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Love in the Shadows

Maggie Doolin

really liked it 4.00 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 9 reviews

Meg Mitchell is about to enter her final year of secondary school in the small close-knit village of Curramore in rural Ireland. But even at eighteen, she has never had the joyful experience of first love with any of the boys she has met or gone out with.

However, that’s about to change with the arrival of dynamic young English teacher, Harriet Smith. Under the charismatic ...more

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Published November 16th 2020 by NineStar Press

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Nov 21, 2020 Dee rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley, ninestar-press, f-f

Firstly, there is no Harriet Smith in this story. (As per the blurb) There is a Harriet Stewart. Secondly, this story is set in the small village of Tullybawn, not the small close-knit village of Curramore - also in the blurb.

Nine Star Press might want to fix that. There are other editing errors, but this is an ARC, so they didn't factor into my review/rating.

Thirdly, this is not a debut novel. It states at the end that the author has written extensively in many other genres - which is clear fro ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 Skip rated it liked it

3.5 stars

A solid novella set in Ireland following Meg from her final year of high school through to the vote on the marriage equality act in 2015. I often find that when I’m reading a novella I wish it was longer - but this one is done well in that it covers the subject manner in just the right amount of detail, but provides a clear narrative so there’s nothing else to wish for.

We open with Meg at high school, where she’s undertaking her Leaving year. She realises that she has a crush on her hi ...more

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Nov 21, 2020 Annie (Annie's Readingtips) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lgbtqia

Love in the Shadows is such a gripping and wonderful story of forbidden love. It follows the life of Meg Mitchell from the age of eighteen and through life, as she comes to turns with her sexuality and learns to accept herself and fight for her right to love freely. It’s also a wonderful story of friendship and bravery, and has some of the most amazing parents I’ve ever met in any book.

Growing up in a small Catholic village in rural Ireland in the 1970s when homosexuality was still a crime and r Love in the Shadows is such a gripping and wonderful story of forbidden love. It follows the life of Meg Mitchell from the age of eighteen and through life, as she comes to turns with her sexuality and learns to accept herself and fight for her right to love freely. It’s also a wonderful story of friendship and bravery, and has some of the most amazing parents I’ve ever met in any book.

Growing up in a small Catholic village in rural Ireland in the 1970s when homosexuality was still a crime and repressed by both church and society, Meg has heard whispers about “lesbians” and freaks, but never thought those words would be about herself. But when she gets a new young English teacher in her final year of secondary school, she feels herself inexplicably drawn to the elegant Harriet Stewart. Her attempt to show her affection ends in disaster though, and going away to college, Meg does everything she can to put her first crush behind her. She even tries to convince herself to try and be straight and date a man to get an easier life for herself and her parents.

“Does it matter who I truly am? Okay, so his kisses don’t transport me into a different world, but they’re pleasant and enjoyable. Who needs waves of desire, a thumping heart, or a quickening pulse?” But even as she tried to convince herself of this, she had to fight to keep Harriet’s image from her mind.

The characters in this book were amazing and so relatable. I immediately rooted for both Meg and Harriet and their struggles. Meg was so incredibly brave and I just kept wishing for her happy ending all the way through the book. Given the fact that homosexuality was a crime and heavily condemned by the church, all angst and mixed feelings of love and excitement with anxiety and tension was all too understandable, and the bravery it took to choose the path Meg did despite the almost insurmountable difficulties, is admirable beyond words. I also loved so many of the secondary characters, especially Meg’s amazing and supportive parents, and Aisling and Liz, who were so wonderful, strong, courageous and fun friends that always stood by Meg no matter what.

Some parts of the book felt a bit rushed, especially the first part leading up to Meg’s graduation, and the writing was a little bit too much telling us about Meg’s feelings rather than letting us understand and feel for ourselves. I’d also loved some more background when it came to Harriet and some more information about her friends and family and past experiences to better understand why she reacted the way she did. But overall, this was truly a wonderful debut by Maggie Doolin!

This book was such an important eye-opener as to how lesbian love was forbidden as late as in the 1970s and 1980s, and the injustice in how society treated homosexuals. But most of all, it was a swooning, sweet and emotional rollercoaster for a love story, that I recommend with all my heart.

4.5 shining new stars rounding up to 5.

Thank you NetGalley and NineStar Press for the opportunity to read this wonderful book! All opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily. ...more

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Nov 20, 2020 K rated it it was amazing

Am I the first to review this book? Gosh, the pressure!
I'll err towards slightly generous with a 4.5 star rating, especially upon realizing that this was a debut after setting the book down. Maggie Doolin already has the polished writing of a seasoned author.
There is quite a bit of angst throughout the story, but none of it is uncalled for. Meg is just barely an adult, after all, and still finding her way. Harriet's qualms are to be expected of any professional in her position, and in their tim Am I the first to review this book? Gosh, the pressure!
I'll err towards slightly generous with a 4.5 star rating, especially upon realizing that this was a debut after setting the book down. Maggie Doolin already has the polished writing of a seasoned author.
There is quite a bit of angst throughout the story, but none of it is uncalled for. Meg is just barely an adult, after all, and still finding her way. Harriet's qualms are to be expected of any professional in her position, and in their time period. Considering the circumstances, Meg is remarkably brave, certainly braver than I might be in her shoes. She only makes the one mistake after being thoroughly chewed out by her crush, but I think that impassioned rant would make anyone re-evaluate their priorities. I mean: "You're supposed to stay hidden, keep to yourself, and you are certainly not mean to fall in love like normal people." Ouch! Especially when that's coming from someone she cares for.
I suppose that's the one issue I found with the story. I don't think Harriet properly apologized or explained those words. It sounds more homophobic than any warning from someone who understands Meg's position should be willing to give. If she's jealous, that could have been clarified. Otherwise, it seems that she has her own issues to work through, and we should have gotten to see those. The same goes for her explanation of the post-kiss reaction. I would think that there should be a visible difference between disgust and regret/self-loathing. My immediate assumption was that Harriet was mad at herself, but as time passed, I came to see it through Meg's eyes. I don't know why Harriet wouldn't have picked up on that, seeing as Meg literally bolted. She could have tried to clear that up with Meg later, especially when she sees Meg with Liz and makes her assumptions about their relationship. If she really thought she had "marked Meg for life," she could have made some sort of apology, so Meg would have known where she stood. Of course, that would have been too easy.
The book is on the shorter side, only a little longer than a novella, so while it is technically a slow burn, it doesn't feel like we have to wait all that long. I would have liked to see more of who Harriet is, and why they are right for each other, instead of being in Meg's head all the time. When they finally make up, I didn't think there was enough for us to go off of, to accept that they fit well enough to spend the rest of their lives together. At least their feelings are always clear and even reciprocated to the same degree.
I liked the last chapter/epilogue. It feels surprisingly relevant to the story, despite the time-lapse, because so much of Meg's internal turmoil is about fitting in. It's heartwarming to come back to the characters at such a different point in their lives, and note that they still make each other so happy.
Hopefully that's an adequate amount of feedback. I enjoyed the read thoroughly, even if I only got an hour and a half of it. And since I'm the first reviewer, maybe there's hope that someone will notice when I point out that the blurb has Harriet's surname wrong, and the village's name is Tullybawn. Kudos to the author on a great debut, at least in novel-writing. ...more

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Dec 28, 2020 Leslie rated it really liked it

Thanks to NetGalley and the folx at NineStar Press for the digital galley of this book.

It’s the late 70s in Ireland, and Meg’s got a lot on her plate. It’s her final year of secondary school. She needs four honors to get into university, and no one is great at English, particularly because their teacher is kind of terrible. All of that changes when Harriet Stewart takes the position. Everyone gets interested in the subject matter, and Meg can’t stop thinking about her teacher. After graduation, ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 nutmeg rated it it was amazing

“You have to love with your whole heart,” she’d said. “Be true to who you are. Nothing but pain and heartbreak comes from trying to be who you’re not.”

When 18 years old Meg Mitchell met her new English teacher, Miss Harriet Stewart, she was enamoured with her enthusiasm and ability to breathe life into the classroom for the otherwise dead subject. Though indifferent to the affections of the opposite sex, her conscious efforts to impress Miss Harriet left her confused till an incident shook her e ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 The Red Reader rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book.
This is a story that covers some decades and is more than the description let us know. When reading the blurb I thought, well, it is another teacher/student romance, but it is set in the 1970s and in Ireland, so let´s see where it take us, but I repeat, it is much more...
The book tells us a story that starts in 1975 and from the beginning it brings, for example, the church's role in determining people's lives, specially women's lives and this is an important and still ...more

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Dec 22, 2020 Thieving Magpie rated it liked it

I RECIEVED MY FAITH IN WLW BOOKS ENTIRELY!
I love books set in Ireland. I love historical fiction, even though this one was not as much set back in time as I usually prefer to. Nonethless - this book was lovely. I am usually not a big fan of student/teacher-relationships, but this book was just so beautifully written - not to mention all the little irish dialected words put in it, which made this book a wonderful authentic experience. I devoured this one in one go. It was very easy to read; the ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Phoebe rated it really liked it

Shelves: f-f-romance, lgbt-fiction, lgbt-history, new-adult

The 1970’s may have been about free-love, but not necessarily for homosexuals and definitely not in Ireland.

Maggie Doolin takes us to the beautiful County Limerick and back in-time when some things were simpler and other things were much harder. Meg’s journey is a heart-breaking look into the past when “lesbians” were not even a common word, never mind someone you could find easily. Meg’s quest for answers about herself is not an easy one. It is filled with homophobia and self-doubt.

Love In The ...more

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About Maggie Doolin

Maggie Doolin

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Maggie Doolin lives in County Cork, Ireland. She was born in the late 1950s into an Ireland that was dark, harsh and repressive. She has two adult children and works as a secondary teacher to keep her pet miniature Yorkie Terrier in the style to which she has become accustomed. Maggie is also a successful playwright and with a fellow playwright has a small theatre company that stages plays bi-annu ...more