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Feb 09, 2011

June rated it:

Patrick Taylor’s “Irish Country Girl” begins with Kinky (Mrs. Maureen Kincaid) inviting some little Christmas carolers indoors for hot black-current juice and a colorful scary folklore told in the way only a Celtic storyteller could. The excitement of the children mixed with Kinky’s Irish lilt is so enticing that I soon fell under Taylor’s Irish spell, settling back to hear (read) the tale of Connor MacTaggart and the Sidthe (pronounced “shee”) – the faeries in the Country Cork. The story is bea More...

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Mar 30, 2010

Georgiann rated it:

This is a story about a girl a farmers daughter growing up in the emerald hills and glens of county cork. she has a head full of dreams , a heart open to romance and something more a gift for seeing beyond the ordinary. into the mistic world of fairies, spirts, and even the dreaded Banshee, as she grows into a young women she finds herself torn between love and her fondest aspirations. an interesting and very enjoyable coming of age story.

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Aug 18, 2010

Teri rated it:

This is the most recent in the series by Taylor about Dr. Laverty, who arrives in the tiny northern Ireland town of Ballybucklebo during the early 1960s. Unlike the first 3 novels, however, which trace Dr. Laverty's adventures, this novel focuses on the housekeeper, Maureen Kincaid, affectionately called Kinky. Kinky is "fey" -- she sometimes sees into the future because she has a unique Irish gift. As Kinky is preparing Christmas dinner for the doctors and their guests, she tells a St More...

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Feb 24, 2010

Nicola rated it:

Reason for Reading: The Irish Country Doctor series has been on my tbr list for a while and when I had an offer to read this fourth book, which can also be read as a stand-alone, I jumped at the chance to get my feet wet with the series.

Summary: This fourth book in the series takes a different direction than the other books by centering on Maureen Kincaid, housekeeper/cook for two country doctors in the 1960s. The book actually takes place during a few hours near the end of Book Three More...

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Feb 21, 2010

Carolyn rated it:

I wasn't going to read this book right now because I was suffering from author fatigue, but it came up to be my turn at the library and I didn't have anything pressing to read. I'm glad I did. This book is quite different from Patrick Taylor's other books I have read. This is the story of how Mrs. Kinky Kincaid, housekeeper to the doctors in Taylor's other books, became fey and got "the sight". It is a wonderful story, told through a story that Mrs. Kincaid tells to visiting children, More...

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Jan 28, 2010

Dana rated it:

This is the story of Kinky Kincaid, a housekeeper for two doctors in the northern Irish town of Ballybucklebo. Kinky was born Maureen O’Hanlon to a farmer and grew up in the county of Cork far to the south.

It is Christmas afternoon when Kinky gathers a group of children into the lounge for a story about her adolescence. It all started the year she was fourteen on a wintry day. Connor MacTaggart, their neighbour had helped with a sheep instead of hauling in more peat to keep himself w More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2010

Gail rated it:

Narrator Terry Donnelly is a deft voice performer who easily segues between accents from American to English to Irish. And when her text calls for Irish her voice is as authentically Irish as it can be. Her accent is true, crisp, and her voice is often lyrical as she switches to different characters by changing pitch. Thus, her reading of the fourth in Patrick Taylor's Irish Country series is a delight.

With AN IRISH COUNTRY GIRL we learn more about a favorite character, Kinky Kincai More...

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Jan 17, 2012

Forgotten Realms Queen rated it:

Little bit of a different format than what I was expecting. I figured the whoe thing would be from the perspective of our favorite tough-as-nails housekeeper Kinky Kincaid running through her life in County Cork Ireland as a child and a young woman. However this was more a walk down memory lane than a time travelling trip into the past.

Miss Kinkaid is cooking up a feast as usual in her kitchen while the doctors Himself and young Barry Laverty are off making housecalls. She gets a pleas More...

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Jul 29, 2010

Staci rated it:

2. Words to describe the book: Irish to the core with a healthy dose of storytelling

3. Location or characters you met:

* Maureen 'Kinky" Kincaid: A housekeeper for the doctor in the village of Ballybucklebo. She is getting the house ready for Christmas dinner and in the course of the day she tells the young children stories about fairies, spirits, and the banshee. Once the children leaves, she takes a break and spends time with the memories of her family, her drea More...

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Feb 10, 2010

Michelle rated it:

I won this book on our GoodReads give away! I was so pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. Having never read any other of Patrick Taylor previous works, I was concerned that the story would contain holes which could have only been filled by reading the preceding stories. But happily, this was not the case. I love books about ordinary people. Ordinary people who experience extra ordinary moments along the road from birth to death. Moments,that I believe create "Their finest hour" More...

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Jan 31, 2010

Nancy rated it:

This is definitely a superior read. Did you ever want to stand atop of a huge hill and shout of Joy? Well I did when I finished this novel.

Maureen "Kinky" Kincaid, what gallant & bewitching tales this lass can spin and weave. A tapestry of colors, seasons, and rare tales of the wee folks and more.

Happiness, sadness, joy, tears, all intermingle to let us view Irish Mythology, told in the first person of Maureen KINKY Kincaid.

Kinky was a scholar More...

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Jan 29, 2010

Elisha rated it:

I got this as a Goodreads, First Read, which makes me excited. But, I'm having a hard time reviewing this one... I'll fess up- it's not my usual "type" of fiction to read... what, with fairies, spirits & banshees & all. It only has a teeny tiny bit o' "historical-ness" to it... Also, some of the dialogue seems repetitive which may just be the Irish way of speaking. That being said... as I began the story, I thought, oh no, how am I going to get through this book? The "ta More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Charlotte rated it:

http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot.com...

I will admit that I have not read the other books in the Irish Country Doctors series. I own them, but they are buried in my TBR pile. Soon to see the light of day, now that I have had a chance to wander through the enchanting world that Mr Taylor creates with his words.

In An Irish Country Girl, I am introduced to Maureen "Kinky" Kincaid. All I know of her as I start reading is that she is the beloved housekeeper f More...

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Jul 05, 2010

Charlotte rated it:

I love Irish things - books, videos, calendars, etc. That is why I wanted to read this book, and I was not disappointed. The author included quite a bit of Irish history and folklore as well as giving Irish words and phrases with their English translations. He even listed Irish names and gave their meanings along with the English equivalents.
The story was also interesting to me since it included conversation the way folks in County Cork speak and was based on some fairly common Ir More...

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Dec 19, 2010

Babs rated it:

My second foray into the Irish Village/doctor series. This book departs, however, from the doctors and delves into the early life of their cook/housekeeper, "Kinky" Maureen Kincaid.

If you've read any of the series, (and I myself only read one before this book), you learn/know Kinky is
fey - or has the sight. Basically, she is physic an an see into the future.

This book focuses on how and when she came into her gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Feb 18, 2010

Robin rated it:

This one gets a firm four stars from me. I probably wouldn't have read it if I hadn't won it from Goodreads' Firstreads. I got an advance copy to look over and review for promotional purposes. I had not read all the books in the Irish Country series, but I did read the one just before this, An Irish Country Christmas. I liked that one okay, but not enough to make me want to read the rest of the stories. This one, though, was more my cup of tea. I'm really glad I didn't miss out on this story. It More...

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Dec 14, 2010

Sheri rated it:

An Irish Country Girl (Patrick Taylor)
Novel. I really enjoyed this read. First I admit I love to read stories set in other countries, also add a bit of "magic" and add a few recipes at the end and I am hooked. This story is set in Ireland and tell of the "gift" or "curse" that Marueen O'Hannlon "Kinky" Kincaid has. She tells the story of how she discovered her "fey" ability. She seems to be able to foresee things of the future. When she enco More...

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Feb 06, 2010

Carol rated it:

This was very different from the books I usually read. The story begins as a tale being told to children and the author uses all of the story tellers techniques to pull the reader in. My Grandmother left Donegal around that time so I loved all the details about the Irish way of life during the time period.
The story was a little bit spooky, a little bit sad, but with a satisfying ending.
I have not read any other books by this author, so I was not familiar with the grown up Kingy as More...

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Mar 03, 2010

Monica rated it:

An Irish Country Girl: A Novel is entertaining and contains good storytelling. A book about Kinky, a housekeeper retelling the tale of her childhood and how she got to where she is at in her life.

My first impression of this book is definitely not what I received. Don't judge this book by it's cover definitely applies as the cover art and title are misleading. Not that this is a bad thing but I was expecting a peaceful little story, something along the lines of Little House on the Prairie More...

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Mar 22, 2011

Busybee rated it:

The first three of Patrick Taylor's Irish Country books feature the housekeeper Maureen "Kinky" Kincaid in a supporting role. We get a few glimpses into her past, but it's never quite clear how a girl from Cork managed to find herself up north in Ballybucklebo.

In An Irish Country Girl, we are taken back to Kinky's youth and the Ireland of the 1920s. The details of farm life are interwoven with the story of Kinky's family and community, her dreams and disappointments. W More...

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Feb 10, 2010

Glenn rated it:

I received an advanced copy of this book and was hoping when I got it that I'd find a new author to like a lot. Wow. This book is unlike anything I've read in quite a while. The characters a vividly drawn and the story is nice and quite sad. I finished during the wee hours of the morning on a work night because I was so involved that I couldn't put it down. My only niggling complaint is that the chapter breaks don't make sense - its like they feel that a chapter should be 15 pages whether o More...

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Feb 02, 2010

Kate rated it:

This is story of Kinky Kincaid, a girl growing up in a small town in Ireland during the 1920s. I haven't read any of the other books in series, so it was a bit difficult in the beginning getting into the story. Also the way the characters spoke with Irish words and slang interspersed took some getting used to.
But I soon found myself drawn into the story. Its full of mysticism and legends about fairies and ghosts. It is an enjoyable, light coming of age story and is a good read if you More...

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Feb 21, 2010

Amanda (LoveofJoe11) rated it:

I've had a busy month with school and today I decided I was finally going to sit down and finish Taylor's book. I'm glad Taylor helped us learn more about Mrs. Kinky Kincaid, but honestly, I'm getting bored. This is the fourth book in the series and they're almost all the same, style wise. Taylor tried to tell a love story, but that's just it--he told it. I didn't feel the emotions as well as I can in other books. Taylor threw some new characters in, which could increase interest, but not f More...

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May 24, 2011

Brett rated it:

Finished "An Irish Country Girl" by Patrick Taylor. I have in mind a story I would like to write that includes fae-folk, so in the meantime, I picked this one up from the library. It would've been several hundred words shorter with the word "so" removed! Unfortunately, the story only started talking about the Sidthe ("shee"), and then for much of it, they were no more than a bit part. It was otherwise a love story bordering on romance novel. The ending was much like More...

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Jan 20, 2010

"Aubri"/Lisa rated it:

I was a little surprised that this story was a bit of a departure from the other "Irish Country" tales, but I enjoyed Kinky's tale immensely. A bit of a slow start, but once I was acclimated to early 20th century Cork, I was hooked. I really appreciated Taylor's way of spelling the Gaelic word first, but then following it up in "conversation" that was more of a phonetic spelling to help the reader.

I'm still looking forward to more tales of the two doctors and th More...

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Mar 26, 2011

Carol rated it:

This is the 4th book in the series, some folks like it better than the others. I liked it very much. It's sort of a spinoff of the 3rd book, in which one of the characters reminisces about her life as a young woman. There is a lot of dramatic tension, and I was a little disappointed in how the author wrapped up a pretty major detail at the end, but overall, a very good book! You could probably pick this one up if you haven't read the others, but you wouldn't be as familiar with the chara More...

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Jul 22, 2010

ICPL added it

Patrick Taylor’s new book focuses on Kinky Kinkaid, who was once known as Maureen O’Hanlon, and her story about growing up in the 1920s in County Cork, Ireland. Readers who have followed the series know that Kinky Kinkaid is the quirky housekeeper for Drs. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly and Barry Laverty who has the gift of foretelling the future and runs a tight house. In her early years, Kinky was a feisty honors student who was determined to strike a balance in her life between a career and love More...

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Aug 16, 2011

Mandolin rated it:

Like her father before and like the author himself, Kinky Kincaid is a gifted seanachie or storyteller and her skill is amply displayed in this fourth Irish Country book. The book opens on Christmas day, as Kinky sees her beloved doctors out the door and welcomes some small, caroling travelers inside to listen to her tell the story of her childhood in County Cork and her encounters with the St. Stephen's Day Ghost. Using magical language that captivates both the children and the reader, Kinky More...

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Jan 07, 2011

Kaye rated it:

This is the fourth book in the Irish Country series. I haven't read the previous three so I wasn't sure what to expect. The story starts out in Ballybucklebo in Ireland during 1964. It's Christmas day and Kinky Kincaid, housekeeper/cook to Dr.O'Reilly is getting ready to cook dinner. A group of young children had been carolling outside and Kinky invites them in for hot drinks and a snack. While they are eating, she tells them the story of St. Stephens day ghost, complete with banshees, faeries More...

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Apr 28, 2010

Honistie rated it:

An Irish Country Girl was a fun, quick read. It took me some time to finish the book because I had to keep putting it down to do homework and tend to my family. Every time I had to put the book down I kept thinking about the characters and what would happen to them next. I thought Patrick Taylor did a good job with writing this story. He starts out having Mrs. Kinky Kincaid telling children a story she expierenced when she was a teen and then when the kids go home, the story is continued with he More...

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