What readers think of Mimi Malloy, At Last!, plus links to write your own review.

Mimi Malloy at Last is an adventure where a family finds a gap in their family tree. After World War II the Irish Catholic family did not move from Quincy, Massachusetts so they were able to revisit their earlier haunts and homes to relive those memories. It is surprising what they uncovered. Once revealed, the family sighs a big relief and become close again. Mimi Malloy at Last reveals how earlier misconceptions of family life can wreak havoc with sibling hurt feelings, misunderstandings and relationships. Julie MacDonnell handled the mystery with deep understanding and sensitivity. I thoroughly enjoyed going down memory lane with the Malloys and revisiting Quincy in that era after World War II. I look forward to reading MacDonnell's next book.

This story at first glance is about loss, but as you read deeper it is also about the narrator coming to terms with her past. The book held my attention from the beginning. I enjoyed hearing about her life and especially seeing her come to terms with past memories. It was definitely a page turner. I would like to read more from this author.

Mimi Malloy, who recently lost her job, is the Irish American mother of six grown daughters. A genealogy questionnaire for a nephew's school project opens doors to her mind that closed long ago. The quote, "forget too much, risk forgetting who you are" makes her delve into the past. The reader is introduced to the folklore of Irish Faeries and an Irish evil stepmother who thought she had special powers.
This was a book that kept my interest.

As a 'senior' myself, I found this book engaging, enjoyable and wise. By turns amusing and tragic, I could fully appreciate Mimi and her world - and her perception of her world. I applaud her grit and tenderness and refusal to be manipulated. Thank you, Mimi!

What a great read! I so enjoyed Julia MacDonnell's story, "Mimi Malloy, At Last", that I could not put it down. A clever way to present a fairy tale so real that I not only identified with her but also identified my mother in her. The deep Irish secret of the past is a mystery that keeps the reader turning pages. The end of the story satisfies without wrapping it up in the infamous fairy tale ending.

We read the Coming of Age books but this is the opposite. This book is the Autumn of Age. It is a great story of a Mom with six daughters all different personalities of course. What has happened to make Mimi a little withdrawn and why do her girls think there is some secret that is with held from them.
This is a book for Mothers and Daughters and even has an edge of romance to the story.

I liked this book... Thought that it was well-written and held my interest. It just seemed like a mix between chick-lit and something much deeper. For me, there wasn't enough story development surrounding the Irish customs - just a few more paragraphs could have better explained the step-mother's background and Irish culture. I just couldn't make the shift for modern day problems ... Assisted living, adult bossy children to old Irish folklore and customs. It peaked my interest enough to research the customs, but I felt more explanation was needed in the book to create the segue way between the generations.

This book is not the sort of book that will make you feel good...but it will show you how you can learn to live with many misfortunes that come your way. Mimi is entering senior-hood and with her large family of sisters and daughters she reflects on her past and begins to remember some of the incidents in her life that she might have liked to forget. It seems a family member has started a search about their family-tree and they get Mimi involved, much against her wishes. Mimi is a staunch and stubborn Irish woman and sometimes feels like her family is taking over her life... telling her how to live, etc. By the end of the story you will learn just how much her family really means to her. Along the way a new love interest comes along ...We are introduced to many characters, both dead and alive. You will learn about some Irish beliefs that I suspect are still called upon today. There is a family mystery involved and by the end of the story everything is resolved.