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There are currently 25 member reviews
for Mimi Malloy, At Last!
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Dianne S. (Green Valley, AZ)
A Great Book, At Last!
When I started this book I expected a story about the pitfalls of a divorced women growing old alone with a help of her interfering children. As Mimi Malloy's story unfolded I found that there was so much more.
With the help of Mimi's family and friends Mimi's memories come forth and not necessarily in a beautiful and graceful way but actually in an unvarnished and startling way. Many of the details had been long forgotten by Mimi herself or misremembered by others. The story bring forth the highs and lows of her life and the eventual coming to terms with the past and a mystery long forgotten. With this coming to terms comes a better relationship with those present in her present life.
This book is a little bit Tree Grows in Brooklyn and a touch of Angela's Ashes with bits of the Golden Girls thrown in for a bit of levity . This book will long stay with me. Mimi will be part of me always.
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Debra C. (Vienna, GA)
An Irish Cindrella
Although it has a fairy tale ending, Mimi's road to the dance involves more than just a palace ball. Mimi's journey, despite the dark spots of child abuse and memories lost then found, includes a functionally dysfunctional family, a Yick Yack Club, good lonely hearts, and daily Manhatten libations woven between the crooning of Frank Sinatra songs, literally snatches you in and never eases its grip until the last page.
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Deborah P. (Dunnellon, FL)
Mimi Malloy At Last
Julia MacDonnell's novel, Mimi Malloy At Last held me captive from the first page. I often found myself losing track of time, reading late into the night. The novel deals with issues facing an extended contemporary New England family. Many of the family's concerns will speak to Baby Boomers who have retired or are planning to retire. MacDonnell has assembled a diverse family of female characters: mothers, sisters and daughters with such detailed personalities the reader may recognize many of their traits in their own family members. The novel, while set in present day New England takes us back to Mimi's long forgotten childhood trauma, repressed as a survival instinct that will no longer be denied resolution. These lost memories are critical to Mimi's health and happiness. The people and the plot are so completely believable that at times I felt that I was reading a biography.
Mimi Malloy At Last is that perfect book to read on a cold winter afternoon or to take along on a hot summer day at the beach. Mimi Malloy At Last is a must read and has earned a place on my read again bookshelf.
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Marion C. (Litchfield, NH)
Family Mysteries
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.
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Kim L. (Cary, IL)
Memories
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.
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Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)
Mimi Malloy Alive and Well
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.
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Sally G. (Saint Johns, FL)
MiMi
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.
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