Customer Reviews

An Irish Country Girl: A Novel (Irish Country Books)

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'An Irish Country Girl' is the 4th book in Patrick Taylor's "Irish Country" series. I strongly recommend reading the first three books first. 'An Irish Country Doctor', 'An Irish Country Village', and 'An Irish Country Christmas', in that order. You should really get to know Kinky Kincaid (the doctor's housekeeper) as the woman she is today, before taking this pause in the stories of Dr. O'Reilly and Dr. Laverty's adventures and misadventures as country doctors back in 1960's Ireland. 'An Irish Country Girl' takes a step away from the doctor's, and gives us the charming tale of Kinky's girlhood, growing up in County Cork before moving to upland County Ulster and settling into Ballybuckleboo. A few questions are answered here, especially Kinky's ability to be fey at times.

As Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly, Caitlin "Kitty" O'Hallorhan, and young Dr. Barry Laverty make their way out of the house on Christmas day to Ballybuckleboo House for the marquis' Christmas Day Open House, housekeeper Kinky Kincaid welcomes the visiting children with hot black current juice and sweet mince pies ... and the promise of a tale of ghosts and spirits. Therefore, Kinky begins, with a tale from her own youth.

She tells of Conner MacTaggart, and how he cuts down a Blackthorn tree, even after being warned by Kinky's mother that the "Doov Shee", or dark fairies, live under Blackthorns. Kinky, known as Maureen back then, knew her older sister Fidelma, was sweet on Conner and planning to marry him. The story isn't a happy one, as Conner angers the Doov Shee and the Queen of the Doov Shee takes her revenge. The children leave satisfied at Kinky's tale, but as Kinky continues to prepare the doctor's Christmas dinner, her thoughts continue to wander back to the time of her girlhood, Fidelma's loss of Conner, and how Kinky met her own young husband Paudeen.

It was great to get to know Kinky better, but as I said you'll want to introduce yourself to her in the first books. It's better to know where she is now first, before getting acquainted with her as a girl. There's a lot to the tale, and the book is a fast read just as the previous 'Irish Country' books are. There was a little slowing at the end, drawing out the finale, but that would be the only grouse over the story. Taylor has the ability to absorb you into his world, take you all the way to Ireland and really feel what it was like for Kinky during that timeframe in a sometimes volatile place. Reading about Kinky made me feel young again too! Taylor is a talented and knowledgeable writer, speeding you through the pages with fully fleshed characters that you find yourself caring a great deal about.

Included in the back of the book are some of Kinky's recipes and a glossary of the Irish terms used in the book. Now I can't wait for the next book, and get back to Dr's O'Reilly and Laverty with their busy medical practice and budding romances. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for another great installment in 'Irish Country'.

In Ballybucklebo, Ireland, Kinky Kincaid serves as housekeeper to small village's two doctors (Dr. Barry Laverty and Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly). On Christmas Day, Kinky turns storyteller as she spins a spellbinder to the children with the tale of the St. Stephen's Day ghost.

When she was a child the age of her audience, Kinky was known as Maureen O'Hanlon. She had the unique skill of seeing the future. As Kinky tells about dark fairies to enraptured fans, back then Maureen must choose between her heart and her career.

The latest Ballybucklebo Irish County cozy (see An Irish Country Christmas, An Irish Country Doctor and An Irish Country Village) is another superb tale with a neat twist as the previous support player housekeeper takes the lead effortlessly. The story line has two key plots one of which is Kinky's past when she had to make up her mind and choose one of two roads and the present when she tells the ghost tale. Fans will relish this terrific twist as Kinky proves to be a superb storyteller as the top banana title lead character.

Harriet Klausner

Narrator Terry Donnelly is a deft voice performer who easily segues between accents from American to English to Irish. And when her text calls for Irish her voice is as authentically Irish as it can be. Her accent is true, crisp, and her voice is often lyrical as she switches to different characters by changing pitch. Thus, her reading of the fourth in Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series is a delight.

With AN IRISH COUNTRY GIRL we learn more about a favorite character, Kinky Kincaid, housekeeper for Drs. Laverty and O'Reilly. We have come to know her as reliable, resourceful, and almost as if she had always tended to the doctors, Not so we learn as Kinky takes us back in her memory to when she was Maureen O'Hanlon, the young daughter of a farmer in County Cork.

She was an unusual girl in many ways, but most certainly due to her gift of being able to see what others could not - the mystical world of fairies, spirits, and (shiver) the Banshee. Kinky is reminded of her girlhood when children come to visit on Christmas and are rewarded not only with sweet treats but also a tale of spirits - a true one.

It is the story of Conner MacTaggart who chopped down a Blackthorn tree despite being warned that dark fairies live underneath it and will surely avenge themselves. That is precisely what they do, which is sad news for Maureen's older sister who wanted to marry Conner. From this reminiscence Maureen who is now Kinky remembers how she met her own husband.

Fans of this series will enjoy the opportunity to know more about Kinky and how she came to Ballybucklebo.

Enjoy!

- Gail Cooke

As with Patrick Taylor's other books, the reader is transported to another place, another time. It is a comfort to read a book that is written with such warmth. I can tell you that the ghosty part of this book can be quite believable! It's very enjoyable to get to know Kinky so well as the other characters from his previous books.This book is very easy to recommend to friends.

Have a listen to the audiobook - the telling of the tale is very vivid.

An Irish Country Girl is the fourth book by Patrick Taylor in the series about life in the small Irish village of Ballybucklebo. This story is told from the point of view of Kinky Kincaid, the dogged housekeeper of Dr. Fingle Flahertie O'Reilly. The story takes place on Christmas day with Kinky entertaining the local children with a tale of the St. Stephen's day ghost. This part of the story is where we learn of the young Kinky who was then Maureen O'Hanlon and how a young Connor MacTaggert became the ghost by dismissing Maureen's mother's warning to not fell a Black Thorn tree on the 11th of November. The way Mr. Taylor rolls out the scene and interaction between Kinky and the children is completely winning. Where the book somewhat goes off the rails is after the children leave Kinky starts to reminisce about her life after Connor's death while preparing Christmas dinner for the doctors. She tells of how the "vision" to see the future came to her, her sister Fidelma's brooding over the loss of Connor (he was her true love), going to her first dance and meeting and falling for the man who would become her husband, the fisherman Paudeen Kincaid. While that is a likable tale, the fact that yarn she was spinning for the kids seems to be true with ghosts, vixens with women's faces and Paudeen being saved from certain death in a blizzard by Connor's ghost makes it seems more like a fairytale. Mr. Taylor has an enjoyable way with words and his story of Kinky's earlier life is both heartwarming yet sad as she lost her one true love early (Paudeen dies in a boating accident two years after they were married), but I just found the whole mystical, ghost part of the story breaking away from the overall tone of the series.

I was sad when this great flash back of Kinky's life was over. I wanted such a cool person to have a long happy time. But I'd recommend it just as I do the other books by this author.

My Maternal Grandmother came from Northern Ireland and shared a bedroom with me from the time I was 4 until the night before I got married. She shared her stories of Ireland with me and the things in this book brought her back to me. Thank you for that Patrick Taylor!!

This is a sweet little story about Kinky and her past; but I really missed the Doctors and the other characters of Ballybucklebo. It was a bit disappointing after waiting for this book to come out.

Could not stop reading as I have read all this author's books in sequence; stayed up well into the night until I was finished and enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the land as well as colloquialisms..each book follows seamlessly

Great book, great service. The large print made the book very easy to read and the story made me want to keep reading till it was finished. Thank you. LB