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The First Time I Said Goodbye
An alternative cover edition for this ASIN B00F66O5AO can be found here.
Would you hold on tighter if you knew you were saying goodbye forever?
In 1959, factory girl Stella Hegarty finds herself falling unexpectedly for the charms of a handsome US marine based in Derry. Caught up in a whirlwind of romance, Stella finds herself planning a new life in America with her beloved Ray. But when tragedy steps in, both their lives are thrown into turmoil and they come to realise they may have said their first, and last goodbye.
In 2010, Annabel Jackson, reeling from the loss of her father, agrees to accompany her mother Stella back to Ireland to meet her family for the first time. In Derry they both start to realise that sometimes you have to say goodbye to what you thought you always wanted, in order to find what you have needed all along.
Would you hold on tighter if you knew you were saying goodbye forever?
In 1959, factory girl Stella Hegarty finds herself falling unexpectedly for the charms of a handsome US marine based in Derry. Caught up in a whirlwind of romance, Stella finds herself planning a new life in America with her beloved Ray. But when tragedy steps in, both their lives are thrown into turmoil and they come to realise they may have said their first, and last goodbye.
In 2010, Annabel Jackson, reeling from the loss of her father, agrees to accompany her mother Stella back to Ireland to meet her family for the first time. In Derry they both start to realise that sometimes you have to say goodbye to what you thought you always wanted, in order to find what you have needed all along.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2013
2991 people are currently reading
2814 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 432 reviews
August 27, 2015
In all I enjoyed this book. The plot and pacing were good, the characters were well fleshed-out. It was predictable, but predictability can be comforting. My only complaint was that the main character and one of the secondary characters were supposed to be American-born and raised. The only problem here is that they spoke like people who had been raised in Great Britain/Ireland. I found this to be very distracting. When I discovered that the author was a journalist, it just confirmed my feeling that she had been quite lazy in creating dialogue for these characters. I little research would have made the dialogue much more real and would have enhanced the two characters' foreign status and isolation from the rest of the characters which would have made a good novel better. A few passing references to California, WalMart, and the Grand Canyon did little in the face of almost every sentence containing British/Irish vernacular such as bin bags, article, gone 6:00, etc. Am I too picky? Maybe, but it would have added depth to these two very important characters if the author had at least tried to be authentic to the American vernacular.
August 5, 2017
I loved the plot and the characters. I also loved the current and past perspectives and the use of the old letters. The one thing that kept me from rating this higher was the ending. I needed more! I needed to know what happened with Stella and Ray. I needed to know what happened with Annabel. I needed to know what happened with Dolores and Sam and Sam's future. I needed more closure on this story.
September 23, 2021
***Disgruntled spoiler alert***
So little actually happens, it’s hard to believe the author was able to drag this story on for 312 pages. The character of Annabel had one defining character trait - she loved her father and was filled with grief because he died. She accompanies her mother Stella on a trip to Ireland after the funeral, to meet the family she’s never seen. But Stella has another secret reason that she wants to return to Ireland for the first time in 50 years.
Stella’s story seemed to be set during WWII, until I realized the date was 1959. I enjoyed the early descriptions of life in a big, poor-but-happy Irish family and the sweet love affair Stella had with Ray, a Marine who was stationed in Ireland for some non-WWII reason. Everything was wonderful and she was going to marry him and move to America. Then whatever the hell he was doing there became unnecessary and Ray had to return to the US immediately, before all Stella’s paperwork was ready. The pair parted, knowing it would only be for a short time.
Then Stella’s father dies unexpectedly and she feels like she can’t leave her devastated family, which would struggle financially and emotionally without her. So she writes Ray a letter, and instead of sharing this situation with the man she adores and trying to work out a solution, she tells him she never loved him and was just using him to get to America. What the Holy Fu(k?
That was just such a ridiculous, contrived plot line that I lost interest and skimmed the rest of the book. I usually don’t do that, I either DNF or commit to finishing. But by this point I think there was only 10% to go. I had just enough curiosity to read through to the big reunion scene at the end, which was so abrupt and unsatisfactory I was glad I wasn’t very invested in the story or these characters.
So little actually happens, it’s hard to believe the author was able to drag this story on for 312 pages. The character of Annabel had one defining character trait - she loved her father and was filled with grief because he died. She accompanies her mother Stella on a trip to Ireland after the funeral, to meet the family she’s never seen. But Stella has another secret reason that she wants to return to Ireland for the first time in 50 years.
Stella’s story seemed to be set during WWII, until I realized the date was 1959. I enjoyed the early descriptions of life in a big, poor-but-happy Irish family and the sweet love affair Stella had with Ray, a Marine who was stationed in Ireland for some non-WWII reason. Everything was wonderful and she was going to marry him and move to America. Then whatever the hell he was doing there became unnecessary and Ray had to return to the US immediately, before all Stella’s paperwork was ready. The pair parted, knowing it would only be for a short time.
Then Stella’s father dies unexpectedly and she feels like she can’t leave her devastated family, which would struggle financially and emotionally without her. So she writes Ray a letter, and instead of sharing this situation with the man she adores and trying to work out a solution, she tells him she never loved him and was just using him to get to America. What the Holy Fu(k?
That was just such a ridiculous, contrived plot line that I lost interest and skimmed the rest of the book. I usually don’t do that, I either DNF or commit to finishing. But by this point I think there was only 10% to go. I had just enough curiosity to read through to the big reunion scene at the end, which was so abrupt and unsatisfactory I was glad I wasn’t very invested in the story or these characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2017
The book starts out slow, picks up a bit in the middle and then drags it for all it's worth to the end. Less would have been better. No challenge you've got if figured out way to early.
January 31, 2019
This was a charming narrative that pulled me in right from the beginning. It was clear that readers would soon learn about Stella's history and, being back in her hometown of Derry, would give her and her daughter, Annabel, a chance for re-discovering themselves, once and for all.
Initially this book could be considered as having a slow start. However, Allan carefully crafts the two characters of Annabel and Stella, allowing readers to establish a relationship with both before the story really starts to take off when the women arrive in Ireland. I don't think I have read a novel set in Ireland and I really appreciated the charm and friendliness that came from all of the characters! Having been to this amazing country a couple of times, I think Allan encapsulates what the Irish people are all about, and I believe this element adds to the warmth of the story.
Shadowing the entire story is the death of Annabel's father. The inevitable, emotional impact that this has on Annabel and her mother is explored throughout this narrative. Both Annabel and Stella have to come to terms with his slow decline in health, leading to his eventual death, and the way that Allan describes this during the novel certainly touched me and caused me to reminisce on a personal level.
The dual narrative allows readers to explore Annabel's return to strength as she grows to develop a strong friendship with her cousin, Sam. On the other hand, readers learn what happened to her mother, Stella, back in Derry in 1959. The story of Stella's lost love is touching and sad; the lost hopes and dreams constantly conflict with the fact that Stella has just lost her husband. Stella mourns not just for her husband, but also the man she was never able to marry.
This was a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it. I personally do not think that this novel's cover does not do the plot any justice: it is not about baking cakes and having cups of tea, but about a love that never was. The journey that these two women take - both physically and emotionally - is endearing and a symbol that despite hardships, you can ride the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
Initially this book could be considered as having a slow start. However, Allan carefully crafts the two characters of Annabel and Stella, allowing readers to establish a relationship with both before the story really starts to take off when the women arrive in Ireland. I don't think I have read a novel set in Ireland and I really appreciated the charm and friendliness that came from all of the characters! Having been to this amazing country a couple of times, I think Allan encapsulates what the Irish people are all about, and I believe this element adds to the warmth of the story.
Shadowing the entire story is the death of Annabel's father. The inevitable, emotional impact that this has on Annabel and her mother is explored throughout this narrative. Both Annabel and Stella have to come to terms with his slow decline in health, leading to his eventual death, and the way that Allan describes this during the novel certainly touched me and caused me to reminisce on a personal level.
The dual narrative allows readers to explore Annabel's return to strength as she grows to develop a strong friendship with her cousin, Sam. On the other hand, readers learn what happened to her mother, Stella, back in Derry in 1959. The story of Stella's lost love is touching and sad; the lost hopes and dreams constantly conflict with the fact that Stella has just lost her husband. Stella mourns not just for her husband, but also the man she was never able to marry.
This was a lovely story and I really enjoyed reading it. I personally do not think that this novel's cover does not do the plot any justice: it is not about baking cakes and having cups of tea, but about a love that never was. The journey that these two women take - both physically and emotionally - is endearing and a symbol that despite hardships, you can ride the storm and emerge stronger on the other side.
July 25, 2019
An incredibly moving story.
Oh dear, I am welling up after finishing this incredible story.
A dual timeline set in Ireland and America during the 1950's and in 2010, it is about the conflict of loss, true love and family loyalty .
An incredibly moving story, well written and unputdownable.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this fabulous read.
Oh dear, I am welling up after finishing this incredible story.
A dual timeline set in Ireland and America during the 1950's and in 2010, it is about the conflict of loss, true love and family loyalty .
An incredibly moving story, well written and unputdownable.
I would have no hesitation in recommending this fabulous read.
December 13, 2015
Set in Ireland and written by an Irish authoress; I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This book and writer is another uncovered gem in the Kindle library.
December 27, 2017
Too long, too much ! Not enough of the main story!
Book was way too drawn out to be enjoyable. Kept have to fast forward to get to the main story.
Book was way too drawn out to be enjoyable. Kept have to fast forward to get to the main story.
March 26, 2023
This was one big snoozefest. I felt no attachment to any of the characters and the 'big' mystery was 'impossibly small' (The author's favourite adjective). At least It was a free download.
January 4, 2019
Sheesh. Like reading a Hallmark movie. American daughter of an Irish mother and American father loses her father. Mom decides to revisit Ireland, where she hasn't been for 48 years. Takes grieving, overly-emotional daughter along. Daughter finds out Mom wants to attend the reunion of military men who were stationed in Derry decades ago. Mom had been madly in love with one of the American GI's at the time but broke up with him when her own father died and she had to become the financial support for the large family. Now the freshly-minted widow wants to re-engage with the first love of her life. Daughter "finds herself" and happiness in Ireland. Mission accomplished. The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2020
This novel tells two stories, one in 1950s Ireland and the second a bereaved woman and her daughter in the present day.
Stella returns to Ireland to visit her family with her daughter Annabel after her husband's death. What she fails to tell her daughter is about her relationship when she was younger with a marine and her hopevto meet him again. The 1950s element of the novel covers this relationship and the events which lead Stella to move to the United States.
I liked the idea of this novel and found it an easy read, enjoying the way the characters developed. This said there was something missing for me. I was left with too many questions for a higher review -sorry
Stella returns to Ireland to visit her family with her daughter Annabel after her husband's death. What she fails to tell her daughter is about her relationship when she was younger with a marine and her hopevto meet him again. The 1950s element of the novel covers this relationship and the events which lead Stella to move to the United States.
I liked the idea of this novel and found it an easy read, enjoying the way the characters developed. This said there was something missing for me. I was left with too many questions for a higher review -sorry
December 23, 2018
I recommend the book. It is a love story, but I found a history about Ireland that I never knew before. In 1960, Ray is an American marine stationed in Ireland. He meets and falls in love with Stella. They plan to marry but fate steps in to deliver a tragic blow. That is the thread of the story that I liked. The author was long of wind with side stories and repetitions. The book needed an editor. The author went from first person to second person to third person inappropriately.
Thank you, Ms. Allan, for a good read.
Thank you, Ms. Allan, for a good read.
March 5, 2020
This is not the type of book I usually read but it was given to me by my aunt and the storyline intrigued me as it reminded me of my mother's story and it was also set around the same time, the early 1960s, in Northern Ireland. I have to say I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters who were portrayed so vividly. I actually found the book hard to put down (and I don't often say that!) as I crossed my fingers and hoped for the happy ending that sadly my own mother never found. It has inspired me to write her story. Thank you Claire for this lovely book.
November 26, 2017
I enjoyed the storyline following the young couple in Derry back in war times to the present day story of Annabelle. A comforting wholesome read with predictable twists and turns. Would have given it 3 and a half stars, not quite a 4. My only criticism is the ending happened so suddenly. Would have liked some info on what might be happening next int the main characters' lives.
July 26, 2017
A fine romance. An absorbing and believable story of love and family and their inherent complications. The setting in Derry is also an important and satisfying aspect of the novel. I found the deepening understanding between Annabelle and her mother especially satisfying.
May 18, 2021
Summer read. Sweet story. Predictable. Happily ever after.
April 21, 2019
This was a lovely story, just as I expected, though it seemed to get all very rushed at the end......such a pity. I'd have had a good additional 100 pages making a lot more of it than she did.....this won't stop me from recommending it, however, and I'll definitely read her again.
She created a super family in the Hegartys, they're a great bunch. The humour featured brought to mind the Irish families that Marian Keyes creates so well, too. Some very touching moments were featured, one passage made me sob and a letter actually made me feel quite ill ! I didn't really "get" why Stella never even went back to Derry for a visit, either, in the intervening 50 years !!
There are a few niggles. She writes a lot of back-to-back dialogue but on the same line and you really need to concentrate a lot harder in order to figure out who's speaking when. She also has a needless space after every single hyphen used, like all- American or suspect- looking. There were missed apostrophes and also dropped speechmarks, too, here and there. Throughout she referred to both Marines and marines and couldn't seem to make her mind up whether to capitalise them or not.
Rained was used and not rain, into and not to, born and not borne, eek and not eke (!!), wrote "that was in it" as opposed to "that it was" and "I couldn't speak in this time" and not "at this time" and then we got, "....she had turned in the landing" and not on. So some odd language usage. Under foot doesn't need a space, either.
THIS passage totally confused me, "And with one wage now-the wage that put the roof over their heads in the first place-there was no way the family could manage....." and I finally figured out she missed a word out, probably, gone......with one wage GONE now was what she meant !! This type of mistake cost it the 5* for me, as there were too many not picked up.
She created a super family in the Hegartys, they're a great bunch. The humour featured brought to mind the Irish families that Marian Keyes creates so well, too. Some very touching moments were featured, one passage made me sob and a letter actually made me feel quite ill ! I didn't really "get" why Stella never even went back to Derry for a visit, either, in the intervening 50 years !!
There are a few niggles. She writes a lot of back-to-back dialogue but on the same line and you really need to concentrate a lot harder in order to figure out who's speaking when. She also has a needless space after every single hyphen used, like all- American or suspect- looking. There were missed apostrophes and also dropped speechmarks, too, here and there. Throughout she referred to both Marines and marines and couldn't seem to make her mind up whether to capitalise them or not.
Rained was used and not rain, into and not to, born and not borne, eek and not eke (!!), wrote "that was in it" as opposed to "that it was" and "I couldn't speak in this time" and not "at this time" and then we got, "....she had turned in the landing" and not on. So some odd language usage. Under foot doesn't need a space, either.
THIS passage totally confused me, "And with one wage now-the wage that put the roof over their heads in the first place-there was no way the family could manage....." and I finally figured out she missed a word out, probably, gone......with one wage GONE now was what she meant !! This type of mistake cost it the 5* for me, as there were too many not picked up.
November 30, 2020
This was a truly wonderful and beautiful story, with equal measures of drama, emotional scenes and some laughter moments too. The story was very well written and has a dual timeline storyline involved, which I throughly enjoyed. It didn’t take me long to become engaged/lost in the stories of those of Stella in 1959 and Annabelle in 2010, getting to know them, seeing what they each had to go through and then loving how the two stories came together at the very end, just beautiful and very thought provoking. It truly shows how one or two events that happen in a life can change the overall outcome/direction as to where that said life was originally heading.
I’m so glad that I discovered this author and will very much be looking forward to reading her other books in the coming months.
I’m so glad that I discovered this author and will very much be looking forward to reading her other books in the coming months.
April 10, 2022
Update: I was reading some reviews. Google and Amazon and other book sites. I am not happy with how Stella is going to handle things with Ray. I need to stop reading this now.
I can't deal with Annabel's personality and Stella does a foolish thing by not being honest.
I cannot handle Annabel's attitude. Yes, we all understand that she is sad and heartbroken.
How many people in your life, maybe even including yourself, have you known who has went through the same! Did that person, or yourself act like a impertinent child! She is so wrapped up in herself.
She has just went into Sam's shop and has lightened up a bit. If she continues to treat her mother poorly and not get over herself and her self absorbed ways, I cannot finish this book.
I can't deal with Annabel's personality and Stella does a foolish thing by not being honest.
I cannot handle Annabel's attitude. Yes, we all understand that she is sad and heartbroken.
How many people in your life, maybe even including yourself, have you known who has went through the same! Did that person, or yourself act like a impertinent child! She is so wrapped up in herself.
She has just went into Sam's shop and has lightened up a bit. If she continues to treat her mother poorly and not get over herself and her self absorbed ways, I cannot finish this book.
June 29, 2018
I don’t typically read light little romances, but this one seemed intriguing w/ it’s dual story lines: Annabel and her Mom, Stella return to Stella’s native Derry, Ireland, for the first time since she left in the 60’s b/c Annabel’ father has just died after a long battle w/ CA. Annabel doesn’t know that the timing of the visit to Ireland is b/c of a US marine reunion at the old marine base in Derry. Stella hopes to talk to the man who was the great love of her life, a man Annabel only learns about during the trip to Ireland.
The denouement of the plot is visible once Annabel, and we the readers, find out about Ray, the marine. Parts of the story are quite affecting and parts are just typical romance novel, but overall, it was a fluffy read at my Mom’s house on my new Kindle.
The denouement of the plot is visible once Annabel, and we the readers, find out about Ray, the marine. Parts of the story are quite affecting and parts are just typical romance novel, but overall, it was a fluffy read at my Mom’s house on my new Kindle.
May 29, 2020
What a lovely book. Honestly, it was a 100% surprise to me. I got it for free. And thought what the heck I would give it a try. Great use of characters. Great decriptions of the Irish way of life. Overall, a great book.
June 14, 2021
One of the best books I've read, I loved it.
September 27, 2021
I tried to get into this one but it didn't keep my interest long. Couldn't finish it.
September 23, 2017
Good story
I enjoyed the plot but not the two main characters. They seemed week to me. The book is not complex just a simple love story but was a fun read.
I enjoyed the plot but not the two main characters. They seemed week to me. The book is not complex just a simple love story but was a fun read.
January 19, 2018
Really good book! Annabel's father has recently died and her Irish-born mother, Stella, asks her to go on a trip to her hometown in Ireland. They leave a few weeks after the funeral and Annabel meets relatives she had only heard about from her mother's stories. But, her mother has hidden a secret from her and Annabel is shocked to discover that her mother, at 20, was madly in love with an American Marine, Ray, stationed in her hometown in 1959.
The story is told from two perspectives: Annabel's, in the first person, in 2010 and her mother's, told in the third-person, in 1959-60. Annabel was a "daddy's girl" and even as a grown woman of 37, can't accept the fact that her mother was truly, deeply in love with anyone other than Annabel's father. She also is struggling with the fact that part of the reason Stella wanted to return to Ireland was to attend a 50th reunion of Ray's Marine company in her hometown, hoping to see Ray again.
Stella and Ray's love story is just wonderful, if heartbreaking. Annabel's obession with her dead father and how badly she feels about his death, her resentment at her mother for loving somone else 50 years prior, and her indecision over her relationship with her live-in boyfriend were not quite as engaging as Stella and Ray's love story.
Sam, Annabel's cousin, was a doll. (I laughed at loud his reference to Father Ted's Mrs. Doyle). Her Aunt Delores was an interesting paradox of compassion and intolerance. And, while the ending had me in tears, I wish it had been more definitive.
All in all, I recommend this novel as a highly enjoyable read.
The story is told from two perspectives: Annabel's, in the first person, in 2010 and her mother's, told in the third-person, in 1959-60. Annabel was a "daddy's girl" and even as a grown woman of 37, can't accept the fact that her mother was truly, deeply in love with anyone other than Annabel's father. She also is struggling with the fact that part of the reason Stella wanted to return to Ireland was to attend a 50th reunion of Ray's Marine company in her hometown, hoping to see Ray again.
Stella and Ray's love story is just wonderful, if heartbreaking. Annabel's obession with her dead father and how badly she feels about his death, her resentment at her mother for loving somone else 50 years prior, and her indecision over her relationship with her live-in boyfriend were not quite as engaging as Stella and Ray's love story.
Sam, Annabel's cousin, was a doll. (I laughed at loud his reference to Father Ted's Mrs. Doyle). Her Aunt Delores was an interesting paradox of compassion and intolerance. And, while the ending had me in tears, I wish it had been more definitive.
All in all, I recommend this novel as a highly enjoyable read.
May 18, 2024
I initially enjoyed the book, but then it really began to drag and went downhill from there.
January 28, 2019
This book hit home with me. Very, very close to home actually. The First Time I Said Goodbye is a heart tugging read about the death of a parent, the end of a relationship, the realization that your father wasn’t your mother’s greatest love, and learning to live again. My own father passed several years ago and my mother married her college boyfriend, an event that had me questioning everything I thought I knew about her and her marriage to my father.
Claire Allan’s book, based loosely upon an article she was assigned for an Irish newspaper, has everything you want for a “tuck up under a quilt and read while it snows” book. Switching between 1960s and 2010 Derry, Allan’s writing focuses on relationships rather than places, and her main characters are pretty solid. She allows her reader’s to imagine the scenes she lays before them, following the rule of “show don’t tell” flawlessly. Her narrative style is natural and easy to read, and more appealing for me, relatable.
The death of a woman’s father is something I think you only truly understand when it’s happened to you, and I’m not sure men can understand it or equate it. For most women, Dad is the first and last superhero in their lives, the man who can fix anything, the spoiler, the first to capture her heart. Losing him is the safety net of your life suddenly vanishing, and Allan’s portrayal of this with her protagonist, Annabelle, is heart wrenching and beautiful at the same time. I found myself highlighting passages and making notes of “Exactly!” and “could never put it into words myself” again and again.
When Annabelle learns of her mother’s first true romance and her intentions of meeting him again at a reunion that occurs on the heels of her father’s death, her reaction is typical; anger, denial, the sense of betrayal and outrage on behalf of her deceased father is palatable. These were all feelings I had when my mom remarried twelve years after dad’s passing. For years I couldn’t understand how my sisters could be so okay with the situation or the ability to hide their true feelings if they weren’t. After reading Allan’s book, I’ve realized that those feelings are shared with anyone who’s been a part of a similar situation.
The conversations with her mother that follow and the information Allan provides in flashback chapters aren’t necessarily gripping, but they tease the reader into searching for the truth and hoping for Hollywood style plot devices. Normally I’d be putting the book down or making in uncomplimentary notes full of eye roll emojis and sighs if I encountered those. Allan had me crossing my fingers that the trite tropes of LaLa Land would appear. The ending is typical, fairytale happiness (or the promise of), but I truly did not mind, and in fact cheered when it happened.
Most of the drawbacks with this book are limited and minor. Few of the secondary characters are flushed out, their use being more filler or plot device. The reader never learns why Annabelle’s boyfriend cheats on her, or why he’s so moody and truculent at times, but she don’t need to know. It’s enough that he’s convincingly portrayed as somewhat of a jerk and someone the reader realizes Annabelle would never be happy with. Some tensions in the book are resolved suddenly and a bit abruptly. Sam and Dolores’ relationship is somewhat mended, all tied up with a pretty bow at the end of the book, but readers know it’s just the first step in the healing process.
The biggest drawback for me was the way Allan writes dialogue. The dialogue itself is great, very natural and flowing. The lack of a new paragraph every time there’s a new speaker is maddening. I found myself rereading passages so I could figure out who said what. I can’t believe this is a unique Irish writing style, but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why or how this passed the editing team at #PoolbegPress. While frustrating for me, this shouldn’t be a reason to pass on this book.
The First Time I Said Goodbye is a fantastic weekend or beach read, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Allan’s work.
Claire Allan’s book, based loosely upon an article she was assigned for an Irish newspaper, has everything you want for a “tuck up under a quilt and read while it snows” book. Switching between 1960s and 2010 Derry, Allan’s writing focuses on relationships rather than places, and her main characters are pretty solid. She allows her reader’s to imagine the scenes she lays before them, following the rule of “show don’t tell” flawlessly. Her narrative style is natural and easy to read, and more appealing for me, relatable.
The death of a woman’s father is something I think you only truly understand when it’s happened to you, and I’m not sure men can understand it or equate it. For most women, Dad is the first and last superhero in their lives, the man who can fix anything, the spoiler, the first to capture her heart. Losing him is the safety net of your life suddenly vanishing, and Allan’s portrayal of this with her protagonist, Annabelle, is heart wrenching and beautiful at the same time. I found myself highlighting passages and making notes of “Exactly!” and “could never put it into words myself” again and again.
When Annabelle learns of her mother’s first true romance and her intentions of meeting him again at a reunion that occurs on the heels of her father’s death, her reaction is typical; anger, denial, the sense of betrayal and outrage on behalf of her deceased father is palatable. These were all feelings I had when my mom remarried twelve years after dad’s passing. For years I couldn’t understand how my sisters could be so okay with the situation or the ability to hide their true feelings if they weren’t. After reading Allan’s book, I’ve realized that those feelings are shared with anyone who’s been a part of a similar situation.
The conversations with her mother that follow and the information Allan provides in flashback chapters aren’t necessarily gripping, but they tease the reader into searching for the truth and hoping for Hollywood style plot devices. Normally I’d be putting the book down or making in uncomplimentary notes full of eye roll emojis and sighs if I encountered those. Allan had me crossing my fingers that the trite tropes of LaLa Land would appear. The ending is typical, fairytale happiness (or the promise of), but I truly did not mind, and in fact cheered when it happened.
Most of the drawbacks with this book are limited and minor. Few of the secondary characters are flushed out, their use being more filler or plot device. The reader never learns why Annabelle’s boyfriend cheats on her, or why he’s so moody and truculent at times, but she don’t need to know. It’s enough that he’s convincingly portrayed as somewhat of a jerk and someone the reader realizes Annabelle would never be happy with. Some tensions in the book are resolved suddenly and a bit abruptly. Sam and Dolores’ relationship is somewhat mended, all tied up with a pretty bow at the end of the book, but readers know it’s just the first step in the healing process.
The biggest drawback for me was the way Allan writes dialogue. The dialogue itself is great, very natural and flowing. The lack of a new paragraph every time there’s a new speaker is maddening. I found myself rereading passages so I could figure out who said what. I can’t believe this is a unique Irish writing style, but I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why or how this passed the editing team at #PoolbegPress. While frustrating for me, this shouldn’t be a reason to pass on this book.
The First Time I Said Goodbye is a fantastic weekend or beach read, and I’m looking forward to reading more of Allan’s work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 20, 2020
One reviewer said THE FIRST TIME I SAID GOODBYE by Claire Allan was like reading a Hallmark movie. I would agree but would want to add that it's much more like reading one of the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies than one of the mundane, formulaic Hallmark movies that play in endless reruns every night. It's a good story with interesting characters and relationships. Stella is a young girl working in a factory in 1959 in her hometown of Derry, Ireland. She meets Ray, a US Marine stationed there and they fall madly in love. Ray promises to marry her and take her back to his home in the USA to make a home and family. But tragedy intrudes -- Stella's beloved father dies unexpectedly and Ray is shipped out shortly thereafter. Stella moves to the USA to find Ray but his mother keeps them apart, and they live separate iives, marry, and have no contact. Fifty years later, Stella takes her daughter Annabel back to Derry to see the homeland and meet the Irish family, including the gay cousin who runs a high end vintage dress shop. While there they discover there is to be a reunion of Ray's Marine unit in Derry. So as not to disclose the ending, I'll leave the rest to the reader, but with the prediction you will find the Hallmark ending satisfying. This is not a Steinbeck or Hemmingway level masterpiece, but it is an enjoyable read. Four out of five stars. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
September 13, 2017
I just can't read anymore of this drivel. 50% it's all I can take. The book should be over by now but keeps going on and on. The descriptions of"my daddy" and "my mammy" were terribly repetitious. Hearing about"mammy's soft hands" one more time after she scrubs the entire house and washed the clothes and makes all the food from scratch" left me wondering often how she kept her hands so soft. She couldn't afford hand cream, that was for sure.
The story was dragging and repetitious and the characters too good to be true. And how no one seemed to know that Sam was gay even though his own mother knew but pretended she didn't was silly. Why would anyone want a single young lady to live in the house of her single young male cousin all by themselves if they didnt suspect he was gay? Not one of the many relatives gave it a thought.
The story might have worked better as a novella or short story. The sweet mother was just too perfect and delicate and seldom could speak truthfully to her one child. The daughter was so delicate that she could not bear to hear that her mother was ever in love with someone before she met her father. She somehow believed her mother was never interested in a man until she met her husband.
This just dragged too much for me to want to finish this book.
The story was dragging and repetitious and the characters too good to be true. And how no one seemed to know that Sam was gay even though his own mother knew but pretended she didn't was silly. Why would anyone want a single young lady to live in the house of her single young male cousin all by themselves if they didnt suspect he was gay? Not one of the many relatives gave it a thought.
The story might have worked better as a novella or short story. The sweet mother was just too perfect and delicate and seldom could speak truthfully to her one child. The daughter was so delicate that she could not bear to hear that her mother was ever in love with someone before she met her father. She somehow believed her mother was never interested in a man until she met her husband.
This just dragged too much for me to want to finish this book.
December 30, 2018
Bittersweet "Lost and Found" love story...
When Annabel's father dies, after a long, painful illness, she is devastated, and her boyfriend, Craig, is not as comforting or supportive as she would like. Then she learns her Irish mother wants her to put Craig and her bakery businessin hold, and travel back to Ireland with her to visit her family; a family Annabel has never met. Prepared to be bored to tears, she is surprised to find a huge, extended family that welcomes both of them with open arms. But due to their remarks, she also discovers a secret about her mother's past, which threatens to destroy her belief in her parent's "fairytail romance and perfect marriage." Learning the truth about her mother's lost opportunities, hardships, and courage after her own father died so many years before, helps Annabel come to terms with her own demons, while becoming closer and more supportive of her mother, and her desire to chase her long lost dreams.
When Annabel's father dies, after a long, painful illness, she is devastated, and her boyfriend, Craig, is not as comforting or supportive as she would like. Then she learns her Irish mother wants her to put Craig and her bakery businessin hold, and travel back to Ireland with her to visit her family; a family Annabel has never met. Prepared to be bored to tears, she is surprised to find a huge, extended family that welcomes both of them with open arms. But due to their remarks, she also discovers a secret about her mother's past, which threatens to destroy her belief in her parent's "fairytail romance and perfect marriage." Learning the truth about her mother's lost opportunities, hardships, and courage after her own father died so many years before, helps Annabel come to terms with her own demons, while becoming closer and more supportive of her mother, and her desire to chase her long lost dreams.
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