3/17

by Mary Pat Hyland

In this loose parody of Dante's "Inferno," four Irish traditional musicians get lost in the backwoods of upstate New York the week before St. Patrick's Day. On the journey, the band descends through nine hellish circles of American-style March 17th revelry: Step-dancing princesses. Bobbing shamrock headbangers. Green beer bacchanals. Shillelagh-wavin' geezers. O'Fun, not!
Amazon France No. 1 bestseller!

230 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2010

About the author

Mary Pat Hyland is an award-winning former newspaper journalist and Amazon Top 100 Bestseller who writes novels featuring Irish-American characters set in the Finger Lakes wine country and Southern Tier region of New York State.
Her latest novel is When Stardust Fell on Keuka Lake.
It is the third book in the Caviston Sisters Mystery series, preceded by The Curse of the Strawberry Moon and The Water Mystic of Woodland Springs. Hyland is also the author of the best-selling novel, The House With the Wraparound Porch, a family saga spanning four generations from 1920-2006. Her other books include The Maeve Kenny series: The Cyber Miracles (Book 1), A Sudden Gift of Fate (Book 2), and A Wisdom of Owls (Book 3); 3/17 (an Irish trad music parody of Dante's Inferno); The Terminal Diner (a suspense novel); and In the Shadows of the Onion Domes (collected short stories).
If you like stories that feature gourmet cooking, wine, humor, romance, and a bit of straying into magical realism, you'll enjoy her tales.

Reviews

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murphy was Irish. It seems fitting that his law would apply so well to the characters of "3/17." In what is described as a “loose parody of Dante’s Inferno,” Irish Trad Band Slí na Fírinne (which means “path of truth”) go on their first American tour in upstate New York. Before reaching their first gig they slide off the road in a snowstorm – an accident that might have been prevented if they had paid attention to their seemingly possessed GPS. From there, it only gets worse.

What follows is a nightmare that gets progressively worse. Missed gigs, cultural clashes – especially with those who think they understand Irish culture, and plenty of gigs from hell (none of which were those originally booked). Although almost anyone capable of laughing at Murphy gone amok should enjoy "3/17," it should especially ring true for musicians, or anyone who has observed artistic types trying to put food on the table.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog.**

[Heather Adkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

i absolutely devoured this book. the voice is so entertaining - very Irish, and very real. i loved the smattering of the Irish language throughout, plus of course the hilarity of making fun of the way Americans celebrate St Patrick's Day. i highly recommend it for a good laugh and a well-written read!

[Anne Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant...hysterically funny and fast moving, with all the right ingredients...loved it!