Pieces of Me: A Life-in-Progress

by Róisín Ingle

Despite her initial reluctance, Roisin Ingle's weekly column in The Irish Times Magazine has been enjoyed by thousands of readers over the last three years. In her disarmingly open style—always humorous, often deeply affecting—she muses on life, love, and everything in between. Collected together for the first time, the columns are accompanied by new writings in which she reflects on the death of her father, her failed marriage, her unlikely path into journalism, and her long-standing love affair with Borza's fish and chips.

Genres: Irish Literature

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2005

Reviews

[Ashima Jain · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not a novel, but a collection of essays that the author wrote as a regular column in the Irish Times Magazine. A column, originally named 'Regarding Ireland' which, when Róisín Ingle took over, she decided to make her own. So, it became a column about 'her life' in Ireland.

In these essays, which are grouped by the different aspects of her life, she talks about her loves, losses, her journey through various careers, spirituality, and even her self destructive period - all tied by one common thread: Ireland.

She writes with humour, honesty, and an introspection that often found a deep personal connect with me. Some of her stories her inspirational, others are eye-opening. In the end, they are all a peek into a life-in-progress.

This book was published in 2005 and carries about three years worth of her writing, including some new pieces that were not published before. She continues to write the column even today, which tells you how successfully it has been running.

And to think I found the book hidden under a pile of humongous cookery books at a books-by-weight sale. (I know...talk about being disorganised. *eyeroll*). But I sure am glad I didn't leave it there.