(3)The House on Willow Street by Cathy Kelly

The House on Willow Street 

by Cathy Kelly 

@cathykellybooks

Publication Date: January 8, 2013

Pages: 496

Buy it Here! 

Oh Ireland... why must you be so far away?

I recently read a collection of short stories by Cathy Kelly, Christmas Magic and was just reminded of how my heart longs for Ireland. When I saw that Cathy Kelly had another novel coming out so soon I got excited to be transported back to Ireland.

A House on Willow Street takes us to the small village of Avalon.  We get to meet the good people of Avalon, specifically Danae, the beloved Postmistress of Avalon - she has led a long and interesting life that she likes to keep to herself.  All of those old memories come to the surface when Danae's niece, Mara comes to stay with her.   We also get to meet Tess Power, the onetime heir to the Avalon House, the mansion that sits at the end of Willow Street and had been in Tess's family for many generations before the family fell on hard times and lost the house.  Even though she grew up in an aristocratic family, Tess now barely scrapes by with her antiques shop and she discovers that her and her husband's "trial separation" is about to become permanent because he got his new girlfriend pregnant.  And to top it all off Cashel, Tess's first love is back in Avalon and has purchased the Avalon house.  Will these women be able to overcome the challenges in their lives and find happiness again?

Once again Cathy Kelly allows the reader to immerse themselves in the charm of a quaint little Irish village while meeting unique and wonderful characters. The story takes us between four characters, Danae, Mara, Tess and Tess's sister, Sukki.  They are various ages at various stages in their lives and I think all readers will find something to relate to in each character.  Of course my favorite part of the book was the picture that Cathy Kelly painted of Avalon.  The charming little village with the quaint little shops and the eclectic cast of characters really did nothing more than make me long for Ireland... *sigh*... maybe someday.

Bottom line, for fans of Irish literature, Cathy Kelly needs no introduction.  You are already familiar with her ability to transport her readers to Ireland.  The characters in The House on Willow Street   are exactly what I have come to expect from the author, unique yet familiar. If you are looking for a good novel to read, keep Cathy Kelly in mind, you won't regret it, I promise!