The queen of Dirt Island

11.98

The Aylward women are mad about each other, but you wouldn’t always think it. You’d have to know them to know – in spite of what the neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes – that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world. Their story begins at an end and ends at a beginning. It’s a story of terrible betrayals and fierce loyalties, of isolation and togetherness, of transgression, forgiveness, desire, and love. About all the things family can be and all the things it sometimes isn’t. More than anything, it is uplifting celebration of fierce, loyal love and the powerful stories that last generations.

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Discover the emotional, bestselling novel about four generations of women and the stories that bind them, from the Booker longlisted author Of Strange Flowers.

'One of the finest novelists writing today... a haunting, exquisite masterpiece.' RACHEL JOYCE

'Endlessly surprising and incredibly moving' DAVID NICHOLLS

'Beautiful, compassionate ... Donal Ryan at his inimitable best.' MAGGIE O'FARRELL

___________

The Aylward women are mad about each other, but you wouldn't always think it.

You'd have to know them - in spite of what neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes - to know that that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world.

The head of the family, Nana, is a woman who has buried two sons and whose life has been the family farm.

Her daughter-in-law, Eileen, is estranged from her own parents, having 'shamed' them and given birth to Saoirse.

And then there's Saoirse herself, eavesdropping on lives she cannot comprehend.

It is only when they must battle for the inheritance of Dirt Island - a narrow strip of land adjacent to Eileen's childhood home - that they truly understand the roots that bind their lives together.

_________

'The prose drips like honey off a spoon' SUNDAY TIMES

'Beautifully poised, sad, poetic and human....I loved every single line.' IAN RANKIN

'A generous mosaic of a novel about the staying power of love and pride and history and family' COLUM McCANN

'His paragraphs are unnoticeably beautiful, his heart always on show' ANNE ENRIGHT

'A life-enhancing talent' SEBASTIAN BARRY

'I would struggle to think of any other Irish author working today who writes with as much compassion as Donal Ryan' LOUISE O'NEILL

Additional information

Weight178 g
Dimensions19.8 × 12.7 × 1.6 cm
Book_author

Ryan, Donal

Publisher

Penguin Books

Imprint

Penguin Books

Cover

Paperback

Pages

243

Language

English

Edition

1st paperback ed

Dewey

823.92 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

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