Hi all:
I have been lucky to catch up on some amazing reads from Rosie’s Book Review Team recently, and this is another one of them. And what a beautiful cover as well.
Secrets in the Babby House by Gloria McBreen
Flossie Lynch is heartbroken when her only love, Frank Connolly, marries another. So when John O’Malley—the well-off catch of the parish—proposes to her, she resigns herself to a marriage of convenience, hoping to learn to love him.
For John, Flossie is mostly a respectable wife and caring mother to their son—and the perfect façade for his dark secret. But bloody Frank Connolly and his blackmailing wife are making things difficult for him.
Another victim of his jealous wife’s abusive behaviour, Frank stays in his loveless marriage for the sake of his two wee girls. He turns his childhood fort into a babby house to give them a refuge from their cruel mother. But for Frank, there is no refuge.
When Flossie rekindles her friendship with Frank, she tries desperately to save him from a life of misery and promises to always look out for his daughters. As the two star-crossed lovers near a second chance, tragedy strikes, forcing Flossie to make good on her promise—while attempting to protect her husband and son.
But as long as there’s a Connolly with a score to settle, there is no escape from the past and no promises for the future.
Set in a gossipy small town in Ireland at a time when marriage is for keeps and sexuality is repressed, Secrets in the Babby House is a family saga over three decades that starts in 1956. It is a story of love, deception, and stolen diaries filled with sins and secrets.
About the author:
Gloria McBreen is originally from Bailieborough in Co Cavan. She currently resides in Ballina, Co Mayo. She enjoys writing fiction set in historical times. Her inspiration for Secrets in the Babby House came from the love of her childhood memories and her enjoyment of listening to tales of times gone by.
https://gloriawriteshere.wordpress.com/
My review:
I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (author, check here if you are interested in getting your book reviewed) and thank her and the author for this opportunity.
This is Gloria McBreen’s writing debut; it is a historical novel set over three decades in small-town Ireland (from the 1950s onward), and it has a fairly timeless feel, which will remind readers of classical family sagas they have read or watched in the past.
As would be expected in this genre, there are plenty of secrets, gossip, prejudice, impossible romances, rumours, and interference, and also some tragedies, violence, betrayals, suspicions, good intentions, bad blood, revenge, trauma, blackmail, and even murder. Although on the surface everything seems to be calm and ordered, there is a dark undercurrent running deep, and even though most characters are neither all good nor terribly evil, there are a couple whose behaviour can be quite chilling, especially considering the age of one of them. (I can’t give more details because I want to avoid spoilers, but if you read the novel, you’ll know who I am referring to).
One of the strengths of this novel is the way it captures the atmosphere of the time and place, a society stepped on traditional roles and values, where one’s reputation takes precedence over one’s true wishes and happiness, and where people’s behaviours are conditioned by social status and by the expectations of family, friends, and neighbours. Being true to oneself is almost impossible, and those who try, have to pay a big price for it. The author manages to recreate the era and the feel of the period without resorting to lengthy descriptions of places, clothes, and people. The story is written in the third person, mostly from the point of view of Flossie Lynch (who becomes a teacher and one of the most important characters in the novel), but we also get to share in the thoughts and feelings of some of the other characters, and that makes it easy to visualise the action and to gain a better understanding of who these people are, and how they are seen by others. Many of them have hidden depths they don’t share with anybody (or, in Flossie’s case, only with her diaries), and witnessing their stories from their perspectives helps us understand them better, and feel more involved in the events. We might never have spent any time in a place like Bailieborough but we gain a good understanding of what it might have been like for those who lived there and in similar places at that time.
The writing style is easy to follow, with the events told in chronological order, and the odd Irish word and expression peppered here and there, giving the dialogue and the story a feel of authenticity. Although I wasn’t familiar with all the words, expressions, and local references, that didn’t prevent me from following and fully understanding the story, although perhaps a glossary of terms might enhance the enjoyment for readers who appreciate a local and vernacular touch.
The description of the book gives a good summary of the events and also some of the characters we meet. We get to follow some of them for many years, and although we might not agree with what they do, it is not difficult to understand some of their behaviours, given the circumstances. Flossie is well-intentioned and tries to do the right thing for herself and others, although she never gets over her love for Frank. Frank is an extremely likeable character, and he shines in particular in his interaction with his daughters, who don’t get much love from their mother, Alice. Alice is not easy to empathise with, although there are hints of a difficult childhood that might explain some of the things she does. John, on the other hand, finds himself trapped by a combination of convention and interest and ends up living a lie, but he never gives up trying to make his family happy (whilst keeping up appearances as well). Some of the older generations play a less important part in the story, but their influences and their ideas maintain their hold over the proceedings, at least for a time. Of course, it is not difficult to imagine that they have experienced and lived through similar events to those narrated in the novel themselves, and they are also constrained by their circumstances. The younger protagonists, Bennie, and especially the girls, Rose and Nancy (and later, their cousin Maureen also) live under the weight of past secrets and lies they know nothing about, although there are clear signs by the end of the novel that the younger generations are taking things in their own hands and taking control over their own destinies. I admit my fascination with Nancy’s character, and I think she is one of the most complex creations of the novel and one that will remain in my mind for a long time.
I enjoyed the pace of the novel, in particular, the opportunity to follow the characters for a long period of time and to see how their stories and personalities developed, without having to rush from one action scene to the next. There are plenty of experiences the characters live through; it is impossible not to care for them and their futures, and this makes this book gripping and attention-grabbing, even if the events and the incidents that take place are not in the grand scale of some of the blockbusters we are used to. We might have heard similar stories told by relatives and friends, and that gives the book a human scale that I found particularly welcoming in a world where everything has to be bigger, noisier, and more thrilling all the time. A story about people very much like us that doesn’t require much in the way of suspension of disbelief, well told, with credible and interesting characters, and with an ending that is satisfying whilst leaving some things open to the imagination of the readers. It is a welcomed break from the louder, brighter, and busier fiction which tends to dominate much of the commercial fiction published these days.
Recommended to those who enjoy recent historical fiction, and family sagas with a small-town (Irish) setting, and love the opportunity to experience the workings of the society of the time, and a cast of complex characters and stories full of secrets and complications. I hope the author will keep writing and publishing books, and I will be eagerly waiting for her next story.
Thanks to the author, Rosie for her tireless work keeping the group going, members of the team for the support, and thanks to all of you for coming back every week to check my reviews, share them, and comment. Never stop smiling! You are the best!
Just Olga 