Paula Spencer
A Novel
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4.0 • 6 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“An extraordinary story about an ordinary life.” —People
“Brilliant.” —The New Yorker
Meet the eponymous and iconic Irishwoman Paula Spencer in this intimate exploration of recovery and motherhood, by Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of The Women Behind the Door
It’s been four months and five days since Paula Spencer last had a drink—she’s counted. It’s been ten years since her husband Charlo died—she’s counted that too. She’s tried to quit before, but this time it will stick—she’s sure of it.
As Paula relearns how to be herself again, she must also relearn how to be a mother—to Nicola, already an adult, who still checks Paula’s pantry for bottles every time she visits; to John Paul, who has built an entire life without Paula in it; to Leanne, who seems to be headed down the same path of self-destruction Paula just left; and to Jack, the baby, the only one she’s managed to do right by, so far. Things in Ireland are changing, and Paula is doing everything she can to change too.
Told with the unmistakable wit of Doyle’s unique voice, Paula’s dogged struggle for sobriety is a redemptive tale of a brave and tenacious woman, “as real as realism gets” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). If you met Paula in The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, you’ll be eager to see where she is ten years on; if you haven’t yet, you’ll feel lucky to connect with her in this book and its successor, The Women Behind the Door.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The heroine of Doyle's 1996 bestseller, The Woman Who Walked into Doors, returns long widowed (abusive husband Charlo having been killed fleeing the Irish police) and four months sober. Those absences and old relationships mark the year we follow in Paula's new life: she worries that her daughter, Leanne, is following in her footsteps; negotiates her resentment of her bossy older daughter, Nicola; and reconciles with her son, John Paul, now a recovering heroin addict with two kids of his own. Doyle, Booker Winner for Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha and author of The Commitments, does a lot in this novel by doing little: it is John Paul's quiet distance, for example, that serves as a constant reminder of the horrendous mother and pitiful alcoholic Paula used to be. The newfound prosperity of Ireland affects Paula's day-to-day life on the bottom of the economic scale which suddenly looks a lot different. Paula's inner life lacks subtler shades, and her outer life is full of tiring work, abstinence from liquor and family. These aren't elements that automatically make for a have-to-read novel, but in this wholly and vividly imagined case, they do.
