The Book Club

This is the first book I have read by this author & I really enjoyed. I will read more by this author & recommend them to others. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book..

With grateful thanks to netgalley, Hackett books Ireland and last but certainly not least Roisin Meaney for an early copy in return for an honest opinion.
Having read all of this authors books I knew that I would be in for an excellent read.
First can I just say Roisin Meaney has a way of enticing you in from the beginning and this was no exception.
A tale with takes us from London to southern Ireland to a small town where everyone knows everything about each other good or bad, Tom looking to get away from life and come to terms with himself rents a house from a family with secrets what unfolds with these outstanding characters is quite spectacular I want to give nothing away, but it's outstandingly poignant and so fabulously played out. I read this book in near enough one sitting I seriously can't praise it enough and can totally recommend 5⭐plus.

I've always wanted to join a book club, but because I read so much, I'd have it finished way before everyone else 🤦‍♀️

This was another new author for me & I am now looking forward to reading more of their works.

This wasn't the kind of story you'd want to race through. It was very well written, captivating & had that feelgood factor about it.

Tom, having split from his fiancée is looking to start his life over, so rents himself a small house over in the seaside town of Fairweather, Ireland...but just what is he running from?

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 5 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

I received an advance copy of, The Book Club, by Rosin Meaney. I loved this book, I wish I was in their book club. What wonderful, colorful characters, and I love Ireland, the people and views are amazing.

I was thrilled to be given this as I'm a huge fan of Roisin Meaney. I always enjoy her books, my favourite being the Roone series - but Roone has competition with this one! I think it's one of her strongest books yet. It was one I really looked forward to getting back to every night. The setting is gorgeous and there's a very authentic sense of life in a small town. But the characters are what make it - each different, each believable and each one slotting in with the others perfectly. I couldn't choose a favourite character because the author's great skill is keeping us invested in all of them. The plot itself is really engrossing, working towards a resolution that we're all rooting for but at no time seems cliché or forced. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will happily recommend it to all and sundry.

I love book clubs and reading about this one was really well written. Loved all the characters in the story too and the setting.

Tom is looking to get away from Dublin. He wants to forget his past and start again. He rents a cottage in the small seaside town of Fairweather.
Slowly he starts to become friendly with his neighbours especially his landlady Beth who lives next door with her Grandaughter Lil. They have a makeshift library at the bottom of their garden and run a Book Club from there once a month.
I really enjoyed this book, it had some wonderful characters.
This is the first book I have read from this author and I will certainly be looking out for more of her work.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminds me of Maeve Binchy, maybe because it is set in Ireland and features an ensemble cast. The inhabitants of the west coast seaside town of Fairweather are surprised to find a stranger in their midst when Beth rents out her granddaughter's house. Tom is fleeing from unknown problems in London and Dublin, looking for a new direction in life after he has fallen out of love with IT. The characters are wonderful and mature as the novel progresses. The Book Club of the title is not really key to the story - it is just the meeting place for all the key characters. Wonderful escapism.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

Set in Ireland this story is about a book club and its keen members who live in the small seaside town of Fairweather. The residents had created their own lending book club from donations and no payment for the books they borrowed was needed. The premises of the book club is sited at the back of a resident called Ellen’s house and is flourishing, despite a tragedy where Ellen lost her daughter and her daughter’s husband, and her granddaughter in a freak automobile accident. A second granddaughter called Lil was so traumatised that she reverted to living with her Grandmother Ellen in the house next door which she had inherited. She became an elective mute as the shock of the accident took away her speech.
Tom McLysaght from London has also suffered a terrible set back in his life. He is trying hard to come to terms with the shocking and far reaching event that caused him to effectively lose the life he had forged for himself, a fantastic home, a secure and brilliant salary and fabulous lifestyle taken from beneath his feet. With the sterling support of his brother and sister-in-law he has decided to make new beginnings across the seas in Ireland, where nobody will know his misfortunes and gossip would not be spread. Coincidentally he had rented Lil’s vacant house next door to Ellen’s house for a period of six months. He has settled in well and has taken on the job as the local handyman and is forging strong relationships with the locals.
Nobody knows Tom’s secret and the tight knit community soon come to like Tom, even inviting him to the book club reviewing team. He is enjoying the job, likes his next door neighbours and at last feels accepted. This is the story of three broken but endearing characters, Ellen, Lil and Tom who support each other and learn that the simple pleasures of life can once again be theirs as they heal, laugh, help each other and start to nurture new beginnings. I loved the different threads that added greatly to the main story and the characterisation was wise and very carefully created. The storyboard was brilliantly handled so that the final outcome was a very pleasant surprise. What more could you want?
The complexity and sad nature of our three main characters hard times are vivid and relatable, the characters deftly created and given their lives through beautiful and imaginative storytelling. I really enjoyed this novel which I received through my membership of NetGalley and from publisher Hachette Books Ireland, all in return for an honest review. Thank you most sincerely for my copy. I recommend this novel as a heart-warming read of recovery, friendship and support full of reality and yet very well paced and exciting. 4.5*

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. As an avid book reader myself and have always wanted to be in a book club of some sort I loved this book. All the characters and the storyline. Would recommend

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

An accident, really tragic, has left a community in the town of Fairweather shocked and still coming to terms with it. Unknown to what’s happened, Tom comes to live in their community, now the members of the club, find their lives about to change, but, not as they thought.

But the community don’t know that Tom has a secret, if you look at him, he doesn’t seem like anything’s different about him, he’s here to get away from his highflying life, putting space between his ex-fiancée. But even he knows, some things he can’t get away from.

Soon in the book club, secrets are being brought in the open, and slowly the hurt felt starts to lessen. It seems that the new friendships that are beginning to start, was the last thing the members had thought about. They’re thinking, maybe talking to other people, might be the better way to start living and loving once again.

Recommend It

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The power of a book club! This book was so good!!! The lies and hidden truths people keep eat them up, this book looks at how powerful it is to share. A problem shared is a problem halved as they say.
Really original plot. Loved it!

What really makes a difference in this book, apart from the story which is engaging, the setting which is beautiful and the secrets that keep you guessing, are the characters! All the characters, main and secondary, are wonderfully depicted. They feel real and relatable, and I personally felt a great connection to all of them.
Loved it!

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a truly beautiful book this was. It’s set in Ireland which is a country I love so I was off to a good start.
The story is told in the present and the past. There is a real mix of characters and we learn the story of each of their lives.
Tom has moved to Fairweather to escape his past, Beth and her Granddaughter Lil have seen tragedy which they are trying to move on from, Mark is father in law to Olive who is married to Fred. They are making plans for an exciting future with their adopted daughter Nancy.
The lives are all connected by their love of books through Beth and Lils private library and Book Club.
I really enjoyed learning all the secrets of the past I would love there to be a second book to follow.
Thank You NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for this early copy.

I really enjoyed this book which is by another new author for me. The story of a stranger with a secret arriving to live in a close knit community. The Book Club is a delightful read which had me hooked from the beginning. I loved the way each chapter focussed on one of the characters and that we got to know their back stories as the book unfolded. A great read and very much recommended. I look forward to reading Roisin Meaney’s back catalogue of books with great anticipation.

Really enjoyed reading this book. It had a brilliant mix of characters that fitted well with one another. Great storylines to keep your interest. It was well written and flowed well. Great author

Roisin Meaney is one of my absolute favourite authors and I was thrilled to receive an early copy of The Book Club. This book was an absolute joy to read. I loved the story and all the characters. At times I will admit to shedding a tear or two but there were also a few moments that made me laugh out loud. A wonderful read.

Roisin Meaney is a new author to me and I certainly wasn't disappointed, a lovely book about friends who all have problems of their own but still look out for each other

I have read many of RM's book and this one is up in my top three. It is an easy to get into, feel good book, although there are great traumas in the past of the main characters. I enjoyed the way that's Tom's backstory is gradually revealed and loved how his creativity develops, helping him heal. Quite often Roisin's books are based on a group of characters who come together randomly at a class or to put on a performance. This works well as although their stories are independent of each other they are interlinked. Roisin seemed to try to use this technique in The Book Club but it didn't really work (and wasn't necessary) as the actual book club was strangely made up of two families who already knew each other well, the club meetings didn't really add anything to the storyline. However that said the story itself gradually weaves the characters together in some surprising ways and as winter turns to summer their lives are getting brighter. Many thanks to Netgalley for an early free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it!!! It's hard not to love Roisin Meaney's books. She is one of my favorite authors. The stories are always heartwarming with wonderful characters and beautifully written. I fall in love each time and feel like I'm part of the story. This book was no different. Now I want to move to Fairweather and become best friends with Olive, Lil and everyone else that's part of the book club. I want to shop at Olive's store and buy Tom's little houses. This book was so magical. Tom showed up at Beth's house at the perfect time and exactly what the town needed. Not to mention that the town was exactly what Tom needed. I loved getting to know each of the characters. Tom definitely dodged a bullet or he would have been stuck in a life where he really wasn't happy. I knew what he was going to discover that fateful weekend. I couldn't put the book down, but was so sad when it was over. I wanted to keep reading about Olive, Beth, Tom, Mark and Lil and see what they were up to next.

Definitely recommend the book. It's full of love, family relationships, loss, forgiveness and so much more. Plus it revolves around a private library. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Hachette Books Ireland through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I'm a huge fan of Roisin Meaney! She's got such a wonderful style of writing that draws you right into the story. You feel the heartache of the character and you root for them to come out healed at the other end. Her characters are so human and you can see yourself in so many of them.

This is a story about a guy who's lost his way. He lost everything near and dear to him and in the end, decides to get away and try and find himself by moving to a small seaside town called Fairweather. Here he meets a colourful bunch of people of whom some are also struggling with their own heartache. There is Beth and her granddaughter Lil whose whole family was wiped out in a horrible car crash and she is not speaking because of the trauma. There is also the funny guy Mark with the heart of gold and Olive and her husband Fred who is finally expecting their first child. This wonderful bunch of people all meet in the library that Beth started in her back yard where they have their own book club.
Will time bring healing and will we see a happy ending?

A wonderful heartwarming book that leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling.

Ps: I also want a clock with clown feet!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

The Book Club is yet again another wonderful read from Roisin Meaney, a vastly under-rated author in my mind who deserves far more attention and acclaim. Of course a book that has book club in the title will make voracious readers want to read this story but it’s not your typical read in this genre based around book club meetings. Instead the monthly book club is the catalyst that brings a group of unlikely people together who all live in the same coastal village in Ireland. It’s not the direct focus of the book and just for a short time I felt I wanted more about the book club - what they were reading, how they felt about each book etc. But then I came to realise it really didn’t need to be an extremely strong focal point as the characters and their own personal stories, triumphs, tragedies, difficulties, sorrows, pain and anger begin to emerge and intertwine and an incredible story of friendship unfolds. One in which I quickly became completely caught up in and felt every bit of each character’s emotions all of whom were so brilliantly portrayed and represented whether they had major or minor roles to play.

Tom arrives from London to the village of Fairweather in Co. Kerry on a bleak January day. He has leased a house for six months in the hopes that he can shift gear and start afresh. He wishes his life to take an entirely new direction and has left so much behind that he questions whether he has the energy to begin this new stage in his life? Instantly you can sense a wariness and loneliness surrounding Tom, that something heart-breaking and life changing has befallen him and really you just want to embrace him and tell him that everything will turn out OK. That life has drawn him to this special village for a reason and all the answers he seeks might be there if he searches deep enough for them. I desperately wanted to know what had happened to him to make him up sticks and leave a high paid, high flying job in the big city. It’s only over time that we get the answers and I loved the pacing of this, it wasn’t dragged out nor are the same time was it rushed in anyway. A perfect balance was struck, just enough to keep the reader intrigued but yet not frustrated at the lack/slow response to the many questions that arise as you delve further into the book. You feel empathy for Tom but sense that the people he will meet in Fairweather could perhaps change his life and that friends are the people you make for life, that are so important in guiding your hand through the good times and bad.

Beth O’Sullivan is renting the house to Tom. It belongs to her granddaughter Lil who is living with her. The reasons for this living situation become apparent quite quickly although specifics are kept until just the pivotal point when the reader needs to know and when this occurs an even deeper understanding is afforded to the reader. Beth seems cold and standoffish so much so that Tom treads warily around her in fear of doing the wrong thing that could upset or set her off. She lacks warmth for others and can be judged as unfeeling. There must be a reason for Beth acting this way and as we get to know her it’s clear she conceals such deep pain, suffering and anguish but that at all times she wants to do her best by Lil and protect her. Despite Beth doing her best for the community and her family she really is a tortured soul whom you wish for some peace and relief for.

Lil has been through so much and the shock of an event has left her mute. Deep down she probably can speak but when she tries no words come out. She is very much an understated character in the fact she cannot express herself but in so many others ways she is so so powerful. Sometimes we say the most when we say nothing at all. She spends her days knitting and communicating on a notepad in the library Beth has established at the bottom of her garden. It’s a community library operated on a trust basis that Beth founded due to the lack of libraries in their area. Books are stamped and given out with no return date. Beth and Lil have faith that the books will be returned and it’s this unique concept that sees Tom begin to interact with Lil and eventually he joins the book club.

Both the book club and the library offer distractions and support in equal measure for all the characters. The library is a centre point for the village and without it Lil would even be more of a recluse than she already is. You just feel desperately sad for both herself and Beth. Perhaps more so for Lil as there is such a melancholy and wistfulness about her that you would like to break through in order to help her heal and take the first tentative steps towards a freedom of sorts. She was a brilliantly drawn character who I felt we got to know more so through the other characters and it’s a sign of a great author who can make you feel this way about a character who is not out there and in your face and able to express all their opinions and feelings.

I would say Tom, Beth and Lil are the main characters but there are plenty of secondary characters too. Often I find these minor characters play needless roles and are there merely as filler ins but here every character was so perfectly placed and had such important and life changing roles to play. Olive Purcell is married to Fred and runs her own gift shop. She is a doer and a pleaser and is happy in her life after adopting Nancy who is now 13 but now changes are afoot. Can she cope with the worry, upheaval and stress that is about to ensue? I loved how Olive looked after everybody else and that she sensed something about Tom, that he needed looking after and her unique little way of doing this was so just so special and magical. She liked managing things, sorting people out and fixing things but can she fix the problems that arise when some news emerges? Mark, Fred’s father, has his own little role to play in the overall story. I did guess what he was up to and when it was confirmed I found it just the sweetest thing ever.

Fairweather itself was so vividly described and I could picture all the places, shops etc that the characters visited. Again, as with Roisin’s previous books set in Roone, Fairweather has become a place that I wish was real so I could visit it and meet these people who got under my skin and still now they linger on in my mind. I loved how the story developed over the course of several months and the moods of the characters altered with the changing of the seasons. It began in darkness in winter and ended in summer but do all the characters find what they are looking for in the brightness of summer?

A line on the cover suggests 'friendship may be the only thing that can save them' and this incredible, magnificent story certainly explores this statement to absolute perfection. Roisin Meaney has done herself proud and written another stunning story that readers that old and new will fall in love with just as much as I did. Personally I felt at the end that there is room for another story set in Fairweather. I’m not ready to leave these characters behind and I hope Roisin will bring us more from this setting. I have my fingers crossed.