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Ireland #2
The Matchmaker of Kenmare: A Novel of Ireland
This edition contains an excerpt from Frank Delaney's The Last Storyteller.In the summer of 1943, as World War II rages on, Ben MacCarthy is haunted by the disappearance of his wife, the actress Venetia Kelly. Searching for purpose by collecting stories for the Irish Folklore Commission, he travels to a remote seaside cottage to profile the enigmatic Miss Kate Begley, the Matchmaker of Kenmare. Ben is immediately captivated by her, and a powerful friendship is forged. But when Charles Miller, a handsome American military intelligence officer, arrives on the scene, Miss Begley looks to make a match for herself. Miller needs a favor, but it will be dangerous. Under the cover of their neutrality as Irish citizens, Miss Begley and Ben travel to London and effectively operate as spies. As they are drawn more deeply and painfully into the conflict, both discover the perils of neutrality—in both love and war. Steeped in colorful history, The Matchmaker of Kenmare is a lush and surprising novel, rich as myth, tense as a thriller, and, like all grand tales, harrowing, sometimes hilarious, and heartbreaking.
418 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
118 people are currently reading
1412 people want to read
About the author
Frank Delaney
59 books606 followersFrank Delaney was an author, a broadcaster on both television and radio, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, lecturer, and a judge of many literary prizes. Delaney interviewed more than 3,500 of the world's most important writers. NPR called him 'The Most Eloquent Man in the World'. Delaney was born and raised in County Tipperary, Ireland, spent more than twenty-five years in England before moving to the United States in 2002. He lived in Litchfield County, Connecticut, with his wife, writer and marketer, Diane Meier.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 211 reviews
March 1, 2011
I'm sticking with a solid 3 1/2 stars on this one. I wanted to give it 4 stars, but the beginning drove me crazy with all of the foreshadowing and foretelling. I understand that the narrator was telling the story as a memoir, but it took a while to understand who he was telling his story to, and to weave together all of the fragments later on. I understood the reason behind it, but I felt it was a bit too much. Overall, the story was very engaging and interesting. I hadn't known that Ireland was neutral during WW2. I had mixed feelings about how the story was resolved...but I won't give it away to future readers. I enjoy this author, his characters, and writing style.
P.S. My edition was an "Advance Uncorrected Proof" sent to me through Goodreads...how awesome is that?! I did find some errors (couldn't stop the "closet" editor in me), in case anyone cares: a line on pg. 187 needs a question mark; a line on pg. 247 needs a "to" inserted; a line on pg. 345 needs a question mark; and a comma is needed on pg. 367.
P.S. My edition was an "Advance Uncorrected Proof" sent to me through Goodreads...how awesome is that?! I did find some errors (couldn't stop the "closet" editor in me), in case anyone cares: a line on pg. 187 needs a question mark; a line on pg. 247 needs a "to" inserted; a line on pg. 345 needs a question mark; and a comma is needed on pg. 367.
February 9, 2011
The Matchmaker of Kenmare Frank Delaney (Rated:C)
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6784-8
Random House
Published 2011
Hardcover, 416 pages
Reviewed by Sandra
When I finished reading Delaney’s previous novel Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show I remember hoping for a sequel. Well, here it is in all its glory!
The novel takes place in Ireland and Europe during World War II. The story appears to be Ben Murphy’s relentless search for his wife and child (?) who disappeared under mysterious circumstances over a decade earlier. But that’s only part of the intrigue. Ben, the narrator is also writing a memoir of his life with Kate Begley – the matchmaker of Kenmare – a woman who successfully arranges marriages. Both Ben and Kate are in the 20’s. It is plain that Ben is attracted to her, though still pining for his wife, Venetia. Kate, however, falls in love with and marries an American soldier, who is a covert agent. Even after Kate’s marriage, Ben refers to her as “Miss Begley.” When Kate’s husband goes missing somewhere in Europe, Kate and Ben set off into France to find him and stumble into the war zone. Or, as Ben put it “we walked right into the Second World War.” Disastrous news awaits them they learn that Charles Miller, Kate’s husband, is missing in action, presumed dead. Kate absolutely refuses to believe that and drags Ben into the war zone again. Ben describes it as “that last, awful foray, during which all my views about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and every other damn thing in the world were scuttled.” At one point they find themselves behind enemy lines fearing for their lives. Eventually they make it back home to Ireland and go their separate ways.
Ben finds his wife, but…….
Kate’s husband comes back into her life, but…..
This is a quirky novel peopled by unusual characters and circumstances. For example, when Ben first meets Kate she is on her hands and knees drawing a chalk line around the outside doormat. The reason is “this is to keep out the ants. Ants hate chalk. It makes them vomit.” At another point Ben describes Kate as “she speaks 3-1/2 languages.” Kate can find missing people by dangling a threaded needle over a map. Then there is the part about the man searching for a new set of teeth – new to him, that is. He does meet a shopkeeper who can provide those teeth and who “will hire them out to you for six months.”
Delaney uses delightful tidbits to keep the reader enthralled. For instance, Ben relates “that was the moment at which two strangers walked into the dance hall – and that was the beginning of so many things, and the continuation of so many things, and the end of so many things.”
The book is full of wonderful descriptions. For example, “a low sea-mist had draped the coast in a long gray stole.” Or what about “his face reminded me of brown wrapping paper that had been scrunched up into a ball and then smoothed out.”
The book is about love, espionage, matchmaking, history, mystery, renewal of hope, Ireland’s place in the war, and the meaning of true friendship. I believe Frank Delaney has another winner!
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6784-8
Random House
Published 2011
Hardcover, 416 pages
Reviewed by Sandra
When I finished reading Delaney’s previous novel Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show I remember hoping for a sequel. Well, here it is in all its glory!
The novel takes place in Ireland and Europe during World War II. The story appears to be Ben Murphy’s relentless search for his wife and child (?) who disappeared under mysterious circumstances over a decade earlier. But that’s only part of the intrigue. Ben, the narrator is also writing a memoir of his life with Kate Begley – the matchmaker of Kenmare – a woman who successfully arranges marriages. Both Ben and Kate are in the 20’s. It is plain that Ben is attracted to her, though still pining for his wife, Venetia. Kate, however, falls in love with and marries an American soldier, who is a covert agent. Even after Kate’s marriage, Ben refers to her as “Miss Begley.” When Kate’s husband goes missing somewhere in Europe, Kate and Ben set off into France to find him and stumble into the war zone. Or, as Ben put it “we walked right into the Second World War.” Disastrous news awaits them they learn that Charles Miller, Kate’s husband, is missing in action, presumed dead. Kate absolutely refuses to believe that and drags Ben into the war zone again. Ben describes it as “that last, awful foray, during which all my views about life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and every other damn thing in the world were scuttled.” At one point they find themselves behind enemy lines fearing for their lives. Eventually they make it back home to Ireland and go their separate ways.
Ben finds his wife, but…….
Kate’s husband comes back into her life, but…..
This is a quirky novel peopled by unusual characters and circumstances. For example, when Ben first meets Kate she is on her hands and knees drawing a chalk line around the outside doormat. The reason is “this is to keep out the ants. Ants hate chalk. It makes them vomit.” At another point Ben describes Kate as “she speaks 3-1/2 languages.” Kate can find missing people by dangling a threaded needle over a map. Then there is the part about the man searching for a new set of teeth – new to him, that is. He does meet a shopkeeper who can provide those teeth and who “will hire them out to you for six months.”
Delaney uses delightful tidbits to keep the reader enthralled. For instance, Ben relates “that was the moment at which two strangers walked into the dance hall – and that was the beginning of so many things, and the continuation of so many things, and the end of so many things.”
The book is full of wonderful descriptions. For example, “a low sea-mist had draped the coast in a long gray stole.” Or what about “his face reminded me of brown wrapping paper that had been scrunched up into a ball and then smoothed out.”
The book is about love, espionage, matchmaking, history, mystery, renewal of hope, Ireland’s place in the war, and the meaning of true friendship. I believe Frank Delaney has another winner!
March 1, 2012
I won this book through First Reads! I can' wait to get it and to read it. I will post my review as soon as I can!
November 3, 2013
I didn't fall in love with this as much as I did with the book Ireland by the same author but it was still a good read and I enjoyed it.
Delaney's main skill is that he is exceptional at crafting a genuine Irish environment that it is so easy to get sucked into. And to further attest to this skill, he can do it in seemingly any time period. This specific book takes place in the first half of the 20th century, mostly in the World War II era. Ben comes off as a reliable narrator so it is easy to take his word for the events occurring. Also, probably because I am an oral historian myself, I loved how his story was structured with the different journal entries from both Ben and Kate. The competing viewpoints seemed to make it more credible.
I found the character of Ben very likable. I empathized with his heartbreak and was rooting for him to find his long lost wife. I also understood his less noble emotions and forgave him for them due to the immense amount of stress he was under. I was more conflicted about his actions following Kate around all over Europe. He wasn't especially supportive of her actions but followed her along out of what seemed like a misguided sense of loyalty.
However, I have very different mixed emotions towards Kate. Initially, she comes off as a very sly, independent woman skillful at her craft. But she later loses some of her credibility and comes of as manipulative and willing to do almost anything to get what she wants. It's almost cruel how she toys with Ben's emotions and in the end, does very little herself to actually help him find Venetia. She discounts his objections to her spying schemes and puts his life in frequent danger seemingly without a second thought. Also, her obsession with American Captain Miller is unhealthy at the least but more like stalkerish and disturbing. Her initial mission to find a German former client is brave and somewhat honorable but the underhanded way she uses that to blackmail Capt. Miller into marriage is nothing less than shameful. The manipulative way she forces him into leaving his girl at home behind is also abominable and it would seem to be contradictory to the ethics of her profession. She makes the less than perfect men that she matches agree to behave honestly and honorable toward their matches yet she seems to make exceptions to these expectations when she is the one involved.
On top of her initial inappropriate behavior towards Captain Miller and blackmailing him into marriage, she acts as if she is even more exceptional when she finds herself in the common position of being a military wife awaiting her husband's return. She cannot just stay at home and await word like the thousands of other women in her position. No, instead she has to exploit whatever other connections she has in order to perform another completely unnecessary covert mission to track down Miller. As if that weren't bad enough, she drags Ben along on this idiotic mission despite his frequent protests encouraging her to pursue an alternate course of action. In the end, both are lucky to escape with their lives, Kate would not have at all if not for Ben's actions, and the whole ordeal is fruitless as they return with hardly any more information on Captain Miller than when they left. So after she barely returns home with her life, she remains home and carries on her business until she receives word, right? Of course not.
She moves to New York City, dragging poor Ben along with her, to pine away after her long lost love and harass the soldiers disembarking from every single ship that makes it in to the harbor. When forcing Ben to endure this idiocy is not enough, she purchases a small menagerie of animals and ships them cross country to promote her matchmaking business relocating to Kansas. Cause that makes a load of sense... How exactly does a giraffe have anything to do with dating, love or marriage? When it seems like she might just accept that Captain Miller is not returning, she ropes Ben into a coerced engagement. Kate has become adept at taking advantage of Ben's honorable nature anytime she feels like it.
In the end, it is tragic but somewhat satisfying when she gets her just desserts in the form of her husband's return. Thankfully, this gives Ben an out from what surely would have been a doomed marriage. Captain Miller does return but he is only a shell of the man he once was. His transformation is a moving testimony of the wartime effects of shell shock. While his fate is regrettable, it does make me smile to think of how all Kate's meddling and manipulation turn out for her. After all her pulling strings to find a handsome American to provide for her, she instead must be caretaker for an invalid and limit her once expansive practice to a small town in Kansas, so far away from the home she loves.
The ongoing theme of this book is also very well done. The idea of neutrality has several different nuances and interpretations. The most obvious interpretation of neutrality in this book is Ireland's position during the war. Even though the political administration of the country tries to remain neutral, it can't really enforce the same requirements upon its citizens. Thus you have many Irish enlisting in the British military and blatant disregard for neutrality by some such as Kate and Ben. So then the question becomes 'is Ireland truly neutral'?
The second interpretation of this neutrality theme is the question if a man and a woman can be strictly friends. Personally, my inclination is to say yes. I have many male friends with whom I have a platonic relationship. As a matter of fact, I have more male friends than female. However, in this book, it doesn't seem that simple. It seems like Ben is perfectly capable of that kind of friendship but Kate is not due to her dubious nature. Perhaps if she was more honorable and less manipulative, it would be possible, but as far as the main friendship in this story, Kate is too guilty of betrayal to maintain an equal friendship.
In this book, Delaney's masterful storytelling emerges and proves itself once again but the story is not as pleasant as some if his others. Indeed, a good story need not always be pleasant and it is a mark of skill to create a character one hates just as much as it is to create a lovable one. But however wonderfully crafted a story, this one didn't have the same appeal to me as his others and I lost some of the previous magic in this realistic tale. Ireland captured the magic and lore of its homeland while this narrative was about a much darker era of its history.
Delaney's main skill is that he is exceptional at crafting a genuine Irish environment that it is so easy to get sucked into. And to further attest to this skill, he can do it in seemingly any time period. This specific book takes place in the first half of the 20th century, mostly in the World War II era. Ben comes off as a reliable narrator so it is easy to take his word for the events occurring. Also, probably because I am an oral historian myself, I loved how his story was structured with the different journal entries from both Ben and Kate. The competing viewpoints seemed to make it more credible.
I found the character of Ben very likable. I empathized with his heartbreak and was rooting for him to find his long lost wife. I also understood his less noble emotions and forgave him for them due to the immense amount of stress he was under. I was more conflicted about his actions following Kate around all over Europe. He wasn't especially supportive of her actions but followed her along out of what seemed like a misguided sense of loyalty.
However, I have very different mixed emotions towards Kate. Initially, she comes off as a very sly, independent woman skillful at her craft. But she later loses some of her credibility and comes of as manipulative and willing to do almost anything to get what she wants. It's almost cruel how she toys with Ben's emotions and in the end, does very little herself to actually help him find Venetia. She discounts his objections to her spying schemes and puts his life in frequent danger seemingly without a second thought. Also, her obsession with American Captain Miller is unhealthy at the least but more like stalkerish and disturbing. Her initial mission to find a German former client is brave and somewhat honorable but the underhanded way she uses that to blackmail Capt. Miller into marriage is nothing less than shameful. The manipulative way she forces him into leaving his girl at home behind is also abominable and it would seem to be contradictory to the ethics of her profession. She makes the less than perfect men that she matches agree to behave honestly and honorable toward their matches yet she seems to make exceptions to these expectations when she is the one involved.
On top of her initial inappropriate behavior towards Captain Miller and blackmailing him into marriage, she acts as if she is even more exceptional when she finds herself in the common position of being a military wife awaiting her husband's return. She cannot just stay at home and await word like the thousands of other women in her position. No, instead she has to exploit whatever other connections she has in order to perform another completely unnecessary covert mission to track down Miller. As if that weren't bad enough, she drags Ben along on this idiotic mission despite his frequent protests encouraging her to pursue an alternate course of action. In the end, both are lucky to escape with their lives, Kate would not have at all if not for Ben's actions, and the whole ordeal is fruitless as they return with hardly any more information on Captain Miller than when they left. So after she barely returns home with her life, she remains home and carries on her business until she receives word, right? Of course not.
She moves to New York City, dragging poor Ben along with her, to pine away after her long lost love and harass the soldiers disembarking from every single ship that makes it in to the harbor. When forcing Ben to endure this idiocy is not enough, she purchases a small menagerie of animals and ships them cross country to promote her matchmaking business relocating to Kansas. Cause that makes a load of sense... How exactly does a giraffe have anything to do with dating, love or marriage? When it seems like she might just accept that Captain Miller is not returning, she ropes Ben into a coerced engagement. Kate has become adept at taking advantage of Ben's honorable nature anytime she feels like it.
In the end, it is tragic but somewhat satisfying when she gets her just desserts in the form of her husband's return. Thankfully, this gives Ben an out from what surely would have been a doomed marriage. Captain Miller does return but he is only a shell of the man he once was. His transformation is a moving testimony of the wartime effects of shell shock. While his fate is regrettable, it does make me smile to think of how all Kate's meddling and manipulation turn out for her. After all her pulling strings to find a handsome American to provide for her, she instead must be caretaker for an invalid and limit her once expansive practice to a small town in Kansas, so far away from the home she loves.
The ongoing theme of this book is also very well done. The idea of neutrality has several different nuances and interpretations. The most obvious interpretation of neutrality in this book is Ireland's position during the war. Even though the political administration of the country tries to remain neutral, it can't really enforce the same requirements upon its citizens. Thus you have many Irish enlisting in the British military and blatant disregard for neutrality by some such as Kate and Ben. So then the question becomes 'is Ireland truly neutral'?
The second interpretation of this neutrality theme is the question if a man and a woman can be strictly friends. Personally, my inclination is to say yes. I have many male friends with whom I have a platonic relationship. As a matter of fact, I have more male friends than female. However, in this book, it doesn't seem that simple. It seems like Ben is perfectly capable of that kind of friendship but Kate is not due to her dubious nature. Perhaps if she was more honorable and less manipulative, it would be possible, but as far as the main friendship in this story, Kate is too guilty of betrayal to maintain an equal friendship.
In this book, Delaney's masterful storytelling emerges and proves itself once again but the story is not as pleasant as some if his others. Indeed, a good story need not always be pleasant and it is a mark of skill to create a character one hates just as much as it is to create a lovable one. But however wonderfully crafted a story, this one didn't have the same appeal to me as his others and I lost some of the previous magic in this realistic tale. Ireland captured the magic and lore of its homeland while this narrative was about a much darker era of its history.
July 4, 2017
I learned some things about myself as I read this book.
February 23, 2011
I'm a bit ambiguous on this book. I received it from a giveaway, and it was my first win, so I was rather excited. I found the book interesting enough to keep me picking it up and reading it, but not enough to stop me from putting it down and going to something else. It is a rather tragic story of two people, a man and a woman, whose lives intertwine during WWII. The historical aspect of it was very intriguing, and I liked hearing about those different aspects. That being said, I found the entire story a bit unbelievable. The adventures they experience in a war-torn Europe just seemed a bit far-fetched. The way the book is written, however, somehow keeps you reading and even in a way, keeps you believing. Despite the fact that you feel that Ben would not follow Miss Begley around like a puppy, you keep reading. There was only one part that just felt ridiculous to me, and that was the part with the giraffe. I won't go into detail; I just thought it was over the top. The entire book has a vague feel to it, as if you're being kept in the dark, like Ben. I believe this is the author's purpose, and I actually found that aspect of the book fitting to the story. Ultimately, this is a tragic tale of two people who use each other, yet both need each other. I'm not sure I enjoyed this book, but I was glad I had read it.
February 8, 2011
This is another one of those books that I just could not refuse after reading that synopsis. I forgive the editors for creating such a long synopsis, because there is so much going on behind the scenes that calling this a World War II love story would be completely remiss. The book is a sort of anomaly for me: vague, opaque, labyrinthine.. yet still hypnotic, engrossing, suspenseful. There is love, romance, whimsy, tragedy, loss, and everything in between. Upon opening the book you are setting one foot into the riddle of an unknown story, not knowing which way you are supposed to go, as each piece of the puzzle is slowly lifted and you become more and more interested in the events of Miss Kate Begley and Ben MacCarthy. And the prominent side note throughout: is Ben falling in love with Kate? Too bad for him if he is, because Kate is in love with the dashing USA Military Hero Prototype Charles Miller.
Kate is the Matchmaker (happily setting Irish folks up for marriage), and Ben is the returning main character from author Frank Delaney's previous work, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show (Feb. 2010). Although I had not read any of the author's previous works, I had no problems enjoying this on its own, though questions posed with the previous book become answered with this new book. Frank Delaney has an impressive voice that he imbibes with Ben the narrator, who was an intriguing and likeable character on his own and a perfect narrator. We get to observe Ben's reactions to the people he meets in Ireland, London and France as he follows along on a somewhat insane chase after Kate's ex-neighbor who could be a German spy. Then the next adventure comes along, and another.. as he is inextricably tied to Kate Begley in soul mate fashion.
The feel of certain countries during the war was also a major part, standing in as a character on its own was the War and how Ireland was trying very hard to be neutral. The prose the author uses is one of those that embodies the term lyrical, and I am not using it loosely here. I was very impressed with the writing style, where in reality not a lot was happening, yet the words were giving it just enough meaning to make me guessing and wanting more. The suspense and mystery behind the entire quest, with it being during the war, gave it enough of a tense sort of danger lurking beneath each character as we slowly learned bit by bit who was really who.
The major impression of the story was the way it was narrated, as Ben was telling a memoir of sorts for his children. He recounts snippets from his writings during the time the story was taking place, and once he recited the piece he offers a bit of foreshadowing and more of a clue of what is going on, as we never really know exactly what it is that is the proverbial bomb that Ben keeps alluding to throughout his adventures with Kate, the matchmaker of Kenmare. Kate is a complex character, but someone you know you would love the moment you sat down with her. The phrases and beliefs she displays make her seem intelligent, perfect, yet her heart is hidden somewhere beneath her own demons.
The plot is not a fast moving one, as the author is establishing more of a relationship between the reader and the characters, so it was a little tough in the very beginning to get my head into the intricacies of the story. Once the events started picking up and I was able to get invested with the characters and setting, I was eager to move the pages to see where The Matchmaker of Kenmare would take me. Recommended for those in the mood for an engaging mystery involving Ireland, polished with historical insight regarding World War II. I am off to discover Frank Delaney's backlist which focuses on an Ireland that he describes with an infectious glittering adoration. He has a gift with words that I am eager to be entertained with.
Kate is the Matchmaker (happily setting Irish folks up for marriage), and Ben is the returning main character from author Frank Delaney's previous work, Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show (Feb. 2010). Although I had not read any of the author's previous works, I had no problems enjoying this on its own, though questions posed with the previous book become answered with this new book. Frank Delaney has an impressive voice that he imbibes with Ben the narrator, who was an intriguing and likeable character on his own and a perfect narrator. We get to observe Ben's reactions to the people he meets in Ireland, London and France as he follows along on a somewhat insane chase after Kate's ex-neighbor who could be a German spy. Then the next adventure comes along, and another.. as he is inextricably tied to Kate Begley in soul mate fashion.
The feel of certain countries during the war was also a major part, standing in as a character on its own was the War and how Ireland was trying very hard to be neutral. The prose the author uses is one of those that embodies the term lyrical, and I am not using it loosely here. I was very impressed with the writing style, where in reality not a lot was happening, yet the words were giving it just enough meaning to make me guessing and wanting more. The suspense and mystery behind the entire quest, with it being during the war, gave it enough of a tense sort of danger lurking beneath each character as we slowly learned bit by bit who was really who.
The major impression of the story was the way it was narrated, as Ben was telling a memoir of sorts for his children. He recounts snippets from his writings during the time the story was taking place, and once he recited the piece he offers a bit of foreshadowing and more of a clue of what is going on, as we never really know exactly what it is that is the proverbial bomb that Ben keeps alluding to throughout his adventures with Kate, the matchmaker of Kenmare. Kate is a complex character, but someone you know you would love the moment you sat down with her. The phrases and beliefs she displays make her seem intelligent, perfect, yet her heart is hidden somewhere beneath her own demons.
The plot is not a fast moving one, as the author is establishing more of a relationship between the reader and the characters, so it was a little tough in the very beginning to get my head into the intricacies of the story. Once the events started picking up and I was able to get invested with the characters and setting, I was eager to move the pages to see where The Matchmaker of Kenmare would take me. Recommended for those in the mood for an engaging mystery involving Ireland, polished with historical insight regarding World War II. I am off to discover Frank Delaney's backlist which focuses on an Ireland that he describes with an infectious glittering adoration. He has a gift with words that I am eager to be entertained with.
March 20, 2011
This is a book that touches me closely because of the kinship I feel with its hero and narrator, Ben McCarthy. In The Matchmaker of Kenmare, Ben falls under the sway of Kate Begley, a matchmaker and daughter of a matchmaker. She completely enchants him and takes over his life as easily as if he were a pair of gloves she puts on. Ben starts out with a deep vulnerability: His wife, the former Venetia Kelly, has disappeared; and there are no clues as to whether she is among the quick or the dead. The Matchmaker of Kenmare is a sequel to Frank Delaney's earlier Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show, but not having read the earlier book, I do not feel as if I had missed out on any vital information. Matchmaker can effectively stand alone.
Just as Ben seems about to change his inner sorrow from the loss of Venetia to the vital and lovely Kate Begley, Kate falls in love with and marries a tall American soldier in Special Ops who is about to join the "Big Show" in France, Belgium and Germany during the last two years of World War II.
Ben is a wandering folklore expert, who travels around Ireland looking for stories and carefully noting them down. His favorite book is Helen Waddell's The Wandering Scholars (1927), a book about the lyric poets of the Middle Ages. (This book also sits on my shelf.) Much of this goes underground as Kate hijacks Ben and -- not once, but three times -- hauls him into the middle of the European Theater of Operations as she looks for her husband Charles Miller even as the horrors unfold in front of her face.
I don't want to give away the ending, but I do want to remind you of the lyrics of a Country & Western song that contains the line, "Thank God for unanswered prayers." You see, in a way, Ben gets his girl; and in a way, he doesn't. Life is sometimes like that: I was in love with a beautiful young pediatrician who led me by the nose for upwards of ten years before I leaped off the Merry-Go-Round without fatally injuring myself.
This is a surprisingly delicate novel exceedingly well plotted by its author, who has a way of foreshadowing future events just when you, the reader, think you know where you are. Not halfway through, you learn that Ben is telling this story to his child or children by Venetia. (Nope, still no spoilers here.)
I loved Ireland and think that The Matchmaker of Kenmare is every bit as good -- and for the same reason. Delaney knows not only how to work a story, but how to see the mythical dimensions that give it an aura of greatness. I think I will read more of his work, with great pleasure.
Just as Ben seems about to change his inner sorrow from the loss of Venetia to the vital and lovely Kate Begley, Kate falls in love with and marries a tall American soldier in Special Ops who is about to join the "Big Show" in France, Belgium and Germany during the last two years of World War II.
Ben is a wandering folklore expert, who travels around Ireland looking for stories and carefully noting them down. His favorite book is Helen Waddell's The Wandering Scholars (1927), a book about the lyric poets of the Middle Ages. (This book also sits on my shelf.) Much of this goes underground as Kate hijacks Ben and -- not once, but three times -- hauls him into the middle of the European Theater of Operations as she looks for her husband Charles Miller even as the horrors unfold in front of her face.
I don't want to give away the ending, but I do want to remind you of the lyrics of a Country & Western song that contains the line, "Thank God for unanswered prayers." You see, in a way, Ben gets his girl; and in a way, he doesn't. Life is sometimes like that: I was in love with a beautiful young pediatrician who led me by the nose for upwards of ten years before I leaped off the Merry-Go-Round without fatally injuring myself.
This is a surprisingly delicate novel exceedingly well plotted by its author, who has a way of foreshadowing future events just when you, the reader, think you know where you are. Not halfway through, you learn that Ben is telling this story to his child or children by Venetia. (Nope, still no spoilers here.)
I loved Ireland and think that The Matchmaker of Kenmare is every bit as good -- and for the same reason. Delaney knows not only how to work a story, but how to see the mythical dimensions that give it an aura of greatness. I think I will read more of his work, with great pleasure.
February 15, 2011
Ben McCarthy is the narrator in the book, recounting to his two children how he looks back on his friendship with Miss Begley, the matchmaker of Kenmare. He begs their forgiveness for his habit of digression. And digress he does! Sometimes to the point of exasperation but when he reminisces about their dangerous adventures during the war, I was enthralled.
From a historical point of view, the issue of Ireland's neutrality was interesting. Ben and Kate discuss their own feelings of neutrality towards each other and the war itself. Ben said it best when he admitted to himself:
" How tired I am from this swinging, this side-to-side movement of my allegiances; on this side for a time, then on that side; supporters of "our" armies because I met "their" soldiers, and "their" ordinary countryside people. Neutrality, or is it indecision, and worse, cowardice? I'm tired of it."
These thoughts made me wonder how I would feel about neutrality during wartime. Is it possible from a personal point of view?
I really wanted to like this one so much and had high hopes of being enmeshed with the characters and not wanting to put the book down.With a WII timeframe, a setting in Ireland, a love story and a matchmaker, this story had the potential to be a stellar 5 star read.
Unfortunately, I was somewhat disapointed in how slowly the book started. The narrative felt choppy and did not flow smoothly for me until almost page 100. This is when the book started to get interesting although some of the scenarios where Kate and Ben roam around France and Germany looking for Charles Miller had me questioning the plausibility of these actions.
On the positive side, the author does give the reader a real sense of place; I felt as if I were in Ireland listening to some of the matchmaker's discussions in her windswept cottage by the sea. By the end of the book, the reader definitely knew the characters well, their thoughts, feelings, flaws and all.
Taking all into account this was a hard book for me to rate as I really liked parts of it and other parts had me bored and guilty of skimming through Ben's journal entries. This is just my feeling for the book - you need to make up your own mind and may love it! For me it was a 3* read at best.
February 15, 2011
What a masterful story-teller Frank Delaney is. This novel, set mostly in "neutral" Ireland during WWII, unfolds slowly, making me feel as if I were opening doors in a large, unfamiliar home. I know there is more to this tale than just the basic story-line. So I read it slowly and carefully, attempting a "close reading," to explore hidden shadow stories. I lingered and could almost smell the summer sea at Kenmare and suffer the snow and cold of war-torn Western Europe.
The Matchmaker of Kenmare, Kate Begley, is a strong heroine, who somehow never appears to us completely, leaving us to wonder just what her master plan is. She entices us, and Ben, the narrator, to follow her without knowing where she will lead him. Ben gives his view of her, her quirks and charms and fantasies. But are all her beliefs fantasies?And what, exactly, does Ben believe about his past?
Ben, "lonely and grieving," has his own mysteries, too. He struggles to know just who he is: collector of stories for the Irish Folklore Commission; married or widowed; soft-hearted gallant helping Miss Begley; or a ruthless wolf without a pack. The wolf images pop in and out of the story, and although they do presage some of Ben's actions, a he sees the wolf not in himself, but in some German officers.
Together Ben and Miss Begley, who has married the American soldier-spy she fell in love with, get drawn into the dark side of war and are enlisted as spies. Harrowing, hard-to-imagine, experiences in the middle of the war bind them together as they search for the Matchmaker's soldier husband.
As I read I sometimes laughed, I sometime held my breath, and I enjoyed every minute. Mr. Delaney's marvelous Ireland is terrific, The Matchmaker of Kenmare a great read, and I look forward to reading Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show.
The Matchmaker of Kenmare, Kate Begley, is a strong heroine, who somehow never appears to us completely, leaving us to wonder just what her master plan is. She entices us, and Ben, the narrator, to follow her without knowing where she will lead him. Ben gives his view of her, her quirks and charms and fantasies. But are all her beliefs fantasies?And what, exactly, does Ben believe about his past?
Ben, "lonely and grieving," has his own mysteries, too. He struggles to know just who he is: collector of stories for the Irish Folklore Commission; married or widowed; soft-hearted gallant helping Miss Begley; or a ruthless wolf without a pack. The wolf images pop in and out of the story, and although they do presage some of Ben's actions, a he sees the wolf not in himself, but in some German officers.
Together Ben and Miss Begley, who has married the American soldier-spy she fell in love with, get drawn into the dark side of war and are enlisted as spies. Harrowing, hard-to-imagine, experiences in the middle of the war bind them together as they search for the Matchmaker's soldier husband.
As I read I sometimes laughed, I sometime held my breath, and I enjoyed every minute. Mr. Delaney's marvelous Ireland is terrific, The Matchmaker of Kenmare a great read, and I look forward to reading Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show.
December 19, 2022
“And there’s a legend—she had only vague details—that all couples who are meant to marry are connected by an invisible silver cord which is wrapped around their ankles at birth, and in time the matchmaking gods pull those cords tighter and tighter and draw the couple slowly toward one another until they meet.” So says Miss Kate Begley, Matchmaker of Kenmare, the enigmatic woman Ben MacCarthy meets in the summer of 1943.
As World War II rages on, Ben remains haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his wife, the actress Venetia Kelly. Searching for purpose by collecting stories for the Irish Folklore Commission, he travels to a remote seaside cottage to profile the aforementioned Matchmaker of Kenmare.
Ben is immediately captivated by the forthright Miss Begley, who is remarkably self-assured in her instincts but provincial in her experience. Miss Begley is determined to see that Ben moves through his grief—and a powerful friendship is forged along the way.
But when Charles Miller, a striking American military intelligence officer, arrives on the scene, Miss Begley develops an intense infatuation and looks to make a match for herself. Miller needs a favor, but it will be dangerous. Under the cover of their neutrality as Irish citizens, Miss Begley and Ben travel to London and effectively operate as spies. As they are drawn more deeply and painfully into the conflict, both discover the perils of neutrality—in both love and war.GR description
This was a book club choice for country. This book took a lot to get into. The author's writing style was different. When I got the idea he was writing it as a "memoir" to someone(?) that helped. I did find parts I really liked and then parts that are like what???
As World War II rages on, Ben remains haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his wife, the actress Venetia Kelly. Searching for purpose by collecting stories for the Irish Folklore Commission, he travels to a remote seaside cottage to profile the aforementioned Matchmaker of Kenmare.
Ben is immediately captivated by the forthright Miss Begley, who is remarkably self-assured in her instincts but provincial in her experience. Miss Begley is determined to see that Ben moves through his grief—and a powerful friendship is forged along the way.
But when Charles Miller, a striking American military intelligence officer, arrives on the scene, Miss Begley develops an intense infatuation and looks to make a match for herself. Miller needs a favor, but it will be dangerous. Under the cover of their neutrality as Irish citizens, Miss Begley and Ben travel to London and effectively operate as spies. As they are drawn more deeply and painfully into the conflict, both discover the perils of neutrality—in both love and war.GR description
This was a book club choice for country. This book took a lot to get into. The author's writing style was different. When I got the idea he was writing it as a "memoir" to someone(?) that helped. I did find parts I really liked and then parts that are like what???
March 3, 2011
I won this book on Goodreads and am very thankful to have won. Unfortunately, my review is not a positive one. There are three reasons why this book wasn't for me.
First, I have never read a book with so much foreshadowing in it. There was SO much foreshadowing that I lost track of what I was supposed to be anticipating. I got more frustrated with it the longer it went on and it went on throughout THE ENTIRE BOOK. The book would have been better (and much shorter) if the author could have just gotten on with it.
Second, it was at times ridiculously implausible. It's a historical novel about regular Irish people and their involvement in WWII. There are even some actual facts thrown into the story. However, the things the author has these characters do, the places he has them go, and the ways he has them get involved in the war and with each other were just silly, excessive, and stupid, frankly.
Third, it was sluggish. It took me weeks to slosh through the book because it didn't hold my attention. There were some exciting and interesting parts, but not enough of them. Basically, it's not a page turner.
The book was not horrible. I liked the character development and I really felt for Ben, but it just was not my kind of book.
Also, just as a little side rant, did there really have to be 150 chapters in a 393 page book?
First, I have never read a book with so much foreshadowing in it. There was SO much foreshadowing that I lost track of what I was supposed to be anticipating. I got more frustrated with it the longer it went on and it went on throughout THE ENTIRE BOOK. The book would have been better (and much shorter) if the author could have just gotten on with it.
Second, it was at times ridiculously implausible. It's a historical novel about regular Irish people and their involvement in WWII. There are even some actual facts thrown into the story. However, the things the author has these characters do, the places he has them go, and the ways he has them get involved in the war and with each other were just silly, excessive, and stupid, frankly.
Third, it was sluggish. It took me weeks to slosh through the book because it didn't hold my attention. There were some exciting and interesting parts, but not enough of them. Basically, it's not a page turner.
The book was not horrible. I liked the character development and I really felt for Ben, but it just was not my kind of book.
Also, just as a little side rant, did there really have to be 150 chapters in a 393 page book?
February 22, 2011
Frank Delaney’s novel The Matchmaker of Kenmare didn’t strike me as a particularly good book, although I found myself absorbed in the last 100 pages or so wanting to know how things turned out. It’s set during World War II and tells the story of Ben McCarthy, a folklorist who travels around the country collecting stories and is trying to recover from a broken heart after his wife mysteriously disappeared, and Kate Begley, the matchmaker of the title, a young woman learning how to ply the matchmaking trade from her grandmother. The two meet and strike up a somewhat combative friendship. They meet the American intelligence officer Charles Miller, and Kate falls in love. She also starts working for Miller, or so Ben surmises as he watches them having mysteriously intense conversations. Kate’s involvement with Charles takes them first to London, and later into France, Belgium, and Germany. Even though the war is winding down and Ben and Kate are partly protected by Ireland’s neutral stance in the war, they find themselves in way over their heads.
Read the rest of the review at Of Books and Bicycles
Read the rest of the review at Of Books and Bicycles
December 13, 2013
Another one of those books that would make a great movie but it was just so drawn out, I was reading more and more just to get it over with!
Neat idea, Irish matchmaker who has a bit of mystery about her, but yet loveable, an Irishman with a trouble past, a handsome American soldier who is or may not be more than he appears to be. Great backdrops of Ireland, England, Belgium, and even the middle of the U.S.; some neat characters appear... great potential... but...
It takes place in WWII and the main characters actually go into dangerous areas (unrealistic but then you wouldn't have a story)... hundreds and hundreds of pages and it would have been at least 25 pages shorter if the author would have stopped saying..."if I only knew then what I knew now" and all the other cliches about "should haves". Foreshadowing is a great concept in writing - you don't have to spell it out to the reader (although in this case, the narrator is telling the story, in writing, to his now-grown children so maybe the real author thought the narrator would actually keep writing this way?? (I blame the editor).
Anyway, the story line is good, if the writing could have been condensed to the actual story, it would have been a pretty good book.
Neat idea, Irish matchmaker who has a bit of mystery about her, but yet loveable, an Irishman with a trouble past, a handsome American soldier who is or may not be more than he appears to be. Great backdrops of Ireland, England, Belgium, and even the middle of the U.S.; some neat characters appear... great potential... but...
It takes place in WWII and the main characters actually go into dangerous areas (unrealistic but then you wouldn't have a story)... hundreds and hundreds of pages and it would have been at least 25 pages shorter if the author would have stopped saying..."if I only knew then what I knew now" and all the other cliches about "should haves". Foreshadowing is a great concept in writing - you don't have to spell it out to the reader (although in this case, the narrator is telling the story, in writing, to his now-grown children so maybe the real author thought the narrator would actually keep writing this way?? (I blame the editor).
Anyway, the story line is good, if the writing could have been condensed to the actual story, it would have been a pretty good book.
September 20, 2011
I've noticed that most of the reviews for this book are four and five stars. Not mine. I found the book disappointing. Reading the jacket, I thought I would like it as much as his other books, and if he had stuck to the love lost and found aspects, I would have. But the war part is boring to me.
If you plan to read this book, I suggest you read Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show first. I really enjoyed that book and this one, although it has a totally different plot, picks up where the Traveling Show left off. Without reading the first book, you don’t really understand the desperation that Ben feels as he roams around collecting folklore. Also, this book is hard to get into, unless you are already involved with the characters. I really didn’t get into it until the last 60 or 70 pages. So, do I recommend it? No.
If you plan to read this book, I suggest you read Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show first. I really enjoyed that book and this one, although it has a totally different plot, picks up where the Traveling Show left off. Without reading the first book, you don’t really understand the desperation that Ben feels as he roams around collecting folklore. Also, this book is hard to get into, unless you are already involved with the characters. I really didn’t get into it until the last 60 or 70 pages. So, do I recommend it? No.
September 3, 2013
Can't believe I read the whole thing! It was long, it was boring (at times), and I'm still left wondering "Why am I reading this?" The first book was great, I couldn't put it down. This one took me over a month and I couldn't pick it up. I want to read the third book just to complete the series, but I'm afraid it will be like this one.
With that said, I really disliked Kate. She irritates me, rubs me the wrong way, is whiny, selfish, and manipulative. Ben deserves better. He, however, is an idiot! He had the opportunity to end his search for Venetia and he walked away. Walked away and didn't even think about looking back. Walked away and left all his questions unanswered. And when he finally decided to look for those answers, it was too late. Makes me want to smack him really hard upside the head.
With that said, I really disliked Kate. She irritates me, rubs me the wrong way, is whiny, selfish, and manipulative. Ben deserves better. He, however, is an idiot! He had the opportunity to end his search for Venetia and he walked away. Walked away and didn't even think about looking back. Walked away and left all his questions unanswered. And when he finally decided to look for those answers, it was too late. Makes me want to smack him really hard upside the head.
April 22, 2019
I really enjoyed Ireland and was hoping for more of the same in this book. I should have heeded the other reviews. This is not as good as Ireland. In fact, it has the dubious distinction of being one of the few books I decided not to finish. Usually I can push myself to at least complete a book, but the aversion to this one was too strong. The writing was good and the story was decent. It was the characters. Kate started off as a confident, albeit quirky, woman. But once she found a man she wanted, she turned co-dependent. She essentially made a bargain to get him to marry her and was oblivious to his ambivalence to her. She tracked him down while he was fighting in the war "because he needs me". Give me a break. And Ben pined after her all the while he blindly followed her into the middle of the war to find her husband. Ugh. With main characters like this, I'll pass.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 21, 2015
The Matchmaker of Kenmare is a challenge to read because of the multiple digressions. If this were not a book club choice, I might have set the book aside. The wandering tale telling ended up to be the charm of the book. Readers will have to hang on to complete this book and enjoy it.
December 5, 2017
This book just never quite went over the top for me. It tried to be historical fiction, it tried to be well rounded, it tried to be telling, but it just skirted around each and fell short. I will eventually read the third book to finish out the story.
February 17, 2011
This book took me by surprise, in a number of ways. I hadn’t known about its impending publication, mostly because I still had Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show on my to-read list. When I was fortunate enough to get my hands on an advance reader’s copy, I figured it would be another languid, bucolic yarn in the tradition of Delaney’s other books. Which it sort of was, in that it has the same undeniable Irish storyteller feel to it. However, Delaney has outdone himself this time, as I finally enjoyed the myth of the characters as much as the myth of the setting this time around.
This book is, more or less, a direct sequel to Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show. It picks up with Ben MacCarthy traveling Ireland, gathering stories for the Folklore Commission and dodging painful memories of his missing wife. As part of his travels, he visits Kate Begley, the titular matchmaker, thinking only to collect some observations on rural matchmaking traditions. He discovers Kate to be a force of nature, and is immediately drawn into a close friendship with her. Their odd platonic companionship becomes even more tightly wound as Kate suddenly meets the great love of her life, American soldier Charles Miller. Kate finagles a way to catch him that drags Ben off into the WWII battlefields of France, where their only protection is the professed wartime neutrality of Ireland. When Miller inexplicably disappears, Kate’s determination to find him has far-reaching consequences, not the least of which is the effect on Ben. Trapped by grief for his wife and unsure of his feelings for Kate, he nonetheless continues to escort Kate on her foolhardy quest, and has ample opportunity to reflect on what "neutrality" really means, both physically and emotionally.
So, in the beginning, I felt like I should have read Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show first. Ben serves as the story’s narrator, and thus his backstory from the previous book is referred to rather than explained, creating a few moments of disorientation in the beginning. However, once I became familiar with Ben, I appreciated the symmetry that came with him being as mysterious to me as Kate- especially later in the book, when their analogous searches for the possibly-dead become entwined. Despite my initial wariness, I found this novel to work quite well as a standalone.
And what a standalone it is. Delaney, always a favorite author of mine, finally got it completely right this time around. This book has all of the strengths of his signature style. The settings are rich and easily visualized. The characters fit into archetypes that are very familiar to those who have read Delaney before, but are still delightfully quirky and real. I also found myself enjoying the bits of absurdity that should, by all rights, be bugging the hell out of me. Kate Begley is an infuriating character most of the time, but a blend of the odd (homilies at inappropriate times) and the profound (unshakeable conviction masking insecurity and naiveté) in her characterization make it impossible not to be invested in her. The same can be said for the story in general. For example, the book begins with a factoid about giraffes, which proves important later, when Ben and Kate end up meeting one. Seriously. Most readers would wonder how something like that could possibly work in a story that is already a mishmash of meet-cute, family memoir, and war story, but somehow, it does work. These bizarre asides just enriched the tale for me; they imparted a sense of the epic, like the unlikely details slipped into a genuine folk tale. Considering the author’s usual pattern, and the distinctly Irish bittersweetness of the book's ending, I’m sure this was Delaney’s intent.
Notably, none of the mild annoyances I found in Delaney’s other books are present this time around. I don’t know if this is the case with the previous book, but The Matchmaker of Kenmare definitely has the tightest storytelling of Delaney’s books that I’ve read, and I’ve uniformly loved his other books. Nowhere in sight is the odd, padded pace of Ireland, the awkward and stilted romance of Tipperary: A Novel, or the unnecessary characters of Shannon: A Novel. The pace is perfect here, with none of the jarring I’d expect as the story moved from picturesque Ireland to the war-torn Ardennes. Delaney’s tendency towards odd tangents dovetails perfectly (and is even explicitly explained, at one point) by Ben MacCarthy’s narration, as the character’s affinity for tangents is his indirect way of dealing with painful memories. The romantic elements were genuinely affecting and passionate, and were often heartbreaking in their tragic realism.
If I have any gripe with the book, oddly enough, it’s with the cover. As I noted above, I was offered and greedily consumed a prepub galley, so I had only the text and Delaney’s reputation to guide me. When I saw the actual cover, it reminded me a lot of the other Delaney covers: a charming, idyllic, homespun image of a beautiful, dreamlike Ireland, whereupon distracted characters pace the countryside and ruminate on the country’s rich, mythic history. There’s a little of that in the Matchmaker of Kenmare, but to me, the story jumps out of that particular box. There’s something here for all readers, including romance, folklore, war, adventure, and humor. However, the lion’s share of the story is fairly intense, gritty, and emotionally charged. Speaking as a librarian, I honestly think the cover could turn away some readers who would otherwise very much enjoy the book, and likewise dupe other readers who aren’t prepared for Ben and Kate’s march through perdition.
Cover-judging aside, though, this is a truly a phenomenal book. It’s definitely my favorite of Delaney’s, and one of the better fiction books I’ve read in the past few years. The characters will stay with me for some time, I think.
This book is, more or less, a direct sequel to Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show. It picks up with Ben MacCarthy traveling Ireland, gathering stories for the Folklore Commission and dodging painful memories of his missing wife. As part of his travels, he visits Kate Begley, the titular matchmaker, thinking only to collect some observations on rural matchmaking traditions. He discovers Kate to be a force of nature, and is immediately drawn into a close friendship with her. Their odd platonic companionship becomes even more tightly wound as Kate suddenly meets the great love of her life, American soldier Charles Miller. Kate finagles a way to catch him that drags Ben off into the WWII battlefields of France, where their only protection is the professed wartime neutrality of Ireland. When Miller inexplicably disappears, Kate’s determination to find him has far-reaching consequences, not the least of which is the effect on Ben. Trapped by grief for his wife and unsure of his feelings for Kate, he nonetheless continues to escort Kate on her foolhardy quest, and has ample opportunity to reflect on what "neutrality" really means, both physically and emotionally.
So, in the beginning, I felt like I should have read Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show first. Ben serves as the story’s narrator, and thus his backstory from the previous book is referred to rather than explained, creating a few moments of disorientation in the beginning. However, once I became familiar with Ben, I appreciated the symmetry that came with him being as mysterious to me as Kate- especially later in the book, when their analogous searches for the possibly-dead become entwined. Despite my initial wariness, I found this novel to work quite well as a standalone.
And what a standalone it is. Delaney, always a favorite author of mine, finally got it completely right this time around. This book has all of the strengths of his signature style. The settings are rich and easily visualized. The characters fit into archetypes that are very familiar to those who have read Delaney before, but are still delightfully quirky and real. I also found myself enjoying the bits of absurdity that should, by all rights, be bugging the hell out of me. Kate Begley is an infuriating character most of the time, but a blend of the odd (homilies at inappropriate times) and the profound (unshakeable conviction masking insecurity and naiveté) in her characterization make it impossible not to be invested in her. The same can be said for the story in general. For example, the book begins with a factoid about giraffes, which proves important later, when Ben and Kate end up meeting one. Seriously. Most readers would wonder how something like that could possibly work in a story that is already a mishmash of meet-cute, family memoir, and war story, but somehow, it does work. These bizarre asides just enriched the tale for me; they imparted a sense of the epic, like the unlikely details slipped into a genuine folk tale. Considering the author’s usual pattern, and the distinctly Irish bittersweetness of the book's ending, I’m sure this was Delaney’s intent.
Notably, none of the mild annoyances I found in Delaney’s other books are present this time around. I don’t know if this is the case with the previous book, but The Matchmaker of Kenmare definitely has the tightest storytelling of Delaney’s books that I’ve read, and I’ve uniformly loved his other books. Nowhere in sight is the odd, padded pace of Ireland, the awkward and stilted romance of Tipperary: A Novel, or the unnecessary characters of Shannon: A Novel. The pace is perfect here, with none of the jarring I’d expect as the story moved from picturesque Ireland to the war-torn Ardennes. Delaney’s tendency towards odd tangents dovetails perfectly (and is even explicitly explained, at one point) by Ben MacCarthy’s narration, as the character’s affinity for tangents is his indirect way of dealing with painful memories. The romantic elements were genuinely affecting and passionate, and were often heartbreaking in their tragic realism.
If I have any gripe with the book, oddly enough, it’s with the cover. As I noted above, I was offered and greedily consumed a prepub galley, so I had only the text and Delaney’s reputation to guide me. When I saw the actual cover, it reminded me a lot of the other Delaney covers: a charming, idyllic, homespun image of a beautiful, dreamlike Ireland, whereupon distracted characters pace the countryside and ruminate on the country’s rich, mythic history. There’s a little of that in the Matchmaker of Kenmare, but to me, the story jumps out of that particular box. There’s something here for all readers, including romance, folklore, war, adventure, and humor. However, the lion’s share of the story is fairly intense, gritty, and emotionally charged. Speaking as a librarian, I honestly think the cover could turn away some readers who would otherwise very much enjoy the book, and likewise dupe other readers who aren’t prepared for Ben and Kate’s march through perdition.
Cover-judging aside, though, this is a truly a phenomenal book. It’s definitely my favorite of Delaney’s, and one of the better fiction books I’ve read in the past few years. The characters will stay with me for some time, I think.
August 13, 2019
I liked it. I like Delaney’s ramblings. I understand why others don’t but the ramblings aren’t those of Delaney’s, they are those of the character he created. Those characters are often the narrators of their personal story speaking in their own voice, from their own perspective. Who can view themselves accurately? Who when telling a story about something that happened to them tells the story in perfect chronology the first go round? No one. And that’s why I liked this narrator, Ben. He knows he’s imperfect and believes himself to be a bad person at times. Reading the narration of one who thinks this about himself is interesting and fun. This isn’t a love story in the traditional sense but it’s as honest as Ben could be to himself and to those who read his story.
I read Tipperary years ago and I still think of that book because it was a good lesson on the untrustworthy first person narrator. What’s nice about Delaney is that he makes it a point to emphasize that the narrator is imperfect and may not recall things accurately. It keeps you on your toes as a reader and I like it.
I read Tipperary years ago and I still think of that book because it was a good lesson on the untrustworthy first person narrator. What’s nice about Delaney is that he makes it a point to emphasize that the narrator is imperfect and may not recall things accurately. It keeps you on your toes as a reader and I like it.
September 17, 2023
This is well-written enough overall, but it never really grabbed or held my attention. I am willing to entertain the idea that it reflects oddities in my own taste. This story is being shared, we are told, for the benefit of the narrator’s adult children, but I can’t help but think that to hold onto that premise, the story should have been told more directly. The author seems to spend a lot of time explaining or hinting that this or that character, or this or that event or statement, will play an important role in the future, yet to be revealed. It is like that little preview at the end of a tv series episode, teasing you with a peak at the next episode to get you to watch. I felt like I was spending too much time with this foreshadowing and not enough withbhat was happening now. I also wasn’t quite as enthralled with the title character as he was, but that is a minor point. Like I said, it might be my own reading preferences.
August 30, 2020
Frank Delaney definitely knows how to tell a story in his lyrical style. I've enjoyed two other delightful books by him, 'Shannon" and "Tipperary." This one didn't quite hit the mark with me: the story was set in the waning days of WWII and followed the narrator, Ben, and the matchmaker, Kate, as they searched France, Belgium and Germany for her soldier husband. There were a few too many characters coming in and out of the narrative; I wish Delaney had written with tighter focus on the main story. Still, I'd read a book by him anytime.
June 4, 2018
I loved this book. It's set during WW2, when Ireland remained "neutral" . It takes us to Ireland, France, and the United States, while the author tells about a young woman who puts people who wish to be married together. He travels with her on her journies to find her American husband who is an officer in the US Army. Of course he falls in love with her, despite his own search for his missing wife. I highly recommend it.
July 18, 2022
Heard the audio version, which probably really added to the story. Im reviewing this in July and yet, I still recall how much I wanted to savor this, slow down and just enjoy it. I loved learning about Ireland this way and about it's cultural heritage of storytelling. So many cultures have storytelling, and I loved how this was portrayed.
January 7, 2023
I didn't finish due to inappropriate content, but in this case the scene did contribute to showing the reader Kate's desperate side under her confident, in-command shell. I'm disappointed not to finish but the author did do a beautiful job describing the country, which was what I was looking for in a book.
May 22, 2017
A fantastic story reminiscent of a Tim Burton movie (I'm thinking "Big Fish"). It rambles, twisting and turning ways I never expected. Light hearted at times it also explored serious topics. It does ramble though.
January 29, 2018
True, Love, War and a Giraffe
This is an intriguing story you might believe is true. Kate and Ben travel through WWII (1944-45) seeking Charles Miller, Kate's missing husband. Ben's inner self leads on many internal and external challenges until we reach a surprising conclusion.
This is an intriguing story you might believe is true. Kate and Ben travel through WWII (1944-45) seeking Charles Miller, Kate's missing husband. Ben's inner self leads on many internal and external challenges until we reach a surprising conclusion.
March 3, 2018
Excellent continuation of Ben MacCarthy and his wandering through Ireland for the Folklore Commission learning of stories of old, and becoming
A legend in his own right. This is the story of Kate Begley the matchmaker and a whole cast of characters during the dark days of WWII and after.
A legend in his own right. This is the story of Kate Begley the matchmaker and a whole cast of characters during the dark days of WWII and after.
December 4, 2019
Oh, the things we will do for love...no matter how irrational her requests were, Ben did all he could for his friend Kate, sometimes risking depravity and death behind enemy lines. From one adventure to another, though, I stayed engrossed in the story. Very well written.
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