Celibates and Other Lovers

by Walter Keady

It is 1945, and in a rural Irish village called Creevagh, a young man waits eagerly for the mail, convinced that one letter will bring his salvation. Since the age of reason, Phelim O'Brien has been obsessed by a morbid fear of hell; and from the age of puberty, tormented by the certainty he'll wind up there. But his friend, Philpot Emmett, refuses to accept that the slightest tittle of carnal pleasure is a mortal sin, and where Phelim struggles, Philpot happily yields. Father Coyne admonishes, Catherine Ryan tempts, and the formidable Maura Higgins rebels against them all, vanguard of the encroaching modern values that are slowly changing the face of village life. This is an this endearing and sweetly funny first novel, by an engaging and talented new writer.

Genres: Fiction

225 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1997

About the author

Walter Keady - Curriculum Vitae
Born in County Mayo, Ireland. Grew up on a farm. Employed in the Irish Civil Service before going on to study for the Catholic priesthood. After BA at University College, Dublin, and four years study of theology at Holy Ghost Missionary College, Kimmage, ordained priest. Served as a missionary in Brazil. Resigned the priesthood and came to the United States. Worked for IBM as a software engineer. Writer, 1994 - present.
Lives in upstate New York, with wife Jennifer.

Publications:
CELIBATES AND OTHER LOVERS (1997, MacMurray & Beck),
MARY MCGREEVY (1998, MacMurray & Beck).
THE ALTRUIST (MacAdam/Cage, 2003).
THE DOWRY (St Martin’s Press, Winter 2007).
THE AGITATOR (Castletree Books, 2012)
BEING AND BECOMING (Castletree Books, 2014)
Short stories (Modern Maturity, March 1998), The Recorder (Journal of American-Irish Historical Society) 2004.

Reviews

[Jennifer Hallock]

This single volume is a series of vivid interconnected stories that allow a person to step into the shoes of many individuals in mid-twentieth century Ireland. I thought the female characters were a bit shallow and simplistic compared to the men, but all the stories are beautifully written and fit together into one whole picture. Because the author is a former Roman Catholic priest, his priest hero is certainly one of the most complex, complete, and convincing characters of the whole book.

[Megan]

What can I say? Maybe I'm just a sucker for a good old Irish yarn.
This book, though, man... I absolutely loved it. It's funny in the best, earthy kinda way, but also completely heartbreaking. Never before have I rooted SO HARD for someone to kick their vestments to the ground and just get with the girl they love, already! Augggh, it's torture! The best kind of torture, though.

The biggest problem with this book, as I see it, is that it's so adorable, you might just find yourself booking tickets to Ireland within minutes of finishing it.

Recommended for people who have a slightly dirty sense of humor; think an Irish accent is hella sexy; and/or could happily watch Waking Ned Devine or Ondine over and over and over again.

[Michele]

Keady calls this a novel, but I would classify it more of a group of interconnected short stories. Each chapter recounts an event through the eyes of at least one (if not more) of the characters populating the tiny village of Creevagh in southern County Mayo in Ireland. As with all Irish tales, this one has plenty of good humor tempered by poignancy, with a dash of downright sadness and a few surprises sprinkled in for good measure. A fine storyteller and a wonderful book that reminded me of one of my favorite books of interconnected short stories, The Wedding Dress by Carrie Young.

[Maureen]

I was disappointed in this book. As a narrative, I simply wasn't satisfied with the development and conclusion. The character development was also disappointing, although I enjoyed some dialog. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but this wasn't it.

[Jonna]

Here is another book I bought because of the title - so original! The story,though, made the purhase worthwhile. Great story.

[Jean]

his book is called a novel, but I think a collection of related short stories is more accurate. I enjoy stories about small towns in Ireland, and so enjoyed this book - whatever the genre.