Irish Girls Are Back in Town (Original)

The fourth edition of this annual anthology that raises money for charity is surprisingly different in tone than the previous "Girls in Town" collections as these contributions are much darker than the previous Irish, American and Scottish romps. The tales are for the most part well written though some chick lit quirky twists in a few stories seem out of place. Overall the contributions appear more realistic yet paradoxically in many cases the lead male comes across acrimoniously nasty hiding behind the veneer of keeping women safe from themselves. Not for everyone, generally IRISH GIRLS ARE BACK IN TOWN is a solid at times amusing but also at other moments cynically depressing look at relationships in which misery loves miserable company as seen by nineteen female Irish authors including strong entries by Patricia Scanlan, Cecilia Ahern and especially Clare Dowling. Harriet Klausner