I really enjoyed The Queen of Dirt Island, written by Irish writer Donal Ryan, who has won many writing awards. Initially I honestly didn’t think that I would enjoy this read but was pleasantly surprised. I hadn’t read anything written by Donal Ryan prior to The Queen of Dirt Island. This was also the first book that I did with my Choir Book Club with Voices of Gorey, a community choir.
A historical fiction that is set in County Tipperary, in Ireland. Now, as I type, the song It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, is running through my head. Ha, Ha! Four female generations live under the one roof – in my head I was thinking that that is a lot of estrogenic hormones all together at the same time, and a volcanic eruption sprang to my mind then also.
The Queen of Dirt Island: the blurb
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 that—in spite of what the neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes—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. Of all the things family can be and all the things it sometimes isn’t. The Queen of Dirt Island is an uplifting celebration of fierce, loyal love and the powerful stories that bind generations together.
Short Chapters of 500 Words
I liked the fact that every chapter is only two pages in length, and 500 words. I like this as I find I actually read more this way personally, and it also means that when someone goes to the toilet, or when the telly is paused, or indeed the kettle is boiling, or the pasta, rice or vegetables are simmering, (any excuse to read really and get out of house-work), you can easily slip an extra chapter in here and there! In fact, I don’t like to stop reading when I am in the middle of a chapter. Also, all of the chapters in The Queen of Dirt Island are not numbered, they are simply titled, which is nice in itself. I love the fact that Donal also uses poetic licence in his writing regarding, grammar and punctuation.
Evocative Writing
Donal is quite evocative in his writing, painting the short scene perfectly for the reader. In my opinion this novel would actually do well on the radio. Ryan’s use of the English language is vast. Speaking of language, there is a lot of French to be excused, or quite bluntly lots of vulgar language that some readers may take offence to. I didn’t take offence, and I was also aware that the language was a very important part of the characters’ personalities.
There is one chapter in The Queen of Dirt Island where the entire chapter are just two REALLY long sentences, I actually thought that it was just the one sentence at first. That chapter was called Immaculate. I remember from a personal point of view sympathising with Saoirse and also for other reasons I sympathised with Eileen and her estranged family dynamics. I remember at first thinking that Nana and Eileen were both very harsh, when in fact while maybe they were harsh, they were also fiercely independent women, and resilient, like a mama bear using her protective and survival skills to live day by day. These women had balls of steel, were feisty and real fiery. I will definitely read another of Donal Ryan’s books.
(c) Grace O’Reilly
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