The Yellow House

Author: Patricia Falvey

One-sentence summary: A determined young Irish woman fights to regain her sense of family and home amid the violence and turbulence of the Irish War of Independence.

B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: 7

Our favorite thing about it: We loved the setting, the historical references, and the interesting story.

Our least favorite thing about it: Some of the characters were predictable and perhaps a bit flat and in at least one instance, we felt that one character acted way out of character to suit a certain ending.

Main Topics of Discussion: War, Hatred, Family, Story and Character Development, Culture and History

Our favorite quote: "Passion flames like a bright candle, but all the while it is melting into tears of wax. You want it to burn forever, but you know in your heart it will consume itself in the end. The wick will turn black and charred, and the wax tears will cleave into a cold, formless mass. The light and warmth and scent will dissolve into a wisp of smoke and you will descend into emptiness." (p.205)

Notes: We all really enjoyed reading this book and thought the story was both interesting and moving. For most of us, that made it a fast read. The setting was a beautiful mountainous region of Ireland and the historical significance of the region added to the interest of the story. In fact, we all enjoyed learning the factual historical insights in the book. By developing the story somewhat against the backdrop of the Irish War for Independence, the author gave us readers a glimpse into what fuels the deep-seated hatred on both sides. Some of the characters were interesting and fun to read, however, some of them seemed predictable and one-sided to many of us. Frankly, several of us were surprised and annoyed at the massive shift in character for James at the end of the book when Eileen visits him in jail. We also questioned Eileen's decisions on several occasions and while she may have been the most well-rounded character, she seemed to have a split personality sometimes based on her actions. We were split in our feelings about the family gathering at the Yellow House in the end of the book. There were those of us who thought the ending a bit too tidy and perfect despite the changes in some of the characters. But, there were also some of us who thought it was those tragic changes which kept the ending from being perfect at all. One thing that we found amusing at the very least was the selective, but frequent, use of Irish pronunciations.

Memorable Meeting Moments: Becky brought several show and tell items, one of which was our almost-completed apron. We did a lot of planning for our upcoming trip, 5 year memorabilia, and tasted Irish cream in our tea.

What We Ate: Baked ham with vegetables, Mashed potatoes with cabbage, Angel food cake with fresh strawberries and cream.