Helpful Score: 7
Honoring her late grandmothers wish, Maura Donovan sets off on an adventure that could change her life. She travels to the small Irish village where her grandmother was born to connect with one of her grandmothers friends and maybe learn a bit about her ancestors. The small community welcomes her with open arms and she even start to work in the local pub.
The pub is bursting at the seams as people gather to talk about the body found in a nearby bog. They speculate he may have been in there for more than 50 years. Maura realizes she man know something about the dead man but before she can talk to the authorities her own life is put in jeopardy. She starts to get that sinking feeling she just may be getting in over her head.
Dollycass Thoughts
With an Irish grandfather myself that I never was able to meet I was so excited to read this book. It is a delightful debut to a series that I know I will love.
The author lets us escape to the beautiful countrysides of County Cork. Even when it is raining or foggy it sounds like charming place. She also gives us the history of the townlands and the people. She takes the time to explain the traditional naming patterns found in Ireland like the first born son is named for the fathers father. This custom could get quite confusing in large families. It gives an interesting twist to the story.
We are with Maura just as she starts on her journey to discover Ireland and its people. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the characters better in the next installments, especially Rose. She seems to have led a life very similar to Mauras. Life runs at a much faster speed in Boston than it does in Leap but both stuck pretty close to home and put family needs ahead of their own. I look forward to a time of awakening for both young ladies.
Mauras adventure to Ireland was quite a treat, the mysteries added were just icing on the cake. I am ready for my trip back to County Cork today. I cant wait for book #2.
The pub is bursting at the seams as people gather to talk about the body found in a nearby bog. They speculate he may have been in there for more than 50 years. Maura realizes she man know something about the dead man but before she can talk to the authorities her own life is put in jeopardy. She starts to get that sinking feeling she just may be getting in over her head.
Dollycass Thoughts
With an Irish grandfather myself that I never was able to meet I was so excited to read this book. It is a delightful debut to a series that I know I will love.
The author lets us escape to the beautiful countrysides of County Cork. Even when it is raining or foggy it sounds like charming place. She also gives us the history of the townlands and the people. She takes the time to explain the traditional naming patterns found in Ireland like the first born son is named for the fathers father. This custom could get quite confusing in large families. It gives an interesting twist to the story.
We are with Maura just as she starts on her journey to discover Ireland and its people. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the characters better in the next installments, especially Rose. She seems to have led a life very similar to Mauras. Life runs at a much faster speed in Boston than it does in Leap but both stuck pretty close to home and put family needs ahead of their own. I look forward to a time of awakening for both young ladies.
Mauras adventure to Ireland was quite a treat, the mysteries added were just icing on the cake. I am ready for my trip back to County Cork today. I cant wait for book #2.
Helpful Score: 5
To be completely honest, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this book. Buried in a Bog has an unexpected depth that warmed the cockles of my heart and has me wanting to pick up the next book in the County Cork series as fast as I can.
It relies on a strong sense of place, and Connolly delivers. I truly got the sense of village life in Ireland, of how the people interact, and even of some of the history-- such as how children are traditionally named-- and absolutely none of this is conveyed with a phony Irish brogue.
We discover all this along with Maura-- a young woman whose life has been circumscribed by love, loyalty, and lack of funds. Being raised by her grandmother, Maura had no chance (and no inclination) to go to college. She's worked hard and lived in the tough neighborhoods of South Boston her entire life and has seldom gone more than a few miles outside the area. This trip to honor her grandmother is momentous on many levels. A different country, different customs, different laws, strange people, learning to drive a manual transmission car on the "wrong" side of the road... we experience all this with her. What's so marvelous about it is that Maura doesn't expect things to be just like they are in the United States.
Maura isn't the easiest character to grow to like. Living in an impoverished area and working a series of dead-end jobs has left her suspicious of strangers and their motives, which means she often starts off on the wrong foot with the villagers of Leap. She can also be a bit of a whiner, and at other times she can be kind and compassionate. I grew to like her as I learned more about her-- and I didn't think I would because Maura and I have some glaring differences!
To add to the strong sense of place and a very interesting main character, there is a cast of secondary characters that I can see taking turns in the spotlight. The icing on the cake is a well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing all the way through.
Yes indeed, I can strongly recommend Buried in a Bog, and I can't wait to get to book two in this series!
It relies on a strong sense of place, and Connolly delivers. I truly got the sense of village life in Ireland, of how the people interact, and even of some of the history-- such as how children are traditionally named-- and absolutely none of this is conveyed with a phony Irish brogue.
We discover all this along with Maura-- a young woman whose life has been circumscribed by love, loyalty, and lack of funds. Being raised by her grandmother, Maura had no chance (and no inclination) to go to college. She's worked hard and lived in the tough neighborhoods of South Boston her entire life and has seldom gone more than a few miles outside the area. This trip to honor her grandmother is momentous on many levels. A different country, different customs, different laws, strange people, learning to drive a manual transmission car on the "wrong" side of the road... we experience all this with her. What's so marvelous about it is that Maura doesn't expect things to be just like they are in the United States.
Maura isn't the easiest character to grow to like. Living in an impoverished area and working a series of dead-end jobs has left her suspicious of strangers and their motives, which means she often starts off on the wrong foot with the villagers of Leap. She can also be a bit of a whiner, and at other times she can be kind and compassionate. I grew to like her as I learned more about her-- and I didn't think I would because Maura and I have some glaring differences!
To add to the strong sense of place and a very interesting main character, there is a cast of secondary characters that I can see taking turns in the spotlight. The icing on the cake is a well-plotted mystery that kept me guessing all the way through.
Yes indeed, I can strongly recommend Buried in a Bog, and I can't wait to get to book two in this series!
Helpful Score: 2
This is a new author and series for me. Thank heaven I had Scandal in Skibbereen on the shelf, because I had to start it RIGHT NOW!! I also have a few of her orchard series, so I'll probably marathon read through all the books I have on the shelf.
Loved Buried in a Bog. Maura Donovan, our heroine, travels to Leap, Ireland to fulfill the wish of her late grandmother. Maura is 25 years old, and has never been out of the Boston area before this trip. She and her grandmother had very little in material possessions, and Maura would never have been able to afford the trip if she hadn't found the money envelope that her grandmother had left for her. She figures she'll make the trip and then decide what she wants to do with her life.
After she got to Ireland, she got caught up in a multiple murder mystery, with one killing dating back about 50 years, and the other happening shortly after her arrival. She finds herself stalked and suspects that it may be the killer, even though she can't figure out why he/she would want her dead too.
I loved the descriptions of the Irish countryside and the village, and got caught up in Maura's discoveries of both the people that had known her Gran and others who were so very helpful to an American stranger.
The author did a great job of keeping me in the dark when it came to the identities and reasons of both murders/killers, and I'm obviously looking forward to continue the adventures with Maura.
Great book!
Loved Buried in a Bog. Maura Donovan, our heroine, travels to Leap, Ireland to fulfill the wish of her late grandmother. Maura is 25 years old, and has never been out of the Boston area before this trip. She and her grandmother had very little in material possessions, and Maura would never have been able to afford the trip if she hadn't found the money envelope that her grandmother had left for her. She figures she'll make the trip and then decide what she wants to do with her life.
After she got to Ireland, she got caught up in a multiple murder mystery, with one killing dating back about 50 years, and the other happening shortly after her arrival. She finds herself stalked and suspects that it may be the killer, even though she can't figure out why he/she would want her dead too.
I loved the descriptions of the Irish countryside and the village, and got caught up in Maura's discoveries of both the people that had known her Gran and others who were so very helpful to an American stranger.
The author did a great job of keeping me in the dark when it came to the identities and reasons of both murders/killers, and I'm obviously looking forward to continue the adventures with Maura.
Great book!
Kimberly N. (kimberlyrav) -
Helpful Score: 1
This is Ireland in a box..excuse me, Ireland in a book!
I could feel, taste, smell, hear it all in this awesomely written book about a woman with Irish roots, moving to a very small village in Ireland. Pubs await! I have never went through a cozy this fast, I was so entranced with it all. I just want to hop a plane and hang out with the sheep, watching the harbor, sitting inside a dimly lit, cozy fire, while old men talk, pub.
I like how the author brought the main character to her ancestral country, how she weaved the mystery, the ambience of it all. I really felt like I have just come back from over the pond! I am now reading book 2 and I wont stop until Im up to date on all of the books in this series. These books are a real treat to Mystery or Irish lovers!
I could feel, taste, smell, hear it all in this awesomely written book about a woman with Irish roots, moving to a very small village in Ireland. Pubs await! I have never went through a cozy this fast, I was so entranced with it all. I just want to hop a plane and hang out with the sheep, watching the harbor, sitting inside a dimly lit, cozy fire, while old men talk, pub.
I like how the author brought the main character to her ancestral country, how she weaved the mystery, the ambience of it all. I really felt like I have just come back from over the pond! I am now reading book 2 and I wont stop until Im up to date on all of the books in this series. These books are a real treat to Mystery or Irish lovers!
