Jean GraingerReseñas

"The Tour" focuses on a week in the life of Conor O'Shea, a tour guide and bus driver who provides high-end tours of Ireland for American visitors. His guests are a varied group of people from all walks of life, some I liked, others not so much but most were cliche.

The novel was a wholesome, character-driven story and while I enjoyed the descriptions of Ireland, I wished there were more. Unfortunately, I found some of the scenarios implausible. Still, Conor was a charming protagonist and, having just discovered that this is the first in a series, I will happily go on another tour with him.½

Can't help loving the characters despite some plots are rather unrealistic. A nice heartwarming story overall.

A good addition to a generally good series. Obviously geared to a younger audience the horrors of the Holocaust and WWII and its aftermath are often tamped down.

And Ballycreaggan in Northern Ireland is portrayed as a near-paradise with Jews and non-Jews working and socializing, and getting along well. While lots of bad things do happen, it all ends well for the Bannon family and their friends.

Good wins.

A good addition to the series. This one focues mostly on Liesl Bannon and her efforts to find home.

Moving.

Good sequel to the Star and the Shamrock continuing the story of Ariela, Elizabeth, Liesl, Erich and Daniel, and many others.

Many people survived the deprivation, hate and violence of WWII because of good, courageous and caring efforts of individuals providing small and large instances of help.

Beautiful and engaging story.

Good young adult read geared for non-Jews and those not familiar with the horrors of the Holocaust. But the tone of the novel rang false.

And that Grainger, while clearly noting hitler was the hateful choreographer of the evil unleashed, the non-Jews of Europe were NOT complicit, they simply didn't understand or know better!

They required someone like Elizabeth to explain how Jews were innocent and undeserving of being beaten, rounded up, starved, and worked to death. Really? Outrageous!

Book 4 in the The Star and the Shamrock series, the last book.

The story of Liesl and Erick continues in this 3rd book of The Star and the Shamrock series. The war if over, Liesl is in college in Dublin and on the debate team when she wins a chance to go to a larger competition in Berlin. She has to face her fears from the war days by going back, but she meets her old friend Kurt, which changes the relationship with Jamie, also a college student in Dublin. The characters of Ariella, Elizabeth, and Daniel also appear in this book. The story continues to draw me in, even if sometimes situations might seem too perfect: plenty of money, good jobs when needed, loyal friends, always being at the right place at the right time. The last quarter of the book had me rushing to get it finished. Again, the Irish narrator does an excellent job with differentiating the different voices and accents.

This is the second book of the Star and Shamrock series. WWII continues, and the book follows the children and Elizabeth in Ireland and Ariella in Germany from the end of the war to Ariella's leaving Germany. I enjoyed reading more about the characters. Everything seems to work out perfectly for everyone, which is somewhat unbelievable but still makes for an enjoyable read.

Elizabeth, a woman from Northern Ireland but teaching in Liverpool, takes on two young Jewish children from the Kindertransport. After a bomb destroys her home, she returns to Ireland to have a safe home for all of them. As a teacher of Irish children and other Jewish refugees, she becomes acquainted with the adults and children in a farm camp of Jewish refugee children and their caregivers. There is a good bit of tension surrounding some suspicions of working with the Nazis that fall on several people in the book. I truly enjoyed meeting the characters in the book, and I look forward to reading the second in the four-book series. The writing is engaging, and I got a good feel for the small Irish village in WWII.

good book

Liesl return to Berlin to defend her Irish University in a debating contest

Eric and Liesl settle in in the village in Northern Ireland, and their Mother goes into hiding in Berlin, but all ends well

Liesl and Eric Bannon, Jewish refugee children, come to small town Northern Ireland on the Kindertransport in WWII

Conor O’Shea is a driver of a Mercedes coach bus and tour guide in Ireland. Conor takes pleasure in driving small groups of tourists sharing an array of locations possible with a smaller coach. Tourists are amazed by his commentary sharing information about each location and in-between his love of the landscape, and enables everyone to appreciate the history and politics of his country. With 20 years of experience Conor is an asset to his tour operator, staff at all accommodations, and especially to his groups. He is easily available for questions and company in the off hours as well. Conor is a natural listener and makes needed changes effortlessly and quietly. He once drove larger 52-seat coaches but is delighted his current tour operator only permits up to 10 individuals in the group. In the current tour, there is a diverse group of 9 individuals but with this group Conor will experience a week unlike any other.

Although this novel could’ve been written by an author that previously enjoyed smaller coach tours and/or travel in Ireland, I was not surprised to learn of the author’s work history as a tour guide prior to becoming a novelist. Jean Grainger writes with sincerity and genuineness that shines through each chapter. Her personal experiences and love of her country give richness to the setting, descriptions, and the different experiences and dialogue of the characters in the group individually and collectively that is compelling.

I can’t wait to take another "tour" in this series.

Vatriona goes undercover to find her father in WWII France. The author does romance better!

Castle Dysert is wrecked by a fierce storm, but a reality TV production with lots of drama, helps him rebuild. Very enjoyable series. Lots of characters!

Mags is the policewoman in a small Irish town with a lovely family and loving husband, her kind understanding solves the murder of a traveler. Very sympathetic characters

Post WWII in a village in Ireland, Lena O’Sullivan falls for the wrong man, becomes pregnant, and all comes right in the end. Loving family, feel good story.

Jean Grainger brings back tour leader Conor O’Shea in southwest Ireland and gives home a new tour group. This one includes a priest who has lost his faith, has a pregnant wife and plans to murder his Mafia father in law. A bit of a stretch but full of heart warming stories.

Conor has been asked by Carlene to manage the luxurious hotel she plans to creat from an abandoned, derelict mansion, but it seems to be haunted. Stories of familiar characters in the series and new characters are added.

Irish Bubbles O’Leary has a bar on Long Island, a haven for a group of lost souls, and when he dies without family, these friends take his ashes back to Ireland to scatter. They stay at luxurious Castle Dysert, Conor O’Shea organizes their stay. And lots of stories unfold about the participants. Great escapism!

A sequel to the author''s first book, The Tour, this novel was just ok and not as appealing as the first novel. This book focused on Declan and Lucia, two people on the current tour, which is taking place a few years after the first book. Declan is a Catholic priest who has fallen in love with Lucia and gotten her pregnant. The other problem is that she is the daughter of a big-time organized crime guy who doesn't show up for a planned marriage to the son of another crime mafioso. The plan to solve his problem is questionable at best, although in the book it works out. I just didn't find it believable. I also didn't like the decision by the priest that God didn't exist at all, which seemed strange to me. The book ended leaving you guessing about how that might turn out. Maybe the third book will clarify that.

I have enjoyed every one of Jean Grainger’s books starting with the first one I read, “The Tour”. “Roaring Liberty” is book 4 in a series. While each book can stand alone, I highly recommend they be read as a series. There are a number of characters and locations and the experience will be far more enjoyable if read together . If you enjoy novels set in other countries, you will definitely want to read these Irish treasures.½

A tour of Ireland brings together some interesting people. The individual stories about each person are fun to read. Their lives all entangle in different ways. This book is delightful, albeit a bit predictable. I grew to like all of the characters, or most of them, at least. The bus driver is charming in every way, and he has his own story also. Some of the situations are a little too-good-to-be-true, but it works. This is the first in a series of 6 books. Visit the author's website to see all that she has written.