For Alison Gill, mother of three young children, this year's much-needed family holiday at Fitzgerald's Hotel on the southeast coast of Ireland should be, as ever, absolute paradise. So when a work crisis forces her husband to return to Dublin, she is left angry, disappointed and susceptible to the confusing emotions surrounding a chance poolside encounter with Chris, an old flame from nearly twenty years ago. In seeing him again, Alison cannot help but reflect on the passing of time, and sit in judgement on the life she has made for herself. Is this going to be a turning point, an opportunity to revive the passion and optimism of her youth? A final chance? Will she let herself be tempted?

Temptation

Bolger, Dermot

Literature & Fiction

Harpercollins

This novel evokes the traditions and history of rural Ireland and the contrasting contemporary life in Dublin and London.

Father's Music

Contemporary

Harpercollins Pub, Ltd.

The Family on Paradise Pier

A stunning fictionalised portrait of a truly fascinating family, and an intimate view of a century of Irish history Starting in the tranquil idyll of a Donegal village in 1915, The Family on Paradise Pier follows the extraordinary journeys of one Irish family through the War of Independence, the General Strike in Britain, the dangerous streets of 1930's Moscow, the Spanish Civil War and on to Soviet gulags,Irish Internment camps and London during the Blitz. The Goold Verschoyle children are born into a respected freethinking Protestant family in a Manor House alive with laughter, debate and fascinating guests. But the world of picnics and childish infatuations is soon under threat as political changes within Ireland and the wider world encroach upon their private paradise. Bolger superbly recreates a family in flux, driven by idealism, racked by argument and united by love and the vivid memories of childhood. The Family of Paradise Pier shows Bolger at the height of his powers as a master storyteller. It is a spellbinding and magnificent achievement.

Fourth Estate Ltd.

A stunning historical saga set in the early decades of the twentieth century which follows the lives and loves of one extraordinary family.
We first meet the Goold Verschoyle children in 1915. Though there is a war going on in the world outside, they seem hardly touched by it – midnight swims, flower fairies and regatta parties form the backdrop to their enchanted childhood. But as they grow older, changes within Ireland and the wider world encroach upon the family’s private paradise.
Turbulent times – the Irish war of independence, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II – are woven into the tapestry upon which this magical story is spun. Events in Spain, Russia and London draw the children in different directions: one travels to Moscow to witness Communism at first had; another runs away to England to take part in the General Strike and then heads off to the Civil War in Spain; another follows the more conventional route of marriage and family.
Based upon the extraordinary lives of a real-life Anglo-Irish family, Bolger’s novel superbly recreates a family in flux, driven by idealism, wracked by argument and united by love and the vivid memories of childhood. ‘The Family on Paradise Pier’ shows Bolger at the height of his powers as a master storyteller. A spellbinding and magnificent achievement.

British & Irish

Harper-perennial

FATHER'S MUSIC

Literary

Flamingo

A year has passed since the closing of Finbar's Hotel, a down-on-its-heels hotel on the Dublin quays. Now, with a rock star as its new owner, it has once more opened its doors-and Finbar's has become an ultra-chic gathering spot. Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel describes one night in its newly illustrious surroundings-a night filled with adventure and comic romp. In one room a man surreptitiously helps his wife's friend get pregnant, while next door a businesswoman battles her father. And down the hall, a nun struggles with the most important mission of her life. A fabulous mix of pathos and high humor, this is a sardonic tour of the gamut of human experience told by Ireland's finest modern storytellers. Maeve Binchy has written numerous bestsellers, most recently Tara Road. Dermot Bolger is the author of six novels and edited The Vintage Book of Contemporary Irish Fiction. Clare Boylan has written six novels and several nonfiction works, including The Literary Companion to Cats. Emma Donoghue is the author of Stirfry and Kissing the Witch, among other works. Anne Haverty's writing has been short-listed for the Whitbread Award. ƒilis N' Dhuibhne has published poetry, short fiction, children's books, and two novels. Kate O'Riordan writes for stage and screen, and has written two novels including The Bray House. Deirdre Purcell recently adapted her novel Falling for a Dancer as a four-part serial for BBC television.

Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel

DONOGHUE, EMMA

O'Riordan, Kate

PURCELL, Deirdre

Boylan, Clare

BINCHY,MAEVE

HAVERTY, Anne

United States

Harvest Books

Shortlisted, Finalist, ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, Fiction Category, 2008
Young Francis Hanrahan dreams desperately of a life different from that of his country-born, suburban-living parents. On his first day at his first job Francis makes his first real friend. Shay, a would-be older brother, introduces "Hano" to Dublin's appealingly seedy after-hours bars and drug-fueled parties. They are joined by Cait, a troubled teenager who spends her days in a stupor. But the noir thrills of underground Dublin cannot conceal the unemployment, corruption, and violence strangling the city. The Plunkett brothers, masters of "the subtle everyday corruption on which a dynasty was built" will use the friends—with tragic results.
Torn between his friends, his family, and his own ideals, Hano ultimately falls victim to these powerful forces and commits a heinous crime. He flees through the countryside with Cait, wondering, as he narrates the events that set him on this path, if there is a home at the end of it.
Controversial for its gritty portrait of Dublin in the 1980s, The Journey Home is Dermot Bolger's unflinching look at the personal cost of social progress, and those, innocent or not, lost during the journey.

The Journey Home (James A. Michener Fiction Series)

University of Texas Press

This volume features fiction published since 1970. Arranged in chronological order, the volume moves from the traditional to the futuristic. Authors featured include Samuel Beckett, Sean O'Faolain, Mary Lavin, Patrick McCabe, Edna O'Brien, John Banville and Francis Stuart.

Contemporary Irish Fiction

Short Stories & Anthologies

Pan Books, Ltd.

The first collection of plays from one of Ireland's most accomplished contemporary writersThis volume contains four plays: The Lament for Arthur Cleary: "Theatrically rich and socially powerful, it takes on the lineaments of an epic voyage, a voyage into the dark heart of a city where Irish theatre has seldom been before" (Irish Times); In High Germany: "Thoughtful, comic, sad and provocative, this monologue of a lost and altered heritage ... These two plays [In High Germany and The Holy Ground] are cogent manifestations of a changing Irish world" (Irish Times); The Holy Ground: "A tour de force. It's stream of consciousness theatre at its best ... [which] develops a pace until the listener is hanging on to every syllable" (Sunday Press); Blinded by the Light: "Manically madcap and hilariously funny, it canters in a bawdy romp onto the stage, heralding the arrival of a unique comic writing talent. Energetic, perfectly timed and brilliantly observed" (Irish Press)"A writer of frenetic energy and imagination." (Sunday Times)

Dermot Bolger Plays: 1

Dramas & Plays

Methuen Drama

The Journey Home

Shortlisted, Finalist, ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards, Fiction Category, 2008Young Francis Hanrahan dreams desperately of a life different from that of his country-born, suburban-living parents. On his first day at his first job Francis makes his first real friend. Shay, a would-be older brother, introduces "Hano" to Dublin's appealingly seedy after-hours bars and drug-fueled parties. They are joined by Cait, a troubled teenager who spends her days in a stupor. But the noir thrills of underground Dublin cannot conceal the unemployment, corruption, and violence strangling the city. The Plunkett brothers, masters of "the subtle everyday corruption on which a dynasty was built" will use the friends—with tragic results.Torn between his friends, his family, and his own ideals, Hano ultimately falls victim to these powerful forces and commits a heinous crime. He flees through the countryside with Cait, wondering, as he narrates the events that set him on this path, if there is a home at the end of it.Controversial for its gritty portrait of Dublin in the 1980s, The Journey Home is Dermot Bolger's unflinching look at the personal cost of social progress, and those, innocent or not, lost during the journey.

VIKING

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bolger, Dermot. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bolger, Dermot

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bolger, Dermot. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Temptation

Father's Music

The Family on Paradise Pier

The Family on Paradise Pier

FATHER'S MUSIC

Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel

The Journey Home (James A. Michener Fiction Series)

Contemporary Irish Fiction

Dermot Bolger Plays: 1

The Journey Home