Book cover of Academy Street

Book description

AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME

WINNER OF THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2014

SHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2014

Tess Lohan appears to be a quiet child. But within lies a heart of fire. A fire that will propel her from…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Academy Street as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is one of my favorite novels and one that I can’t stop recommending. There isn’t a word wasted in this intimate and evocative novel which is based between Ireland and New York.

The protagonist, Tess Lohan, was born in Ireland in 1944. Through Tess, we are given a ringside view of Irish life in the 40s, the harshness and stoicism, the distance between family and that which is unsaid. Tess takes us from Ireland to New York City in 1962 and the challenges of loneliness and joy of an Irish immigrant.

We see her struggling as a single mother…

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German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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