Breakfast At Darcy's - Ali McNamara
Published: 24/10/11
Publisher: Sphere
Pages: 427
I am going to hold my hands high in the air right now and say I've never read anything by Ali McNamara before. (Hides in corner)
I've had Ali's books sitting on my bookshelf for AGES and I've been determined to find time to read them. Ali is my author in the spotlight this month, so I will be reviewing all of her books and have a really fantastic interview to share with you during October.
Breakfast at Darcy's is an absolute delight of a book. I got so caught up in the world Ali had created that I almost forgot I wasn't a part of the story!
Darcy is a columnist at a magazine called Goddess and is pretty happy with her life and the way things are going. When she finds out her Aunt Molly has passed away, Darcy returns to Dublin for her funeral and finds out that her life may be about to change in unimaginable ways. Leaving everything she ever owned to Darcy, Molly outlines some conditions for her niece. Darcy must go and live on Molly's island for a year and start up a new community before she is entitled to any of the money left to her. Thinking it's the worst thing that could happen, Darcy reluctantly checks out the island and decides to give it a go. As the island slowly grows, so does Darcy and she learns that not everything beautiful in life comes with a price tag...
Ali is a really, really great writer. From the first sentence I was drawn into Darcy's world and it was hard for me to put the book down. I loved the style of writing Ali uses, it's fresh and fun and really had me interested in the characters and the plot. The character development over this novel was impressive and I was really surprised how many of the characters grew and changed as the story progressed. Often in books with a lot of characters, some get left behind or some get forgotten, but with all of the characters in this book, they all had their own stories and their chance to grow. My favourite characters were Darcy and her builder friend Dermot; they both went through some massive changes but supported each other along the way, I was rooting for them the whole time! There are some really lovable characters too, such as Eamon, the old man who lives on the island and Roxi, Darcy's best friend; they both had me laughing and crying in equal measure.
This novel fits perfectly into the chick lit genre and is the kind of book you can read snuggled up in bed during the winter or when you're lying on a sun-lounger on holiday! Beware though, it will make you desperate to find your own little island! I can't wait to get lost in the world of Ali's other novels and I am SO glad I decided to pick this book up.
A original, moving and exciting novel from one of my (now) favourite authors in the chick-lit genre.
Publisher: Sphere
Pages: 427
I am going to hold my hands high in the air right now and say I've never read anything by Ali McNamara before. (Hides in corner)
I've had Ali's books sitting on my bookshelf for AGES and I've been determined to find time to read them. Ali is my author in the spotlight this month, so I will be reviewing all of her books and have a really fantastic interview to share with you during October.
Breakfast at Darcy's is an absolute delight of a book. I got so caught up in the world Ali had created that I almost forgot I wasn't a part of the story!
Darcy is a columnist at a magazine called Goddess and is pretty happy with her life and the way things are going. When she finds out her Aunt Molly has passed away, Darcy returns to Dublin for her funeral and finds out that her life may be about to change in unimaginable ways. Leaving everything she ever owned to Darcy, Molly outlines some conditions for her niece. Darcy must go and live on Molly's island for a year and start up a new community before she is entitled to any of the money left to her. Thinking it's the worst thing that could happen, Darcy reluctantly checks out the island and decides to give it a go. As the island slowly grows, so does Darcy and she learns that not everything beautiful in life comes with a price tag...
Ali is a really, really great writer. From the first sentence I was drawn into Darcy's world and it was hard for me to put the book down. I loved the style of writing Ali uses, it's fresh and fun and really had me interested in the characters and the plot. The character development over this novel was impressive and I was really surprised how many of the characters grew and changed as the story progressed. Often in books with a lot of characters, some get left behind or some get forgotten, but with all of the characters in this book, they all had their own stories and their chance to grow. My favourite characters were Darcy and her builder friend Dermot; they both went through some massive changes but supported each other along the way, I was rooting for them the whole time! There are some really lovable characters too, such as Eamon, the old man who lives on the island and Roxi, Darcy's best friend; they both had me laughing and crying in equal measure.
This novel fits perfectly into the chick lit genre and is the kind of book you can read snuggled up in bed during the winter or when you're lying on a sun-lounger on holiday! Beware though, it will make you desperate to find your own little island! I can't wait to get lost in the world of Ali's other novels and I am SO glad I decided to pick this book up.
A original, moving and exciting novel from one of my (now) favourite authors in the chick-lit genre.
Laura