A review by jennabeck13
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange

⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

About 270 pages


The Connellys have had it rough since they were kids. Tara, Eddie, and Geraldine lost their mom to illness at a young age, and then their father abandoned them a few years later. Eddie has dealt with a traumatic brain injury for years. Tara is just getting out of prison from a drug charge. And Geraldine feels like she is responsible for their entire house/family. Put this all together, and it makes for some uncomfortable circumstances and interactions upon Tara’s return home. On top of that, the cop who arrested Tara won’t leave them alone. If they want to survive this turbulent time, the family needs to stop keeping secrets from one another, take responsibility for their parts in the family drama, and stop tip-toeing around each other. The Connellys of County Down tackles the issue of how far is too far to protect your family. At what point is fierce loyalty actually hurting your loved ones?


Given the 3.9 ⭐️ rating on GoodReads, I think I’m in the minority on not liking this one. Although I empathized with all of the siblings and found Tara’s behavior to be admirable, I didn’t connect to any of the characters. The pacing was also quite slow, making a relatively short book feel pretty long.


Favorite Quote: “But he knew what lingered was the sting of truth in what they’d said to each other. The most honest words didn’t have to be loud or dramatic to cut deep.”



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