Talented Barrie Kreinik narrates this complicated contemporary story about the hardships of the Connelly family. After their mother dies and their father abandons them, Geraldine, Eddie, and Tara are left to fend for themselves--far too early in their lives. The three siblings have deep loyalty to each other and attempt to protect each other from any more pain and disappointment. Kreinik has a keen ability to switch from the narrator to the unique voice of each character by using pacing and tone. Despite the novel's setting, there are no Irish accents. All the siblings have challenges, ranging from difficulty at work and a traumatic head injury to an eighteen-month prison term. As the secrets and shame in the family are uncovered, love and commitment are reaffirmed. L.J.C.A. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
The Connellys of County Down: A Novel
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik
Tracey LangeUnabridged — 9 hours, 21 minutes
The Connellys of County Down: A Novel
Narrated by Barrie Kreinik
Tracey LangeUnabridged — 9 hours, 21 minutes
Overview
"Talented Barrie Kreinik narrates this complicated contemporary story about the hardships of the Connelly family." - AudioFile
From Tracey Lange, the New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans, comes The Connellys of County Down: a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.
When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won't be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister's fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.
While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys' secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.
The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.
A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books.
Editorial Reviews
06/05/2023
In Lange’s moving latest (after We Are the Brennans), family secrets threaten to upend a recent parolee’s new life in Port Chester, N.Y. Released from prison after serving 525 days for transporting stolen opioids, Tara Connelly moves in with her sister, Geraldine, who’s already putting up their brother, Eddie, and his young son. Tara needs their help, but her siblings have their own problems to deal with—Geraldine, an office manager at a payroll company, has fallen behind at work, and Eddie has migraines from a teenage car accident. Complicating Tara’s new life is a by-the-book parole officer, Doreen DaCosta, and Hank Doyle, a detective determined to use Tara to bring down her ex-boyfriend Roland Shea, the drug dealer whose pills she was caught with. A dangerous romance slowly blossoms between Tara and Brian Nolan, Hank’s nephew and fellow detective who feels guilty over Tara’s sentence, as he’d hoped to get her off in exchange for her cooperation. After Tara visits Roland, DaCosta grills her for violating her parole; revelations about Geraldine and Eddie further jeopardize her freedom. Tara is a flawed heroine worth rooting for and her romance with Brian an affecting one. Like Stewart O’Nan, the author conjures human moments with a convincing naturalistic style. This emotionally charged story delivers the goods. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Susanna Lea Assoc. (Aug.)
Praise for The Connellys of County Down
“This emotionally charged story delivers the goods.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A compassionate look at family dynamics and a reminder that it’s never too late to heal.”
—Kirkus
"Lange’s strong follow-up to her debut, We Are the Brennans (2021), explores how family dynamics are both created and sustained. "
—Booklist
"This is a novel about resilience and what it means to be a family, especially when times are really hard."
–Country Living,"28 Best Fall Books to Put at the Top of Your Reading List for 2023"
Praise for We Are the Brennans by Tracey Lange
"When we leave the Brennans, they are perhaps more flawed than they were at the start. But that, to my mind, is what makes them feel human, and what makes the book feel real......[A] confident, polished debut novel...”
—The New York Times
"Lange’s engaging family drama is fueled by secrets and full of heart."
—People
“In Lange’s accomplished debut… she keeps all of the Brennans sizzling with humanity while they grapple with familial loyalty. Fans of intense family dramas are in for a treat.”
—Publishers Weekly
"Reading this novel is like getting a view through a lighted window on a family sitting around a table after dark. Who are they? What are they talking about? All families have their own story and the ways they tell it to themselves, and untangling the many strands of this one was deep and richly satisfying. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I read it in one long delicious slide."
—Sarah Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Book
"In We Are the Brennans, Tracey Lange expertly captures the way one harrowing night can forever change a family. The Brennans are a tight-knit Irish family, carrying enough secrets to topple most families. Instead, Lange offers them a chance to heal, reminding us that it’s never too late to mend old wounds and that the things that tear us apart can ultimately put us back together. I devoured every page of this confident, accomplished debut."
—Amy Meyerson, internationally bestselling author of The Bookshop of Yesterdays and The Imperfects
2023-05-24
Working-class siblings in Port Chester, New York, struggle to face down secrets and family demons.
If the grown Connelly siblings confided in each other, there wouldn’t be much of a plot for Lange’s novel, which unfolds in the same Hudson Valley universe as her first book, We Are the Brennans (2021). But like many of us, instead of talking honestly, the troubled Connellys nurse grudges and hide their shame, though they’re bound together by surviving a tough childhood (their mother, who loved to tell them fairy tales about her native Ireland, died young, and their criminal father abandoned them). Impetuous Tara, the youngest, has just been released from prison after an 18-month sentence for drug trafficking. She has moved in with her sister, Geraldine, a bookkeeper for a local business; their brother, Eddie, a single dad; and his young son, Conor. Returning to her old life has left Tara reeling, and the attentions of Brian Nolan, one of the detectives who arrested her, are unsettling. She knows she should hate him, but she’s attracted instead. Brian’s partner, who’s also his uncle, is sure Tara will end up back in prison, but Tara isn’t a criminal. She’s got a secret, just like Eddie, who’s still suffering the repercussions of a traumatic brain injury, and Geraldine, who is overwhelmed at work and shops to console herself. Lange offers a window into these messy, error-prone Connellys, understanding their flawed humanity and the fact that their Westchester community isn’t merely a haven for wealthy commuters, but also an increasingly difficult place to live for working-class families. With compassion and insight, she explores the loyalties and frustrations that ebb and flow among siblings, especially those who have suffered trauma, and she reminds us that no matter how deep the wound, it's always possible to follow your heart.
A compassionate look at family dynamics and a reminder that it's never too late to heal.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940176535730 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Macmillan Audio |
| Publication date: | 08/01/2023 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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