Summer in the City

by Pauline McLynn

Lucy White can’t quite believe what’s happened to her happy, ordinary life. Ending up homeless – not to mention husbandless – has come as an almighty shock. All she wants to do is lie low for a while, but when she arrives in a quiet street in South London she’s in for a surprise.

The residents of Farewell Square are anything but quiet. There’s a housewife with a secret that needs to be shared, a publicist whose behaviour outside office hours would shock his clients and an artist who can’t seem to control her lodgers. They’re as intrigued by Lucy as she is by them, and as she’s drawn into their midst, she realises that life can be kind as well as cruel. And that no one has to be lonely if they don’t want to be.

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published November 7, 2005

About the author

Pauline McLynn (born 11 July 1962) is an Irish actress, comedienne and author, best known for playing Mrs Doyle on the Channel 4 sitcom Father Ted. McLynn was born in Sligo but grew up in Galway. She studied History of Art and Modern English at Trinity College, Dublin. She was heavily involved in Trinity's Dublin University Players (college drama society). She is married to the producer and agent Richard Cook. She supports both Aston Villa and Bohemian F.C.

Reviews

[Reene's Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

My next read

"Summer in the city" by Pauline McLlynn

🏠🚗☀️

At first I found this book very confusing with all the amount of different characters at first, but then the more you read Pauline did a good job of explaining more about each character.

It was an enjoyable read, I completed the book over the weekend.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

@reenes_library

#newread #bookworm🐛📖 #booklover #bookstagram #books #bookrecommendations #bookinsta #bookinstagram #paulinemclynn

[David Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take any suburban street in any city and it you will find a microcosm of society. From the ubiquitous average family to the eccentric or plain barmy, they will all be there somewhere. And it’s because of this we can relate to the strangely bizarre set of characters for whom Farewell Square is home.

There are a lot of characters introduced very quickly and at first I found it difficult to work out who was who and what their role was. But Pauline McLynn’s gloriously captivating narrative very soon made it all very clear.

Farewell Square is one of those small cul-de-sacs that from the outside seem idyllic in their Victorian splendour. But behind every door is a tale of unfulfilled promise, unimaginable pain and unrequited passions. Each of the characters in this witty and thoughtful romp is brought face to face with their personal demons with the help of Lucy, the interloper in the Nissan Micra. Just why Lucy has taken up residence in the Square, living out of her unsuitably small car is just one of the mysteries that make this such a great read.

Pauline McLynn writes simple witty stories that are non-the-less thoughtful and captivating. Her style, and the wonderful characters she creates to populate her books make her work more than run of the mill. Summer In The City has moments of great comedy alongside heart-breaking sadness. It is an easy, relaxing read, but also one that makes interesting and thought provoking look at suburban life and the often ludicrous priorities of modern living.

In poking around the sadness that lies beneath the surface of these very ordinary seeming characters, we can laugh at their absurdity, but also consider how we are perceived by others.

[Gemma Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I did think highly of this from start to finish, I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Would have liked to have seen the characters fleshed out a little more in their futures rather than what happened. But all in all, I did enjoy it :)

[Lauren Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good lazy read with a lot of different viewpoints. I like the slow reveals of each characters life

[Helen Ashcroft-Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but too many characters for me ... and a little graphic for me on one particular point 😱

[Liz]

Not for me.
Too many characters and none of them very interesting

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a page turner but left me wondering was it worth it when I turned to the final page. The characters lacked depth thus making them difficult to engage with. The plots were interesting but the connection between the subplots seemed forced. The story lacked reality but didn't quite leap into the realms of completely unrealistic, fluffy chicklit in which reality does not matter. An ok read, good to pass the time especially during times of stress or exhaustion! Switch off brain and read happily for a couple of days!

[Wilkie Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the number of characters introduced at the start meant that it was difficult to work out who was who, what was happening and why i should be interested in them. However, I persisted and it began to make sense and I enjoyed it. It is set, perhaps, in a not very believable and rather cosy community and I found some of the characters (especially Colin) were rather cliched. Still, it was an enjoyable read.

[Kristyh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely chick lit - but very high end chick lit. I really enjoyed it - a great story without too much corn (the near death bit where Ulreke met the boys in heaven was the only exception). Pauline McLynn has been a delightful discovery for me, this is my second and the last available from my library, I won't hesitate to spend money on the rest.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Touching yet light hearted. I enjoyed the stories of the different people who lived in the close and although completely contrived their interaction was enjoyable. This book worked really well on audio as I loved the different accents.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't find a way into this book, I enjoyed other books by her but this one is just flat and difficult

[Kman999 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well, reasonable set-ups, but failed to sufficiently develop the many stories and took too many lazy/easy options.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mrs. Doyle clearly has many talents!

[Bronwyn Rykiert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was okay with some sadness in it as well. It had a bit of everything.