John B. Keane (1928–2002)

If there's one word to describe these short stories set in small Irish villages, that word is charming. The tales are good-naturedly humorous and stuffed with colorful characters. While many of the fifteen stories just take place during the season and aren't specifically about Christmas, they all share the joy and affection of the holiday. Themes of redemption, community, and generosity run throughout.
While a few of the stories feel more like funny tales told in the local pub, others are quite substantial and provide a glimpse into what Irish village life was like not all that long ago. It's a good book to pull out to read out loud for others at Christmas. In your best Irish accent, of course.… (més)

Keane's novel pits the inhabitants of a small village against the social leaders of the local market town and the local Curate of the Catholic Church. The story of rural poverty, of living day-to-day, and resilience through personal relationships, traditional music and dance, and the pub is timeless. Particularly enjoyable were the rhythm of the language, the detailed description for making a bodhran and cutting turf, and the joy of community expressed through the ceilidh. The penetration of the Church into daily life, the blurring of church and state, and the hypocrisy within the Church, seem accurate and provide much of the dramatic tension. That the only release from poverty and social confines comes only through emigration is also a timeless tale, but for a story based in the 1960s the Troubles are remote. This isn't a book for everyone, but I found most of the characters real and sympathetic and the plot sufficient, although full of tangents, to sustain the pace.… (més)