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The Queen of Dirt Island
- Narrated by: Emma Lowe
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
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The Queen of Dirt Island
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
From the multi-award-winning author of the number one best seller, Strange Flowers, a searing, jubilant story about four generations of women and fierce love.
The Aylward women of Nenagh, Tipperary, are mad about each other, but you wouldn't always think it. You'd have to know them to know—in spite of what the neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes—that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world.
Their story begins at an end and ends at a beginning. It involves wives and widows, gunrunners and gougers, sinners and saints. It's a story of terrible betrayals and fierce loyalties, of isolation and togetherness, of transgression, forgiveness, desire and love. About all the things family can be and all the things it sometimes isn't. From the prize-winning author of Strange Flowers and The Spinning Heart, The Queen of Dirt Island is an uplifting celebration of fierce, loyal love and the powerful stories that bind generations together.
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Critic reviews
"Donal Ryan is giving us characters that we haven't seen in Irish literature before." (Roddy Doyle)
"Ryan's work has set a benchmark to which other writers will aspire." (John Boyne)
"I think you have to truly love people to write like this." (Rachel Joyce)
What listeners say about The Queen of Dirt Island
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Marie Fincher
- 26-01-24
What a fabulous book!
Beautiful story about generations of Irish women and they're strength and solidarity. Their families, their loves and loses. I read it twice! I hope we hear about Pearl now in Donal Ryan's next book
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Leona
- 24-09-23
The Queen of Dirt Island
I listened to this book via audible and it was absolutely wonderful. The narrator was fabulous. An easy listen but one I couldn’t stop listening to. A story of 4 generations of women in an Irish family. It made me laugh and cry . I loved it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J. F. Wrin
- 26-10-23
Well, this was wonderful
First the narrator: fantastic. She caught each person so well. I can’t imagine how she didn’t laugh sometimes.
These women, wholly recognisable to me and many more, are exceptional in their honesty and unfettered brusqueness. That a man wrote this is even more impressive. He suspect he grew up with some strong women around him.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Post lady
- 05-01-23
Lovely easy story
This was a very well written story. I binged listened to the audio which was very easy do
Sucked me in after the first 2or3 chapters . Lots of bad language but it’s in the context of the era and the socio-economics of the times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- BluePlanet1
- 08-06-23
Delightful. Beautifully written.
My daughter picked it up while on holiday in Ireland and gave it to me to read. We both loved it. For me it was a connection to the Ireland of my mother, who was born in Tipperary and I think my daughter understood me better too, the turn of phrases, what’s important in life, etc etc . We both loved the structure of the book, the short chapters that nonetheless moved the story along. It’s a truthful book and the author is a brilliant writer and storyteller. I’ll be checking out his other books now.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- KateLC
- 25-06-23
Stunning
Beautiful and thought provoking portrayal of life in all its reality - and the connections of women
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 22-08-22
Fabulous read
I absolutely loved this book and I could not put it down, such a fabulous read, a really moving book. A must read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 31-01-24
What a pleasure
I have loved every precious moment in the company of these fully fledged female characters.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- beryl rowson
- 05-07-23
Nice easy read,
Bit of swearing, might offend some
Could of been a longer book for me
Good Irish narration
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anna
- 30-09-23
Excellent read
Thoroughly enjoyed the characters and the story. Donal Ryan at his best, brought alive so well by Emma Lowe.
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