This is the book that captures the essence of my mental images of what it must be like to be part of a large family sitting around the kitchen table dealing with the ups and downs of life and the choices made in that life. We are the Brennans is a story of family secrets, lies, and undying love and support.
Family is the only way to describe this novel. It’s just family wrapped up in pages filled with words that create the Brennan family. The Brennan’s, a big Irish family, is comprised of the father, Mickey, his four children, Denny, Jackie, Shane and Sunday (3 boys and a girl), their pseudo son, Kale, you know the kid who grew up down the street but was a fixture in their house since anyone can remember. The boy who begins to date the only daughter! Plus, throw in a family pub, a couple marriages, two grandchildren, and a five year old secret that has changed the future of the family forever.
Tracey Lange really does approach the question of how far you would go to protect each other. Sunday returns home to her New York home where all her brothers and father still live in the same house from her childhood after spending five years in California. The issue is that she left abruptly and, apparently, no one knew the true reasons for her leaving. Honestly, with three brothers, if any one messed with her, the protectiveness would surely come out.
There were several things that I really loved about this book, besides what I already mentioned. Obviously, the character development is wonderful. The story is told from multiple points of view, which goes a long way to show just how each character views the family and that they each have their own issues and secrets. As the reader, you just feel that you become part of the family and connect with each of them.
The Brennan family pub was just a perfect touch. Denny and Kale partner in this “family” endeavor, and it is exactly the type of thing that I could picture this type of family doing. How they rally together, when lies come to the surface that could cause some major issues for them all. However, even though they come together to overcome those issues, the issues still leave hurt and betrayal for those affected. I really appreciated this because in real life in families, the hurt is there and can’t just be snapped away. With that said, love prevails, and they work hard to make sure that they cope with it. Sacrifices are made in the best interest of the greater good, even if there is anger and hurt surrounding the relationship.
There are cozy wonderful moments when you see how much Denny loves his wife and daughter and owns up to his faults. When the family sits around the kitchen table time and time again. The best is obviously when it's late at night and they just spoon ice cream right out of the containers and pass them around to sample all the flavors.
I would have loved to have grown up in a big family with lots of siblings and memories of that kitchen table. All families, big or small, have those moments when you just sit back, look at it all and say, “What a Shit Show” like Denny does at the end of the book. It made me smile and made me think about how many times I’ve said that about my own little family of four! Knowing that some decisions made weren’t the best, but at the end of the day there is nothing better than family.
There was only one thing that bothered me a little bit and that is the character of Vivienne. She was portrayed in a very snobbish and pretentious manner, and I immediately didn’t like her. So, what ended up happening wasn’t a shock as you see how the story develops, and I’m sure because of the character development some readers won’t really care about what happens. My issue is that I don’t think that it gives a free pass for those actions. I felt horrible that the result is what it is even though I’m not surprised by it. As a reader, you could see it coming from as early as chapter 3. But, it’s not fair to be treated that way. As she reflects on the past few years, the truth of it all hurts even worse.
I did enjoy how the book ended. Typically, I prefer stand alone books to have very clear and clean endings so I’m not frustrated by not knowing what happens. In this case, there isn’t a clear conclusion to these characters’ lives, but it makes sense. It proves the point that just because these family issues are being resolved, there will always be another obstacle to overcome together.
I definitely got all the family feels reading this book. The conflicts are there, but I don’t feel they are as dramatic or as powerfully developed as they potentially could be. But that’s ok. The focus is more on how everyone deals with the conflicts, how they come together, and how they decide to move forward. If you are in the mood for just a good Irish family book, definitely add this to your TBR list.
Family is the only way to describe this novel. It’s just family wrapped up in pages filled with words that create the Brennan family. The Brennan’s, a big Irish family, is comprised of the father, Mickey, his four children, Denny, Jackie, Shane and Sunday (3 boys and a girl), their pseudo son, Kale, you know the kid who grew up down the street but was a fixture in their house since anyone can remember. The boy who begins to date the only daughter! Plus, throw in a family pub, a couple marriages, two grandchildren, and a five year old secret that has changed the future of the family forever.
Tracey Lange really does approach the question of how far you would go to protect each other. Sunday returns home to her New York home where all her brothers and father still live in the same house from her childhood after spending five years in California. The issue is that she left abruptly and, apparently, no one knew the true reasons for her leaving. Honestly, with three brothers, if any one messed with her, the protectiveness would surely come out.
There were several things that I really loved about this book, besides what I already mentioned. Obviously, the character development is wonderful. The story is told from multiple points of view, which goes a long way to show just how each character views the family and that they each have their own issues and secrets. As the reader, you just feel that you become part of the family and connect with each of them.
The Brennan family pub was just a perfect touch. Denny and Kale partner in this “family” endeavor, and it is exactly the type of thing that I could picture this type of family doing. How they rally together, when lies come to the surface that could cause some major issues for them all. However, even though they come together to overcome those issues, the issues still leave hurt and betrayal for those affected. I really appreciated this because in real life in families, the hurt is there and can’t just be snapped away. With that said, love prevails, and they work hard to make sure that they cope with it. Sacrifices are made in the best interest of the greater good, even if there is anger and hurt surrounding the relationship.
There are cozy wonderful moments when you see how much Denny loves his wife and daughter and owns up to his faults. When the family sits around the kitchen table time and time again. The best is obviously when it's late at night and they just spoon ice cream right out of the containers and pass them around to sample all the flavors.
I would have loved to have grown up in a big family with lots of siblings and memories of that kitchen table. All families, big or small, have those moments when you just sit back, look at it all and say, “What a Shit Show” like Denny does at the end of the book. It made me smile and made me think about how many times I’ve said that about my own little family of four! Knowing that some decisions made weren’t the best, but at the end of the day there is nothing better than family.
There was only one thing that bothered me a little bit and that is the character of Vivienne. She was portrayed in a very snobbish and pretentious manner, and I immediately didn’t like her. So, what ended up happening wasn’t a shock as you see how the story develops, and I’m sure because of the character development some readers won’t really care about what happens. My issue is that I don’t think that it gives a free pass for those actions. I felt horrible that the result is what it is even though I’m not surprised by it. As a reader, you could see it coming from as early as chapter 3. But, it’s not fair to be treated that way. As she reflects on the past few years, the truth of it all hurts even worse.
I did enjoy how the book ended. Typically, I prefer stand alone books to have very clear and clean endings so I’m not frustrated by not knowing what happens. In this case, there isn’t a clear conclusion to these characters’ lives, but it makes sense. It proves the point that just because these family issues are being resolved, there will always be another obstacle to overcome together.
I definitely got all the family feels reading this book. The conflicts are there, but I don’t feel they are as dramatic or as powerfully developed as they potentially could be. But that’s ok. The focus is more on how everyone deals with the conflicts, how they come together, and how they decide to move forward. If you are in the mood for just a good Irish family book, definitely add this to your TBR list.