wealthy, married admirer and her dead father's mistress. Can Kerry make the family farm successful, find true love and become a better mother? In answering these and other questions, this mediocre soap opera offers a melodramatic plot, a plodding pace and few surprises.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
'A big, fast-moving story, lit with terse insights.' -- Dublin Evening Herald on A Note o 'Liz Ryan understands not only a woman's heart but a woman's mind.' -- Terry Keane, Sunday Times (Ireland) 'Liz Ryan is smart and funny and she writes well.' -- Irish Times on A Taste of Freedom 'Will delight the reader who has already devoured Maeve Binchy.' -- Liverpool Echo on Blood Lines 'Captivating ... Brings a freshness and verve to the boy-meets-girl story. The Ryan twist on fictional romance invests the rosy garden of love with some of the sharpest thorns.' -- Justine McCarthy, Irish Independent 'Liz Ryan's twist on fictional romance is compelling' -- Irish Independent
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
An admirable first effort,
This review is from: Blood Lines (Paperback)
I read this book after having enjoyed "A Note of Parting" so much. Though it is good, it is apparent that the author hadn't fully developed her talent for writing the generation novel quite yet. As a main character, Kerry was very unlikable at times, and an inconsistant personality at others. Main characters do not always have to be likable, but in this type of book, it takes a rare author to make such a protagonist fly. Her selfishness and indifference to her son made it hard to believe that her feelings for others were genuine...it made her irritating at times. However, the supporting cast was quite well drawn. Another book could be written just from Zoe's point of view. Or Killian's. Overall, the book was worth reading, but perhaps not buying-especially at inflated European prices. If your library has it, read it. If you really want to enjoy a book by Liz Ryan, read "A Note of Parting." I still look forward to reading her other novel.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
