The Diary of Mary Travers: A Novel

by Eibhear Walshe

It is April 1895 and Oscar Wilde is on trial in London at the Old Bailey, following his libel case against the Marquess of Queensberry, and faces ruin, public disgrace and imprisonment. In County Cork, a woman called Mary Travers is following the Wilde Trials in the newspapers, increasingly troubled by the growing public outcry. Mary Travers has her own secret, her hidden connection with Oscar Wilde and his parents, William and Jane, and dreads discovery and exposure. Unknown to those around her, in 1864, as a young woman, she had been the key figure in a notorious court case in Dublin, in which she sued Jane Wilde for libel, and the resulting scandal filled the newspapers for weeks. In this new novel, The Diary of Mary Travers, this controversial case is re-imagined for the first time through the eyes of the central figure, Mary Travers, and in her diary she reveals her own part in this scandal, her unhappy home life and her intimate connection with two of the most celebrated writers of her time, William and Jane Wilde.

Genres: Fiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published June 26, 2014

Reviews

[C Eee]

I read this book of Eibhear's after reading in no planned manner, Molly Keane's 'Good Behaviour'. The Anglo-Irishness wasn't of special interest to me before reading Molly Keane, but the connection with Waterford was. There were similarities, though the eras were different, between both stories. It gave me insight into how another strata lived within the context of Ireland.

I loved that Eibhear's story was based on true events, and am inspired to follow up these. Having read 'Cissie's Abbatoir' and not knowing the author's fictional style, I was impressed with TDOMT. Not least because he writes a woman's story.

A lot of detail, that didn't hinder the storyline, made for a beautiful texture of the novel. Would definitely recommend it.

[April]

What a compelling read! I took my time reading this book because I didn't want it to end and that hasn't happened to me very often.

Being unaware of the scandal that rocked the Wilde family not once but TWICE (first the father's scandalous affair and then his son's trial for "gross indecency"), I found the details of the trials interesting.

And to have it written in the form of the diary of the woman who brought Dr. Wilde to trial and lived to see the son brought to trial...well, it truly kept my interest! I felt as if I was indeed reading the diary of someone who was there and who was baring their heart and soul.

So glad this was gifted to me for my birthday. I can see myself re-reading this one.