If there was a book that I disliked at first but greatly loved upon re-readings, it was Glenallen.
How I got the book
I got it when I was in high school, April 2004 to be exact. I do not know why, but I always had a dislike for thick books written by unfamiliar writers. I know it is so judgmental of me. I have mended my ways since. Perhaps it was the back cover story that got me. Because it talked about friends. :-)
The Story
The book was written by Mary Ryan. The plot of the story is similar to the drama series that are shown here in our country. Shows that narrates the birth until the death (if possible) or the happily ever after ending of the main character. That is why when I first read the story, I felt bland. I even think I skipped most of the middle pages when reading it first.
But it was in the second and subsequent re-readings that I grasped what the story was about and how it affected me ever since.
The story was set in rural Ireland during the second world war. There are three main leads in the story. They are three girls who met in boarding school, namely Peg, Cissie, and Mary.
Glenallen also shows that the lengths people will do in order to have something they want. Evil, evil things a person would do. The story also incorporates the superstitious beliefs and somewhat folklore in the land where Glenallen was built or derived from. I do not want to think of this part of the story because it is creepy and is somewhat parallel/similar with our country's own superstitions.
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Even writing this review makes me cringe on the things that happened in the story. From my point of view, the events are too typical in my teledrama-soaked brain. The people in the story just did have the most exciting childhood (I loved this part of the story), or they will have the most ridiculous twists in their later life loves. Gaaah!
And I have not even begun writing about the protagonists in the story. I cannot even. Grrrr!!
This is how affected I am.
I definitely would recommend this book to anyone! Most of the books that I like and love are the ones whom I have felt an emotional connection with. I may not wish to live in that era of the world wars, but there was something, a foreboding, just like in the story, that kept me connected. In fact, I think this book would be a hit in our country(maybe) if it is made into a mini-series of sorts. Anyway, for the faint-hearted and not so dedicated in reading 2-3 inch plus thick of paperback, then this is not for you. If you are intrigued by my highly subjective sort-of review/spoiler, you may grab a copy of the book. But a word of warning, it's a kinda rare book. Perhaps there are limited copies in circulation at this time, eh? I tried amazon but it's all trees and forests. hmpf. corny joke.
the backcover
An enthralling story of friendship, love and family feuds, set in Ireland in the early 1930s.
Cissie, Mary and Peg become friends at boarding school and soon their lives become intertwined through their association with Glenallen, the mysterious and forbidding home of the Fitzallen family. The story moves between Ireland and England, under the shadow of war, tracing the lives of the three women, caught in a chilling web of powerful emotions, family hatreds and the intangible presence of a deep and and ancient force.
ps:
I have just unearthed the book again. thinking of re-reading it. again.
i just came across a note I wrote at the back of the book.
will update it soon and will need to translate since it's written in part-English/part-dialect
will upload a photo of the book too ;-)
Glenallen: A Novel of Ireland
Book Acquired on April 2004
Book Acquired on April 2004