Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2017
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg and Jenny Colgan comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy's U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland's stunning West Coast.
As she drives her mobile library van between villages of Ireland's West Coast, Hanna Casey tries not to think about a lot of things. Like the sophisticated lifestyle she abandoned after finding her English barrister husband in bed with another woman. Or that she's back in Lissbeg, the rural Irish town she walked away from in her teens, living in the back bedroom of her overbearing mother's retirement bungalow. Or, worse yet, her nagging fear that, as the local librarian and a prominent figure in the community, her failed marriage and ignominious return have made her a focus of gossip.
With her teenage daughter, Jazz, off traveling the world and her relationship with her own mother growing increasingly tense, Hanna is determined to reclaim her independence by restoring a derelict cottage left to her by her great-aunt. But when the threatened closure of the Lissbeg Library puts her personal plans in jeopardy, Hanna finds herself leading a battle to restore the heart and soul of the Finfarran Peninsula's fragmented community. And she's about to discover that the neighbors she'd always kept at a distance have come to mean more to her than she ever could have imagined.
Told with heart and abundant charm, The Library at the Edge of the World is a joyous story about the meaning of home and the importance of finding a place where you truly belong.
"The spot-on descriptions of Ireland's dusty country roads and expansive sky all but leap off the page and provide the true joy of Hayes-McCoy's first novel…Maeve Binchy and Patrick Taylor fans will find much to enjoy." - Booklist
"An appealing novel that will delight Maeve Binchy fans. There are plenty of good discussion points about the nature of community for book clubs and thoughtful readers." - Library Journal
"A sweet and relaxing story about the importance of community." - Kirkus
"A feel-good novel for fans of Maeve Binchy." - Sunday Times (UK)
"If you like reading a feel-good novel…then take a journey to the edge of the world..." - Independent on Sunday (UK)
"Heart-warming…reminiscent of Maeve Binchy and Roisin Meaney." - Irish Examiner (Ireland)
"The Library at The Edge of the World is a delicious feast of a novel. Sink in and feel enveloped by the beautiful world of Felicity Hayes-McCoy." - Cathy Kelly
"A charming and heartwarming story." - Jenny Colgan
This information about The Library at the Edge of the World was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Felicity Hayes-McCoy was born in Dublin, Ireland, graduated from UCD, and has a successful UK-based career as an actress and writer, working in theatre, music theatre, radio, television, and digital media. She is the author of the novel The Library at the Edge of the World and the nonfiction titles The House on an Irish Hillside and A Woven Silence: Memory, History & Remembrance.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Stone Home
by Crystal Hana Kim
A moving family drama and coming-of-age story revealing a dark corner of South Korean history.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
