Customer Reviews

Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a fan of short stories and IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN was certainly not a disappointment. This book is a collection of sixteen short stories of the newest and best Irish women writers of pop fiction. Each story is focused on some aspect of a woman's love or involvement with a man. Many are written with smart insights and witty humor which I enjoyed much. Among them there are several that resonated with me after I put the book down including "Soulmates" by Marian Keyes (envy is a negative human quality); "The Twenty-Eighth Day" by Catherine Barry (a very funny take on PMS); "The Cup Runneth Over" by Julie Parsons (marital affairs can burn both conspiring partners); "The Ring Cycle" by Martina Devlin (a wedding ring just won't go away); and "The Unlovable Woman" by Annie Sparrow (sometimes the best things are right before our eyes).

IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is an excellent means to get acquainted with Irish women authors who you may have previously been unfamiliar with. At the end of each story there is a short bio which makes it easy to pursue other works by authors that you enjoyed. In addition, there are also authors that are already well known such as Maeve Binchy. Another good quality of IRISH GIRLS ABOUT TOWN is that all benefits goes towards charity. As explained in the book's forward, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul and Barnardo's are two organizations that brings great benefits to the people of Ireland, Britian and the world. Read this book, and you may just be as entertained as I was. Enjoy!

I'm normally not a fan of short story collections, but two of my favorite authors, Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes, contributed so I thought I'd give it a shot. I must say that this is one of the better collections I've read. All of the stories were interesting with the exception of one that I didn't particularly care for. However, the reading experience was very relaxing and most of the stories were fun and easy to read.

My favorite story is the one told by Cathy Kelly about two friends who take a roadtrip in the United States. I also enjoyed the offering by Morag Prunty about an older, single woman who takes a chance on answering a personal ad. The one I didn't really care for was by Gemma O'Conner -- her writing ability is not the complaint; the story didn't make sense to me and definitely did not fit in the "about town" or "irish girls" theme.

The best thing about this book is the fact that it gave me the chance to sample stories by new-to-me Irish authors. Plus the short story format made it easy to read along with another novel. I highly recommend this collection, especially to readers who aren't fans of short stories. I think this one might turn a few heads.

What brilliant idea to have Ireland's most gifted female writers put together in a gem of a book! Irish Girls About Town is every chick lit enthusiast's dream come true. My favorite stories are the ones from Marian Keyes, Maeve Binchy and Cathy Kelly. However, newcomer Marisa Mackle's "Girls' Weekend" is the best one out of the bunch. I was so impressed with her sharp wit that I purchased her debut novel, Mr. Right for the Night. This book is a true gem and I couldn't recommend it enough!

While I am not a big fan of short stories, I had to have "Irish Girls About Town". Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes are two of my favorite authors and what can I say? I couldn't resist. These short stories are full of fun, life, and adventure in which any woman (not just the Irish!) can relate. "Irish Girls About Town" covers a wide range of topics, from PMS, to the simple joys of friendship, finding the perfect someone, heartbreak, and so much more.

Surprisingly, my favorite stories did not come from my favorite authors. Annie Sparrow's "The Unlovable Woman" had me laughing and rolling my eyes as at a woman who can't see the love of her life directly in front of her. "Moving" by Collette Caddle is another personal favorite. Out of 16 stories, only two seemed lacking. Julie Parson's "My Cup Runneth Over" was a bit darker and tried to pack too much into too small a space. "Your Place or Mine" suffered from the same. Other then that, this is a wonderful book. If you are fans of Binchy, Kelly, or Keyes; do not pass it up. I didn't and because of that, I have discovered some wonderful writers and got some wonderful stories in the process!

This book is an absolute must for the bedside table. The best thing about a book of short stories is that you can pick it up and put it down, but I found it extremely difficult to put this book down. Maeve Binchy is her usual self - a compelling storyteller but there are a few surprises here...newcomer Marisa Mackle's short story was a gripping, laugh-out-loud read and I loved short stories by Collette Caddle, Marian Keyes and Sarah Webb. Julie Parson's story has a great twist at the end and Mary Ryan's story was v. amusing but surprisingly there isn't a dissappointing story in this collection - a rare feat when you get 17 authors together. All in all I give this a fantastic 10 out of 10 recommendation!!!

It's an Irish smorgasbord! 16 Irish women authors have banded together and produced a delightful collection of short stories, not only for your reading pleasure, but also to benefit two charities in the UK and Ireland - Barnado's and The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

This book includes stories from popular best-selling novelists such as Marian Keyes (Angels, Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married, Watermelon...) and Maeve Binchy ( Tara Road , Circle of Friends...), as well as up-and-coming Irish authors, such as Catherine Barry and Colette Cadle. Included are "Soulmates" (Marian Keyes) about the absolutely perfect couple who drive their friends nuts, "The Ring Cycle" (Martina Devlin) about a woman who was able to ditch her nutty husband but is haunted by her wedding ring, "The Twenty-Eighth Day" (Catherine Barry") about a normally balanced woman who is hormonally challenged by PMT once a month, and "Moving" (Colette Cadle) about a woman who carries a torch for a lost love and wonders why she only seems "happy enough" with her handsome husband and two beautiful children. There are lots more to amuse you with their Irish wit and charm, and you can finish one or two stories in a sitting.

Irish Girls About Town is a great way to sample different writing styles, discover a new favorite author, and do a good deed.

This short story collection is chock-full of women's issues, from dealing with difficult friendships to finding Mr. Right to coping with PMS. The stories are a times predictable (ie, girl gets boy), at times frustrating (ie, girl keeps chasing wrong boy), but also are frequently heart-warming and always engaging. The biggest author included is Maeve Binchy, and her fans will recognize the characters of her story "Carissima" from several of her books. However, the lesser-known authors hold their own, and I plan to check out some of their novels as well, such as "Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married" by Marian Keyes. If you enjoy female fiction combined with Irish/British lit, you're likely to enjoy this book.

I always love to get my hands on new Irish writing as I am half Irish and spend many many vacations in the country. Irish Girls About Town is the kind of book you will not be bringing to sell in your second hand bookshop as it is the kind of book you'd like to hang onto for years. Like some of the other viewers here I agree that Ms. Mackle's story was terrific but Mary Ryan's story was excellent too and I liked Maeve Binchy's story about a single woman who is taken advantage of by her married siblings who claim to be too busy to look after their elderly mother. Young or old, if you're a woman you'll love this collection.

I'm an Irish girl, so I picked up this book at my local store. I loved reading short stories by female Irish authors I hadn't read before. Good introduction to many new voices. I took my time reading this book (took it on a couple trips); the short-story format really lent itself to that. There were some very touching stories and some very funny stories. There is definitely something for everyone.

Irish Girls About Town has to be one of the best books that I have ever read. I was visiting my grandma one day and I got bored so she handed it to me, telling me that Maeve Binchy was one of her favorite authors, and that I would probably like her too. From the moment I heard the title of the book, I was interested, but reluctant to read it since I don't usually enjoy short stories. The first few stories were a little bit different, but once I got to Thelma, Louise, and the Lurve Gods, I could never put the book down. That was absolutely one of the most romantic stories I have ever read. The sexual humor was also enticing. All in all, I finished the book in a day and a half, wishing I could read it over and over and over until I got bored with it. WHAT A GREAT BOOK!