Wednesday 23 November 2011

Review - Breakfast at Darcy's - Ali McNamara


  • Publisher: Sphere (24 Nov 2011)
  • ISBN-13: 978-0751547405
Kindle ASIN: B005O6YMTU

The Blurb

When Darcy McCall loses her beloved Aunt Molly, she doesn't expect any sort of inheritance - let alone a small island. Located off the west coast of Ireland, Tara hasn't been lived on for years, but according to Molly's will Darcy must stay there for twelve months in order to fully inherit, and she needs to persuade a village full of people to settle there, too. 


Darcy has to leave behind her independent city life and swap stylish heels for muddy wellies. Between sorting everything from the plumbing to the pub, Darcy meets confident Conor and ever-grumpy Dermot - but who will make her feel really at home?


Darcy McCall is a city girl working for a fashion publication when she is given the challenge by way of her Aunt Molly's last will and testament.  She is to live on a remote island off Ireland for a whole year to inherit her Aunt's estate.  Not only that, she has to convince 14 other people to come and live there too.


This seems like a failure from the off, as Darcy is more used to busy city life, high heels, designer clothes, makeup and wine bars.  How could she possibly survive on a remote, deserted island for a week let alone a year. 


This is a very believable story and Ali McNamara has covered all the 'what ifs' that may come to mind about such a task.
I was hooked by the challenge Darcy faced right away.  I wanted her to love the island as much as her Aunt Molly and see past the inheritance at the end of the task. I wanted to see how or if she would adapt to the sudden changes in her lifestyle.


The strong cast of characters, that joined Darcy on the island, were introduced into the story so that it was easy to get to know them.  I would love to hear more about this community.


The island and it's history, myths and legends played a major part in shaping the future of the islanders and as a fan of historical fiction I was pleased to see the author go into this in detail.


With some surprises and a shocking twist, I needed the tissues by the end of the novel which was all too soon.  


5 out of 5 for me!


Thank you Sphere for a review copy.

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