In works such as A Doll’s House and Ghosts, as well as the later When We Dead Awaken (which Joyce reviewed for an English periodical), Ibsen caused outrage by writing the uncompromising truth about normal lives, often peering beneath the façade of social niceties—a tack Joyce used masterfully in Dubliners. Mary-Kate and her family lacked in many things, but they had love and I think this saw them through many a dark time. Most of all it is how the goodness and kindness of characters changed the lives as well as the positive growth in others. Anyway, loving these analyses as I am currently re-reading the collection for the first time in 30 years and nearly finished. After graduating, he moved to Paris with ideas of becoming a doctor, though he soon abandoned this plan in favor of literary pursuits.

Sandy Taylor - KHLA Sandy Taylor - KHLA

She was a woman who having had very little, then inheriting a fortune, decided to ‘ pay it forward‘ by assisting others who were alone, or down on their luck. I read a lot of heavy historical fiction, so sweet and saccharine every now and then is a nice change.Never throw them away, but read them now and again, for they will remind you of how far you've come. The Boarding House’, like all of the stories in Dubliners, has its own style, which Joyce subtly but expertly tailors to the characters whose story he is telling.

The Irish Boarding House: Completely heart-warming Irish

The boarding house brings Mary Kate love and friendships she never dreamed of, but just as her heart is about to burst with joy, a new guest arrives. She was a woman who having had very little, then inheriting a fortune, decided to 'pay it forward' by assisting others who were alone, or down on their luck. I loved this novel so much, even though it’s probably the most heart-breaking story I’ve read all year…it will totally absorb you and capture your heart. To keep account of your life, Mary Kate, to mark your red-letter days, to gain wisdom from your failures and take pride in your successes.This story has wonderful characters I could believe in with a lot of twists and turns that were completely believable. Oh my word what a story, I loved this book; witty, enchanting, that will definitely pull at your heartstrings as you read. One might say her previous suffering shaped her heart in ways that proved immensely useful when she inherited a large sum of money.

Sandy Taylor (Author of The Irish Boarding House) - Goodreads

To top it all off, the whole story was written in the third person except for the epilogue, which was written in the first person with a completely different tone from the rest of the book. Many thanks to Bookouture, and NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The Irish Boarding House. When Mary Kate Ryan receives a surprise inheritance from the woman who abandoned her as a tiny baby, she’s stunned.She grows up in a poor side of town carrying for her beloved grandparents but when they sadly die she has to leave the only home she had known. The plot drew me in from page one and I'm a sucker for historical fiction so literally read it straight through.