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Going Back
How do you know where you belong?
In June 1988, Elizabeth Kelly's parents think she belongs at home in Ireland. Her boyfriend is certain of it. Unwilling to settle down just yet, she decides to spend the summer in Boston with her college friends.
The next four months change all of their lives. Elizabeth surprises herself by falling for Danny Esposito, a restless charmer with a troublesome family.
Almost a quarter of a century later, Ireland is once again gripped by recession. A new generation looks to America, awakening memories of a golden summer for their parents. When a crisis occurs, Elizabeth returns to Boston where she is drawn back into the life she once lived. But will she be able to reconcile the dreams of her twenty-year-old self with the woman she has become?
Going Back is a story of family, friendships and love, of difficult decisions and lifelong consequences.
In June 1988, Elizabeth Kelly's parents think she belongs at home in Ireland. Her boyfriend is certain of it. Unwilling to settle down just yet, she decides to spend the summer in Boston with her college friends.
The next four months change all of their lives. Elizabeth surprises herself by falling for Danny Esposito, a restless charmer with a troublesome family.
Almost a quarter of a century later, Ireland is once again gripped by recession. A new generation looks to America, awakening memories of a golden summer for their parents. When a crisis occurs, Elizabeth returns to Boston where she is drawn back into the life she once lived. But will she be able to reconcile the dreams of her twenty-year-old self with the woman she has become?
Going Back is a story of family, friendships and love, of difficult decisions and lifelong consequences.
361 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2013
16 people are currently reading
937 people want to read
About the author
Rachael English
8 books226 followersHi, and thanks for visiting my page.
I'm the author of seven novels. The latest is WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BIRDY TROY?Before that there was GOING BACK, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY, THE PAPER BRACELET and the Irish number one bestsellers, THE LETTER HOME and THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Like many many writers, I also have a day job. I'm a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.
You can find me on Twitter - @EnglishRachael, on Instagram - @RachaelEnglishWriter or on Facebook.
I'm the author of seven novels. The latest is WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BIRDY TROY?Before that there was GOING BACK, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY, THE PAPER BRACELET and the Irish number one bestsellers, THE LETTER HOME and THE AMERICAN GIRL.
Like many many writers, I also have a day job. I'm a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.
You can find me on Twitter - @EnglishRachael, on Instagram - @RachaelEnglishWriter or on Facebook.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 25, 2015
4.5 stars.
The year is 1988 and like many Irish students, Elizabeth is on a J1 visa in America. Crammed into a wreck of an apartment with some college friends, life in Boston is haze of hot summer days and nights of sneaking into bars with no ID. Elizabeth has left her boyfriend back in Ireland and plans to return to normal life as soon as her visa expires. Her plans become askew when she falls for local boy, Danny, and embarks on an intense summer romance. She spends almost every minute with him and it becomes apparent that they are soul mates. But can love be enough when your future is based on the other side of The Atlantic?
Flash forward twenty years, and we see Elizabeth as a mother of two, marriage crumbling and watching her eldest head off for a summer in Boston. Memories come flooding back and when her daughter needs her to follow her to America, Elizabeth comes face to face with her past.
From the first chapter, I was plunged back to 1988 and the memories of big hair, great music and carefree times. Chatting on Twitter, it seems to be a memorable year for many of us readers and we had some great fun with the hashtag #1988. Fleetwood Mac, home perms and Madonna look-a-likes were the common thread! Although I did not visit The United States til the early 1990s, reading about Elizabeth's experiences made me feel like I was right there beside her. The excitement of getting news from home, football and hurling results, newspaper clippings and rushed phone calls from a payphone on the street. The amazement that she felt at how quickly a landline could be installed in Boston, in comparison to the agonising wait in rural Ireland for such luxury, was spot on. Swapping clothes with your friends, having a few beers on the roof while you coat yourself with suntan oil and spending all available cash on a night out. Who hasn't done this?
Twenty years on, Elizabeth is married with kids but still recalls that summer. Here come the 'What if' questions and a recap of her first love. What happened to Danny? Why did things end up the way they did? Not an unusual premise for a novel, but Rachael English has so engaged us with her characters, that we really want to know the outcome.
I might be a tad biased, as I am a real 80s chick and adore books based in this period. However, I think this book is a clever look at youth, regardless of the time frame. Elizabeth was so sure that her life was all mapped out and was unlikely to veer off course. At twenty years of age, throw a handsome Italian-American into the mix, along with the amazing Boston backdrop and you have a recipe for getting a bit lost along the way. The story did lose a bit of its zest towards the end, but is that not the case with real life too?
Thanks to the author, I have dusted down some 12" picture discs, rooted out the photo albums and find myself craving prawn cocktail and vol-au-vents while sipping Ritz. All hail the 1980s.......
The year is 1988 and like many Irish students, Elizabeth is on a J1 visa in America. Crammed into a wreck of an apartment with some college friends, life in Boston is haze of hot summer days and nights of sneaking into bars with no ID. Elizabeth has left her boyfriend back in Ireland and plans to return to normal life as soon as her visa expires. Her plans become askew when she falls for local boy, Danny, and embarks on an intense summer romance. She spends almost every minute with him and it becomes apparent that they are soul mates. But can love be enough when your future is based on the other side of The Atlantic?
Flash forward twenty years, and we see Elizabeth as a mother of two, marriage crumbling and watching her eldest head off for a summer in Boston. Memories come flooding back and when her daughter needs her to follow her to America, Elizabeth comes face to face with her past.
From the first chapter, I was plunged back to 1988 and the memories of big hair, great music and carefree times. Chatting on Twitter, it seems to be a memorable year for many of us readers and we had some great fun with the hashtag #1988. Fleetwood Mac, home perms and Madonna look-a-likes were the common thread! Although I did not visit The United States til the early 1990s, reading about Elizabeth's experiences made me feel like I was right there beside her. The excitement of getting news from home, football and hurling results, newspaper clippings and rushed phone calls from a payphone on the street. The amazement that she felt at how quickly a landline could be installed in Boston, in comparison to the agonising wait in rural Ireland for such luxury, was spot on. Swapping clothes with your friends, having a few beers on the roof while you coat yourself with suntan oil and spending all available cash on a night out. Who hasn't done this?
Twenty years on, Elizabeth is married with kids but still recalls that summer. Here come the 'What if' questions and a recap of her first love. What happened to Danny? Why did things end up the way they did? Not an unusual premise for a novel, but Rachael English has so engaged us with her characters, that we really want to know the outcome.
I might be a tad biased, as I am a real 80s chick and adore books based in this period. However, I think this book is a clever look at youth, regardless of the time frame. Elizabeth was so sure that her life was all mapped out and was unlikely to veer off course. At twenty years of age, throw a handsome Italian-American into the mix, along with the amazing Boston backdrop and you have a recipe for getting a bit lost along the way. The story did lose a bit of its zest towards the end, but is that not the case with real life too?
Thanks to the author, I have dusted down some 12" picture discs, rooted out the photo albums and find myself craving prawn cocktail and vol-au-vents while sipping Ritz. All hail the 1980s.......
August 15, 2019
This was ok but didn’t really grab me.
July 23, 2014
This review was originally posted on Between My Lines
Green Giants is my feature where I share some of my favourite books by Irish Authors. I’m passionate about Irish Authors, there is a great and exciting mix of books to choose from, hopefully you will find something new to try. Today it's Rachael English (who is English but living in Ireland and so totally counts for Green Giant status!) whose debut novel impressed the socks off me.
Forget about I could have danced all night, when it comes to this book, I could have read all night! It’s effervescent, full of life and I was glued to it from beginning to end. It’s such a cliché to say the book was unputdownable but that is exactly what it was. I just read and read and read and allowed the nostalgic vibes from the late 1980s sweep me up and carry me back to far more innocent times.
The First Line of Going Back by Rachael English:
My Thoughts on Going Back by Rachael English:
The book is written in two different time periods; the first is 2011 and the other is 1988. Back in the late 80s, Elizabeth who has just finished college has gone to Boston on a J1 student visa to work for 6 months. I started college in 1988 and I just clicked immediately with the setting and the time period. The music references, the clothes, the ridiculously big hair; been there, done that! I didn’t do the J1 visa thing but tonnes of my friends did and I loved the insight I got into their time there.
The later day setting focuses on Elizabeth twenty three years later and her daughter Jenny who is repeating her experience of living in Boston for the summer. Jenny is a lot more self assured and worldly than her mother and that just felt so authentic. Younger people today just seem so much more ‘with it’ than myself and my friends ever were.
I found myself connecting with Elizabeth on so many levels. Apart from the fact that she is roughly the same age as me, I just saw a lot of myself in her. She is shy but feisty when she needs to be, she is a rule keeper but then smashes all the rules into oblivion every now and again. And she is so insecure and awkward at times that I just flinched for my younger self who used to feel those exact same feelings of never quite measuring up to all her cooler friends.
In America she meets Danny and for once in her life, she is doing what she wants without submitting to the pressures of what is expected of her. What struck me about the book was how in the 80s, it was possible to do this. Going to America for the summer was total freedom. You didn’t have skype or mobiles to constantly text with or facebook or any of the social media we take for granted now. Your only contact with home was a quick phone call or a letter. So it was easy to switch off and to a certain extent forget about external demands from home and live in an alternate reality bubble.
And when it comes to romances; this is the way I like them. Danny isn't a glorified 'bad boy' or one of those 'too good to be true' guys that only exist in books. Like Elizabeth, he is full of complicated layers and I felt I really got into his head during the book. And no spoilers but there is a letter....a letter that caused me to add this goodreads status...
The book also sheds a lot of light on Ireland's economic plights and our reaction to them. Over the course of the book, Ireland went from bust to boom and back to bust. And the book reflect on the difference between the eighties recession and the current one. Even though I have lived through both, this book made me take an outsider looking in point of view and it felt very enlightening. There is a huge difference between the recessions and this book highlights that. Never in a heavy way, just in a series of reflective observations that fits in really well with the more light hearted aspects of the book.
Apart from loving the plot and the characters; I was also a big fan of Rachael’s writing style. She is sharp and full of wit on one page and then thought-provoking and deep on another. The book is littered with Irish-isms and I’d love to see what a non Irish person would make of some of the more random sayings. I could hear most of them in my parents voice and they had me giggling with their no nonsense but full of nonsense wisdom.
Overall this is one of my favourite books of 2014 so far. For someone who reads as much as I do, I don’t say that lightly and I hope it conveys a little of how much I loved this book. The characters, the romantic but realistic love story, the setting and the tone of the book just resonated deep within me. Rachael English can weave a tightly crafted story and I can’t wait to read future books by her.
Who should read Going Back by Rachael English?
If you like contemporary women’s fiction that is full of nostalgia but not rose tinted, then I’d urge you to give this one a try. Or if you read a lot of contemporary YA/NA fiction; then this book about a group of college students in the 1980’s is a good book to mix it up a little with. And if you want a book that pours with Irish sayings and wit; read this! Fans of Maeve Binchy, Sheila O’Flanagan and Marian Keyes should also enjoy this one.
Thanks to Rachael for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This book was already on my must-buy list so when Rachael sent me a copy I was over the moon.
Green Giants is my feature where I share some of my favourite books by Irish Authors. I’m passionate about Irish Authors, there is a great and exciting mix of books to choose from, hopefully you will find something new to try. Today it's Rachael English (who is English but living in Ireland and so totally counts for Green Giant status!) whose debut novel impressed the socks off me.
Forget about I could have danced all night, when it comes to this book, I could have read all night! It’s effervescent, full of life and I was glued to it from beginning to end. It’s such a cliché to say the book was unputdownable but that is exactly what it was. I just read and read and read and allowed the nostalgic vibes from the late 1980s sweep me up and carry me back to far more innocent times.
The First Line of Going Back by Rachael English:
Jenny O’Hara threaded her way along Washington Street, past Macy’s, around the fast food carts and through the clusters of tourists at the Famine Memorial.
My Thoughts on Going Back by Rachael English:
The book is written in two different time periods; the first is 2011 and the other is 1988. Back in the late 80s, Elizabeth who has just finished college has gone to Boston on a J1 student visa to work for 6 months. I started college in 1988 and I just clicked immediately with the setting and the time period. The music references, the clothes, the ridiculously big hair; been there, done that! I didn’t do the J1 visa thing but tonnes of my friends did and I loved the insight I got into their time there.
The later day setting focuses on Elizabeth twenty three years later and her daughter Jenny who is repeating her experience of living in Boston for the summer. Jenny is a lot more self assured and worldly than her mother and that just felt so authentic. Younger people today just seem so much more ‘with it’ than myself and my friends ever were.
I found myself connecting with Elizabeth on so many levels. Apart from the fact that she is roughly the same age as me, I just saw a lot of myself in her. She is shy but feisty when she needs to be, she is a rule keeper but then smashes all the rules into oblivion every now and again. And she is so insecure and awkward at times that I just flinched for my younger self who used to feel those exact same feelings of never quite measuring up to all her cooler friends.
In America she meets Danny and for once in her life, she is doing what she wants without submitting to the pressures of what is expected of her. What struck me about the book was how in the 80s, it was possible to do this. Going to America for the summer was total freedom. You didn’t have skype or mobiles to constantly text with or facebook or any of the social media we take for granted now. Your only contact with home was a quick phone call or a letter. So it was easy to switch off and to a certain extent forget about external demands from home and live in an alternate reality bubble.
And when it comes to romances; this is the way I like them. Danny isn't a glorified 'bad boy' or one of those 'too good to be true' guys that only exist in books. Like Elizabeth, he is full of complicated layers and I felt I really got into his head during the book. And no spoilers but there is a letter....a letter that caused me to add this goodreads status...
That letter! Noooo! That crunching you hear.....is my heart breaking into smithereens.....
The book also sheds a lot of light on Ireland's economic plights and our reaction to them. Over the course of the book, Ireland went from bust to boom and back to bust. And the book reflect on the difference between the eighties recession and the current one. Even though I have lived through both, this book made me take an outsider looking in point of view and it felt very enlightening. There is a huge difference between the recessions and this book highlights that. Never in a heavy way, just in a series of reflective observations that fits in really well with the more light hearted aspects of the book.
Apart from loving the plot and the characters; I was also a big fan of Rachael’s writing style. She is sharp and full of wit on one page and then thought-provoking and deep on another. The book is littered with Irish-isms and I’d love to see what a non Irish person would make of some of the more random sayings. I could hear most of them in my parents voice and they had me giggling with their no nonsense but full of nonsense wisdom.
Overall this is one of my favourite books of 2014 so far. For someone who reads as much as I do, I don’t say that lightly and I hope it conveys a little of how much I loved this book. The characters, the romantic but realistic love story, the setting and the tone of the book just resonated deep within me. Rachael English can weave a tightly crafted story and I can’t wait to read future books by her.
Who should read Going Back by Rachael English?
If you like contemporary women’s fiction that is full of nostalgia but not rose tinted, then I’d urge you to give this one a try. Or if you read a lot of contemporary YA/NA fiction; then this book about a group of college students in the 1980’s is a good book to mix it up a little with. And if you want a book that pours with Irish sayings and wit; read this! Fans of Maeve Binchy, Sheila O’Flanagan and Marian Keyes should also enjoy this one.
Thanks to Rachael for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. This book was already on my must-buy list so when Rachael sent me a copy I was over the moon.
May 22, 2014
Get comfy with a cup of tea and go back in time to 1980s student life. Probably helps if you were there - to feel the nostalgia of Elizabeth's experience of shared houses, life without smart phones, unsuitable boyfriend and strong ties pulling her back from Boston to Ireland. Found the story set in the 80s more credible than the later 'second chance' tie up but still an enjoyable rainy afternoon read with the added bonus of baffling Irish sayings sprinkled throughout.
July 21, 2019
Because I’d enjoyed The American Girl by this author, I decided to read her debut novel. It, too, was very readable, brimming with a plot involving an Irish American dynamic and an unplanned pregnancy, nostalgia and regret. The conclusion seemed a bit longer than necessary, as one could sense how the loose ends were going to be tied off. That mild criticism notwithstanding, I enjoyed this one and have another of hers on order.
August 16, 2014
Going Back, by Rachael English, was for me an enjoyable trip down memory lane. It chronicles the life of Elizabeth, an Irish student in the 1980’s whose life is changed forever when she and a group of friends from university decide to spend a summer working in Boston, America.
The book is in two parts. The first covers the fateful summer of 1988, when Elizabeth turned twenty-one and met Danny, a handsome charmer with whom she fell in love. The second part is set in the present day, when her daughter makes the same trip to America where she falls ill, causing Elizabeth to fly to her bedside and return to the scenes of her past.
The whole tale revolves around a summer romance. It explores the impact of making decisions that seem right at the time, of not hurting those one cares about. It offers up a scenario where a memory will colour a life. Elizabeth acted sensibly but then, when things got tough (as life always will from time to time) her memories become ‘what ifs’ and she allowed her regrets to fester. The premise of the story is that it may be better to allow the heart to rule rather than the head, and that secrets are damaging.
With my experience of growing up in Ireland the narrative, expectations and claustrophobia of family were all too familiar. Although I never chose to spend a summer in America I knew plenty of students who did. As the author points out, before mobile phones and Skype it was possible to get away, to disappear and become, even if only temporarily, someone else. It was possible to put aside the guilt and fear of letting down the family, of making mammy cry, and to be one’s self.
It is not, however, a one dimensional tale. Although Elizabeth acted as she thought best, she had friends who were less circumspect and whose lives also progressed through trials and tribulations. To me, these lives seemed more real. Given their ages and personalities, I struggled to believe that all would have been happy ever after for Danny and Elizabeth had she stayed in Boston. I suspect she would merely have harboured different regrets, perhaps about her nice, safe, Irish boyfriend. Knowing the Irish as I do, she would also likely have felt guilt about abandoning her parents. There is rarely only one road to choose and some people will always find happiness elusive. Elizabeth was cited as being uncomfortable admitting to being happy.
The book is, however, a romance. Whilst the characters, scenarios and passage of time are all well written and believable, this is essentially a feel good book about one true love that survives. For fans of love overcoming adversity, it is well worth adding to your bookshelves. A story to curl up with when a little gentle escapism is desired.
The book is in two parts. The first covers the fateful summer of 1988, when Elizabeth turned twenty-one and met Danny, a handsome charmer with whom she fell in love. The second part is set in the present day, when her daughter makes the same trip to America where she falls ill, causing Elizabeth to fly to her bedside and return to the scenes of her past.
The whole tale revolves around a summer romance. It explores the impact of making decisions that seem right at the time, of not hurting those one cares about. It offers up a scenario where a memory will colour a life. Elizabeth acted sensibly but then, when things got tough (as life always will from time to time) her memories become ‘what ifs’ and she allowed her regrets to fester. The premise of the story is that it may be better to allow the heart to rule rather than the head, and that secrets are damaging.
With my experience of growing up in Ireland the narrative, expectations and claustrophobia of family were all too familiar. Although I never chose to spend a summer in America I knew plenty of students who did. As the author points out, before mobile phones and Skype it was possible to get away, to disappear and become, even if only temporarily, someone else. It was possible to put aside the guilt and fear of letting down the family, of making mammy cry, and to be one’s self.
It is not, however, a one dimensional tale. Although Elizabeth acted as she thought best, she had friends who were less circumspect and whose lives also progressed through trials and tribulations. To me, these lives seemed more real. Given their ages and personalities, I struggled to believe that all would have been happy ever after for Danny and Elizabeth had she stayed in Boston. I suspect she would merely have harboured different regrets, perhaps about her nice, safe, Irish boyfriend. Knowing the Irish as I do, she would also likely have felt guilt about abandoning her parents. There is rarely only one road to choose and some people will always find happiness elusive. Elizabeth was cited as being uncomfortable admitting to being happy.
The book is, however, a romance. Whilst the characters, scenarios and passage of time are all well written and believable, this is essentially a feel good book about one true love that survives. For fans of love overcoming adversity, it is well worth adding to your bookshelves. A story to curl up with when a little gentle escapism is desired.
August 12, 2014
Elizabeth Kelly and her friends are spending their summer in Boston while awaiting the results of their finals - it's always understood that they will return to Ireland to pick up their lives, but this is their opportunity to live a little, earn some money, live different lives for a while. Despite her boyfriend Liam at home, and despite the fact that she's always the sensible one, Elizabeth meets Danny - so very different and exciting - and their love affair unfolds. But it was always going to come to an end, and when it happens it does so very suddenly.
Twenty years later, Elizabeth's daughter Janey is in Boston - she has a nice steady boyfriend in Aidan (nicknamed Hawaii because of the way he greets people) and a job in Faneuil Hall selling jewellery to keep her ticking over, but disaster strikes when she's suddenly taken ill and ends up in hospital. So Elizabeth returns to Boston to be with her, and decides that enough time has passed that she should look up Danny, see how his life has panned out.
This was a lovely read, packed with emotion, very moving and beautifully written: it's a story that will enchant you and break your heart. I enjoyed its Irishness - the dialogue is quite wonderful, full of those statements borrowed from Irish parents that make perfect sense but also make no sense at all. In the first part, the 80s are perfectly evoked - the book is full of the music and the fashions, underpinned by the different moral standards and youthful expectations. There's a real depth of detail that leaves you familiar with the streets of Boston and the comings and goings of the young Irish community - I loved the sunbathing on the apartment roof, the leaving of furniture on the streets as one group left and another arrived, the new arrivals cramming into the floor-space. All the characters are well drawn, and the friendships (and the times when the friendships aren't so good) perfectly described - and that makes it all the more fascinating when we discover what has happened to them all when we rejoin them 20 years later.
I have only one very tiny complaint, and it's certainly nothing to do with the novel. On the cover of my copy is a statement from Irish World - "sure to be compared to Cecelia Ahern". I'm sorry but I really can't see that comparison at all - Rachael English has a style all of her own, drawing on everything she's learned from her journalistic background, very different from Ms Ahern, and a style that I'm really looking forward immensely to seeing developed further in her next book.
Twenty years later, Elizabeth's daughter Janey is in Boston - she has a nice steady boyfriend in Aidan (nicknamed Hawaii because of the way he greets people) and a job in Faneuil Hall selling jewellery to keep her ticking over, but disaster strikes when she's suddenly taken ill and ends up in hospital. So Elizabeth returns to Boston to be with her, and decides that enough time has passed that she should look up Danny, see how his life has panned out.
This was a lovely read, packed with emotion, very moving and beautifully written: it's a story that will enchant you and break your heart. I enjoyed its Irishness - the dialogue is quite wonderful, full of those statements borrowed from Irish parents that make perfect sense but also make no sense at all. In the first part, the 80s are perfectly evoked - the book is full of the music and the fashions, underpinned by the different moral standards and youthful expectations. There's a real depth of detail that leaves you familiar with the streets of Boston and the comings and goings of the young Irish community - I loved the sunbathing on the apartment roof, the leaving of furniture on the streets as one group left and another arrived, the new arrivals cramming into the floor-space. All the characters are well drawn, and the friendships (and the times when the friendships aren't so good) perfectly described - and that makes it all the more fascinating when we discover what has happened to them all when we rejoin them 20 years later.
I have only one very tiny complaint, and it's certainly nothing to do with the novel. On the cover of my copy is a statement from Irish World - "sure to be compared to Cecelia Ahern". I'm sorry but I really can't see that comparison at all - Rachael English has a style all of her own, drawing on everything she's learned from her journalistic background, very different from Ms Ahern, and a style that I'm really looking forward immensely to seeing developed further in her next book.
July 10, 2014
This is a story in two parts. Elizabeth Kelly and a group of friends are spending the summer in Boston, it's 1988 and times are hard in Ireland. Their time in America is a chance for them to spread their wings, away from the prying eyes of their overprotective parents. They will live a little, work here and there, enjoy life and then return to Ireland to get on with the rest of their lives. That's the plan.
Elizabeth has a steady boyfriend back in Ireland. Steady, dependable Liam. Local boy, husband material, but really not very exciting. Life in Boston is fun despite the cramped living arrangements and the bitchy behaviour of flatmate Orla. Elizabeth is working hard and enjoying a summer of freedom.
Enter Danny. Elizabeth and Danny are drawn together and slowly but surely they fall in love. They are both guarded and wary, never really opening up and revealing their true feelings to one another. And then it ends. Suddenly and unexpectedly, and painfully. Elizabeth returns to Ireland and becomes everything that was always expected of her, a wife and mother.
The second part of Going Back takes place around twenty years later. Ireland is in the middle of another recession and the young people of the country are once again leaving to find something better across the ocean in the USA. Elizabeth's daughter Janey is one of them and when she is admitted to hospital whilst in Boston, Elizabeth finds herself back in the place that holds so many memories. Danny and Elizabeth meet again, after so many years. How will they deal with their feelings, their memories and their 'what could have beens'?
Going Back is an impressive debut novel. Rachael English writes with authority about life for young people in Ireland during the 1980s. Her writing is polished and classy, and her experience as a journalist shines through in her attention to detail. Those of us of a certain age will recognise many of the songs included in this story, and the fashion and hairstyles which adds to the authenticity of the story.
With themes of escape, and love and regrets; Going Back is a novel that starts slowly, but develops, along with the characters into a story that has meaning and emotional impac
Elizabeth has a steady boyfriend back in Ireland. Steady, dependable Liam. Local boy, husband material, but really not very exciting. Life in Boston is fun despite the cramped living arrangements and the bitchy behaviour of flatmate Orla. Elizabeth is working hard and enjoying a summer of freedom.
Enter Danny. Elizabeth and Danny are drawn together and slowly but surely they fall in love. They are both guarded and wary, never really opening up and revealing their true feelings to one another. And then it ends. Suddenly and unexpectedly, and painfully. Elizabeth returns to Ireland and becomes everything that was always expected of her, a wife and mother.
The second part of Going Back takes place around twenty years later. Ireland is in the middle of another recession and the young people of the country are once again leaving to find something better across the ocean in the USA. Elizabeth's daughter Janey is one of them and when she is admitted to hospital whilst in Boston, Elizabeth finds herself back in the place that holds so many memories. Danny and Elizabeth meet again, after so many years. How will they deal with their feelings, their memories and their 'what could have beens'?
Going Back is an impressive debut novel. Rachael English writes with authority about life for young people in Ireland during the 1980s. Her writing is polished and classy, and her experience as a journalist shines through in her attention to detail. Those of us of a certain age will recognise many of the songs included in this story, and the fashion and hairstyles which adds to the authenticity of the story.
With themes of escape, and love and regrets; Going Back is a novel that starts slowly, but develops, along with the characters into a story that has meaning and emotional impac
January 28, 2015
Review also posted on my blog http://www.reviewedthebook.co.uk/2014...
Going Back is the tale of Elizabeth, who having spent a short while in Boston with her college friends when she was younger, returns back there several years later to be faced with a certain charmer from her past. This was a nostalgic, romantic novel – an impressive debut from Rachael English.
Whilst the prologue instantly drew me in, the actual story felt more of a slowburner. As we go back in time to learn about Elizabeth’s time in Boston - her issues with Orla, her growing feelings for Danny – it took me a little while to get into the story and to connect with the characters.
When the plot became more captivating, there was a lot to like about Going Back. I loved seeing Elizabeth’s character grow and change to become less reserved and more outgoing. I enjoyed the humour laced into the plot and the Irish traits used in Boston – the language and the pronunciation from Elizabeth’s side was so different to the US way which brought a wonderful, cultural feel to the book. As the book went on, I was falling for Elizabeth and Danny’s relationship as much as they were falling for each other and then the book moved forward in time.
I loved the concept of Going Back. The second part of the book was different to the first in that whilst romance was still a part of it, it was more grown up rather than the whirlwind, drama filled romance from the younger years. I loved seeing how all the characters were placed years on and how life had changed.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Going Back but the author has written an enchanting outlook on how life changes over the years and things don’t always turn out how you expect them to. It’s a book that makes you think about your own life and dreams – an enjoyable, thought-provoking novel perfect for a night-in reading and something to discuss with your friends and family.
4/5.
*Book gifted for honest review.
October 13, 2014
An amazing book on long lost love and lessons of following your heart and courage.
December 3, 2024
Rachael English's novel tells the story of Irish youngters in Boston in 1988, and what happened to them and their family members just over 20 years later. The book is easy to read and the themes are easy to relate to. Who hasn't been in love? But.
I can easily believe that this summer of youth is extremely important and meaningful for these young people, but somehow I just don't feel it. The narrative remains somehow distant. I can't get into the story emotionally.
The best thing about the book is the description of the past world. It's funny that just 35 years ago, people were still writing real letters, used only landlines to call (and not all apartments even had one) and were not able to find out the results of matches played on another continent in any other way than calling home. How much easier access to information is nowadays thanks to the Internet and cell phones.
I can easily believe that this summer of youth is extremely important and meaningful for these young people, but somehow I just don't feel it. The narrative remains somehow distant. I can't get into the story emotionally.
The best thing about the book is the description of the past world. It's funny that just 35 years ago, people were still writing real letters, used only landlines to call (and not all apartments even had one) and were not able to find out the results of matches played on another continent in any other way than calling home. How much easier access to information is nowadays thanks to the Internet and cell phones.
December 17, 2022
I read this mainly to "cleanse my palate" from a lot of the philosophical literature I've been reading lately. Also, I had received it as a gift and wanted to see if it would turn out to be better than I expected. Overall, there's nothing that really stood out for me in a positive light with regards to this novel. What characterizes the story the most is the whole American/Irish culture comparisons during the 80s as well as the rampant infidelity of the characters in the book. The TLDR for this book:
February 13, 2018
Sometimes you come across a book that pushes your buttons and that's how it was for me. There was much heart string tugging, lots of empathy moments and a fair bit of introspection and, although I don't, to my knowledge, have more children than I think I have, I felt for the characters.
I love the way Rachael writes and the way she draws from those she has around her to authenticate her stories.
I love the way Rachael writes and the way she draws from those she has around her to authenticate her stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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March 5, 2023dnf at page 33
September 11, 2014
The concept of going back is an interesting one and begs the question whether it’s ever a good idea to allow oneself the luxury of remembering times that are over and gone. For Elizabeth Kelly, her daughter, Janey’s, decision to spend a summer in the Brighton area of Boston in the United States, brings back memories of her own time of living and working in the city as a twenty-one year old in the 1980s. At home in Dublin, Elizabeth recalls this time with mixed emotion, as not only was it the first time she had lived away from home, but it was also the summer she fell in love. What then follows is the story of Elizabeth’s American love affair with the handsome and charismatic Danny Esposito, of the life experiences she shared with her group of friends and of the need they all had to escape from the realities of life for just one idyllic summer.
I was captivated by the story from the beginning and warmed immediately to Elizabeth’s character. I loved both her naivety and her insecurities and completely understood that for one perfect moment in time, away from her home and family, and the seriousness of her relationship with her Irish boyfriend, Liam, she was able to experience all that life had to offer without any of the responsibilities. By comparison, Danny is a complete charmer, his attractiveness and uncomplicated joie de vivre, is in direct contrast to Elizabeth’s more considered attitude to life.
The author writes with warmth and sensitivity and injects just the right amount of nostalgia and humour into the story. She paints a realistic picture of living life in the 1980s and then brings it bang up to date with Janey’s own personal story in Boston in 2011. The interweaving of past and present is done in a sympathetic way and there is a realistic drawing together of all the loose strands, until in the end the story comes together just the way you would want it to.
This is an impressive debut novel by an author who clearly loves writing stories. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
I was captivated by the story from the beginning and warmed immediately to Elizabeth’s character. I loved both her naivety and her insecurities and completely understood that for one perfect moment in time, away from her home and family, and the seriousness of her relationship with her Irish boyfriend, Liam, she was able to experience all that life had to offer without any of the responsibilities. By comparison, Danny is a complete charmer, his attractiveness and uncomplicated joie de vivre, is in direct contrast to Elizabeth’s more considered attitude to life.
The author writes with warmth and sensitivity and injects just the right amount of nostalgia and humour into the story. She paints a realistic picture of living life in the 1980s and then brings it bang up to date with Janey’s own personal story in Boston in 2011. The interweaving of past and present is done in a sympathetic way and there is a realistic drawing together of all the loose strands, until in the end the story comes together just the way you would want it to.
This is an impressive debut novel by an author who clearly loves writing stories. I can’t wait to see what’s coming next.
May 29, 2014
Going back was a loving, head turning romance of Elizabeth and Danny. The best way to describe their on off love story, is complicated. For starters the Irish and American pair weren't even a couple, but they still had my heart racing on all of their lovey dovey scenes. For some people, this romance may of been completely wrong, they both seemed to have their eyes elsewhere as well as on each other; but for me this brought the excitement to the story, without the 'other issues' their story of finding and losing each other wouldn't of been as heart warming.
I went into Going Back not really knowing what to expect, and in a bit of a reading slump, and if I'm honest the start of the story didn't help with that. This, like a lot of books, takes a while to get into, but I didn't feel like the story was going anyway until Danny and Elizabeth's relationship kicked off. Once the story got going and I began to feel involved with the characters. Their complicated love story was intriguing, and for a lot of us, complicated love stories can be relatable. I loved that about this book, the characters seemed real, and I very rarely find that in a book, but Elizabeth and Danny seemed like the type of people you might meet if you spent a summer in America. And I have to say, I wouldn't mind to meet the pair.
I think Going Back is a loving, story about two people finding each other. In some aspects the read was light, but in others my mouth nearly hit the floor. I didn't know what was round each corner and that made the book even more enjoyable, the books big twist had me on the edge of my seat, and I really didn't see that coming at all.
Overall I quite enjoyed going on the Journey through time with Elizabeth and Danny, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance, and who doesn't love them.
4 Stars for Going Back.
I went into Going Back not really knowing what to expect, and in a bit of a reading slump, and if I'm honest the start of the story didn't help with that. This, like a lot of books, takes a while to get into, but I didn't feel like the story was going anyway until Danny and Elizabeth's relationship kicked off. Once the story got going and I began to feel involved with the characters. Their complicated love story was intriguing, and for a lot of us, complicated love stories can be relatable. I loved that about this book, the characters seemed real, and I very rarely find that in a book, but Elizabeth and Danny seemed like the type of people you might meet if you spent a summer in America. And I have to say, I wouldn't mind to meet the pair.
I think Going Back is a loving, story about two people finding each other. In some aspects the read was light, but in others my mouth nearly hit the floor. I didn't know what was round each corner and that made the book even more enjoyable, the books big twist had me on the edge of my seat, and I really didn't see that coming at all.
Overall I quite enjoyed going on the Journey through time with Elizabeth and Danny, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good romance, and who doesn't love them.
4 Stars for Going Back.
May 25, 2014
Im not even sure how to start this review, its an odd one to write but ill try and do it non the less. Going back is the story of Elizabeth Kelly. In the summer of 1988 we meet her in boston where she is spending her summer (as many irish do) we follow her day to day life, and meet her friends along the way. One night she meets the charming Danny, and throwing caution to the wind and despite having a boyfriend back home, she embarks in a full blown relationship with Danny.
We travel forward a few years, and Elizabeths daughter Janey is likewise spending her summer in America. Janey is taken ill and Elizabeth flies out to see her, but there she meets Danny once more. With plenty of both past and present secrets it really is a case of where does her heart lie?
Elizabeth is shy, quaint and a dreamer (i beileve so) but put in a suitatuion with love, and well she changes, she becomes so much more, confident, charming and sweet. Danny is quite the player and charmer, he draws women in and well im sure he is well aware of it.
This is a story of love, "the one" friendship and dramas. I was plodding along through it thinking, this is nice, then somewhere along the way i fell in love with it. Rachael has a wonderful voice for writing its refreshing, its descriptive and utterly captivating. I cant pinpoint why i adored it, its not like i can say, it was sexy, it was dark ect it just was. It was nice. and for me thats okay. It drew me in and held me there for hours, it wasnt all teenage love and drama but it was about been grown up too, and dealing with life, and children and that was nice to see for a change.
We travel forward a few years, and Elizabeths daughter Janey is likewise spending her summer in America. Janey is taken ill and Elizabeth flies out to see her, but there she meets Danny once more. With plenty of both past and present secrets it really is a case of where does her heart lie?
Elizabeth is shy, quaint and a dreamer (i beileve so) but put in a suitatuion with love, and well she changes, she becomes so much more, confident, charming and sweet. Danny is quite the player and charmer, he draws women in and well im sure he is well aware of it.
This is a story of love, "the one" friendship and dramas. I was plodding along through it thinking, this is nice, then somewhere along the way i fell in love with it. Rachael has a wonderful voice for writing its refreshing, its descriptive and utterly captivating. I cant pinpoint why i adored it, its not like i can say, it was sexy, it was dark ect it just was. It was nice. and for me thats okay. It drew me in and held me there for hours, it wasnt all teenage love and drama but it was about been grown up too, and dealing with life, and children and that was nice to see for a change.
July 16, 2014
The Irish Elizabeth spends the summer of 1988 in Boston. She rents an apartment together with several friends. They've all found jobs and are living the good life in America. They are gaining some more life experience, especially Elizabeth. She's used to being a good girl who is a great student, has a steady boyfriend and doesn't leave her family. When she meets the American Danny she discovers another side of herself. What starts as a summer fling turns into something much more serious. When more than two decades later something happens to Elizabeth's daughter while she's in Boston for the summer to make her own memories, Elizabeth finally goes back to the place that holds her happiest memories.
I enjoyed reading Going Back very much. Elizabeth isn't a carefree and wild girl and she will never stop being cautious. That's why everyone is so surprised she has a holiday fling, and even more because she's chosen someone who is completely different from the dependable boyfriend who's waiting for her at home. I liked the thorough descriptions of the surroundings and the background of the main character. It made me understand her better. Going Back is a romantic story. I liked being back in the eighties for a while. The novel isn't fast paced, the reader will get to know all the ins and outs of what happened between Danny and Elizabeth. For me that was something really positive. I loved this book and am glad that I've read this wonderful summer read.
I enjoyed reading Going Back very much. Elizabeth isn't a carefree and wild girl and she will never stop being cautious. That's why everyone is so surprised she has a holiday fling, and even more because she's chosen someone who is completely different from the dependable boyfriend who's waiting for her at home. I liked the thorough descriptions of the surroundings and the background of the main character. It made me understand her better. Going Back is a romantic story. I liked being back in the eighties for a while. The novel isn't fast paced, the reader will get to know all the ins and outs of what happened between Danny and Elizabeth. For me that was something really positive. I loved this book and am glad that I've read this wonderful summer read.
November 25, 2014
Going Back is divided into two parts; the first part is set in June 1988 when Elizabeth first steps foot in Boston, fresh off the plane from Ireland, and the second part begins in 2010, and follows Janey (Elizabeth's daughter) as she begins the same journey. However, this book is not a comparison of the times Elizabeth experienced and the times her daughter, a generation on, experiences.
Emigration is only the background to this book, and in Going Back we meet two people from two very different worlds who make a connection, and the question is whether that connection can stand the test of time.
I found the initial part of part one to be a little slow burning, and I often found myself wondering who this character was and what had been happening with them previously. However, as the tangled webs continued to be weaved, I found myself more drawn in and the way the first part of the book ends left me craving more. The second half of the book flew past and I enjoyed it, although would have liked to have gained a little more knowledge about Elizabeth in the twenty years in between the two parts.
As a girl with Irish roots, the Irish dialogue often made me smile, and the quotes from Elizabeth's Irish parents were brilliant.
Going Back is an impressive debut novel; a story of love, regrets and second chances.
I am looking forward to diving into Rachael's next book, Each and Every One.
Emigration is only the background to this book, and in Going Back we meet two people from two very different worlds who make a connection, and the question is whether that connection can stand the test of time.
I found the initial part of part one to be a little slow burning, and I often found myself wondering who this character was and what had been happening with them previously. However, as the tangled webs continued to be weaved, I found myself more drawn in and the way the first part of the book ends left me craving more. The second half of the book flew past and I enjoyed it, although would have liked to have gained a little more knowledge about Elizabeth in the twenty years in between the two parts.
As a girl with Irish roots, the Irish dialogue often made me smile, and the quotes from Elizabeth's Irish parents were brilliant.
Going Back is an impressive debut novel; a story of love, regrets and second chances.
I am looking forward to diving into Rachael's next book, Each and Every One.
July 31, 2014
Picked up this book on a whim, for its cover in the bookstore and the fact that it was set in Boston – my birthplace- seen through the eyes of an Irishwoman.
This is English’s first novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elizabeth, our young protagonist, sets off for a summer working in Boston after her university exams. Life is all on course for her back in Ireland, with her teaching career set out for her and a responsible, decent young boyfriend waiting for her back home.
She never expects to find true love with a young American man in Boston. Yet she does. And her resolute, timid self is changed by her experiences in her New England city. Years later, when her own daughter travels to Boston to live and work, she must come to terms with a past she’d tried to bury, and a love she was too young to appreciate at the time.
An enjoyable beach read, I loved seeing Boston through this Irish author’s eyes, and I’ll look forward to future works.
This is English’s first novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Elizabeth, our young protagonist, sets off for a summer working in Boston after her university exams. Life is all on course for her back in Ireland, with her teaching career set out for her and a responsible, decent young boyfriend waiting for her back home.
She never expects to find true love with a young American man in Boston. Yet she does. And her resolute, timid self is changed by her experiences in her New England city. Years later, when her own daughter travels to Boston to live and work, she must come to terms with a past she’d tried to bury, and a love she was too young to appreciate at the time.
An enjoyable beach read, I loved seeing Boston through this Irish author’s eyes, and I’ll look forward to future works.
October 5, 2014
I have never been to Boston, though it is high on the visit list. All my perceptions and images of the city are primarily courtesy of US crime dramas (my guilty pleasure). While I don't have a seat on the plane (yet) "Going Back" brought me to Lantern street, O'Mahoney's bar and the surrounding blocks with vivid descriptions and stirring sounds. Rachael English is a natural storyteller whose ease with dialogue is balanced with the necessary detail for us to develop an interest in the characters that grows with each chapter. I would have welcomed even more detail, particularly about the less central characters Liam and Orla however that in no way takes from this great read. It doesn't rely on a left-of-field twist or a sudden storyline switch to keep the reader turning the pages. Yes it is a debut novel however to applaud it for just that does not do it justice. It is an enjoyable and well written story. An author to add to your library.
August 5, 2014
This book was just great!
A bit of nostalgic flashback for me back in 1988 I spent the summer in California with my older brother who'd emigrated the previous year so when I saw the talk on twitter about Going Back being based on a 16yr old going to the US for the summer I was intrigued!!! There was lots of 1980's talk lots of memories came flooding back...& Rachael English even sent me a copy I was thrilled!!!
So off to Boston on Elizabeth's summer adventure a summer of life,love,lies,friendship & fun then fast forward 20 years & Elizabeths daughter does the same trip ...I loved it...my own daughter had also gone off on her American summer so this book was totally relevant in so many ways to me!!
Excellent read!!
A bit of nostalgic flashback for me back in 1988 I spent the summer in California with my older brother who'd emigrated the previous year so when I saw the talk on twitter about Going Back being based on a 16yr old going to the US for the summer I was intrigued!!! There was lots of 1980's talk lots of memories came flooding back...& Rachael English even sent me a copy I was thrilled!!!
So off to Boston on Elizabeth's summer adventure a summer of life,love,lies,friendship & fun then fast forward 20 years & Elizabeths daughter does the same trip ...I loved it...my own daughter had also gone off on her American summer so this book was totally relevant in so many ways to me!!
Excellent read!!
July 1, 2013
Pretty basic story of how student life in Boston was in 1988. Young students on J-1 visas,first time away from home and family jurisdiction and left to their own devices. They were still influenced by the strict Catholic uobringing that was part of Irish culture.
Some survived the Summer,some fell in love and one or two had to return home. The story circles around Elizabeth and how when her daughter went to Boston in 2010 to seek a summer job she returned there . All the repercussions of 1988 returned and the story gets more exciting as the two eras are linked up .
Some survived the Summer,some fell in love and one or two had to return home. The story circles around Elizabeth and how when her daughter went to Boston in 2010 to seek a summer job she returned there . All the repercussions of 1988 returned and the story gets more exciting as the two eras are linked up .
October 27, 2014
Very well written first book from Rachel English. The characters were well written and I fell in love with all of the characters. The storyline was really good and I particularly enjoyed the summer all the friends spent in Boston. I highly recommend this book.
August 14, 2014
I couldn't finish reading it cause it didn't keep me engrossed in the characters or the plot.
December 3, 2014
This was an amazing book to read Rachael English give me more
January 29, 2015
2.5 stars. Incredibly slow, and not enough of a storyline to keep my attention.
October 25, 2013
An easy read.
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