Delighted The Ballroom Café is reviewed in The Sunday Times.
A skilful expose of a broken society.....
Deftly written, moving and courageous novel....
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Friday, 17 July 2015
A DEBUT TO DIVE INTO, so says the leading Sunday newspaper the Sunday Independent.
Well-rounded characters infused with warmth and intelligence.
O'Loughlin's feel for nature and weather add to this book's all-embracing atmosphere.
You can read the article here
Friday 17 July 2015
Three debuts you will want to dive into
* The Ballroom Cafe, Ann O'Loughlin, Black & White Publishing, €10.99 Approx
* Eggshells, Caitriona Lally, Liberties Press, €12.99
* In a Dark Dark Wood, Ruth Ware, Simon & Schuster, €17.99
Published 13/07/2015 | 02:30
It is summertime, and the reading from three
debut authors is highly engaging, and yet exceedingly different.
Ann O'Loughlin is a High Court
reporter with the Irish Examiner, and has drawn on her experience of
reporting on the illegal adoption of children from Irish orphanages by
families in America for her first novel, The Ballroom Cafe.
Ann
has also written about her delight in being able to take her time in
choosing her words- compared to the fast-paced atmosphere of a newsroom
-and this is evident in her creation of well-rounded characters infused
with warmth and intelligence.
This
is the first work of fiction to be based on the illegal giving away of
Irish babies, and at heart this story is less of an accusation and more
of an understanding.
Sisters Ella
and Roberta O'Callaghan are estranged, and they communicate by passing
notes in the crumbling mansion they live in. When the bank threatens to
take possession of the house, Ella opens a cafe in the ballroom to raise
money.
When an American called
Debbie Kading arrives in town searching for her birth mother, she gets a
job at the cafe. Secrets begin to spill, and lives to unravel.
Originally from the west of Ireland, O'Loughlin's feel for nature and weather add to this book's all-embracing atmosphere.
Caitriona
Lally studied English literature at Trinity and was one of the
finalists in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2014. At a time she was
unemployed, she traipsed the streets of Dublin to pass the time, and
now her main character does exactly the same in Lally's highly original
debut novel, Eggshells.
Vivian
Lawlor was told she was a changeling as a child, and goes for walks to
try and find her way back to the land of fairies, where she thinks she
belongs. Vivian sees things differently, for example, she does not like
action verbs, as words involving action tend to expect too much of a
person. She experiences things from a different angle, and wishes a
shopkeeper "Happy Christmas" in April, as she does not know if she'll
get back into the shop before December.
Vivian
doesn't have any friends, and places an advertisement on a tree seeking
a friend called Penelope. Vivian's sister wishes she showered more. She
wishes Vivian wouldn't mutter such nonsense. Meanwhile, Vivian lives in
a house she inherited and in close proximity to Dublin city centre.
Yes, you've probably seen Vivian out and about. I know I certainly have.
Lally
has a unique voice as a writer, and had me on line six of her novel
when she described a character as "someone who kept chairs the way some
people keep cats."
She is impressively self-assured, skilled and special in how she brings Vivian in from the fringes and into our company.
Ruth
Ware was born in Sussex and has taught English in Paris and worked in
publishing. In A Dark Dark Wood is her debut thriller.
Nora
hasn't seen her former best friend Clare for 10 years, and since
leaving school. Should she be surprised when she is invited to Clare's
hen weekend?
Should she be startled when she realises that there is an ulterior motive for inviting her to a house deep in a forest?
Suspence
doesn't usually rock my boat. But Ware's writing is immediate and
conversational, and she throws a net out and captures her reader. For
starters, what's more scary than a bunch of bitchy women?
A murder mystery worthy of the beach.
Sunday Indo Living
Tuesday, 7 July 2015
Drop in to chat about The Ballroom Cafe and another debut novel Fields of Blue Flax. If you happen to be in Edinburgh on July 14, do drop by the National Library of Scotland to meet Ann and hear her talk about writing The Ballroom Café.Ann will be sharing the stage with bestselling food writer Sue Lawrence who has also written her first work of fiction, Fields of Blue Flax.Leading literary agent Jenny Brown will chair this free event. at the National Library of Scotland.
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge, EH1 1EW Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Bestselling food writer Sue Lawrence and leading Irish journalist Ann O'Loughlin — in conversation with literary agent Jenny Brown. Both writers explore secrets, betrayal and family sagas, and discuss how they approached writing their first works of fiction. An event not to be missed! The event is open to all and free to attend, but please book your space to avoid disappointment. You can do this by calling the NLS on 0131 623 3734
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Thursday, 2 July 2015
ANN ON BBC WORLD SERVICE.
Talking about the forgotten Irish women who lost their children to forced illegal adtoptions to the US - the inspiration behind The Ballroom Cafe.
Here I am being interviewed by Dan Damon on BBC World Update about the forced illegal adotpiton of young children to the USA - a practice that continued in to the 70s. The stories of these women and children were the main inspiration for The Ballroom Cafe.
Highlight then click on open link. After the heads, you will find the interview about half way in.
http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/5/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download/proto/http/vpid/p02w3qk7.mp3
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