Lagan Love by Peter Murphy

If you know something about passion, and desire, and giving everything to live your dreams then leave your world behind for a while. Come with Janice to Dublin, in the mid nineteen-eighties when a better future beckoned and the past was restless, whispering in the shadows for the Old Ways. Janice has grown tired of her sheltered existence in Toronto and when Aidan leads her through the veils of the Celtic Twilight, she doesn’t hesitate. In their love, Aidan, Dublin’s rising poet, sees a chance for redemption and Janice sees a chance for recognition. Sinead tells her that it is all nonsense as she keeps her head down and her eyes fixed on her own prize – a place in Ireland’s prospering future. She used to go out with Aidan, before he met Janice, so there is little she can say. And besides, she has enough to do as her parents are torn apart by the rumours of church scandals. But after a few nights in Grogan’s, where Dublin’s bohemians gather, or a day in Clonmacnoise among the ruins of Celtic Crosses, it won’t matter as the ghosts of Aidan’s mythologies take form and prey on the friends until everything is at risk. Lagan Love is a sensuous story of Love, Lust and Loss that will bring into question the cost we pay for our dreams.

Goodreads Summary

This book is set in the 1980's, the author is extremely detailed with regards to Ireland, the location.  The author quickly introduces the reader to Janice, Aidan, and Sinead.  They are very different characters, the reader will come to appreciate their differing traits.  Janice is bored, she wants a different, more exciting existence.  She believes she has found what she wants and could potentially achieve in Aidan.  Aidan is a poet who is desperate for redemption-the reader may make his/her own judgement about the reason why.  Sinead, a former love of Aidan's, is having difficulties of her own.  She attempts to counsel Janice, but she doesn't want to appear pushy or a hypocrite.  Her parents are affected by the current rumors circulated by the rumor mill.  The story is full of complex relationships as well as events that create more and more outcomes. 

Janice as a character probably won't be the readers' favorite.  She can be a tad selfish, hedonistic, and oblivious.  She has her good traits as well though.  Aidan can get a little tiring with his constant need for redemption, though his heart is often in the right place.  Sinead is a caring, kind character.  She is the most sympathetic of the main characters. 

The events are fairly fast-paced, the reader shouldn't be bored.  The ending is unusual and just right for this novel.  This book is recommended to adults who enjoy romance, intrigue, and history. 

4 Stars