The Library at the Edge of the World

September 1, 2017
A librarian returns to her small Ireland hometown--and the cast of eccentric characters who live there.After divorcing her cheating husband, 51-year-old Hanna Casey finds herself living back home in the Irish countryside with her nagging mother. Although Hanna lived a sophisticated life in London while she was married, now she has to once again get used to the slower pace of life in Lissbeg. As her daughter, Jazz, travels the world working for an airline, Hanna earns her living as the town librarian. With a reputation for being stuck-up, she avoids fraternizing with the locals; instead, she wants to focus on restoring her great-aunt's old cottage so she can finally move out of her mom's house. But when a group of bureaucrats comes up with a tourism plan that will involve closing the Lissbeg library, Hanna becomes the reluctant leader of a campaign to save it. As Hanna gets more involved in the lives of the people in her community, she begins to realize that Lissbeg isn't just any other town--it's her home. Bursting with lovably wacky characters (most notably the cantankerous builder Fury O'Shea), this novel creates a richly drawn world. Although the characters are charming, Irish author Hayes-McCoy's U.S. debut presents a realistic view of what it's like to live in a small town where employment opportunities are slim. Those who are seeking an adventure-filled thrill ride should look elsewhere, but readers searching for a slow-paced, gentle look at small-town Ireland will find a lot to love. A sweet and relaxing story about the importance of community.

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September 1, 2017

The "edge of the world" is the southwestern coast of Ireland, on a fictional peninsula (think Dingle). Librarian Hanna Casey, who has returned to her Irish hometown after discovering her English husband's infidelity, drives the mobile library van among the villages of the Finfarran Peninsula. But all is not sunshine in this beautiful, remote region. Developers and business interests plan to close the local library, consolidating services distantly, further fragmenting the social interaction of the area's local residents. When the plan is disclosed, Hanna finds herself leading the community's pushback. Nuns, fishermen, senior citizens, young entrepreneurs, crusty curmudgeons, the local rich family recluse, and library patrons band together to bolster their common purpose. VERDICT Making her fiction and U.S. debut, the author of The House on an Irish Hillside delivers an appealing novel that will delight Maeve Binchy fans. There are plenty of good discussion points about the nature of community for book clubs and thoughtful readers.--Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Chicago

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2017
When Hanna-Mariah Casey returned home to the Finfarran peninsula of Ireland after her marriage fell apart, she never imagined that, five years later, she'd still be living with her mother and driving the local library bookmobile. Wildly unhappy, she decides to renovate a cabin left to her by her great-aunt so she can get out of her mother's house, a choice that plunges her into the lives of her neighbors. Her gruff contractor, Fury, has taken over her renovation project, which she is told he'll give back when he is good and ready. Her bookmobile patrons are bringing her housewarming gifts. Even worse, she is dragged into a local budget debate that could mean the end of her job. Hanna gradually realizes that reviving connections among Finfarran's residents may be what will save them all. The spot-on descriptions of Ireland's dusty country roads and expansive sky all but leap off the page and provide the true joy of Hayes-McCoy's first novel. Hanna's background story fails to paint her as a librarian to love, but Maeve Binchy and Patrick Taylor fans will find much to enjoy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)