The writing is lyrical and the sentiments are fully expressed without falling into sentimentality a fine line to walk. Each woman has her own distinct voice, and I loved the way even Nana is not above a good cussing session. This is a beautiful story of family specifically the female interactions in a family down through 4 generations. From the beginning it was a 4 star read and then events in the final chapters ramped that up to a solid 5 stars from me. My Thoughts: I loved this book from start to finish.

From the prize-winning author of Strange Flowers and The Spinning Heart, The Queen of Dirt Island is an uplifting celebration of fierce, loyal love and the powerful stories that bind generations together. About all the things family can be and all the things it sometimes isn’t. It’s a story of terrible betrayals and fierce loyalties, of isolation and togetherness, of transgression, forgiveness, desire, and love. It involves wives and widows, gunrunners and gougers, sinners and saints. Their story begins at an end and ends at a beginning. You’d have to know them to know – in spite of what the neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes – that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world. Synopsis from Goodreads: The Aylward women of Nenagh, Tipperary, are mad about each other, but you wouldn’t always think it. This ARC was provided by Random House UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

The queen of dirt