237 pages
Available to read in KU
Blurb
When Siobhán Murray gets a call from a neighbor saying her
estranged father, Patrick, has been admitted to a hospital after a serious
heart attack, she’s desperate to get to Ireland. Her girlfriend, Annie Slocum,
books the first possible flight to Dublin for both of them.
Despite their difficult relationship, Siobhán wants to help her father, so she and Annie move in with him during his recovery. Although Annie loves Siobhán and Ireland, and wants to be supportive, she feels out of place and disconnected from Siobhán.
Patrick hasn’t been the same since his wife’s death fifteen years ago, and it takes time and patience for Siobhán and him to work through their issues.
Things slowly begin to improve as Annie figures out a way to expand her Boston-based blog to include some Irish content, and Siobhán’s spark of creativity re-ignites after lying dormant for more than a year.
But there’s one more hurdle they must overcome, and that decision will shape their entire future.
Despite their difficult relationship, Siobhán wants to help her father, so she and Annie move in with him during his recovery. Although Annie loves Siobhán and Ireland, and wants to be supportive, she feels out of place and disconnected from Siobhán.
Patrick hasn’t been the same since his wife’s death fifteen years ago, and it takes time and patience for Siobhán and him to work through their issues.
Things slowly begin to improve as Annie figures out a way to expand her Boston-based blog to include some Irish content, and Siobhán’s spark of creativity re-ignites after lying dormant for more than a year.
But there’s one more hurdle they must overcome, and that decision will shape their entire future.
Review
Oh man. I was so excited to return to Annie and Siobhan. They’d taken me
on a very entertaining not to mention somewhat emotional journey in A
Brighter Palette and I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for
me this time.
When The Greenest Isle starts Annie and Siobhan have been
together for over a year, but have had a bit of a reversal of fortune. While
Annie’s blog has taken off and is keeping her very busy, Siobhan’s inspiration
appears to have vanished, much to her frustration. And, without her art,
Siobhan’s sex drive seems to have disappeared too. When Siobhan gets a phone
call that her estranged father in Ireland has been admitted to hospital with
heart failure, she doesn’t hesitate but decides to go home. Annie doesn’t need
much persuading before agreeing to go with her.
Their stay in Dublin turns out to be one with quite a few ups and downs.
While Annie loves visiting Ireland for a second time and soon decides that she
can use her time in Ireland to expand her blog, she isn’t there as a tourist
this time. And since Irish society is foreign to her, she feels like the odd
one out more than once. The fact that Siobhan seems to focus solely on her
father, to the point where Annie may well be right to feel neglected, doesn’t
help things either.
Not that I could blame Siobhan. Being estranged from your one surviving
parent is tough at the best of times. Now that she’s come face to face with the
possibility that her father dies before they can mend the rift between them, it
is hardly surprising her focus shifts from her healthy partner to her sick
father. And because Siobhan is incapable of doing anything by halves, she
throws herself into her father’s recovery, with little regard for the rest of
the world, including Annie. Which of course means that Annie becomes ever more
insecure and frustrated. The two ‘girls’ once again face an uphill struggle to
keep their relationship going. While Siobhan starts to blossom in her old
surroundings once her father’s on the mend, Annie feels out of place; not quite
a tourist but not belonging either. It’s only when Annie makes a few
connections of her own the path ahead becomes clearer.
And that is one of the things I truly love about these books. These two
characters are real, as is their struggle and the way they react to what life
throws their way. Neither Siobhan nor Annie is perfect. Both of them make
mistakes and maybe focus on their own needs and wants a bit more than on the
other person’s. While that certainly lead to me wanting to give both of them a
good shake once or twice, it also meant that they came to life in my head, as
if I personally knew them.
While Annie and Siobhan are the main characters in this story, it is
safe to say that Ireland is a very important secondary character. I’m in awe at
how well Brigham Vaughn managed to describe places I know personally and very
well, just as it was delightful to see them through American eyes. And, while
I’m on the subject of secondary characters, this book comes with a host of
fascinating personalities, all of whom I’d love to spend more time with.
Since this is a Brigham Vaughn book it goes without saying that it is
very well written. This author obviously chooses her words with care and
manages to paint pretty and crystal-clear images with them.
A Brighter Palette told the
story of two women finding each other and carving out a relationship despite
obstacles. The Greenest Isle tells the story of how a
relationship develops after the first rush of falling in love has subsided and
real life starts throwing real obstacles in the way. Both stories are as
realistic as they are fascinating, and I can only hope we’ll get to visit this
world and these characters again in the future.
Long story short: This enthralling story about love and loyalty, about
going back and finding home, stole my heart.
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