Amazon.com: The Neon Madonna (9780312070427): Dan Binchy: Books

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1992

A retired international Vatican diplomat, Jerry O'Sullivan finds himself the parish priest of a tiny coastal Irish village, but he soon finds himself in the midst of a controversy over alleged miracles at a tacky local shrine. A first novel.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } A retired international Vatican diplomat, Jerry O'Sullivan finds himself the parish priest of a tiny coastal Irish village, but he soon finds himself in the midst of a controversy over alleged miracles at a tacky local shrine. A first novel.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this disappointing first novel, Father Jerry O'Sullivan, a Vatican diplomat suffering from ulcerative colitis, is sent to a tiny Irish village to serve out the rest of his days. The idiosyncratic man of the cloth (he drives a new Alfa Romeo and is heir to a bootlegger's fortune) is ill prepared for the turmoil that erupts when two local women claim to have seen the town's neon-haloed madonna move and weep. The Catholic Church is no sacred cow in this occasionally comic look at provincial politics and piety, which features a devout matron whose religious fervor has less to do with spiritualism than with moral rectitude. Aiming beyond satire, Binchy attempts a full-scale portrait of life in a contemporary Irish hamlet, embracing also the hard-bitten way of life that turns villagers to drink and suicide. Unfortunately, with its meandering plot and overcrowded cast, the novel sinks under the weight of its own ambition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

With some regret, Father Jerry O'Sullivan complies with his superiors' decision that he must leave his diplomatic post at the Vatican to serve as parish priest in a small Irish village. As a last gesture of independence, he chooses to drive himself home in a new red Alfa Romeo. Taking a humorous look at tradition, this first novel gives many customs and beliefs a good nudge. Is the over-shamrocked pub owned by a patriot, or a Provo in disguise? Did the grotto statue move or was it a trick of light? Can the priest sign a statement of accidental death for an obvious suicide? Modern social ills invade the rural serenity of a remote village as the author unrolls an entertaining and thought-provoking tale. He holds his own in a field well-served by his cousin, Maeve Binchy ( Circle of Friends , LJ 12/90).
- Judith McLean, Riverside P.L., Windsor, Ontario
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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