A fantastic book set in a small minded village in Donegal in the 1990’s when divorce was not yet legalised and men have the upper hand when it comes to families.
A small village mentality, a place where everyone thinks they know your business.
A book full of different characters, many flawed but none totally unlikeable. A book about human mistakes, unhappy relationships and living life regardless.
A great debut.

Excellent debut from Alan Murrin, focused on three women and their families in county Donegal in the run up to the vote on divorce in Ireland. I was thoroughly drawn in to the relationships, the pervasive sense of control from church and state, and the inevitability of a crisis coming down the path. Well rounded characters are flawed yet sympathetic, making poor but understandable decisions, and I found myself absorbed, rattling through the last two thirds of the book in one sitting. Look forward to seeing more from Murrin.

An interesting read set in the 1990s in Ireland before divorce was legalised. Messy stories of troubled marriages and the different decisions and challenges faced by the women involved.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

A fantastic book set in Donegal- following three women and their stories in the run up to the referendum on divorce in the 90s. Trapped in unhappy marriages, this book is full of funny moments amongst the love and heartbreak and friendship.

Brilliantly written, this is a story of small town Ireland and small minded Ireland. An Ireland captured pre Good Friday Agreement, though at a time of a fragile cease-fire, and in the run up to the divorce referendum. An Ireland where what people think of you is more important than your happiness and dignity.
And then there is Colette. A step apart, a free spirit, one who was prepared to break from the norm to follow her dreams which ultimately become her self destructive nightmares
Character and prose driven this is a gem of a read

Finished!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ this book has blown me away the writing, those sentences and words I’m just 🤯🤯🤯🤯 a harsh look at a community, wives, husbands, children, doing the best for them, punishment, gossip & the roaring sea looking on

This was a well written, absorbing novel about three women in Ireland at around the time of the referendum on Divorce. I loved it and looked forward to reading it every moment I could. Heartbreakingly sad for the women trapped in abusive or simply no longer loving and respectful marriages and the children who also suffered as a result. I hadn't remembered how shocking it was to get divorced in the RC world but this brought it home to me. Saying more would give the plot away.

I loved the details about the women and the way each was described. I hope to read more from this author.

It’s 1994 in County Donegal, Ireland, and everyone is talking about Colette Crowley – the writer, the bohemian, the woman who left her husband and sons to pursue a relationship with a married man in Dublin. But now Colette is back, and nobody knows why.

This is such a well written book. I found the descriptions of feelings wonderful. It’s based on a small community with small minds and it works very well. In the background is the vote to allow divorce in Ireland but it’s much deeper and more about relationships and feelings. Great read.

A thoughtful and considered book, following a short period in the lives of three married Irish women in the 1990s. There's a vivid sense of time and place and an understatement to the writing that manages to convey depths to the emotional journey and events.

A slightly familiar trope is revisited: bohemian Irish woman who deserted her family for another man returns and is ostracised. In Murrin's sensitive hands, Coleen's plight leads her to a friendship with Izzy and ultimately tragedy as they try to get Colleen's children returned to her. The writing is beautiful. The book is a stark reminder of life in rural Ireland pre-divorce, when communities would turn against anyone who defied what they perceived as their norms. Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury for the eARC in return for an honest review.

The Coast Road is a compelling debut following the lives of three women in small town Ireland, set against the backdrop of the 90s divorce referendum.

I found Murrin's prose fluid and easy to read; he has an astute appreciation for complex characters. As the story progresses, I gained a newfound sympathy and appreciation for characters I initially found unlikeable and irritating. I think it is this wonderfully nuanced characterisation that makes the story so compelling: there isn't a whole lot of plot, but I was hooked regardless.

The narrative falls away a bit at the end: it feels like there is a shift in pace that changes the tone slightly. But in general this is an impressive and assured debut, and I'll keep my eye out for more books by Murrin in the future.

I just couldn't get into this. I liked the premise of this book - the exploration of how women strove for their independence in Ireland in the 90s and the many rocks that were placed in their paths - but I just found it very slow. It also took me a very long time to keep the characters straight in my head, which might have made reading even more cumbersome, although I didn't find the book poorly written. Overall, it's a story that will tug on your heart strings, but you will need the time and headspace to fully commit to it, otherwise it will feel like a chore reading this.

A very interesting read which brings us back to a time in Ireland before Divorce was brought and the Catholic Church had a bigger role in the lives of Irish People. A story set in a town in Donegal where people are are putting up a front to the outside world but have to deal with a lot behind closed doors. Some great characters in Izzy, Colette and Dolores.

Not at all the book I was expecting and all the better for it! Well written, not overly literary and displaying great sympathy for its characters. However I felt the last third let it down and lacks resolution

A really enjoyable story set in Ireland in time gone by when mass was attended by all Catholics. It brought back wonderful memories of close knit communities- one of the towns mentioned was where I was brought up! It was noted if you wore or did things against the norm and local news/ gossip travelled quickly. Collette returned to her home town where people were very scathing about her- she had originally left her husband and children to live with another man and locals found this hard to accept.

Set in a small town in County Donegal, the year before Ireland’s 1995 referendum on divorce, Alan Murrin’s debut, explores the state of three marriages - one broken and two under strain - through the women whose independence is thwarted by society’s expectations.
We know from the start that Colette’s cottage has burnt down when the police quiz Izzy who spotted smoke in the middle of the night. From there, Murrin winds back the narrative, shifting perspectives as he unfolds his story. None of the three wives in this perceptive novel are happy in their marriages but divorce is not an option leaving all three dependent on their husbands in an Ireland where women are still expected to tread a traditional path. Colette has made a bid for freedom but suffers the shutdown of all contact with her children when she returns from Dublin leaving her lover behind; Lizzy’s dependence on James results in resentment and depression while Dolores is forced to turn a blind eye to the blatant infidelities of her husband. By the end of the novel, a referendum on divorce is in the offing. Its result won’t be the solution for everyone but will help some. No great literary fireworks here but I enjoyed this absorbing novel which has particularly strong cast of female characters.

Power, conflict and exquisite dialogue: this is a treasure of Irish literary fiction.

I’ll admit I chose this book for its cover. The power of the waves and the loneliness of the cottage intrigued me. I wanted to read about what daily life in the remoter parts of Ireland might be like. But it turns out that Ardglas isn’t the cosy community that I’d envisaged. Imagine a small, close-knit Irish town, where nothing that happens goes unnoticed and everyone has an opinion. Layer over that the politics of church and state, and the unequal power balance in relationships. Season with the most exquisite dialogue and you have the flavour of The Coast Road by Alan Murrin.

Ardglas is a fictional small fishing town in Donegal and the setting is critical, as is the date. The story takes place in 1994, when there was a pause in the Troubles thanks to a fragile ceasefire, and just before the critical referendum that would finally legalise divorce. Forty-four-year-old Colette Crowley returns to Ardglas after ending an affair with a married man in Dublin. She has nothing, not even her dignity. It’s just before Christmas and she rents a holiday cottage owned by Dolores and Donal Mullen.

Colette’s return is the subject of gossip and divided opinions in the town. With her striking appearance and unconventional behaviour, she is seen as a threat by men and women alike. Izzy Keaveney is one of the few who will give her the time of day. Colette is a poet, and she begins teaching writing classes in Ardglas. Izzy decides to attend, mainly to escape her husband, James, and her own troubled marriage for a few hours. Colette is desperate to be reunited with her children and Izzy’s sense of fair play leads her to offer to help. Izzy’s kind gesture doesn’t go unnoticed, however, and there will be repercussions. The fortunes of the two women are now inextricably linked.

Murrin writes lyrically and the colour and texture of his descriptions bring the fictional seaside community to life. The wild coastline reflects the tumultuous relationships he describes. The men are depicted as selfish and hold financial, sexual and emotional control, whereas the women are nurturing, big-hearted, but powerless. The gentle priest, Father Brian, represents a kind of middle ground but also illustrates the ineffectual role of the church in practical terms. The author playfully explores the process of writing within the book, as an expression of hidden feelings and a cathartic activity. The characters are brilliantly written, each with their own back story. There’s plenty of drama and tension but also a wonderful dry humour that had me chuckling. This warm hug of a book will definitely stay with me.

This was a really lovely read which I hroughly enjoyed. The story is set in Ireland and is centred around the women of small town. The murder did not happen until 80% of the way through and the mruderer was established instatntly so it i snot really a mystery but a warm story of a male dominated Ireland.

This was a little gem .of a book.
Small town Ireland, back in the day, where nobody had mobiles, but word still got round quicker than you can snap your fingers.

All the main characters here seem to be women, of course they have husbands and kids, but they are part of the women's story.
And each of the three women seem to be lost. Not happy with their lives and the decisions they've made.
It's all a bit sad.... but a great story.
I'll be looking out for more Murrin.

The coast road is a beautiful easy read there however, a few sensitive topics covered. It focuses on a small Irish village. Izzy is a “politicians” wife and Colette has just returned to the village having left sometime ago to be with another man in Dublin.
Colette starts a weekly writing group which Izzy attends, and later helps Colette spend time with her youngest son as her husband is refusing her access to her children.

It’s a story about living in a small village, where everybody thinks they know everything about everybody, even if they don’t actually know the whole truth.
A truly stunning debut.