The Belfast Girl on Galway Bay

by Anne Doughty

When Elizabeth Stewart, the only daughter of Protestant parents, announced that she wants to leave Belfast for the west coast of Ireland, her family can’t help but question her judgement. What could she possibly find in leafy Lisara that isn’t available in the city?

A stranger in the village, Lizzie’s presence draws the attention of all the locals. And her charming spritely nature doesn’t escape the attention of the charming Patrick Delargy.

It’s not long before Lizzie discovers that more than the rolling green hills and beautiful landscapes have captured her heart…

Previously published as Stranger in the Place

Genres: Historical Fiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 3, 2019

About the author

Anne Doughty was born in Armagh. She is the author of A Few Late Roses (longlisted for the Irish Times fiction prize), Stranger in the Place and Summer of the Hawthorn. After many years in England she returned to Belfast in 1998 and wrote the first of a series of stand-alone novels that make up the Hamiltons sequence.

Reviews

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was longing to read a book set in Ireland and the synopsis of 'The Belfast Girl on Galway Bay' made me expect some average-quality, light entertainment - just the sort of thing I was in the mood for. The book ended up exceeding my expectations.

Doughty's descriptions of life on the west coast of Ireland in the 1960s were detailed, and very interesting to someone who has visited the area, but doesn't know much about its history. Even more impressive than that were the characters Doughty created - all of them extremely real (though a little one-dimensional).

Elizabeth, the protagonist, a 21 year-old university student from Belfast, is described as very intelligent and open-minded. Due to her family's strong, Protestant faith, she had never visited the south of Ireland before. Her perspective as an outsider, coupled with logical thought processes, made this book much more thought-provoking than I expected.

I felt that certain parts of the book had been given a lot more attention than others. Doughty seemed really in her element when she was focusing on describing her characters and their thoughts, but when she needed to move the plot along, this tended to fall a bit flat and gave the impression of gap-filling. Some events that took place were a little cliche and others were right out bizarre and felt like they didn't really fit in with the rest of the narrative (spoiler alert: a particularly random incident with a lorry).

I listened to the audiobook version and Aoife McMahon did a five-star job as a narrator. Her comic timing made me laugh out loud several times and her voices for the different characters really brought them to life. The narration definitely added to my enjoyment of this book.

It's worth noting that 'The Belfast Girl on Galway Bay' is a reprint of another book by Doughty, published in the 1990s, named 'The Stranger in the Place'. Some sources list these as two different books but both have the exact same synopsis.
Doughty has written a number of books in the historical fiction genre, set in Ireland and I am definitely planning to read more from her in the future.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I picked this up because of the title and the fact that it was narrated by Aoife McMahon.

I am off to the fatherland next month for the first time in many years, and the Galway area specifically, which means I can indulge in Irish literature without getting homesick, and am taking full advantage of that fact.

Elizabeth Stewart is a Northern Irish geography student doing some kind of research project in the Lisdoonvarna area of Co Clare, where her horizons are broadened and she learns about herself and the world. I liked Elizabeth well enough, and the characters in Lisara were nice colour, and at first I found it refreshing that there wasn't the normal sort of romantic storyline - it's more mature and reflective. But then it started to feel like nothing happened. And then *something* happened, but there wasn't a proper build-up.

I felt like there were a lot of things that didn't really go anywhere: Her feeling of being so at home in Lisara and like she'd been there before/was supposed to be there, the fact that she seemed to "sense" things, and of course her relationship with Patrick. While I agree that just because you love someone it doesn't mean you're suited for a life together, I got zero romantic vibes from her side in her relationship with Ben so the ending was kind of awkward and strange.

I agree with Elizabeth that the Aran islands are magical (some of my happiest moments have been spent on Inis Mór), and I did like the setting, but didn't feel this lived up to its potential.

[Jim Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. The author gently develops the characters as they fit realistically into their atmospheric cultures. The story is told with a controlled passion and is allowed to slowly unfold. The descriptive landscapes are memorable.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning was surprisingly good

[Voirrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I found the contrasts between rural Southern Ireland and Belfast were so well portrayed, and I really felt that I came to know all the people.

[Cyndi Schlemmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars