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Robinswood #3
Trials and Tribulations
Robinswood Estate, County Waterford, 1950 Three sisters, the three men that love them, and a house that could consume them all. Assuming their roles as the new Lord and Lady Kenefick and returning to Robinswood with the plan to drag it back from the brink of dereliction, is taking its toll on Kate and Sam. With a young family to raise, a very limited budget and only Kate’s parents to help, the task seems insurmountable. Kate’s eldest sister Eve and her husband Bartley have found happiness in each other after some dark years, but when a face from the past appears, it seems that everything they have worked so hard to create is threatened. Aisling, the middle sister, is being evasive and the family suspect something is very wrong. On the face of it, she has it all, a lovely husband, a comfortable house and a supportive family, but she is in deep trouble, and nobody can even guess at the real reason why. Meanwhile Lady Lillian, Sam’s sister, is useless and arrogant, refusing to accept that things have changed and that her title is not going to get her what she wants, least of all from her husband Beau. In the midst of it all Dermot and Isabella Murphy try their best to maintain a life and a home for their family, but the trials and tribulations of life at Robinswood might just tear them all apart. .
514 pages, Paperback
Published March 13, 2020
3312 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
About the author
Jean Grainger
93 books1,645 followersJean Grainger was born in Cork, Ireland. She has been a tour guide of her beloved home country, a teacher, a university lecturer and a playwright. She began writing fiction at the suggestion of her clients on tours, many of whom were sure all the stories she told them would make for a great book. Her first book, The Tour, has become a Number 1 bestseller on Amazon. It tells the story of a disparate group of American visitors to Ireland, who, along with their Irish tour guide have a life changing experience in the magical Emerald Isle.
Her second book, So Much Owed, is a family saga set during the Second World War. The story centres on the Buckley family of West Cork and how their lives are pulled in different directions as they become embroiled in the war. It is a sweeping family saga of intrigue and romance against the background of occupied Europe.
In her third novel, Shadow of a Century, she tells a tale of a battered old flag found in New York in 2016, a century after it was used during the Easter Rising, when Ireland made her final bid for freedom from Great Britain. This tells the story of a journalist who uncovers a story, one with much more to it than a flag.
Her fourth novel, due out in Spring 2016, Under Heaven’s Shining Stars, is set in the 1970s in Cork, Ireland and is a novel about friendship. Three boys, Liam, Patrick and Hugo, though from very different backgrounds are united in a deep but often times challenging friendship. As their lives progress, only by staying strong, can they prevail. Or fail.
Her novella, Letters of Freedom, tells the story of Carmel, stuck in a pointless marriage, when a figure from her past emerges and changes everything with a ‘like’ on Facebook. This quick read will touch your heart.
She lives in Cork with her husband and her two youngest children. The older two come home occasionally with laundry and to raid the fridge.
Her second book, So Much Owed, is a family saga set during the Second World War. The story centres on the Buckley family of West Cork and how their lives are pulled in different directions as they become embroiled in the war. It is a sweeping family saga of intrigue and romance against the background of occupied Europe.
In her third novel, Shadow of a Century, she tells a tale of a battered old flag found in New York in 2016, a century after it was used during the Easter Rising, when Ireland made her final bid for freedom from Great Britain. This tells the story of a journalist who uncovers a story, one with much more to it than a flag.
Her fourth novel, due out in Spring 2016, Under Heaven’s Shining Stars, is set in the 1970s in Cork, Ireland and is a novel about friendship. Three boys, Liam, Patrick and Hugo, though from very different backgrounds are united in a deep but often times challenging friendship. As their lives progress, only by staying strong, can they prevail. Or fail.
Her novella, Letters of Freedom, tells the story of Carmel, stuck in a pointless marriage, when a figure from her past emerges and changes everything with a ‘like’ on Facebook. This quick read will touch your heart.
She lives in Cork with her husband and her two youngest children. The older two come home occasionally with laundry and to raid the fridge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 302 reviews
September 29, 2019
This book grabs you from the beginning and takes you through highs and lows ending in a thrilling conclusion containing not one but two twists that take your breath away.
It's easy to love these characters, all hard-working, driven, and pulling together to make a success of Robinswood. What's not to love? The writing style is easy, descriptive, and sensitive, wrenching from even the hardened reviewer emotive sighs with bits of Irish humor along the way. The continuation of the story of the Kenefick and Murphy families drives this well-plotted domestic drama.
Kate is at her wit's end, needs help, and sending up distress signals hasn't seemed to work. Lady Lillian (and the former lady of the manor), is still more liability than asset. "Lillian was as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike..."
There are guests to attend, meals to prepare, fields, animals, and outhouses to convert to additional much-needed labor housing. Eve's husband Bartley, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and a former traveller (or tinker) is working with Beau (Lillian's husband), and Mark (Aisley's husband). There is a complex layer of little dramas and one of the conflicts becomes deadly.
Character and locale driven, this storyline is immersive, engaging characters you come to care about, whether empathetic or annoying. You might wish to begin with the first in the series but the narrative can function fine as a standalone with simple references to a previous relationship. The evolution of Lillian was one I didn't expect, and I LOVED the conclusion. While I had a suspicion of the final twist, it was the journey to that moment that had you holding your breath in disbelief. I loved the new character Hannah, my heart ached for Bartley, and soared with Beau.
I was given this digital download as an advance to those special few in hopes of a review and these are my own opinions. This is the best one yet; could also have been titled tragedy and triumph. Highly recommended. You can't go wrong here, folks. Trust me.
See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2019/...
It's easy to love these characters, all hard-working, driven, and pulling together to make a success of Robinswood. What's not to love? The writing style is easy, descriptive, and sensitive, wrenching from even the hardened reviewer emotive sighs with bits of Irish humor along the way. The continuation of the story of the Kenefick and Murphy families drives this well-plotted domestic drama.
Kate is at her wit's end, needs help, and sending up distress signals hasn't seemed to work. Lady Lillian (and the former lady of the manor), is still more liability than asset. "Lillian was as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike..."
There are guests to attend, meals to prepare, fields, animals, and outhouses to convert to additional much-needed labor housing. Eve's husband Bartley, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and a former traveller (or tinker) is working with Beau (Lillian's husband), and Mark (Aisley's husband). There is a complex layer of little dramas and one of the conflicts becomes deadly.
Character and locale driven, this storyline is immersive, engaging characters you come to care about, whether empathetic or annoying. You might wish to begin with the first in the series but the narrative can function fine as a standalone with simple references to a previous relationship. The evolution of Lillian was one I didn't expect, and I LOVED the conclusion. While I had a suspicion of the final twist, it was the journey to that moment that had you holding your breath in disbelief. I loved the new character Hannah, my heart ached for Bartley, and soared with Beau.
I was given this digital download as an advance to those special few in hopes of a review and these are my own opinions. This is the best one yet; could also have been titled tragedy and triumph. Highly recommended. You can't go wrong here, folks. Trust me.
See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2019/...
February 9, 2021
I throughly enjoyed this series and in my opinion, the 3rd book was the very best.
October 2, 2019
Trials and Tribulations: Robinwood Book 3 is by Jean Grainger. This wonderful book is a fantastic ending to the trilogy. Jean has managed to keep the tempo coming on all three of the books. Each one is better than the last. All are extremely realistic and the characters come off the pages and into your living room with you as you read. You are transported to Ireland with all its friendliness and mysteriousness as you read. If you have been to Ireland, you will easily b e able to picture all the places you visited and learn of some more.
Jean Grainger has managed to combine the bravery of the Irish Rebellion, the terrors of World War I and II, the class system, and the breakdown of the class system of Ireland into the story of one extended Irish family. Dermot and Oscar were heavily involved in the Irish Rebellion and yet managed to stay alive and, in Dermot’s case, raise a family. Dermot’s girls and their husbands were all involved in World War II. Dermot’s family and Violet’s family were closely entwined as Dermot’s family worked for Lady Violet. After the war, Sam, Violet’s son and Kate, Dermot’s daughter married and in restoring Robinswood broke the class system apart. Reading about all the dynamics of the families involved was priceless. I laughed and cried as I read this book. Knowing it was the last of the series made me even sadder as I read. Like the first two books, once I started this one, I simply could not put it down. Even as I finished, I wanted to know more. It was like leaving my own family when I finished reading.
I highly recommend this book and the series as well as the rest of Jean Grainger’s books. She definitely has a way of writing that involves the reader. She makes Ireland come alive. I did not want the book to end.
Jean Grainger has managed to combine the bravery of the Irish Rebellion, the terrors of World War I and II, the class system, and the breakdown of the class system of Ireland into the story of one extended Irish family. Dermot and Oscar were heavily involved in the Irish Rebellion and yet managed to stay alive and, in Dermot’s case, raise a family. Dermot’s girls and their husbands were all involved in World War II. Dermot’s family and Violet’s family were closely entwined as Dermot’s family worked for Lady Violet. After the war, Sam, Violet’s son and Kate, Dermot’s daughter married and in restoring Robinswood broke the class system apart. Reading about all the dynamics of the families involved was priceless. I laughed and cried as I read this book. Knowing it was the last of the series made me even sadder as I read. Like the first two books, once I started this one, I simply could not put it down. Even as I finished, I wanted to know more. It was like leaving my own family when I finished reading.
I highly recommend this book and the series as well as the rest of Jean Grainger’s books. She definitely has a way of writing that involves the reader. She makes Ireland come alive. I did not want the book to end.
March 12, 2023
The best of the series in my opinion and all were incredible.
Such a beautiful story of family, loss and love.
Something to note: I may still be bawling my eyes out from the very touching ending.
Excellent historical fiction.
Such a beautiful story of family, loss and love.
Something to note: I may still be bawling my eyes out from the very touching ending.
Excellent historical fiction.
Read
November 14, 2020This was a good family saga set in Ireland during WWII.
October 6, 2019
A very apt title.
The title of this book says it all; there are lots of hurdles for the family to overcome as they renovate Robinswood in preparation for the opening of a luxury hotel. There are clashes within the family, newcomers to deal with, and heartbreak to endure.
I have enjoyed this delightful series, loved the strong characters, and can highly recommend it.
The title of this book says it all; there are lots of hurdles for the family to overcome as they renovate Robinswood in preparation for the opening of a luxury hotel. There are clashes within the family, newcomers to deal with, and heartbreak to endure.
I have enjoyed this delightful series, loved the strong characters, and can highly recommend it.
May 20, 2022
This book for me was the weakest in the Robinswood Series, but I did like reading about the family members from the prior two books and meeting a few new ones.
April 20, 2023
Grainger is just a really great story-teller, although it's one of those tales that puts you thru the emotional wringer before it lets you go.
June 6, 2023
3.5 stars
January 25, 2025
I wept at the end. So powerful.
July 8, 2020
Good story, but very repetitive of the last two books.
November 12, 2024
A very good trilogy set in Ireland.
July 17, 2020
Entertaining series with likeable characters. Again abrupt change of personality as in another of the series but then I wouldn't have wanted to read 50 more pages in order to make it slower.
Appears to be knowledgeable about the Irish background and times. Recommended.
Appears to be knowledgeable about the Irish background and times. Recommended.
August 23, 2020
Another beautiful story
I wish the book had been longer. I'm want more of the murhy's. I wish you had started saga two hundred years ago so we would not run out of time so soon.
I wish the book had been longer. I'm want more of the murhy's. I wish you had started saga two hundred years ago so we would not run out of time so soon.
October 1, 2019
Trials and Tribulations Robinswood Book 3 continues the story of the characters introduced in What On e Was True. It’s now 1950 and Sam Kenefick and his wife, Kate have completed the restoration of Robinswood and opened it as a hotel. All is not well, however, and the coming year will test every one of those who are connected to the Robinswood estate. Ms. Grainger shines her laser light on a multitude of topics: relationships, life and death, the justice system, the cruelty of the Catholic Church toward unmarried pregnant girls, prejudice toward gypsy travelers and blacks, heroes and cowards, joy and sorrow. Fans of the series will relish this well plotted story. New readers easily will be able to catch up with what happened in the first two installments. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book. Most highly recommend.
February 19, 2020
After reading this 3rd of the Robinswood books, I feel like these characters are good friends that I don't want to tell goodbye. Jean Granger is a master storyteller, and I hope that she continues this series.
February 4, 2020
Another very good book by this author. Wonderful series combining a good story and Irish history.
September 12, 2020
Read the series. I dont cry easy but this one had me sobbing at the end. This book is about friends, family, pulling together.
January 23, 2026
This is the third and last book about the three hundred year old Robinswood Manor, the home of the Kenefick family.
After much hard work from the Murphys and their friends, the manor was now a country house hotel and a large group of Americans were the first guests.
Kate and Sam now had three year old twin girls named Daisy and Poppy, along with four year old Jack. Isabella and Dermot lived in their own farmhouse on the land. Isabella did the baking and guest preparation and Dermot was the land caretaker.
Lady Lillian and her husband Beau lived upstairs with their daughter Austina. Unfortunately, Lady Lillian refused to help with the endless work and she didn't even mind little Austina. She still saw the Murphys as servants. At least her husband Beau, the large black American was a great help on the estate and the children loved him.
The title of this book is accurate. Aisling gets raped by her old boyfriend Sean and she may lose her baby whom she had waited for so long. Isabella has tuberculosis and is in Switzerland not improving. Kate is running the hotel mostly alone except for the boys and girls that Eve and her husband Bartley have brought to live on the farm to learn and to help. They had a little baby named Bella. Mark is in jail again on charges of murdering Sean, although he and Sam left him beaten but alive.
Lillian loves Beau, but she can't relate to his Baptist religious fervor or to his work ethic. She made some feeble attempts to help out at Robinswood, but she can't stand being a charity case of former servants. She argued with Kate and slapped her.
Now Lillian wants to live with Violet and her husband Perry again, but Beau won't fit in there and he likes to work hard. Beau is shocked to see how selfish and unfeeling she was. She didn't seem like the same woman he had married. Violet and Perry were not enthusiastic about Lillian living with them, but that didn't deter her.
Bartley Doherty, the gorgeous gypsy traveler is the opposite of Jack O'Neil, Eve's first husband. Jack was jovial and light hearted, whereas Bartley is a deep thinker and as the seventh son of a seventh son, he has the sight, and healing powers. He just found out that one of his brothers who was separated from him seventeen years ago has been found. Bartley and Eve brought Issac back to the farm. He is as handsome and charming as Bartley.
After much hard work from the Murphys and their friends, the manor was now a country house hotel and a large group of Americans were the first guests.
Kate and Sam now had three year old twin girls named Daisy and Poppy, along with four year old Jack. Isabella and Dermot lived in their own farmhouse on the land. Isabella did the baking and guest preparation and Dermot was the land caretaker.
Lady Lillian and her husband Beau lived upstairs with their daughter Austina. Unfortunately, Lady Lillian refused to help with the endless work and she didn't even mind little Austina. She still saw the Murphys as servants. At least her husband Beau, the large black American was a great help on the estate and the children loved him.
The title of this book is accurate. Aisling gets raped by her old boyfriend Sean and she may lose her baby whom she had waited for so long. Isabella has tuberculosis and is in Switzerland not improving. Kate is running the hotel mostly alone except for the boys and girls that Eve and her husband Bartley have brought to live on the farm to learn and to help. They had a little baby named Bella. Mark is in jail again on charges of murdering Sean, although he and Sam left him beaten but alive.
Lillian loves Beau, but she can't relate to his Baptist religious fervor or to his work ethic. She made some feeble attempts to help out at Robinswood, but she can't stand being a charity case of former servants. She argued with Kate and slapped her.
Now Lillian wants to live with Violet and her husband Perry again, but Beau won't fit in there and he likes to work hard. Beau is shocked to see how selfish and unfeeling she was. She didn't seem like the same woman he had married. Violet and Perry were not enthusiastic about Lillian living with them, but that didn't deter her.
Bartley Doherty, the gorgeous gypsy traveler is the opposite of Jack O'Neil, Eve's first husband. Jack was jovial and light hearted, whereas Bartley is a deep thinker and as the seventh son of a seventh son, he has the sight, and healing powers. He just found out that one of his brothers who was separated from him seventeen years ago has been found. Bartley and Eve brought Issac back to the farm. He is as handsome and charming as Bartley.
March 7, 2023
Robinswood is more than an Irish country estate. It's a haven for the Murphy and Kennefick clans, offering refuge and employment to the entire extended family of Dermot and Isabella Murphy who were in service there for most of their 35 years of married life, raising three daughters, all now grown and married as well. With no money and the mostly worthless title of Lord and Lady Kennefick, Sam and youngest daughter Kate, with the help of her parents, saved Robinswood from rotting and collapsing in on itself. Oldest daughter Eve and her husband Bartley are expecting their first child, while middle daughter Aisling and husband Mark are trying to start a family and Sam's sister, "Lady" Lillian continues to act entitled while her husband Beau toils like a farmhand on the Kennefick estate. And now Bella is critically ill with the dreaded and in 1950 still deadly, tuberculosis.
As hard as Dermot and Bella have worked to keep their family together in safety, the realities of the world outside Robinswood come creeping in to threaten their way of life. Is their family strong enough to withstand the unpredictable circumstances that seem to come at them from all directions? Or will they falter under the weight of their burdens?
Jean Grainger's last book of the Robinswood trilogy packs an emotional punch that is both devastating and uplifting. Grainger introduces a few new characters and fleshes out some others that add dimension to the plot. And speaking of plots, this one is multifaceted - mystery, intrigue, loyalty, love, deception and murder. Yes, murder.
"Trials and Tribulations" is a riveting read and I highly recommend it. It can be read as a standalone but, in my opinion, you will appreciate it more if you've read the first two books in the series. Five stars.
As hard as Dermot and Bella have worked to keep their family together in safety, the realities of the world outside Robinswood come creeping in to threaten their way of life. Is their family strong enough to withstand the unpredictable circumstances that seem to come at them from all directions? Or will they falter under the weight of their burdens?
Jean Grainger's last book of the Robinswood trilogy packs an emotional punch that is both devastating and uplifting. Grainger introduces a few new characters and fleshes out some others that add dimension to the plot. And speaking of plots, this one is multifaceted - mystery, intrigue, loyalty, love, deception and murder. Yes, murder.
"Trials and Tribulations" is a riveting read and I highly recommend it. It can be read as a standalone but, in my opinion, you will appreciate it more if you've read the first two books in the series. Five stars.
May 4, 2020
"Three sisters, the three men that love them, and a house that could consume them all.
Assuming their roles as the new Lord and Lady Kenefick and returning to Robinswood with the plan to drag it back from the brink of dereliction, is taking its toll on Kate and Sam. With a young family to raise, a very limited budget and only Kate’s parents to help, the task seems insurmountable.
Kate’s eldest sister Eve and her husband Bartley have found happiness in each other after some dark years, but when a face from the past appears, it seems that everything they have worked so hard to create is threatened.
Aisling, the middle sister, is being evasive and the family suspect something is very wrong. On the face of it, she has it all, a lovely husband, a comfortable house and a supportive family, but she is in deep trouble, and nobody can even guess at the real reason why.
Meanwhile Lady Lillian, Sam’s sister, is useless and arrogant, refusing to accept that things have changed and that her title is not going to get her what she wants, least of all from her husband Beau.
In the midst of it all Dermot and Isabella Murphy try their best to maintain a life and a home for their family, but the trials and tribulations of life at Robinswood might just tear them all apart."
I loved this trilogy, full of interesting and endearing characters. I am sorry to say good-bye!
Synopsis is copied.
Assuming their roles as the new Lord and Lady Kenefick and returning to Robinswood with the plan to drag it back from the brink of dereliction, is taking its toll on Kate and Sam. With a young family to raise, a very limited budget and only Kate’s parents to help, the task seems insurmountable.
Kate’s eldest sister Eve and her husband Bartley have found happiness in each other after some dark years, but when a face from the past appears, it seems that everything they have worked so hard to create is threatened.
Aisling, the middle sister, is being evasive and the family suspect something is very wrong. On the face of it, she has it all, a lovely husband, a comfortable house and a supportive family, but she is in deep trouble, and nobody can even guess at the real reason why.
Meanwhile Lady Lillian, Sam’s sister, is useless and arrogant, refusing to accept that things have changed and that her title is not going to get her what she wants, least of all from her husband Beau.
In the midst of it all Dermot and Isabella Murphy try their best to maintain a life and a home for their family, but the trials and tribulations of life at Robinswood might just tear them all apart."
I loved this trilogy, full of interesting and endearing characters. I am sorry to say good-bye!
Synopsis is copied.
February 3, 2025
Ms Grainger’s books are always a win
I have loved all of Ms Grainger’s books, and I have read most all of them. This series is particularly beautiful and heart-warming. I will miss the Murphy family. I appreciate the deep family bonds created, the lessons in love and acceptance…and that it’s not our differences or the color of our skin that unite us and make us family and friends…it’s our humanity, love, and loyalty. There are important lessons to be learned and/or reminded of in these books.
The character development is always a joy. These characters are people a reader grows attached to, relates to, and roots on in all the situations that arise. She has wonderful story lines and ties them all together so well. The only negative I can say is that she is too repetitive in reminding (or informing) the reader what is going on, in case they are starting in Book 2 or 3 and have no prior knowledge how a character landed in a situation. Sometimes she will retell a past story several times in the same book. I find it a bit distracting and skim over it. That’s the worst I have to say…so I hope you fall in love with this author as much as I have.
I have loved all of Ms Grainger’s books, and I have read most all of them. This series is particularly beautiful and heart-warming. I will miss the Murphy family. I appreciate the deep family bonds created, the lessons in love and acceptance…and that it’s not our differences or the color of our skin that unite us and make us family and friends…it’s our humanity, love, and loyalty. There are important lessons to be learned and/or reminded of in these books.
The character development is always a joy. These characters are people a reader grows attached to, relates to, and roots on in all the situations that arise. She has wonderful story lines and ties them all together so well. The only negative I can say is that she is too repetitive in reminding (or informing) the reader what is going on, in case they are starting in Book 2 or 3 and have no prior knowledge how a character landed in a situation. Sometimes she will retell a past story several times in the same book. I find it a bit distracting and skim over it. That’s the worst I have to say…so I hope you fall in love with this author as much as I have.
March 6, 2021
A Fantastic Series
I have found my new favorite author! This series was such a wonderful read. Once I started on the first book, I could not stop until I finished all three of them. Jean Grainger makes you feel as if you are living with the characters and sharing their lives. She has the ability to weave in intrigue and mystery while sharing the everyday lives of the families. The historical facts are accurate and very well developed just as are her characters!! I have already read four other books of hers and I have devoured each one of them with tremendous pleasure. Jean Grainger is an historical fiction author who is unsurpassed in my opinion. I intend to read everything that she has written and will write. I highly recommend her to others that enjoy really well written great historical fiction!!
I have found my new favorite author! This series was such a wonderful read. Once I started on the first book, I could not stop until I finished all three of them. Jean Grainger makes you feel as if you are living with the characters and sharing their lives. She has the ability to weave in intrigue and mystery while sharing the everyday lives of the families. The historical facts are accurate and very well developed just as are her characters!! I have already read four other books of hers and I have devoured each one of them with tremendous pleasure. Jean Grainger is an historical fiction author who is unsurpassed in my opinion. I intend to read everything that she has written and will write. I highly recommend her to others that enjoy really well written great historical fiction!!
January 8, 2024
Reviewing for the whole series, not just this one book, which should've been one book in the first place. But then it's easier to get three different monetary transactions whose total would exceed the whole of what one book would deserve.
Money grab release methods aside, I enjoyed the story. The characters were memorable. Often there was a chance to go cliche but I wound up being surprised. The level of drama/conflict wasn't terribly high, but I consider that a compliment. When I started the series I simply wanted a story that had characters I cared about, nothing too terribly stressful or "thrilling" and I got what I wanted.
I'll be hoping for more of Grainger's books/series to appear in Audible sales so I don't have to give away a third of my credits just to get through what should be a single book.
Money grab release methods aside, I enjoyed the story. The characters were memorable. Often there was a chance to go cliche but I wound up being surprised. The level of drama/conflict wasn't terribly high, but I consider that a compliment. When I started the series I simply wanted a story that had characters I cared about, nothing too terribly stressful or "thrilling" and I got what I wanted.
I'll be hoping for more of Grainger's books/series to appear in Audible sales so I don't have to give away a third of my credits just to get through what should be a single book.
April 17, 2020
Jean Grainger's books never disappoint! Always a tried and true author.
I loved the story...and, I hope there will be another sequel to The Robinswood saga. I enjoy all of Jean Grainger's books. Why? Because all of her novels are easy and enjoyable, well-written stories! In today's turbulent times, Jean Grainger's heartwarming words capture the reader with caring people taking me out of my own world and into someone else's with hope and endless reading enjoyment! They become my friends, and each night I look forward to seeing what will come next. How their lives will be handled, gives me insight into dealing with my own dilemmas. Can't say enough good things!
Kudo and Thank you, Jean Grainger.
Barbara Baptiste
I loved the story...and, I hope there will be another sequel to The Robinswood saga. I enjoy all of Jean Grainger's books. Why? Because all of her novels are easy and enjoyable, well-written stories! In today's turbulent times, Jean Grainger's heartwarming words capture the reader with caring people taking me out of my own world and into someone else's with hope and endless reading enjoyment! They become my friends, and each night I look forward to seeing what will come next. How their lives will be handled, gives me insight into dealing with my own dilemmas. Can't say enough good things!
Kudo and Thank you, Jean Grainger.
Barbara Baptiste
January 29, 2023
I loved this and all the books in this Trilogy of The Robinswood Story. It gave me similar feels to Downton Abbey. . .though the story is different & the setting is in Ireland rather than England. But I loved the whole Murphy/Kenefick clan and all the events of their lives. The characters are so well developed and the story lines were so engaging and relatable! I truly felt as if I knew each of them personally and was right there with them through all the "Trials and Tribulations"! I'd love to see this adapted to film as a mini series. . .or even a full-blown series like Downton Abbey. I certainly "saw" a great film in my mind as I read these wonderful novels. This was my first novel by Jean Grainger, but certainly won't be my last!
May 11, 2023
Book 2 & 3 in this trilogy repeated so much information multiple times. I know books in series often do this to catch a reader up who maybe didn’t start at the beginning. But my goodness, it was in excess. This third book was the worst offender even repeating events from its own story as if I might have forgotten what happened several chapters prior. I skimmed over so many parts of the book because of it (which I never do), and nearly skipped the whole final chapter because of the saccharine “we are family and have overcome so much” speech for the umpteenth time. I really only read all three books because I had bought them at once due to the high ratings but they just didn’t get better than mediocre for me.
June 22, 2020
I've read all books in the Robinswood Story Book trilogy and loved all of them equally. Jean Grainger's character development is absolutely astounding and puts you right in the story with each one. Her flowing and descriptive writing does what a engaging book should do: transports your mind into the story like you were there. After I finished each book, I closed my Kindle wishing there was more. That should tell you something.
Trials and Tribulations has drama, conflict and an ending of both gladness and sadness. Any chance the will be a 4th story? If so put me at the head of the line for it!
Trials and Tribulations has drama, conflict and an ending of both gladness and sadness. Any chance the will be a 4th story? If so put me at the head of the line for it!
June 29, 2020
Great book which I finished late ( for me) last night..Just ahead of Jean Grainger's 3rd book in the Star and Shamrock series appearing in my kindle. A great read can always work wonders for the spirit, although this one definitely had it's ups and downs. Resilience seems to be always a theme in these Irish centered book and that is needed now!
From the publisher:"Robinswood Estate, County Waterford, 1950 Three sisters, the three men that love them, and a house that could consume them all." Happily it did NOT consume them all and wouldn't I love another in the series! I do hate to leave these folks just as they are beginning to come together.
From the publisher:"Robinswood Estate, County Waterford, 1950 Three sisters, the three men that love them, and a house that could consume them all." Happily it did NOT consume them all and wouldn't I love another in the series! I do hate to leave these folks just as they are beginning to come together.
January 21, 2023
The last in a three part series. I thought I wasn't going to like this one as much, as it headed toward some violence about 2/3 of the way through, but it all turned out okay! It's a great series. I listened to this series on Audible. This third one was narrated by a different narrator than the first two, which is always a difficult adjustment. In the end I liked the second narrator, and it's a great story (but better if you've read the first two). Jean Grainger writes for people like me, who like a minor mystery, a good story, and nothing too extreme as to violence or plot. I definitely recommend the series.
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