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Joy Martin

Goodreads Author

Born

Limerick, Ireland

Website

http://joymartinbooks.com/

Genre

Mystery, Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Member Since

May 2018

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Joy Martin is an Irish journalist and author. Born in Limerick, where she was educated at Laurel Hill Convent, her father was an English Protestant and her mother an Irish Catholic. As Ireland’s Assistant Land Commissioner, her great grandfather, John George O’Brien Kelly, a lawyer and agriculturalist, brokered the deal which gave tenants the right to purchase land over a 30-year period, turning him into a national hero. The O’Brien Kellys owned most of the land on the boundaries of Limerick and Clare and three Georgian manors, Moylish House, Clonmacken House and Fedamore House.
Joy writes:
‘Living in a cottage on my grandfather’s land, I played in these houses as a child so, inevitably, tales of secret passages leading down to the river, ill ...more

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Joy Martin’s books

Average rating: 4.15 · 124 ratings · 24 reviews · 16 distinct works • Similar authors

	Seeking Clemency 4.21 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2014 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ulick's Daughter 3.76 avg rating — 29 ratings — published 1990 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Image of Laura 4.06 avg rating — 17 ratings — published 2008 — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Heritage of Wrong (A Wrong To Sweeten Book 2) 4.29 avg rating — 14 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Highly Sensitive Chameleon: How to Embrace Your Empathy, Manage Your Anxieties, and Set Healthy Boundaries 4.83 avg rating — 12 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Wrong to Sweeten 4.33 avg rating — 9 ratings — published 1989 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	SEEKING CLEMENCY a moving and emotional contemporary novel 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Twelve Shades of Black: 12 essays on the black experience during apartheid 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Moon is Red in April really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 1989 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A HERITAGE OF WRONG a dramatic and captivating historical saga it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Joy Martin's Blog

The Sixteen Trees Of The Somme - Lars Mytting

A beautifully written and magnificently researched book set in a remote mountain homestead in Norway and the Shetland islands, The death of three year old Edward's parents has always been shrouded in mystery for him. His taciturn grandfather doesn't explain. But, as an adult, Edward becomes increasingly determined to find out what happened to them for, as he says - 'There was something about Mama Read more of this blog post »

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Published on February 07, 2022 06:51 • Tags: mytting

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Joy’s Recent Updates

Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing The Mountbattens: Their Lives & Loves by Andrew Lownie (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
A successful biography begins with an intriguing protagonist. Here, there are two of them – Lord Louis Mountbatten and his wife, Edwina, both of them larger than life personalities. A Supreme Allied Commander during the Second World war and the last ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:49AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Mountbattens by Andrew Lownie. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Mountbattens by Andrew Lownie <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing The Light Years (Cazalet Chronicles, #1) by Elizabeth Jane Howard	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
There’s an endearing innocence in the characters in this well-observed portrait of affluent, insular England in the period leading up the Second World war so that, throughout the story, you fear for them, knowing what they are about to endure. Theirs ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:48AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Light Years by Elizabeth Jane Howard <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
In Christabel Seagrave’s family home in Dorset the children form their own theatre. An outstanding debut – an original, endearing and simply delightful fairy tale of parental neglect evocative of Grimms. That the women have to cope without the gift o ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:47AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing Different Class (Malbry #2) by Joanne Harris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
The solving of an old crime – the murder of a schoolboy whose body was found in an abandoned quarry 24 years earlier. Clever, atmospheric and deliciously creepy. Set in a prep school, it’s so alive, so real you can smell the spotty boys who, pre-occu ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:46AM · like · see review
Joy Martin rated a book liked it The Colour by Rose Tremain	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Step back to the 1860s and travel to New Zealand with newly-weds Joseph and Heather Blackstone and Joseph’s mother, Lilia. There is much that is positive in this novel. its greatest strength lying in the author’s ability to create atmosphere and a se ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:45AM · like · see review
Joy Martin rated a book really liked it A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
When two teenage girls go missing in her town of Baton Rouge, psychologist Chloe Davis is forced to re-visit the past, evoking the horror of her childhood when her father was found guilty of murder and gaoled for life. Stacy Willingham studied Magazi ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:09AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing Horse by Geraldine Brooks (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I can’t imagine anyone not loving this heart-rending and beautiful novel based on the true story of the record-breaking thorough-bred Lexington. The relationship between groom and horse is always extraordinary but here, in the developing story of Jar ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:08AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Horse by Geraldine Brooks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Horse by Geraldine Brooks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book liked it This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I began by thinking – what a great title. But this place is not the Donegal I know and love. I was left with a sense of unreality and found myself asking awkward questions. Where in Ireland would you find twelve gates leading up to a hunting lodge ? ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:07AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — This Must Be the Place by Maggie O'Farrell <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
‘Life is almost beautiful. Memories are dead ends that we keep turning over.’ This is one of the epigraphs, the little poems, which are sprinkled throughout this delightful novel, a mystery about a husband who’s disappeared and a child who has been l ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:06AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Joy Martin rated a book it was amazing A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
You’d have to be pretty grumpy yourself to reject the appeal of the grumpiest man in Sweden. Ove is fifty nine. He is ‘the kind of man who points at people he doesn’t like the look of, as if they were burglars and his forefinger a policeman’s torch.’ ...more
Sep 10, 2025 02:05AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">