The Good People, Swimming Lessons and The Cast Iron Shore

I have some difficulty in making up my mind about this book. The setting of the deep south of rural Ireland in 1825 is beautifully described. As is the hardship of the poor, eking out a living from the tough landscape. The writing cannot be faulted; "the graveyard slouched next to the little church". At the beginning I was quite interested in the superstitions and ancient remedies of an isolated community. The rituals of New Year's Day are unbelievable.

However, I found these sections to be far too repetitive, on and on about the healing properties of herbs. To my mind, the book could have easily been cut by a quarter, or even a third. The author does try to bring some drama to the ending, and although well presented, it does seems as if we have waited too long for something to happen. 

Did they deserve to have children? It was Gil's friend Jonathon who warns the much younger Ingrid not to get involved with this attractive and charismatic older man. But an unexpected pregnancy and marriage follows. It is Ingrid's story from this earlier time alternating with that of her second daughter Flora that makes this a clever and satisfying family drama. The characters are all extremely well drawn, all of them flawed in their own way. Flora is a complicated young woman, more like her mother than she would like to admit. Her older sister Nan finds her tiresome and selfish.

I loved the literary background of the parents. They both seemed to have disappeared at different times (these are nicely confusing) and I liked how these keep us guessing to the end. The setting is brought to life, a fictional place near the sea that I half imagined Studland in Dorset, and the Sandbanks chain ferry. The writing is straightforward and flows from the page. Excellent. 

Having read all of Linda Grant's novels except this, her first, I was disappointed to find I struggled through long and tedious sections about politics. Written in the first person, Sybil is not a sympathetic character in any way. Her good looks are maybe an excuse for her selfishness and that chip on her shoulder she never loses. Her relationships with both the awful Stan and Julius were constantly boring.

There was so little plot, something that Grant puts right in all her following books. I almost gave up half way through. She obviously had so much to say in this first novel, that it goes on far too long. However, there are certain parts which are good and show the potential of an excellent writer. A stronger editor would have done wonders in reducing the text by at least a third.