The Irish House

By: Ann O'Loughlin

Narrated by: Jaqueline Milne

My dearest Marianne, by now you will be confused and a little mystified as to why I have made this great ask of you.... But I promise the reasons will become apparent. There are secrets, you see....

When New York-born Marianne’s grandmother Collie passes away at home in rural Ireland, no one expects Marianne to be the one to inherit everything. Surely beautiful Kilteelagh House, with its avenue of trees, its acres of wildflowers, and its mysteriously locked front door should have gone to Marianne’s aunt–who’d nursed Collie in her dying days?

But Collie had a different plan. Her last wish was for Marianne to come to live in the house–for a year–raising her two headstrong young nieces at the same time. Marianne is overwhelmed by the challenge. As letters–written before her death–begin to arrive from Collie, Marianne soon realizes that her grandmother has a lot to still teach her.

Her growing attraction to local handyman Jack and her new circle of friends means Marianne can’t help but begin to fall in love with this place that is so full of memories, of secrets, and perhaps even a little bit of Irish magic.

That is, until a letter arrives that changes everything Marianne thought she knew....

Perfect for fans of Susanne O’Leary, Cathy Kelly, and Kathleen McGurl.

What listeners are saying about Ann O’Loughlin:

"I couldn't believe the amount of emotion I felt whilst reading this story.... Ann O'Loughlin could not have written a better book.... Just as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking." (Kelly's Book Corner)

"A powerful and moving story, very well written with characters that are fascinating and a central theme that is quite tragic." (Random Things Through My Letterbox)

©2023 Ann O'Loughlin (P)2023 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Enchanting

This is not my normal type of listen. I tend to read fantasy, paranormal, or historical romance novels, but after reading the summary, I couldn’t resist this Irish tale. It is truly a beautiful story. I laughed and I cried. The narrator did a fantastic job. I guarantee you’ll want to binge the whole thing.

Great story!

This was a beautiful story! Both familial love and growth in the face of grief and heathache. The author paints the scenes, locations and descriptions of people and clothing so vivadly that it's like watching a movie. The story is very moving and the ending leaves you feeling slightly stunned. The narrator did an excellent job and really drew me into the story. Well done!

Lack of depth

It was a book. There was no depth of character, character development, or anything to draw strong emotion.