Hes Got to Go [Paperback]

Sheila O'Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2, 2003

What do you do when the man in your life lets you down? Show him the door? If only it was that easy--especially when you've got an eight-year-old daughter to think about. Nessa Riley, who believes that with her husband, her little girl, and the home she loves, she has it all, is suddenly faced with the hardest decision of her life. Can they wipe the slate clean and start again? Or, as her sisters appear to think, has he really got to go?

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her first novel to be published in the U.S., O'Flanagan puts her initially stereotypical characters through so much good conversation-both sharp repartee and introspective soul searching-that they come to life. When we meet the Driscoll sisters of Dublin, Nessa, the responsible eldest, is a smug, nesting wife and mother; Cate, the perfectionist in the middle, is struggling with commitment to a man she doesn't trust; and Bree, the motorcycle-riding youngest, is wondering why she's never had a relationship that lasted more than three months. It isn't long before Nessa is unsettled by a rumor that her husband is having an affair, the newly and unsteadily coupled Bree is offering to run surveillance on him, and Cate's leavening the mix by proposing to her boyfriend. The sisters are always bickering (particularly bitterly when one sister considers an abortion), but there is no question that they'll stick together in the end. There is, however, some genuine suspense about which of their husbands and boyfriends will survive the denouement, and which, in the title phrase, "has got to go"-this in part because the male characters aren't as fully fleshed out as the female. Overall, O'Flanagan manages to keep wisdom and humor at the forefront and tosses in nice touches like chapter heads keyed into Nessa's interest in astrology-"Moon/Pluto Aspects: Changeable, Prone to Emotional Outbursts."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From Booklist

O'Flanagan's delightful U.S. debut chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Driscoll sisters. The eldest sister, Nessa, thinks she's content living in suburbia with her handsome husband, Adam, and their darling eight-year-old daughter until she learns Adam might be having an affair. Middle sister Cate is a successful businesswoman with a handsome boyfriend, Finn, who is about to embark on a career as a TV producer. Soon after Cate blurts out a marriage proposal to Finn, she learns she's pregnant, which doesn't exactly fit in with her immediate plans. The youngest sister, Bree, works as a car mechanic and can't seem to find a nice, normal guy until she meets Michael, a sexy younger man. Nessa, agonizing over her relationship with her cheating husband, is horrified when Cate confides in her that she intends to get an abortion. Bree gets in touch with her feminine side to impress Michael, but all does not go as planned. A fun, snappy tale of three likable sisters and the men who give them so much heartache. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Headline (June 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747266360
• ISBN-13: 978-0747266365
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Annoying Characters!, January 28, 2004

By 

"megs1234" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: He's Got to Go (Paperback)

This book was good- it would have been great if two out of the three main characters weren't so grating on the nerves. While older sister Nessa was portrayed very accurately as a nagging, uptight, meddlesome worrier...after a while I just wanted to scream!! Half of the nagging was unneccessary for the plot or character development- and it just left me aggitated.

However, the younger sister, Bree, is what really took away from this book. The lack of reality that went into developing this character is mind-blowing. O'Flanagan is almost partronizing any reader who attempts to learn about Bree....does O'Flanagan honestly think that Michael was ever Bree's "boyfriend?" Let me just say, the continuous referral to Bree's "ex-boyfriend" (whom she ALMOST, but never did kiss- at the age of 25....) left me wondering just how immature the writer, or the reader, was expected to be to believe this. At first I was able to dismiss it, thinking this continuous reference to the guy she "loved" after three dates, who was her "boyfriend" even though they never even kissed, was O'Flanagan's way of expressing Bree's immaturity and lack of experience. However, when the seemingly worldly sisters started referring to Michael as Bree's "ex-boyrfriend" I just about stopped reading this book altogether.

Aside from this, the only character that really did it for me was Cate. But unfortunately, the author only skims the surface with her, and we are left seeing her through other character's eyes, rather than directly into her.

The plot was great. I can only imagine how wonderful this book COULD have been with better characters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Traveling Book, January 31, 2006

By 

G. C. Andrews (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He's Got to Go (Paperback)

I wanted a book to entertain me while traveling and this book did the trick. (I needed a book that I would not feel out of touch if I was not able to pick it up for a couple weeks.) Nessa, Cate and Bree made me laugh, yell, etc. with the sibling problems and love for one another. Through thick and thin your sisters will always be there for you.

This is the first book I've read from Sheila O'Flanagan and I really enjoyed it. I plan to read more of her books in the near future.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars entertaining relationship drama, December 31, 2003

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: He's Got to Go (Paperback)

In Ireland, of the three Driscoll siblings, Nessa seems to be the one to have it all together. She has lived in comfort as a Riley with Adam for almost a decade and they have an eight year old child. Her sisters Cate and Bree are poster girls for failed relationships.

However, Nessa believes paradise may be lost as evidence mounts that Adam is cheating especially when she consults her horoscope. Nessa wonders what to do as economically she cannot just dump Adam. She has no one to turn to for advice as her mother lives on the other side of the once emerald isle; Cate the crabby one is having problems with her boyfriend radio host Finn over her pregnancy; and finally Bree the mechanic has a host of trouble as she can't get to work on time though Adam keeps her supplied with repairs and the father of her boyfriend is in love with her.

HE'S GOT TO GO is an entertaining relationship drama starring three solid female protagonists about a decade apart in age and even further distanced in how they see male partners. The story line effortlessly swings back and before between the three women though the concentration is more on Nessa, but does not neglect Cate and Bree. The characters are all well developed, not just the three Driscoll sisters. Though the ending ties up for the most part the lives of Nessa and Cate and to a lesser degree Bree, it feels much too crammed inside a short climax. Still the audience will enjoy this fine tale and want to seek more works by Sheila O'Flanagan.

Harriet Klausner