Every Inch of Her [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Peter Sheridan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2004

The sisters at the Good Shepherd Convent in Dublin's North Wall don't quite know what to make of their newest refugee. Philo announces herself at their door one Sunday evening with the words, "God pointed me here." A large presence, weighing 240 pounds and bearing tattoos on her arm, Philo smokes, swears, and loves to eat. She is also a mother of five and in flight from her abusive husband, Tommo. In no time at all, Philo has made herself indispensable. At the senior Daycare Center, she gets the old folks talking to one another, singing old favorites, and playing bingo again. And with all the love she's got to give, it's only natural that she helps Cap and Dina-two people at the Center long separated by a bitter feud-come together again. By turns comical and tender, Peter Sheridan's novel is a beautifully written portrait of an unforgettable woman who touches everyone she meets through the sheer force of being herself.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A 240-pound Dublin housewife with five children and an abusive husband takes refuge with a bevy of nuns in this boisterously cheery and raunchy first novel by Irish theater director Sheridan. Pining for a fresh start, Philo shrugs off her responsibilities and plops herself on the doorstep of the Sacred Heart convent in the crumbling North Wall neighborhood of Dublin. The nuns are startled at first—particularly Sister Rosaleen, who's put in charge of swearing, smoking, tattooed Philo—but Philo soon makes herself indispensable, entertaining the senior citizens at the convent's Day Centre with games of bingo and Blind Date. Among other good deeds, she reunites Cap and Dina, two Day Centre regulars who've been feuding for 40 years over the neighborhood's vegetable trade. Still, Philo's future as a nun seems unlikely, and Philo longs to be reunited with her children, who've been dumped at an orphanage by their shiftless father, Tommo. Tommo pronounces himself ready to turn over a new leaf, but Philo's been burned before. Will they ever be a family again—and is that what Philo wants? Sheridan aims to deliver rollicking good fun with a darker edge, and despite some strained humor, for the most part he succeeds.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Irish playwright Sheridan provides an absolutely delightful slice of Dublin life in his suitably quirky debut novel. Weighing 240 pounds and sporting both a variety of tattoos and a saucy attitude, Philomena Nolan initially appears to be an unlikely heroine. Verbally and physically abused by her loutish husband, Philo reluctantly abandons her five children to buy herself some much needed time to figure out how to restore her battered self-esteem and retool her seemingly hopeless future. Landing on the steps of the local convent seeking asylum, she proceeds to charm both the nuns and the members of the senior day-care center run by the good sisters. Drawing out the elderly residents of her crumbling dockside neighborhood, Philo gives them back their lives, rediscovering her own self-confidence in the process. Poignant, humorous, and featuring an irresistible cast of eccentric characters, this novel will captivate readers while restoring their faith in the unquenchable power of the human spirit. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin Books (September 30, 2004)
• ISBN-10: 0142004340
• ASIN: B000BPG26A
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,294,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written, humorous tale of overcoming the past, October 1, 2004

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Inch of Her (Mass Market Paperback)

Philomena Nolan is an abused housewife and mother living among Ireland's working class in Peter Sheridan's EVERY INCH OF HER. The highlight of this novel is Philo and what makes her tick. She's one of those characters who will warm a person's heart, leaving an impression upon the reader and making her very unlikely to forget.

Her circumstances in life are not great. She has just run away from her husband and children to seek comfort at a convent, pretending to be a single woman without children. She tries to talk her way into the convent by claiming she has always wanted to be a nun. The tattoos on her body as well as her large size and gruff attitude make them a little nervous at first, but the nuns take her in, at least temporarily.

Appearances are often deceiving, and it is so with Philo. Her outward appearance may be that of a tough, crude woman, but in reality she has a heart of gold. Despite her personal problems, Philo finds ways to make others happy. She's a wonderful nurturer, and although not all of the nuns at the convent warm up to her right away, she eventually finds her way into everyone's heart --- at the convent and anywhere she goes.

Philo has many vices. She's a chain smoker, and living at the convent means that no smoking is allowed. She sneaks the cigarettes with the help of Sister Rosaleen, a nun who takes Philo under her wing, despite the disapproval of some of the other nuns. Philo and Sister Rosaleen bond and become good friends and co-conspirators at the convent, making for some very funny scenes throughout the novel.

Philo's other vice is food. Her mother has taught her that eating will always make her feel better. So if she's unhappy, she eats --- and she eats a lot. As Philo's weight approaches three hundred pounds, it is safe to say that food is always on her mind. Sneaking in bacon and eggs in the middle of the night while the rest of the world sleeps, or eating a handful of candy bars to pass the time, is a daily occurrence. She eats all she can during the wee hours of the morning, and then sleeps the food off in the morning. It is her way of coping with the many worries of her world.

Her main source of concern is her husband Tommo. He constantly berates her in front of the children, and has given her a black eye or two. Yet, when Philo runs away from him and the family, he always comes back to her, begging her to return, telling her that he's lonely and needs her. When Philo runs away this time, she refuses to return, despite the fact that Tommo has gotten rid of the children and placed them in an orphanage. Philo knows that the children are better off without their parents, yet she misses them so much. However, she thinks it's best that she stay in the convent to keep her children and herself safe from Tommo.

In the meantime, Philo's life is now centered on the convent. During the day she helps out at a senior citizens center, where she and the nuns help prepare food. With love and inspiration, Philo performs miracles at the center, creating new life and energy among the elderly, giving them newfound happiness. She gets them involved in Bingo, with the help of Sister Rosaleen, as well as a crazy game called Blind Date. From here, a subplot emerges --- that of the love story of two elderly persons at the center, Cap Coyle and Dina Sugrue, who have known each other for decades but have been sworn enemies due to a history that involves Cap's best friend Gerry, who later became Dina's husband.

Philo's life takes on new meaning as she helps out at the Senior Center, visits her children when she can, and plays matchmaker with Cap and Dina. But once again, Tommo reappears in her life, and it's not good.

One cannot say enough about EVERY INCH OF HER. It is beautifully written, told with a touch of humor. Sheridan does a good job at describing life in the North Wall, which can be hard, but there are plenty of friends and family to help one get through the day. It is a tale of one person's desire to survive, to find happiness, and to overcome insecurities and demons from the past. Highly recommended.

--- Reviewed by Marie Hashima Lofton ([e-mail])

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You'll love Philo...., September 24, 2004

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Every Inch of Her (Mass Market Paperback)

EVERY INCH OF HER by Peter Sheridan
September 24, 2004

Here is a wonderful tale of a survivor, Philo Dolan, and her story is told in EVERY INCH OF HER. Peter Sheridan creates a lovable character in Philo, who despite all her problems, makes sure that everyone around her is happy and being taken care of.

In the first chapter, Philo arrives at a local convent, seeking a place to stay. She has left her husband and children, but does not tell this to the nuns. She lets them believe she's a single woman wanting to become one of them. The nuns, however, find it hard to believe, especially by looking at Philo's huge body covered with tattoos, and hearing that between every few sentences are uttered a foul word. Philo keeps forgetting that nuns do not swear.

She also forgets that nuns do not smoke, and Philo is a chain smoker. She is also a compulsive eater, and at close to 250 pounds, she still cannot seem to stop. She eats to help forget her own problems, that of her abusive husband, the children she has left behind, and her past, which she wishes no one to find out about.

Philo is not one to give up, however. She always makes the best of a situation, and now that she lives at the convent, she does her best to fit in by helping out. Her crowning achievement is helping out at the senior citizen's center, and between herself and her new best friend Sister Rosaleen, they get the seniors blood stirring with a few rowdy games of bingo and a game of BLIND DATE.

All good things do come to an end and Tommo, Philo's husband, tracks her down at the convent. Does Philo return to him and her children, or will she stand up to him and stay with the nuns?

EVERY INCH OF HER was a delight to read. Philo was a character that was easy to love, and it was fun to read about her antics. She's quite a personality, with her faults and vices but yet written in such a fashion that one cannot help but want to meet her. Sheridan also did a good job at painting a picture of the Irish working class. This book reminds one somewhat of ANGELA'S ASHES, another sad tale told in a humorous tone. Not told in quite the same epic scale as ANGELA'S ASHES, but just as memorable.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mighty fine reading., September 5, 2004

By 

KatPanama "katpanama" (Readerville) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Inch of Her (Mass Market Paperback)

Delightful working-class Irish romp that packs a punch in quite a few ways. Funny, insightful, mordant and eminently readable. I'll be reading more Sheridan.