The Irish Boarding House by Sandy Taylor (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

 

Title: The Irish Boarding House

Author: Sandy Taylor

Publication: 1 September 2022

Format: Kindle eArc via Bookouture & NetGalley

Amazon Description

24 Merrion Square. The house stands empty, the old stone steps overgrown with thorny rose bushes. But Mary Kate feels a deep connection to the neglected, silent rooms. Could this be the place to help her heal?

Dublin 1952. When Mary Kate Ryan receives a surprise inheritance from the woman who abandoned her as a tiny baby, she’s stunned. All her life, she has longed to know why her mother disappeared, and now she’s devastated to realise that every lonely night she spent without a home or family of her own, her mother knew exactly where she was.

Mary Kate is about to refuse the money when she sees a beautiful, deserted house for sale and something sparks in her heart. She will reawaken it, as the Dublin Boarding House for Single Ladies, and provide a shelter for others as lost and alone as her. Can she help the two young girls left at the local orphanage, desperate for a home of their own? Or the pregnant teenager on the run, who only wants to keep her baby safe?

The boarding house brings Mary Kate love and friendships she never dreamed of, but just as her heart is about to burst with joy, a new guest arrives. The stern older woman won’t speak about her past, but when Mary Kate uncovers her story, it reveals a devastating secret about her mother. With her life in turmoil once more, can Mary Kate draw on the strength of the women in the house to help her face her past, or will the tragedy she uncovers spell disaster for them all…?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Half a star was lost probably because it didn't hit me nearly as hard as Taylor's When We Danced at the End of the Pier ... but, then again, very few books have. That one still makes my heart flip and I get "warm-fuzzies" even when I just read my own review of it over five years later. The Irish Boarding House is lovely in its own right and I enjoyed watching Mary Kate and her new family, but I think I was just expecting that little bit of extra ... Pierness? Still, reading this was a most excellent way to spend an afternoon.

 

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Friday 56 (share a blurb from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader