The Connellys of County Down
A Novel
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4.2 • 52 Ratings
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From Tracey Lange, the New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans, comes The Connellys of County Down: a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.
When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.
While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.
The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Lange's moving latest (after We Are the Brennans), family secrets threaten to upend a recent parolee's new life in Port Chester, N.Y. Released from prison after serving 525 days for transporting stolen opioids, Tara Connelly moves in with her sister, Geraldine, who's already putting up their brother, Eddie, and his young son. Tara needs their help, but her siblings have their own problems to deal with—Geraldine, an office manager at a payroll company, has fallen behind at work, and Eddie has migraines from a teenage car accident. Complicating Tara's new life is a by-the-book parole officer, Doreen DaCosta, and Hank Doyle, a detective determined to use Tara to bring down her ex-boyfriend Roland Shea, the drug dealer whose pills she was caught with. A dangerous romance slowly blossoms between Tara and Brian Nolan, Hank's nephew and fellow detective who feels guilty over Tara's sentence, as he'd hoped to get her off in exchange for her cooperation. After Tara visits Roland, DaCosta grills her for violating her parole; revelations about Geraldine and Eddie further jeopardize her freedom. Tara is a flawed heroine worth rooting for and her romance with Brian an affecting one. Like Stewart O'Nan, the author conjures human moments with a convincing naturalistic style. This emotionally charged story delivers the goods.
Customer Reviews
I liked this way more than I expected!
When I first read the synopsis of this book, I didn't think it would be for me, but a friend really recommended it so I went for it. I was very pleasantly surprised at just how much I loved this story. The author develops the characters in such a deep, beautiful way that I found myself loving them, but also being angry with them for the decisions they made - but I understood it - you know?! I loved the familial relationships and the complexities involved. And to do all of this in under 300 pages!
I thought the writing was well done and easy to follow. This was a very quick read. There wasn't anything extraneous - it was succinct and to the point, which was very effective and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only thing about this book that stopped me from giving it 5 stars was I felt the relationship between Tara and Brian was a little forced. That was the only relationship that didn't really work for me, but overall I think it is a pretty minor complaint!