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The Linen Queen (2011)

by Patricia Falvey(Favorite Author)

3.67 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

1599952009 (ISBN13: 9781599952000)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Center Street

review 1: This World War II story is set in a small mill town in Northern Ireland. Sheila McGee so wants to escape from her life at the mill, her manic/depressive ma and all the negative aspects of being a young woman living under the constant judgement of others including the clergy of the Catholic Church. However, this story has the additional layer of examining the prejudices against others and the growth that happens when people are respected as individuals and not as stereotypes. Look forward to reading THE YELLOW HOUSE by the same author...def a good read
review 2: We are given young Sheila's story as World War II gets closer to her small village in Ireland. Sheila has big dreams of leaving her little town as soon as she gets enough funds together, but she doesn... more't expect the complications that will arise when she tries to leave now that the war is at her back door. I think I will start off by telling you that this book fell just a bit short for me.Although Sheila finds it next to impossible to leave the village, once she wins the Linen Queen competition, certain things are a little easier for her and her family. She finds herself being invited to special events that many girls couldn't get past the front door. This allows her the opportunity to meet new people, including Joel, the young soldier from America who has taken a fancy towards her. As much as I wanted to like Sheila as the main character, I found she annoyed me half of the time. She did stand up for what she believed in and protected those that she loved, but her relationships with Gavin and Joel drove me nuts! I couldn't help but think, pick a man already!Sheila did have a rough family life since her father left her and her mother behind. Her aunt and uncle were kind enough to take them in, and with the frustrations of the economy her mother was afraid to make any waves in the household in fear they would be on the streets. So often I couldn't help but think how mean and selfish her mother was, but when she needed help, Sheila was there to support her. As much as I wanted to love this novel, I just found it dragging on and on for me. Until I reached at least the half-way point of the book, I just was never excited to get back to reading it. I also found some of the characters names confusing as a couple were quite similar. With themes of war, family, and love, you may find more enjoyment from this book than I did. Even though I didn't love it, I didn't hate it either. So I do recommend this book for those that love stories about Ireland and I also think it would make an interesting book club discussion. less

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