Breeda Looney Steps Forth
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- €4.99
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- €4.99
Publisher Description
'Excellent... this is a worthy page-turner' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Breeda Looney tells herself she's happy with her simple life in a remote Irish fishing village.
Sure, there are days she talks to no one but the cat, her panic attacks have become public spectacles, and crabby Aunt Nora considers her a total waste of skin...
But could one lie from her childhood change everything?
Breeda is about to stumble upon an old family secret never meant to see the light of day. Her beloved father, said to have died when Breeda was a child, might actually still be alive.
But secrets rarely exist alone.
And as Breeda digs up the family dirt to find her long-lost daddy, she quickly realizes she's just opened the biggest can of worms imaginable…
Breeda Looney steps forth. But what on earth is she about to discover?
Heartfelt, compelling and often darkly funny, this debut fiction from Ireland follows one woman's quest to find her truth and, ultimately, her place in the world. With a cast of colorful characters, and brimming with surprisingly tender moments, Breeda Looney will stay in your heart long after the final pages...
-- PRAISE FOR BREEDA LOONEY STEPS FORTH --
'Set in modern Ireland and steeped in the beauty of the Wild Atlantic Way this story is told with passionate and lyrical grace.' - GOODREADS
'[Oliver Sands'] lyrical prose consistently impresses... this is a worthy page-turner.' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
'The perfect book for a Sunday afternoon read by the fire.' - READERS' FAVORITE
'Hilarious at times but ultimately totally heartwarming, Breeda Looney Steps Forth is an outstanding debut.' - THE BOOK MAGNET
'Endearing and honest… this was a beautiful and entirely unexpected read.' - NETGALLEY
'A tale of grief and guilt, secrets and lies, betrayal and shame. Intriguing, moving and often darkly funny, this is an impressive debut novel.' - GOODREADS
'Raw, poignant, wry and uplifting - this is a beautiful story exceptionally well told.' - NETGALLEY
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RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF ...
Rachel Joyce, Hazel Ward, Graham Norton, John Boyne, Caroline O'Donoghue, Anne Griffin, Gail Honeyman, Sara Baume, Naoise Dolan, Deborah Moggach, Drew Davies, Beth Miller, Sarah Winman, and Grainne Murphy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Irish writer Sands debuts with an enjoyable, bittersweet account of a woman's grief and longing to understand her family history. On Breeda Looney's 37th birthday, she's drunk and reeling in the street, grieving over her mother, Margaret, who recently died. Thoughts of an impending lunch date with her meddlesome Aunt Nora aren't helping: "tomorrow's lunch would likely involve a lecture on Breeda's many shortcomings, served with a side of hand-wringing, and a generous dollop of Catholic guilt," Sands notes. Breeda's grief triggers her depression and anxiety, while Nora, in chapters from her point of view, worries about Breeda tarnishing Margaret's memory. As Breeda looks through old family pictures, she notes that none exist of her father, Malachy. When Breeda was 12, she was told he'd drowned during a drunken night swim. But after Breeda stumbles upon an 18th birthday card addressed to her from Malachy, she confronts Nora the next morning, who tells her to "leave the past in the past." Breeda sets out to uncover the truth about Malachy, unaware that doing so will expose more, unexpected family secrets. Sands does an excellent job at using nuance to delve into the denser themes of mental health and grief, and his lyrical prose consistently impresses. Tense and affecting, this is a worthy page-turner. (Self-published)
