Dublin 1907, a city of whispered rumours. An actress still in her teens begins an affair with a damaged older man, the leading playwright at the theatre where she works.
Rebellious, irreverent, beautiful, flirtatious, Molly Allgood is a girl of the inner city tenements, dreaming of stardom in America. Witty and watchful, she has dozens of admirers. But in the backstage of her life, there is a secret.
Her lover, John Synge, is a troubled, reticent genius, the son of a once prosperous landowning family, a poet of fiery language and tempestuous passions. Yet his life is hampered by Edwardian conventions and by the austere and God-fearing mother with whom he lives.
Download and start listening now!
"I found the book fascinating, mixing different styles of writing, even one chapter written as a scene in a play. The love story is loosely based on the real lives of Irish playwriter John M. Synge and Irish actress "Molly" Marie ONeill. I hadn't known either one, until I did some research after reading the novel. Dying at the young age of 37, Synge had already accomplished so much. O'Neill went on to marry twice and continued acting, even starring in some films. Their time together was brief but in the book, poor Molly is haunted by the first great love of her life. Her character is loveable and I had much sympathy for her and her downfall. It was an excellent read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the theater in the early 1900s, historical fiction lovers, and for anyone who enjoys a good story." — Laura (4 out of 5 stars)
"I found the book fascinating, mixing different styles of writing, even one chapter written as a scene in a play. The love story is loosely based on the real lives of Irish playwriter John M. Synge and Irish actress "Molly" Marie ONeill. I hadn't known either one, until I did some research after reading the novel. Dying at the young age of 37, Synge had already accomplished so much. O'Neill went on to marry twice and continued acting, even starring in some films. Their time together was brief but in the book, poor Molly is haunted by the first great love of her life. Her character is loveable and I had much sympathy for her and her downfall. It was an excellent read. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in the theater in the early 1900s, historical fiction lovers, and for anyone who enjoys a good story."
" This book was okay, but I hope for more from O'Connor's other works. The idea itself and the historical detail is respectable but the plot was distracting and sub-par. The entire story is told in jumpy flashbacks from the point of view of a now alcoholic former renowned actress. The love affair between playwright Synge and her was believable and well told, if not factually accurate but the jumpyness of the flashbacks was too distracting and hard to follow and greatly detracted from the overall quality of the story. My favorite part of the story were the intermittent gems of Irish sayings and narrative sprinkled throughout. I feel that the book would have been much better with more of those homey little sayings of the working class Irish people. There was also a lot of opportunity for confrontation between the different classes but O'Connor seemed to mostly skim over there. Overall, it was an acceptable read but nothing extraordinary. "
" Exceptionally written, beautifully descriptive. Dragged on a bit at the end, but on the whole a pleasurable read. "
" An interesting perspective but I gave up before finishing the book. Didn't live up to the hype. "
" the story starts in 1952. When Molly starts talking about the wonders of the BBC broadcasting around the world she used "megahertz" in her description. The useage would have been cps as hertz wasn't used till the sixties. "
" magnificent masterpiece as usual by Joe O'Connor. "
" Funny, sad and romantic...very Irish. "
" I loved Star of the Sea. The premise of this book sounded fascinating, but it was too slow, too Irish, and not very interesting. I'm still looking forward to Redemption Falls. "
" o'connor deftly balances poetic language and concise description in his tale about sara allgood's relationship with john synge. a beautifully written book. "
" Atmospheric and emotional. It is mostly written in 2nd person, but not consistently, and sometimes I had a hard time figuring out whose voice I was reading. The poetic stream of consciousness sometimes made it hard to figure out what was going on. I didn't get the beginning or the end. "
" A perfect gem of a little book. A fictional account of the love bx John Synge and Maire O'Neil (Molly Algood). Exquisite writing where similes and metaphors abound. "
" A sad, atmospheric tale of an old actress recalling better times. I'm sure this book would reward a second reading or further study but I found it quite a difficult read and quite hard to piece Molly's life together. Will definitely read more by this author though. "
" Some beautiful writing but O'Connor attempts to be a little 'arty' in this one in comparison with his other books. Nice story buy it doesn't move along well enough. Still worth a read (but Star of the Sea remain the jewel!) "
" I couldn't even finish the book it was that bad. That's a first for me. "
" Very disappointing - apparently you "get" this book only if you know Irish playwright John Synge...which I don't "
" Would have liked to like it, but struggled to keep at it ... "
" Actually 3,5. Beautifully written, even though sometimes I felt his words were too beautiful, if that makes sense at all. "
" Disappointed. Couldn't warm to JM, Molly or their love story. "
" Touching and brilliantly written. I am a huge Joseph O'Connor fan. "
" I read this as part of the post-family-Ireland trip -- it was part of One Book, One Dublin. I very much enjoyed it, as it has its own rhythm and sheds an emotional light on early 20th-century Ireland that enriched the histories I'd been reading. "
" One of the things I really liked about this book is that the story revolves around a woman who appears to be a poor homeless bag lady but had actually led a very interesting earlier life. Makes me wonder about all those homeless people I see on the streets... what is their story? "
" I think this book probably deserves more than one star but I found it really tiresome after reading too many similar books. Cliches and stereotypes are based on fact, but they are still boring. "
" Beautifully written, evocative, and enthralling. It doesn't matter that, as he he says himself, some of it is historically innacurate, it was a fascinating story, cleverly unfolded, and ultimately very moving. "
" Beautifully written rumination of an aging alcoholic actress remembering her great love in early 20th century Dublin. "
Joseph O’Connor was born in 1963 and has written numerous books, including the novel Star of the Sea, which sold a million copies around the world. His work has been published in thirty languages, and he also writes for the stage and screen. He lives with his wife and two sons in Dublin, Ireland.
Marcella Riordan began her career at the Abbey School in Dublin and has worked in theaters throughout Ireland and the UK, including Druid Theatre and Lyric in Belfast. She has worked extensively on BBC Radio and RTE in Dublin. She was awarded Best Actress for her portrayal of Nancy Gulliver in a BBC Radio adaptation of Jennifer Johnston’s The Old Jest.
Audiobooks Were Restored to Your Cart
[ShoppingCartItemsAddedOnMerge] audiobook(s) were left in your cart from a previous visit, and saved to your account for your convenience. You may view or remove these audiobooks on the shopping cart page.