A marriage and a family reach breaking point on an annual holiday in the loveliest hotel in Ireland. Dermot Bolger is one of the leading figures on the Irish literary scene. Very influential, amazingly energetic and prolific, popular and extremely well respected. Dermot writes fast-paced, incredibly readable novels, usually with a thriller element, always about Ireland, more often than not about its Troubles. 'Temptation' is quite different. It is about family life. It describes five days in the lives of Alison, her husband Peadar and their three children, who are taking their annual holiday on the southeastern coast of Ireland. Each member of the family has his or her own hopes for the holiday and preoccupations about the lives they are briefly leaving behind. The holiday serves as a turning point in their lives, as Alison and Peadar's marriage is put to the test and the vulnerabilities of their children are brought to the fore. Previous novels have always featured a female central character, and Dermot seems to love writing from a female perspective -- and very good he is at it too. This new novel takes this strength and makes the most of it. Paciness and great readability are packed in there too.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'An addictive read -- a will-they-won't-they adultery tale, told fast and furiously. More than confirms his reputation as a master storyteller.' Sunday Express 'A beautifully understated novel whose portrait of a self-doubting woman is handled with rare and sensitive perspicacity.' Daily Mail 'Bolger is a master storyteller!Temptation surely establishes him as one of the major Irish novelists of the past quarter century.' Irish Post 'Dermot Bolger's new novel manages to take the well-known elements of a "mid-life crisis" narrative and give them an added twist. Temptation is not simply a wistful story of "what might have been", rather it is a focused and insightful meditation on the nature of the self in relation to others. An intimate story!the emotions real, Bolger skilfully weaves the story of the past through the events of the present.' Irish Times 'It is rare that a man should be so adept and insightful at identifying the preoccupations of a mature woman and mother-of-three, but Bolger does just that in this tender, thoughtful novel.' Harpers & Queen 'Bolger writes with fierce intensity and with genuine insight into the mind of a woman!painting a portrait of family life with extraordinary wit and skill.' Dublin Evening Herald 'Bolger's simple realism and non-judgemental approach lead the reader into regions of despair! [Temptation has] a thrilling, even redemptive ending.' Time Out
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About the Author
dermot bolger was born in Dublin in 1959. His novels and plays have won many awards, in Ireland and internationally. He has also published seven volumes of poetry, and written for the screen. Bolger has been a notable and energetic champion of new Irish writers in his capacity as founder- publisher of Raven Arts Press, which he ran until 1992, whereafter he went on to start New Island Books. He is also the editor of the Picador Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tough questions in a very good book!,
This review is from: Temptation (Hardcover)
Wow! This was a random pick. I didn't know anything about Bolger before, but now I want to keep on reading him. I was very impressed by the way he, a man, could portrait a woman so well. The story is very good. Alison, a woman aged 38 and a mother of three, goes with her family for week's vacation to Fitzgerald's hotel, as they've done for years and years. But this year will be different. Her husband has to go back to deal with a job crisis, and Alison is left with the kids. One of the other guests at the hotel is a man who was very much in love with her twenty years ago, about the same time she met her husband. Now, the other man is a widower. So while her husband is away, Alison spends time on her own (with three kids, well...) and evaluates her life and marriage, all the while bumping into the other man. Is her life good? Is she happy? How would it be different? What about her husband, is he cheating on her? Should she leave him? I think Bolger raises very interesting questions about love and marriage and self-fulfilment - is it at all possible to achieve? Not easy questions, and very open answers. I love this book! I picked it up and then had to keep reading til it was finished. Now I'm going to try more of Bolger's work.
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