Constructing Alice: We do not control our lives but neither does chance

by Cecil Allen

To the casual observer Alice Dalton’s life might have seemed idyllic. But in the quiet of her middle class Dublin home she lived her life with a damaged mother, an authoritarian father, rebellious brothers and warring sisters. In a bitterly divided country and a family tearing itself apart, Alice’s pursuit of independence, identity and love takes her on a perilous journey through attraction, hypocrisy, courtship, secrets and duplicity. Alice is a young Catholic woman who is determined to live her life as she chooses. George Gilbert is a working class Protestant who loves life and music. When Alice and George fall in love their worlds are rocked and battered by fear, suspicion and prejudice. Set in the 1920’s Ireland was experiencing great political, economic and social change. Constructing Alice tells the story of a young woman who endures suspicion and prejudice when she challenges society and religious conventions and a young man who suffers bigotry and intolerance while fighting ill health. This is a deeply affecting story of love against all the odds.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 12, 2019

About the author

Cecil Allen is an award winning writer and the grandson of the famous actor and writer Ira Allen. Cecil, author of the hugely popular ‘The Actor – A Novel,’ is a retired college lecturer from the Dublin Institute of Technology who holds a BA from Indiana University and an MFA from the University of Minnesota.
He is a former professional actor who performed in many Dublin theatres including the Gate Theatre and the Olympia Theatres. He was a broadcaster with RTE for over twenty years and represented Ireland twice at International Toastmasters Competitions.
He is the father of two sons and lives in Malahide with his wife Julie.