From Booklist
Noreen and Oliver Flynn's wedding is a big event in the small town of Kilronan outside Dublin, Ireland. Noreen left her successful career as a nurse in London to take care of her dying mother, and consequently met Oliver, a successful builder. Both were lonely, and Noreen, a take-charge kind of woman, asked Oliver to marry her, leaving her uncertain if he would ever have asked her. Cousins Lorna and Heather envy the pageantry of the wedding, and embark on a new life of their own in Dublin. Lorna loves city life, but Heather misses their small town, and problems develop in each of their lives as their expectations are not met. Readers will form an attachment to all of Scanlan's extraordinarily believable characters, making this an exquisite gem of a novel about human foibles and happiness. Scanlan should have wide and increasing appeal as word gets out about her books.
Patty EngelmannCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Dublin author (and former librarian) Scanlan (Francesca's Party) has written another winner. Reminiscent of Maeve Binchy's Circle of Friends . . . [t]he reader is plopped into the middle of an Irish soap opera . . . [and] will want to read nonstop. In her usual style, Scanlan contrasts big-city life with village life and takes her heroines' disastrous situations and turns them into opportunities for growth. Highly recommended"
--Library Journal
"Readers will form an attachment to all of Scanlan's extraordinarily believable characters, making this an exquisite gem of a novel abotu human foibles and happiness. Scanlan should have wide and increasing appeal as word gets out about her books. (YA: Teens will relate to Heather's desire for independence while maintaining her attachment to her home and family.)"
--Booklist
"[A]n interesting character study . . . readers who value a slice of contemporary life will gain plenty of joy reading Patricia Scanlan's fine tale."
--Midwest Book Review
"Patricia Scanlan proves herself worthy of comparison to Maeve Binchy, queen of Irish fiction. Both women are earthy, entertaining and use description and characterization to perfection. The seductive appeal of this author lies in her distinctive Irish voice, the lyrical vernacular of Ireland, the artful use of rhetorical devices in her descriptions, and characters that are at once believable and entertaining. Two for Joy is a perfect summer read."
--Tulsa World (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
