See This Must Be the Place in our catalogue
“Meet Daniel Sullivan, a man with a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn and a wife, Claudette, who is a reclusive ex-film star given to shooting at anyone who ventures up their driveway.
“He is also about to find out something about a woman he lost touch with 20 years ago, and this discovery will send him off-course, far away from wife and home. Will his love for Claudette be enough to bring him back?”
We particularly liked the children in This Must Be the Place and were impressed with how they coped with life and surmounted their own challenges. They brought out the best in the main character, Daniel, and even rescued him from himself.
Daniel himself is also likeable, but not aware of his impact on others. He and other flawed characters made our reading group cross with them at times!
However, while Maggie O’Farrell is a very talented author, we did find this book too long, and therefore not our favourite. We still found it readable, though, especially the more humorous parts and her beautiful descriptions of Ireland and Bolivia.