Stand By Me [Paperback]

I've always really loved Sheila's novels, but found this one to be really disappointing. The eventual return of the husband was a big anti-climax as a bigger mystery regadring the disappearance was expected... the story just went downhill from there and the excitement and interesting twists I've come to expect from Sheila's stories were just not there... The book wasn't bad, it's just that I expect more from the O'Flanagan pen.

When Dominique Delahaye marries Brendan Delahaye at the tender age of 19 whilst pregnant everyone says that it's only a shot-gun wedding and it won't last. Twenty years later and Brendan and Dominique are still going strong, along with daughter Kelly. They're the hottest couple in Cork, appearing in the magazines and newspapers frequently, as Brendan's building business hits fantastic and dizzy new heights and as Dominique frequents charity functions and becomes known as `Dazzling Domino'. Everything comes crashing down, though, the day that Brendan disappears without a trace, leaving Dominique and Kelly in the mire. Dominique moves up to Dublin and manages to get herself a job and a new life but finds herself unable to stop thinking and wondering about Brendan. But when Brendan returns, will Dominique be able to stand by her man?

The official synopsis for Stand By Me makes mention of Dominique's husband Brendan disappearing. However, that doesn't actually happen until well into the book - so far into the book that I was actually quite surprised when it eventually happened. The book is more about Dominique and Brendan's story as a couple. The book begins with a Prologue set at some point in the future, before taking us all the way back to 19-year-old Dominique when she first meets Brendan. Things move quickly between the pair and Dominique falls pregnant and then we follow their story as they marry, as Dominique has her daughter Kelly, and the years pass slowly but surely until we reach the present day. It was a surprising way for the story to be told - after all, I was expecting to jump right into the present day and for Brendan to disappear but it's not like that at all. Sheila builds the story from the beginning and tells it as it's meant to be told. Thinking about it, building up the story like that really worked as far as I'm concerned. Instead of just throwing us into the deep end without getting to know the characters, Sheila took us right to how it all began so we could learn the history of the characters and have an affinity with them.

Sheila O'Flanagan really excells at telling stories and I just got lost in the book while I was reading it. From beginning to end, I was fully interested in the story and the characters and that never diminished. My only problem, really, was the way everyone stood by Brendan after he returned. That really bugged me, because he didn't deserve it. I also think there should have been an epilogue to round everything off. Just to see how everyone had moved on, and to see who had managed to stay together and how their lives had been generally after everything that had happened. Apart from that, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it's the perfect read to curl up with as Autumn and Winter close in.

I have always enjoyed reading Sheila O'Flanagan's books, and this is another good one. They are always just nice little stories with relatable characters, usually finding their inner strength in some way and learning to stand on their own two feet.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 3 reviews  3.7 out of 5 stars