What do readers think of The Irish Goodbye by Beth Ann Fennelly? Write your own review.

This short 'journal/ diary/memoir was a thoughtful sharing of observations and feelings. The exploration of loss and grief was woven throughout, though there were plenty of chuckles as well. I found myself nodding at some of her pithy comments and interesting anecdotes. Written in short segments, I did find myself hoping for MORE—longer entries to expand the topics. Her writing is beautiful and meaningful and very relatable.

My biggest complaint would be its brevity. I wanted to read more about her handling of her mother's dementia, about her husband and their relationship, and about her group of friends (who sound amazing!). It was a great bedside book to read before retiring—short snippets that made you think.
I have recommended it to friends…..

An honest, sometimes raw collections of essays that are relatable to so many, not just the Irish.

The author's views on friendships, family relationships as well as relating that even broken ties can be mended. Fennelly illustrates in her own format to reflect on our own lives and live with a purpose.

This book takes you from laughter to tears as we uncover glimpes of Beth Ann Fennelly's life on each page. A repeated theme is Beth Ann being haunted by the death of her sister. Memories of days gone by, peeks into a marriage, and thoughts coming out in each chapter giving us a look at a life well lived.

The Irish Goodbye struck me like I was reading somebody's journal. Some of it was mundane and I skimmed the pages, while other parts packed a strong emotional punch that has stayed with me. The overriding theme of the micro memoirs is the unexpected death of Ms. Fennelly's sister before age 40. Her micro memoirs consist of her life as a teacher in the Czech Republic, wife, daughter, mother, friend and sister. It's a short book that would appeal to a wide range of people due to common themes of marriage, aging, friendship and death.

This is the kind of thoughtful book you leave on the night stand in your guest room or hand to a friend sitting in a waiting room. Author Beth Ann Fennelly calls the format a "micro-memoir." It's a collection of observations taken on her life, some as short as a sentence and others brief essays of several pages. Many focus on the untimely and surprising death of her older sister, and her mother's descent into Alzheimer's disease -- not exactly humorous content but delivered gently. The most upbeat and one of the most impactful sections deals with her ongoing relationship with her college roommate group (they are all now middle-aged), which presents an inspiring view of the value of friendship. It's a quick, enjoyable and at times emotional reading experience.

Beth Ann Fennelly's micro memoirs snap, crackle and pop off the page with a variety of essays and one underlying story, that of her younger sister's untimely death.
Her brutely honest writing recollecting her 70s teaching stint in a newly-free Czechoslovakia where she never gets the culture, and her description of her mother-in-law's goodness when failing with dementia is suburb. Folded oven mitts? That's Fennelly's love in a nutshell for her husband and their ups and downs as a couple. Her whit and candor provide laughter and tears all on a single page.

The title of her book isn't clear until you realize what a profound impression her sister's sudden death was on her. When an Irishman makes a hasty exit from a party without bidding goodbye to the host and other guests is "An Irish Goodbye". Her sister left the world in just that way. One thing for sure is that Fennelly is not leaving the writing world anytime soon. There's more in her.

I liked the book. It's not my usual cup of tea but these little short stories were cute. Some were forgettable but most were cute and entertaining

I am probably not the best reader to write this review because I am not a fan of memoir. I, like the author, have lost a sister recently but because my sister was 80 and I am older than that, there was nothing in this book that I could identify with. First of all I couldn't see how her husband could "fold" an oven mitt; that kept bothering me along with other bits. I did like that fact that reading this made me think about the concept of "Irish Goodbye"- leaving without telling people. This book just wasn't for me.