Book description
Dublin, 1907. A young actress begins an affair with a damaged older
man, the leading playwright at the theatre where she works. Outspoken
and flirtatious, Molly Allgood is a Catholic girl from the slums of
Dublin, dreaming of stardom in America. Her lover, John Synge, is a
troubled genius, whose life is hampered by convention and by the
austere and God-fearing mother with whom he lives. Their affair,
sternly opposed by friends and family, is quarrelsome, affectionate
and tender.
Many years later, Molly, now a poverty-stricken old woman, makes her
way through London's bomb-scarred city streets, alone but for a
snowdrift of memories. Her once dazzling career has faded but her
unquenchable passion for life has kept her afloat.
Joseph O'Connor was born in Dublin. His novels include Cowboys
and Indians (Whitbread Prize shortlist), Star of the Sea
(Irish Post Award for Fiction, France's Prix Millepages, Prix
Madeleine Zepter for European Novel of the Year), Redemption
Falls, and Ghost Light (Dublin One City One Book Novel,
2011). In 2012 he won the Irish PEN Award for Outstanding
Achievement in Literature. His work has been published in thirty-five
languages.
www. josephoconnorauthor. com
