What do readers think of The Disenchanted Widow by Christina McKenna? Write your own review.

The Disenchanted Widow is a nice story for an afternoon read. I rated the book average, because it was somewhat predictable, and the plot needed a little jumpstart in places. I would rate the character development average as well. None of the characters were really fascinating to me. I think it would be a nice way to spend an afternoon, but I don't think you will spend much time thinking about the book after you have read it. Overall, I don't think book clubs would really have enough to discuss.

This author puts the readers back in the early 1980's during Northern Ireland struggles between the IRA and Protestant British rule. We navigate this time frame with a cast of incredibly quirky and interesting characters who are doing their best to avoid being caught up in the violence. Bessie and her young son, Herkie are just trying to lay low and scrape together some money to get to "Amerikay". Lorcan is using his skill as an artist to avoid being killed by the IRA. Father Cassidy a handsome priest, Rose McFadden a nosy and talkative neighbor and Gusty Grant a mechanic and peeping tom round out the major characters we meet.
At the beginning of the novel I had the mistaken impression that the story would be predictable and the story arc very straightforward. Also, Bessie 's character is pretty rough around the edges and I didn't think I could really "get into her". However, the more I read I found the complexity of each character grew as the author filled in a lot of details. Also the plot took a lot of unpredictable twists. I totally enjoyed this novel and I was really rooting for Bessie by the end of the novel.

I found much of the plot hackneyed and contrived, and most of the characters very unappealing, in that they want everyone to treat them well but treat others appallingly most of the time. The two main characters don't meet until fairly far into the book, which added to the unbelievability of the ending in particular. I also guessed the big final plot twist about 30 pages in, which was disappointing. I enjoy learning about other cultures in my reading, but I found myself hoping that much of what I took to be insights into Irish culture in this book was in fact sarcasm, or a poor representation, as I found it so unappealing. My guess is many would find this story heartwarming, but I didn't.

This book is outside the norm of what I read. I had a bit of a struggle at the beginning of the book with the dialog, but I did get it and enjoyed the book. I have been surprised that the books I wouldn't normally read are becoming my favorites! Give it a chance if you are on the fence!!

I wanted to read this book because of interest in the time frame - Belfast in the 1980's. However, I felt the dialogue was a struggle sometimes with the heavy use of the Irish dialect.
The cast of characters is certainly entertaining, but sometimes brings a little confusion to the story. The book was a little lengthy for this plot although I don't have a problem reading longer novels. All in all, I liked the book, especially the unexpected ending.

A wonderful book full of twists and turns that touch almost every topic imaginable; good and evil, young and old, religion, mystery, food, hope and dreams all leading up to a delightful ending.

I read "The Misremembered Man", the author's previous Tailortown novel, and enjoyed it. In this new novel Bessie Lawless arrives in the sleepy Ulster village during "the Troubles" in Northern Ireland in 1981. In both novels we meet unique characters. They display the many faces of human nature. This is a multi-layered story written in the Irish "voice". A mystery is unraveled and the ending is both satisfying and rewarding.

Touching on the terrorism of the 1980s in Ireland, the heroine of this novel, Bessie, is sought by the an IRA enforcer - The Dentist. Along with her son, Herkie, she flees Belfast to settle in a busy little village where everyone knows each other and each others business. The author's main message...The future can be better than the past, especially if you have the courage to overcome the obstacles in your way. I found that the dialogue/Irish vernacular made it somewhat difficult to read at first - slowed down my reading pace. However, after I finally got the rhythm, I found the book an enjoyable read filled with quirky characters and some amusing moments.