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A Greyhound of a Girl
by
Roddy Doyle
Mary O'Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can't let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary's street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny's own mother, who has come to help her daugh...more
Kindle Edition, 214 pages
Published
(first published September 1st 2011)
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Mary O'Hara is a sharp and cheeky 12-year-old Dublin schoolgirl who is bravely facing the fact that her beloved Granny is dying. But Granny can't let go of life, and when a mysterious young woman turns up in Mary's street with a message for her Granny, Mary gets pulled into an unlikely adventure. The woman is the ghost of Granny's own mother, who has come to help her daughter say good-bye to her loved ones and guide her safely out of this world. She needs the help of Mary and her mother, Scarlet...more
3.5 Stars
This book was just so charming. Whimsical, charming and very, very sweet. It is simply a story about the connection between mothers and daughters. It is also a story about growing up, letting go and losing the ones you love. Not often do I read a book in one day, but the fact that I read this in a day is perhaps testament to just how engaging I found this novel.
The characters of Mary, Scarlett, Emer and Tansey are what make this story. The connection between each of the women and the dy...more
This book was just so charming. Whimsical, charming and very, very sweet. It is simply a story about the connection between mothers and daughters. It is also a story about growing up, letting go and losing the ones you love. Not often do I read a book in one day, but the fact that I read this in a day is perhaps testament to just how engaging I found this novel.
The characters of Mary, Scarlett, Emer and Tansey are what make this story. The connection between each of the women and the dy...more
3 likes · like · see review
3.5 Stars.
“Do ghosts drink tea?”
“They don’t,” said Tansey. “But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It’d be lovely.”
This book was so sweet. I know that sounds like an “Oh God, what can I call this book? Quick gimme a word, gimme! Ahh, sweet will do” but it really isn’t.
It truly was sweet.
As the synopsis says, this is a story about mums (sorry mams) and daughters and the connection between them.
I wish this story had been told solely from Tansey and Emer’s perspective beca...more
“Do ghosts drink tea?”
“They don’t,” said Tansey. “But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It’d be lovely.”
This book was so sweet. I know that sounds like an “Oh God, what can I call this book? Quick gimme a word, gimme! Ahh, sweet will do” but it really isn’t.
It truly was sweet.
As the synopsis says, this is a story about mums (sorry mams) and daughters and the connection between them.
I wish this story had been told solely from Tansey and Emer’s perspective beca...more
16 likes · like · see review
Dec 30, 2011
Reading Wolf
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
realistic-contemporary,
author-male
This book was wonderful. It really captured the sadness of losing a loved one. I felt myself relating to the characters, I cried when they cried, and laughed at Mary's cheeky comments. I adored the moments between daughter and mother. The author was great at bringing about touching scenes without making them come across cheesy or cliche.
The amount of dialogue used was sufficient I feel for the setting of the story. I loved the language used by the characters and how they played off each other....more
The amount of dialogue used was sufficient I feel for the setting of the story. I loved the language used by the characters and how they played off each other....more
This is a tender story of love between mothers and daughters over four generations. 12 year-old Mary's beloved grandmother is near the end of her life.
Letting go is hard, until Granny's long-dead mammy appears at Mary's door, returning to help her dying daughter say goodbye. But first she needs someone to drive them all on a visit to the past.
Roddy Doyle has a lovely gentle writing style and it is a joy to read. His descriptive passages of the farmyard, leaves the reader feeling as if it is th...more
Letting go is hard, until Granny's long-dead mammy appears at Mary's door, returning to help her dying daughter say goodbye. But first she needs someone to drive them all on a visit to the past.
Roddy Doyle has a lovely gentle writing style and it is a joy to read. His descriptive passages of the farmyard, leaves the reader feeling as if it is th...more
Received from Netgalley for review, thank you. I love the one-sentence premise: that four generations of Irish women are on a road trip – "one is dead, one is dying, one is driving, and one is just starting out." And that is the strict truth.
I own a book or two by Roddy Doyle, but this is the first I've read by him. I don't know what I was expecting – but this wasn't it. Maggie, Scarlett, Emer, and Tansey are vibrant and individual, and believable: Maggie is a precocious 12-year-old, and somewh...more
I own a book or two by Roddy Doyle, but this is the first I've read by him. I don't know what I was expecting – but this wasn't it. Maggie, Scarlett, Emer, and Tansey are vibrant and individual, and believable: Maggie is a precocious 12-year-old, and somewh...more
Feb 21, 2012
Petra
added it
The story starts with Mary going home from school being sad about the fact her best friend moved to another part of Dublin. Close to her house Mary meets a strange woman, old but actually not so old. Quickly we learn this woman is in fact a ghost called Tansey. And so the story begins. It's about Mary, a young and cheeky girl, her mother Scarlett, Scarlett's dying mother Emer, and Emer's dead mother Tansey.
It's always hard when someone close to us is dying, it's difficult to face it. At these ti...more
It's always hard when someone close to us is dying, it's difficult to face it. At these ti...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Roddy Doyle is a great writer.
He wrote The Commitments which is a fabulous book and one of my favourite films of all time!
He wrote Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha which is a fantastic evocation of a ten year old boy's childhood.
Roddy Doyle does voices extremely well. He creates the voices of children extraordinarily vividly.
So I was excited to see him on the Carnegie Shortlist. I was brimful of excitement and anticipation.
Alas, I have come away distinctly nonplussed. This is not a bad book - not at a...more
He wrote The Commitments which is a fabulous book and one of my favourite films of all time!
He wrote Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha which is a fantastic evocation of a ten year old boy's childhood.
Roddy Doyle does voices extremely well. He creates the voices of children extraordinarily vividly.
So I was excited to see him on the Carnegie Shortlist. I was brimful of excitement and anticipation.
Alas, I have come away distinctly nonplussed. This is not a bad book - not at a...more
Roddy Doyle's A Greyhound of a Girl has garnered much publicity, coming as it does from a Booker Prize winning author. I love Doyle's dialogue-driven sharp, succinct style and devoured this book happily.
A multi-stranded tale of a ghost great-granny come to help her daughter, now a dying old lady to The Other Side, the conduit is Mary, twelve years old, who first sees great-granny's ghost. Tansey is wearing an old-fashioned dress and boots and looks a bit thin in sunlight but in all other respect...more
A multi-stranded tale of a ghost great-granny come to help her daughter, now a dying old lady to The Other Side, the conduit is Mary, twelve years old, who first sees great-granny's ghost. Tansey is wearing an old-fashioned dress and boots and looks a bit thin in sunlight but in all other respect...more
This is a difficult one to summarize, because it doesn't have a traditional plot; it's just the story of four generations of women in an Irish family, and how they manage to come together at one point in time. The youngest is teenage Mary, then her mother Scarlett, her hospitalized grandmother Emer, and Emer's mother Tansey--who died when her daughter was three, but has lingered to keep an eye on her, and now, at the end of Emer's life, reveals herself to all three living women as they try to co...more
Mary O'Hara, aged twelve, has problems. First of all, her best friend moved out of the neighborhood, second of all, her mother ends every sentence with an exclamation point like this!!!. But most importantly, her granny is sick in the hospital. But then Mary meets a strange woman named Tansey, who turns out to be the ghost of of her granny's mother. She has to deliver a message to her daughter, and she needs Mary's help, and also Scarlett's (Mary's mother's) help.
A Greyhound of a Girl was quite...more
A Greyhound of a Girl was quite...more
Dec 01, 2012
Jenny Mayher
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Older teens and adults
Read full review at http://www.jennysbookreview.com/2012/...
This lovely novella by Roddy Doyle is about 4 generations of Irish women, one of whom happens to be a ghost. I found the book sweet and touching, and was transported to Dublin by the lilt of language and the deeply Irish characters. It made me think about familial love, and mother-daughter bonds, and dying. I would put this book in the hands of anyone who loves Ireland, or who has a dying parent, or who loves their own mother.
As long as...more
This lovely novella by Roddy Doyle is about 4 generations of Irish women, one of whom happens to be a ghost. I found the book sweet and touching, and was transported to Dublin by the lilt of language and the deeply Irish characters. It made me think about familial love, and mother-daughter bonds, and dying. I would put this book in the hands of anyone who loves Ireland, or who has a dying parent, or who loves their own mother.
As long as...more
Sep 22, 2012
Jessica Harrison
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
reviewed,
middle-reader
Read full review at Cracking the Cover
“A Greyhound of a Girl” is a quiet book that won’t appeal to everyone. What some will find to be quirks and charms, others will find as distractions. Roddy Doyle’s prose is not your standard fare, and it takes a while to get used to it. Once you do, however, there’s a lilting quality that rolls the story forward at just the right pace.
For me, the appeal of this story came in the four women, all at different stages, but bound together in love. Mary is bright...more
“A Greyhound of a Girl” is a quiet book that won’t appeal to everyone. What some will find to be quirks and charms, others will find as distractions. Roddy Doyle’s prose is not your standard fare, and it takes a while to get used to it. Once you do, however, there’s a lilting quality that rolls the story forward at just the right pace.
For me, the appeal of this story came in the four women, all at different stages, but bound together in love. Mary is bright...more
Read my full review at The Cath in the Hat.
A Greyhound of a Girl is an unusual take on a ghost story. Set in present day Dublin, the novel's protagonist is Mary, a 12-year-old who speaks her mind, occasionally veering into being cheeky. One day coming home from school she meets a curiously old-fashioned woman who seems familiar, although Mary is sure she's never seen her before. The woman is the ghost of her great grandmother, who died suddenly of the flu in 1928. She's returned to guide her dau...more
A Greyhound of a Girl is an unusual take on a ghost story. Set in present day Dublin, the novel's protagonist is Mary, a 12-year-old who speaks her mind, occasionally veering into being cheeky. One day coming home from school she meets a curiously old-fashioned woman who seems familiar, although Mary is sure she's never seen her before. The woman is the ghost of her great grandmother, who died suddenly of the flu in 1928. She's returned to guide her dau...more
If you ignore the premise given on the jacket, this is a tender, short read about the females of a family and how they cope with changes in their lives. It’s a sweet tale for middle grade readers that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. For librarians (or others who recommend books for this age group) I would point out a couple of things to consider. First, the jacket cover is disingenuous. As many have pointed out the road trip only occurs near the end of the book and it is the slowest moving portion...more
See My Full Review Here: http://www.hippiesbeautyandbooksohmy....
First Impressions: Every once in a while, I’ll pick up or request to review a Middle Grade or Children’s book, mostly so I can give a good recommendation to the younger people in my family. We are all a bunch of readers, and I thought that this book sounded pretty good and would be a good contemporary read for us. I liked that it had a slight paranormal twist and that the plot revolves around four generations of women. Some Middle...more
First Impressions: Every once in a while, I’ll pick up or request to review a Middle Grade or Children’s book, mostly so I can give a good recommendation to the younger people in my family. We are all a bunch of readers, and I thought that this book sounded pretty good and would be a good contemporary read for us. I liked that it had a slight paranormal twist and that the plot revolves around four generations of women. Some Middle...more
A Greyhound of a Girl is the story of four generations of women who have united to ease the death of one of them, Emir. The other three are her daughter, Scarlett, Scarlett's daughter, Mary, and Tansy, Emir's own mother who died young and has returned to let her know that death is nothing to fear. In fact, Tansy says, "It's grand!". These four women embark on a road trip so that Emir can get one last glimpse of the home she grew up in and, on the way, they develop bonds that will ultimately tran...more
This story was a touching family tale. It involves four generations of women and gives readers a glimpse into their current lives and past. Of the four women, Emer was my favorite.
The concept of the story was a good one - the family members are brought together to reflect on their lives and help each other move forward despite difficult circumstances. Unfortunately I found parts of it quite slow and elements repeated too often for my liking. Even though this is a short novel, it dragged.
* * Sp...more
The concept of the story was a good one - the family members are brought together to reflect on their lives and help each other move forward despite difficult circumstances. Unfortunately I found parts of it quite slow and elements repeated too often for my liking. Even though this is a short novel, it dragged.
* * Sp...more
During the period when her beloved grandmother is dying in the hospital, twelve-year-old Mary O'Hara happens to meet a woman named Tansey in her neighborhood. It turns out that Tansey is Mary's great-grandmother who died of flu when her daughter was only three. Eventually, the ghost, Emer, Mary's mother Scarlett, and Mary take a road trip to the family farm, which had been sold to someone else somewhere along the way. When they reach the home, they are surprised to find it in such disrepair, but...more
Mary's grandmother Emer is very ill and in the hospital. Her mother, Scarlett, is trying to come to terms with her inevitable death. Mary is sad that her best friend has moved away, but meets the new neighbor, Tansey, an older woman who seems somehow familiar. It turns out that Tansey is really Mary's great grandmother, who died of the flu in the 1920s, and has come back as a ghost to help Emer. When Scarlett finds out about this, she aranges for Emer to get out of the hospital for a little bit,...more
A Greyhound of a Girl tells of a twelve year old Irish girl named Mary, who meets her great grandmother one day while walking home from school. Mary doesn't realize at first that this friendly woman, named Tansey, is a. a ghost b. her great grandmother, who died when her own daughter was only three, but it soon becomes clear. Mary's dear gran, Emer (Tansey's daughter), is in the hospital, waiting to die...and Tansey, who has done her best to keep a loving watch over her daughter, wants to go com...more
So I requested this book from Net Galley around a week ago. I liked the summary and the cover and figured it'd be pretty good. I put off reading it until yesterday and when I began I was mixed with two emotions: I was intrigued, and I was also slightly bored.
Don't get me wrong, A Greyhound of A Girl is a very excellent book. The characters (especially Tansey) are loveable and charismatic. And the story is refined and likeable.
But I had a few issues.
For one, on my kindle every single page I read...more
Don't get me wrong, A Greyhound of A Girl is a very excellent book. The characters (especially Tansey) are loveable and charismatic. And the story is refined and likeable.
But I had a few issues.
For one, on my kindle every single page I read...more
While personally this book had me at "Roddy Doyle," I tried to read it objectively even though all I had to do was look at the front cover in order to want to read it.
Four generations of women unite in these pages to help each other transition; one one level this book is about a pre-teen girl losing her grandmother, but on another it's about all of the experiences that we, as women, have in common with each other, be we mothers or not.
It's not the thickest book (it is young adult reading, after...more
Four generations of women unite in these pages to help each other transition; one one level this book is about a pre-teen girl losing her grandmother, but on another it's about all of the experiences that we, as women, have in common with each other, be we mothers or not.
It's not the thickest book (it is young adult reading, after...more
So I requested this book from Net Galley around a week ago. I liked the summary and the cover and figured it'd be pretty good. I put off reading it until yesterday and when I began I was mixed with two emotions: I was intrigued, and I was also slightly bored.
Don't get me wrong, A Greyhound of A Girl is a very excellent book. The characters (especially Tansey) are loveable and charismatic. And the story is refined and likeable.
But I had a few issues.
For one, on my kindle every single page I read...more
Don't get me wrong, A Greyhound of A Girl is a very excellent book. The characters (especially Tansey) are loveable and charismatic. And the story is refined and likeable.
But I had a few issues.
For one, on my kindle every single page I read...more
I've been reading a lot of stinkers lately, so when I got the chance to read this book (the title and cover automatically grabbing me), I jumped on it. The first thing you'll notice is how engaging both the dialogue and the dialect of the characters is; I loved words like "eegit" and how the mother, Scarlett, always ended her sentences with an exclamation. And then there's Mary, the main character, who, of course, is just becoming a teenager and uses a certain word until it's worn out...you'll s...more
From the back of the book:
"Scarlett, Mary, Tansey, Emer.
Mothers and daughters heading off on a car journey.
One of them dead,
one of them dying,
one of them driving,
one of them just beginning.
They’re going back to the past on a matter of life and death."
Mary is twelve and she hates the hospital. She hates everything about it, except for one thing, her granny.
Mary’s granny Emer is in hospital afraid to close her eyes in case she’ll never open them again while unable to stay awake.
Mary visits her gr...more
"Scarlett, Mary, Tansey, Emer.
Mothers and daughters heading off on a car journey.
One of them dead,
one of them dying,
one of them driving,
one of them just beginning.
They’re going back to the past on a matter of life and death."
Mary is twelve and she hates the hospital. She hates everything about it, except for one thing, her granny.
Mary’s granny Emer is in hospital afraid to close her eyes in case she’ll never open them again while unable to stay awake.
Mary visits her gr...more
I'm surprised no one has started a review of this book with, "This is grand!"
Here's a small little book about a girl named Mary. Mary is walking back from school one day when she sees a lady who looks old but isn't really old. It's just her clothes that are old, the lady's face looks young actually. The lady who looks old but isn't really old is named Tansy and Mary thinks maybe Tansy is homeless, until she figures out that Tansy is actually the ghost of her great-grandmother. Mary's grandmothe...more
Here's a small little book about a girl named Mary. Mary is walking back from school one day when she sees a lady who looks old but isn't really old. It's just her clothes that are old, the lady's face looks young actually. The lady who looks old but isn't really old is named Tansy and Mary thinks maybe Tansy is homeless, until she figures out that Tansy is actually the ghost of her great-grandmother. Mary's grandmothe...more
http://theprettygoodgatsby.wordpress....
Before I started reading A Greyhound of a Girl, I had assumed it would be your average coming-of-age tale - and in many cases it is. What I wasn't expecting, however, was the supernatural element. Ha, and I really have no idea what that is; I suppose I wasn't paying attention when reading the summary?
A Greyhound of a Girl is the story of four women: Tansey (short for Anastasia), who died when she was just 25; Emer, Tansey's 80-year old daughter who was jus...more
Before I started reading A Greyhound of a Girl, I had assumed it would be your average coming-of-age tale - and in many cases it is. What I wasn't expecting, however, was the supernatural element. Ha, and I really have no idea what that is; I suppose I wasn't paying attention when reading the summary?
A Greyhound of a Girl is the story of four women: Tansey (short for Anastasia), who died when she was just 25; Emer, Tansey's 80-year old daughter who was jus...more
"Mary, Tansey und die Reise der Nacht" war mir bislang absolut nicht aufgefallen. Durch die hiesige OnLeihe der Stadtbücherei wurde ich jedoch auf dieses Ebook aufmerksam gemacht und nach kleinen Zweifeln musste ich es einfach lesen. Gesagt, getan - und ich bin begeistert.
Roddy Doyle hat einen unglaublich schönen Schreibstil, mit dem er mich ziemlich schnell beeindrucken konnte. Er schreibt trotz der manchmal recht traurigen Thematik oftmals sarkastisch, was den Charakteren jedoch sehr gut steht...more
Roddy Doyle hat einen unglaublich schönen Schreibstil, mit dem er mich ziemlich schnell beeindrucken konnte. Er schreibt trotz der manchmal recht traurigen Thematik oftmals sarkastisch, was den Charakteren jedoch sehr gut steht...more
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Roddy Doyle (Irish: Ruaidhrí Ó Dúill) is an Irish novelist, dramatist and screenwriter. Several of his books have been made into successful films, beginning with The Commitments in 1991. He won the Booker Prize in 1993.
Doyle grew up in Kilbarrack, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming...more
More about Roddy Doyle...
Doyle grew up in Kilbarrack, Dublin. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University College, Dublin. He spent several years as an English and geography teacher before becoming...more
Share This Book
“Do ghosts drink tea?
They don't, said Tansey. But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It'd be lovely.”
—
1 person liked it
They don't, said Tansey. But this ghost would love to see a cup of tea in front of her. It'd be lovely.”
“Greyhound of a Girl is a book about a girl named mary.Marys bestfriend moved away.She didnt know what she could do without her.Mary was walking home from school one day by herself and this suspicous lady named Tansey started talking to her.A few days later Marys mom named Scarlotted came out to meet her.Scarlotte knew at fisrt sight that this lady was her granmotherwho died many years ago,this lady was a ghost.Tansey only wanted to talk to them so she could visit her daughter named Emer who was old and in the hospital dieing.Tansey wanted to tell Emer that she was gonna be ok.So all the girls took Emer out and took her to all the places she knew and loved.The day after that Emer died.They were all upset but at least they knew that she was not a fraid to die and she died in peace!!!!
I really enjoyed this book.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sweet books.I will have to admit it wasnt one of those books that you you cant put down though.I really like it though,it was a good book!”
—
1 person liked it
More quotes…
I really enjoyed this book.I would recommend this book to anyone who loves sweet books.I will have to admit it wasnt one of those books that you you cant put down though.I really like it though,it was a good book!”
Feb 08, 2012 02:46am
Jun 05, 2012 06:03am
May 05, 2013 08:18am