Irish Girls About Town [Paperback]

Various (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002

An irresistible collection of short stories, some hilarious, some heartbreaking, from the most popular contemporary Irish women writers. Poignant, hilarious, heartwarming in turn, this anthology includes never-before-published short stories by some of the best-known and best-loved Irish writers, including Maeve Binchy, Marian Keyes, Cathy Kelly, Julie Parsons, Deirdre Purcell, Joan O'Neill, Morag Prunty, Colette Caddle and many more. It also includes stories by up-and-coming Irish stars like Annie Sparrow, Catherine Barry and Marisa Mackle. While some stories will have you laughing out loud, others will have you reaching for your hanky: but they all display their own peculiar brand of Irish charm. And it's all in a very good cause: 1 pound from every copy sold will go to Barnardo's children's charity, and the Irish charity, The Society of St Vincent de Paul, which aims to alleviate poverty throughout the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Scottish Daily Record The ultimate feel-good book...funny...ironic...thrilling...provocative. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Inside Flap

Ah go on...tell us.

New York Times bestselling authors Maeve Binchy and Marian Keyes top an impressive roster of the Emerald Isle's most popular women writers and prove that when it comes to spinning a good yarn, the Irish are the best in the business. Showcasing dazzling wit and remarkable insight in short stories that run the gamut from provocative to poignant, these Irish women will tug at your heartstrings and have you crying with laughter in no time.

She did what?!

In Maeve Binchy's "Carissima," a longtime ex-pat and free spirit returns to Ireland from Sicily and shakes things up for her family, who finds her life utterly scandalous. In "Soulmates," by Marian Keyes, one woman's relationship is so bleedin' perfect in every way that it's driving her friends up the wall. In Cathy Kelly's "Thelma, Louise and the Lurve Gods," two women on a madcap, Stateside road trip have completely opposite reactions to a pair of insanely good-looking men. In these stories, and throughout this fabulous collection, Ireland's finest women authors celebrate the joys and perils of love, the adventure and constancy of female friendships, and their own irresistible brand of Irish charm. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903650267
• ISBN-13: 978-1903650264
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,870,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Maeve Binchy is the author of numerous best-selling books, including Nights of Rain and Stars, Quentins, Scarlet Feather, Circle of Friends, and Tara Road, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection. She has written for Gourmet; O, The Oprah Magazine; Modern Maturity; and Good Housekeeping, among other publications. She and her husband, Gordon Snell, live in Dalkey, Ireland, and London.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SIXTEEN SMART IRISH SHORT STORIES, February 16, 2003

By 

S. Calhoun "rhymeswithorange" (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories (Paperback)

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!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chock-full of Irish Charm, January 27, 2003

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories (Paperback)

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.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A gem!, January 28, 2003

By 

CoffeeGurl - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Irish Girls About Town: An Anthology of Short Stories (Paperback)

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!