 |
| The Tour |
I picked up this book because it was about Ireland and looked like an easy read and that was exactly what I was looking for. It was both of those things. I did really enjoy it, but it wasn’t exactly great literature. :) It also wasn’t Maeve Binchy, which was one description I read about it. (There is no one like Maeve Binchy, unless you look at the great Rosamunde Pilcher!)
The book follows a tour guide in Ireland named Conor as he takes a group of Americans through a week long tour. Along the way we learn more about him and about the tourists. Conor is the perfect guide in that not only does he entertain and tell great stories while leading guests to interesting places, but he is quite good at helping folks with their own problems and issues that have nothing to do with the tour. So you have a tiny bit of soap opera, but it all made sense and worked well together. Some of the characters were written a bit over the top, but in the end everything worked out well and we had a happy ending for all, including dear Conor. Sometimes you just need a book like that. :) I rated this book a 4.
Quotes from The Tour...
“You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. To my mind, people decide either they are going to have a great time or a miserable time, and there’s very little anyone can do to change it once they have decided on that. I hope you decide you are going to have a great time and that you don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks.”
“The opportunity of a lifetime must be taken in the lifetime of that opportunity”
“The only difference between an Irish funeral and an Irish wedding is that there’s one less drunk.”
The Tour by Jean Grainger
So I enjoyed The Tour well enough that I decided to read the next book in this series, Safe at the End of the World. Yes, Conor O’Shea is in it - he is again the tour guide for a group of American tourists, but this wasn’t a feel good story about people ‘finding themselves’ in the Irish countryside. This was a mobster story with all the awful cliches and devices. If I had wanted a mobster story, I would read Mario Puzo. I was slogging through it and really disliking the angst that was coming with the storyline then finally realized I didn’t have to finish it! So I stopped. I have no idea what happens to the characters and I honestly don’t care! I would definitely read another book about Conor O’Shea but I will be treading much more carefully with this series moving ahead. Rated the part I read at a 2. :(
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to hear from you!