Summer at the Garden Cafe

September 1, 2018
Hayes-McCoy takes readers on another trip to the Irish peninsula of her first novel, The Library at the Edge of the World (2017).After leaving her cheating husband in London, librarian Hanna Casey has finally settled into life in her hometown of Lissbeg. She still has to deal with her cantankerous mother, but now that Hanna has fully restored her great-aunt Maggie's cottage, at least she no longer has to live with her. But then Hanna finds something unexpected at her new home--a journal inscribed with Maggie's name. The first entry is from 1920, and as Maggie details her own journey away from the Finfarran Peninsula, Hanna realizes how much she doesn't know about her family's history. Meanwhile, Hanna's daughter, Jazz, has her own struggles. After a car accident left her unable to perform her old job as a cabin crew member on an airline, she's back home, working at a bed-and-breakfast, and dealing with a severe fear of driving that's holding her back. She also must come to terms with the recent revelation that her beloved father cheated on her mother. The Casey women aren't the only focus, however--there are many other quirky characters with their own struggles in the town, most notably library worker Conor's inability to communicate with his girlfriend, Aideen. The story is slow-paced, but that's not necessarily a bad thing--it's easy to get swept into the quiet life along the peninsula. Although many of the characters are dealing with tragedy and heartbreak, they ultimately learn to move forward with the help of their eccentric but lovable neighbors.An altogether pleasant story about overcoming the past in a charming small-town setting.

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September 1, 2018
Hayes-McCoy's sequel to The Library at the Edge of the World? (2017) takes a broader look at the residents of the remote Irish village of Finfarran. Thanks to the efforts of librarian Hanna Casey and the donation of the Carrick Psalter, an illustrated medieval book of psalms, the library has become a tourist attraction, which helps local businesses thrive. Ameena Khan gets her first job in the gift shop, despite her mother's reservations. ?Conor McCarthy blithely works at the library and courts shop owner Aideen, though she is not convinced of his interest. Jazz, Hanna's daughter, is dealing with the aftermath of a near-fatal car accident and learning the truth about her parents' divorce. Meanwhile, Hanna finds her Great Aunt Maggie's diary buried in the garden, which reveals some hard truths about the Irish Civil War. There is an undercurrent of romance, not just between Hanna and Brian Morton but of the landscape and the cadence of the villagers' language, both of which fairly leap off the page. Fans of Debbie Macomber's Blossom series will enjoy this trip to Ireland.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)