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Volgspot (2010)

by Joseph O'Connor(Favorite Author)

3.47 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

9041416358 (ISBN13: 9789041416353)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Anthos

review 1: An intense, slow read, written in the second person with the odd editorial-fail lapse into third. Beautiful phrasing and language.Molly Allgood (Maire O'Neill - stage name) is brought to life more than her lover, John Millington Synge as the story revolves around her passion for him. The story goes back and forth between her present day (1952)alcoholism and her reflections on her past with him at the beginning of the century before he died of Hodgkins in 1907Molly was the inspiration for Pegeen in the Playboy of the Western World and her brief shining days in the sun are beautifully captured.
review 2: This is a great book - it harks back to a bygone era of Dublin theatreland; red velvet curtains, moody playwrights, captivating actresses and whispered rumours. ... moreAt its heart is a love story between the middle class playwright JM Synge and his leading lady, the young, sparkling Molly Allgood who hails from the inner city tenements. As they fight the odds; the age gap, a controlling mother, disapproving friends, their relationship is at turns passionate, cruel, loving. The story shifts between 1900s Dublin and present day London; where an old woman living on the margins of society, in desperate poverty and pitiful loneliness, gets caught up in dreamlike half-remembered memories of a long-forgotten time in her life when she was a dazzling young actress in the thralls of a tender love affair. It is a bittersweet tale, beautifully written with poetry in every line. The second part of the book, where John and Molly go away on their only holiday together to Wicklow is one of the most stunning pieces of writing I have ever encountered. I dare you to read this part of the book and not want to get the next boat to Dublin! Why Wicklow Tourism Board haven't used this extract as their official brochure, I'll never know! less

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