The Terrace

by Maria Duffy

A missing lottery ticket throws a once closeknit community into chaos, and leads everyone to how well can you ever know your neighbours?St Enda's Terrace, nestled in the heart of Dublin city, is like any other closeknit community - there's the newly-weds planning on having a baby; the single mother raising her children on her own; the upwardly mobile couple who bought in the height of the boom, and the long-timers to whom everyone goes for advice.But behind every closed door, there are secrets. And when the street syndicate wins the national lottery, but the ticket is nowhere to be found, these neighbours are about to discover just how much has been kept hidden...As friendships and relationships are put to the test in the search for the missing ticket, the residents of St Enda's learn that, while good times might come and go, good friends are forever.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

394 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

I grew up in the heart of Dublin with my parents and older brother. Being a professional eavesdropper from an early age, I always loved to write about the things I heard and would exaggerate them into proper stories! I spent my childhood devouring books and vowing some day I'd write one myself. But life had other things in mind and after spending 15 years working in a bank, I subsequently left to be at home with my four children. Having lost a lot of confidence in my own ability, it seemed my dream of writing a book was moving further and further away from me. When my youngest started school four years ago and I finally had some 'me' time, I decided to pursue that dream. After having a few short stories published, I eventually got myself an agent and very quickly had a two book deal. My first book, Any Dream Will Do, was published in November 2011 and my latest one, The Terrace, is out now, August 2012. I adore writing and feel like the luckiest person in the world to wake up every morning and live my dream.

Find me on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/maria.duffy.14

Reviews

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warm and engaging

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lettura piacevole, anche se non particolarmente avvincente. Enda's, quartiere di Dublino, è un microcosmo i cui abitanti si conoscono e aiutano a vicenda. Al di sotto della superficie perfetta, però, si nascondono segreti e piccoli dammi, che vengono alla luce dopo la perdita della ricevuta di una vincita al lotto. Alla giocata avevano partecipato un gruppo di amici che vive nella strada. La ricerca e i sospetti si intrecciano con le vicissitudini personali dei protagonisti. A dir la verità ho un po' faticato a concludere il libro, forse perché ultimamente sono più abituata si thriller, ma nel complesso mi è piaciuto.

[Martha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant book, bit slow in places and I felt maybe more could have been done with the characters and one small gripe of mine would be the amount of "padding" in the the book, they padded all over their houses, does nobody "walk" around anymore? Overall enjoyable read though.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I kind of enjoyed this book it did tend to just ramble on a bit. In places it was amusing, in places it was irritating. Sometimes it just didn't seem as if it was going anywhere.

The storyline often seemed vague. Sometimes I couldn't work out what on earth was happening. Then at other times the characters seemed to gel in some kind of cohesion and bits would fall into a place of sorts and the reader got a small glimpse of just what might have happened to the lottery ticket, all this while we suffer the traumas of everyday life with a teenager, a new relationship, a slightly older relationship and various other joys or catastrophes that seem to happen with alarming regularity on a very small street. Even though the characters were all really well defined and did seem to meld well the amount of negativity in the lives of so few people was wearily akin to a mass dystopian social event! I found some of the story quite depressing in all honesty.

If you like chick lit in all its finery then you'll probably enjoy this one - I couldn't even get excited about it when the culprit of the vanishing lottery ticket saga unveiled themselves - I'd already pretty much sussed them out well before the end of the book.

I own a softback copy of this book.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adoro il titolo, peccato che la trama e il dispiegarsi dei suoi eventi mi siano piaciuti meno. Con questo non voglio dire che è un brutto libro perché non posso, è ben scritto con uno stile definito e la storia per quanto poco mi sia piaciuta scorre senza troppi intoppi.
Non mi è piaciuto per vari motivi: i personaggi sembrano stereotipi troppo poco veritieri, se non fosse stato per il fatto che l'autrice ha espressamente detto che era ambientato in Irlanda avrei potuto dire che si svolgesse in un qualsiasi quartiere di un qualsiasi posto, troppo sdolcinato e dedito al lieto fine ad ogni costo.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Set over a period of about two weeks in a cul de sac in an Irish Village.
*Light-hearted, quick, easy read.
*Loveable, friendly, outgoing, extroverted characters.
*Highlights how gossip can lead to misunderstandings.
*Almost humourous.
#Financial gains, Drama, Romance, Decline in health, Secrets, Child loss, Neighbourhood relationships, Fashion, Family dynamics

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un buon libro, carino e divertente.
L’ambientazione ti fa venire in mente di andare a Dublino e ti fa venir voglia di avere un buon rapporto con i tuoi vicini.
Una ricevuta scomparsa, una storia d’amore, un documentario. What’s else?

[Chris Meehan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great yarn about the residents of an Irish street where everyone knows everyone’s business, but in the nicest possible way.

[Igor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light hearted fun read

[Mrs C Beckton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, light read.

[Kirsten Donaldson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Light hearted and easy read

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally reviewed at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

I’ve known Maria from Twitter for almost a year so when she asked me if I wanted to read her book, I was over the moon. She’s absolutely lovely and hilarious and I couldn’t wait to read The Terrace. But – and saying it makes me cringe so bad I want to hide behind my desk in utter embarrassment – no matter how much I wanted to love this book, I just didn’t. I couldn’t. I loved the idea of the missing ticket and this mystery element in the story but the book as a whole just wasn’t for me.

What I did like about the novel, apart from the story of the missing lottery ticket, is its characters. I love the fact that they’re ordinary people just like us, which makes them easily relatable for us readers. I found Marco in particular really adorable and someone who actually reminded me of a friend of mine – he was definitely my favourite character and he put a smile on my face every time I picked the book up.

What really bugged me, though, and what eventually put me off – as ridiculous as it will sound – was the author’s overuse of names and exclamation marks. I know it’s important to differentiate the two – or more – speakers in a dialogue but when it’s clear who is speaking to whom I don’t think it’s necessary to use people’s names in every single sentence. I know there are people who do talk like that in real life but most of us don’t and it’s both unnecessary and slightly annoying after a while. As for exclamation marks, I’ve seen this overuse in a few other books and I just don’t get it. I mean, using them in a dialogue or at the end of a sentence which expresses enthusiasm or surprise is one thing and it’s totally fine. But closing almost every chapter with it and using it in sentences where you don’t need them at all makes the text – at least for a weird grammar freak like me – a bit awkward. And as much as I didn’t want to let it affect me or bother me and as much as I tried to concentrate on the plot only, this false enthusiasm (or bad editing?) was starting to give me a headache. Mind you, I’ve checked every single review on Amazon and Goodreads and no one mentioned it (or the overuse of names) so it might be just me, I don’t know. But it did put me off and this is why, despite the fact that the story was interesting, I’m only giving this book 3 stars.

I really wanted to love this book. I really did. But it wasn’t for me, unfortunately. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been reading more serious books lately and I’m just not in the mood for something light like this or if it’s something else. I might have to give it another try in the summer and see what I think then.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful portrayal of a close-knit community in Dublin City. A camera crew is about to arrive from America to film St Enda's Terrace and show what a loving and friendly community it is, but before they arrive the street syndicate win a million euro on the national lottery. The only problem is that the ticket is missing, and with tensions running high and secrets abounding, will the residents of the Terrace be able to portray their street on camera as it once was? And will their friendships survive the upheaval of the search for the ticket?
I loved how the residents of the Terrace genuinely cared for each other, it is rare to see in today's society and it should be celebrated. I liked how Maggie held them all together, she was like a true Irish Mammy and looked after them all, often to the detriment of herself. i adored Marco, he was an amazing character and there was never a dull moment with him around. There were a number of twists in this plot, and I always judge how good a book is by whether I can guess the twists before they are revealed. In this case I didn't, they were unpredictable and made this book a real page turner. I'm on my way out to buy Any Dream Will Do right now, I need to read more by Maria Duffy!

[Talli Roland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Maria Duffy's début novel 'Any Dream Will Do', I was really looking forward to her next one -- and I wasn't disappointed. 'The Terrace' is written in the same lively, engaging style, but it's told from the viewpoint of several different characters residing in St Enda's Terrace. A close-knit street that is torn apart when a winning lottery syndicate ticket goes missing, I loved being drawn into the world of the different personalities, each with their own secrets and troubles. As the story unfolds and the mystery of the missing ticket deepens, I sped through the remaining pages, eager to see what happens!

An entertaining, absorbing read.

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 really!When i read the reviews for this book on the cover I thought i was in for a real treat, it sounded like something marian keyes would write so I was really looking forward to it.I'm not saying i was disappointed with this book, I thought it a warm and witty book, with a quite engaging plot and some nice characters but at the same time it feels like it never really got going. And i wasnt a big fan of the hollywood style airport ending!

[Carolann Copland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me a great laugh and it made me cry. These characters are so real that I find myself missing them this week as I go about my daily life! Marco is wonderful. Maria Duffy has managed to write a book about love that happens to star a gay person as opposed to a book about a gay person who happens to be in love. This story is about love and family and community. It makes me proud to be a Dubliner! G'wan! Buy it! Curl up under your duvet and let life go on without you for a while!

[Kelly Spillane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again Maria really came up with an amazing story. It had plenty of sub plots as well of the obvious story of the lotto win.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat to the very end with just the right amount of suspense. Its full of ploy twists, which keep the story interesting!

In my opinion, this is an absolute must read 5 star book!

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasnt mad about her previous book, Any dream will do' and i was even more dissapointed with this one.

The actual idea of the story is brilliant and i think so much could have been made of it.

Poorly written - and repatative...how many times can so many people put a cup in a dishwasher !!!!

[Aisling Maunsell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book! From the minute I got it I couldn't put it down. When I finished it I felt as if i'd lost a group of friends. Really excellent read and would recommend it to everyone! A must read!!

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good storyline with the close knit community, lotto ticket and film crew from America but would have liked a little bit more of our dub humour. However in saying that did enjoy reading this book especially getting caught bursting out laughing at traffic lights.

[Aedin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read such a clever book loved the story had me totally gripped loved loved it well done

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was warm and cosy, made me laugh out loud and had likeable characters who all added colour to the book.

[Emma McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Though the writing style is different, I would compare this story to Maeve Binchy's Minding Frankie.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one. I felt that Maria caught the true heart of Dublin in this one. Loved all the characters and the stories behind them

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very disappointed with this book. I thought the quality of the writing was extremely poor & the storyline was predictable.

[Freda Landers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this. Very heartwarming story and included such likeable characters too. Would love if same characters returned in future books from Maria duffy

[Bernadette]

Brilliant. fell in love with the characters.

[Estelle]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13712713