Audiobook Review: An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor

An Irish Country Girl by Patrick Taylor (10 hours, 19 minute; narrated by Terry Donnelly): Maureen "Kinky" Kincaid is the wry, no-nonsense housekeeper to Doctor Fingal O'Reilly and his young assistant Dr. Barry Laverty in the town of Ballybucklebo. For the first few books in the series, she supported the doctors and was largely in the background; this book tells her story before she came to Ballybucklebo.

 Kinky begins telling her story to a group of local children at Christmas. She weaves the tale of Irish fairies, or dubh sidhe, through her own story and captivates the young children. Young Maureen O'Hanlon was fey and could see things that others could not. At first, she was scared of "the sight" which her mother also shared but as she grew to trust it she realized she had a gift. Her gift also gives her a healthy respect for the fairies and their power to punish those that cross them while protecting others. There is a lot of folklore and magic smattered throughout the story of her young life but it features a little less prominently as she meets her future husband. Maureen was instantly taken by Paudeen Kincaid even though his traditional beliefs about women not working ran counter to Maureen's desire to be teacher and her independent streak. Their love story is endearing, if tragic.

My Thoughts
I have read a number of the books in this popular Irish series (my review of An Irish Country Christmas) and always enjoy the cozy nature of the books. I get drawn into the small town life and the memorable characters. An Irish Country Girl did not disappoint but it is different from the earlier books.  The biggest difference is the theme of Irish mythology and the prominence it takes within the book. I initially had trouble with this part of the book but the storytelling eventually drew me in.

This is my first time listening to the narration of Terry Donnelly and I really enjoyed her narration - it was such a pleasure listening to her lilting Irish accent. Although this is the fourth book in the series, it truly stands alone as it is the contained story of Kinky's young life with almost no character overlap with the other books. If you are looking for an enjoyable read with a peek into small town Irish life of the past, pick up An Irish Country Girl and get transported by a true Irish storyteller.