TEST
Emilie Richards’ The Parting Glass, sequel to Whiskey Island, continues the story of the three Donaghue sisters. While it’s not as enthralling as the earlier book, it’s a good, as well as surprising, follow-up.
The Parting Glass picks up very near where Whiskey Island left off. Megan Donaghue is preparing to marry her fiancée, Niccolo Andreani. Her youngest sister, Peggy, is preparing for a life-changing move of her own: she’s taking her autistic son, Kieran, to Ireland to live with a long-lost relative. Peggy believes the solitude will give her a chance to really work with Kieran and help his development progress. In return, she will serve as a companion to Irene, a distant relative, and will help Irene determine how her father died years ago.
While Peggy’s is the major story, Megan and Niccolo have a strong secondary story. Niccolo is a former priest, and immediately after the wedding, Megan starts to worry that he regrets leaving the priesthood as well as marrying her. The miscommunication between these two makes things worse. We also learn the story of Irene’s father, told in flashbacks.
If you’ve read Whiskey Island, you may be surprised by Megan’s character. The tough woman from the previous novel shows more insecurity and less strength than before. She questions her marriage nearly from the moment it happens. She and Niccolo have major newlywed issues to overcome.
With three stories, Richards’s novel is dense, but the stories are all interesting and the pace is slow enough so as not to overwhelm readers. That said, the flashbacks do interrupt the pacing and slow down the narrative flow.
Peggy’s part in the previous book was quite small and I don’t recall much about her. She’s a dedicated single mother of an autistic son and determined to help him, believing that her love, dedication, and work can help him develop despite his neurological problems. Peggy puts off her medical studies to spend time with Keiran, and her physician’s background adds to her determination to help him. When she meets Finn O’Malley, the town’s physician who no longer practices, he begins to play a major role in her life.
Finn no longer practices medicine because a horrible tragedy in his past left him questioning his ability to make good medical decisions in an emergency. He at first opposes Peggy living with Irene, afraid the younger woman will take advantage of her elderly, sick relative. Once his fears are alleviated, he begins to form a relationship with Peggy.
Peggy and Finn’s budding relationship has a quiet chemistry to it. Finn is clearly emotionally damaged from his tragedy, and Peggy’s devotion to Kieran takes precedence in her life. But these two work together very well, and it’s clear they fill a need in each other.
Finn’s daughter, Bridie, and Irene are the other major characters who make this book enjoyable. Some of my favorite scenes take place in the Irish village as Peggy gets to know the townspeople.
Exploring family relationships is Emilie Richards’ forte. The Parting Glass makes a nice follow-up to Whiskey Island and is a novel that fans of Women’s Fiction will enjoy.
Grade: B-
Book Type: Women's Fiction
Sensuality: Warm
Review Date: 25/07/03
Publication Date: 2004
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Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.