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Mr Lynch's Holiday
Welcome to Lomaverde - a new Spanish utopia for those seeking their place in the sun. Now a ghost town where feral cats outnumber the handful of anxious residents. A place of empty pools, long afternoons and unrelenting sunshine.
Here, widowed Midlands bus driver Dermot Lynch turns up one bright morning. He's come to visit his son Eammon and his girlfriend, Laura. Except Eammon never opened Dermot's letter announcing his trip. Just like he can't quite get out of bed, or fix anything, or admit Laura has left him.
Though neither father nor son knows quite what to make of the other, Lomaverde's Brits - Roger and Cheryl, Becca and Iain - see in Dermot a shot of fresh blood. Someone to enliven their goat-hunting trips, their paranoid speculations, the endless barbecuing and bickering.
As Dermot and Eammon gradually reveal to one another the truth about why each left home, both get drawn further into the bizarre rituals of ex-pat life, where they uncover a shocking secret at the community's heart.
Mr Lynch's Holiday is about how families fracture and heal themselves and explores how living 'abroad' can feel less like a holiday and more like a life sentence.
Here, widowed Midlands bus driver Dermot Lynch turns up one bright morning. He's come to visit his son Eammon and his girlfriend, Laura. Except Eammon never opened Dermot's letter announcing his trip. Just like he can't quite get out of bed, or fix anything, or admit Laura has left him.
Though neither father nor son knows quite what to make of the other, Lomaverde's Brits - Roger and Cheryl, Becca and Iain - see in Dermot a shot of fresh blood. Someone to enliven their goat-hunting trips, their paranoid speculations, the endless barbecuing and bickering.
As Dermot and Eammon gradually reveal to one another the truth about why each left home, both get drawn further into the bizarre rituals of ex-pat life, where they uncover a shocking secret at the community's heart.
Mr Lynch's Holiday is about how families fracture and heal themselves and explores how living 'abroad' can feel less like a holiday and more like a life sentence.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2013
About the author
Catherine O'Flynn
9 books109 followersCatherine O'Flynn, born in 1970, is a British writer.
Her debut novel, What Was Lost, won the Costa First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, The Commonwealth Writers' Prize and The Southbank Show Literature Award. It was longlisted for the Booker and Orange Prizes. She was named Waterstone’s Newcomer of the Year at the 2008 Galaxy British Book Awards.
Her second novel The News Where You Are, published in 2010, was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, an Edgar Allen Poe Award and was a Channel 4 TV Book Club selection.
Her third novel Mr Lynch's Holiday is published in 2013.
Her debut novel, What Was Lost, won the Costa First Novel Award, was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, The Commonwealth Writers' Prize and The Southbank Show Literature Award. It was longlisted for the Booker and Orange Prizes. She was named Waterstone’s Newcomer of the Year at the 2008 Galaxy British Book Awards.
Her second novel The News Where You Are, published in 2010, was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, an Edgar Allen Poe Award and was a Channel 4 TV Book Club selection.
Her third novel Mr Lynch's Holiday is published in 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
March 24, 2024
Mr. Lynch’s Holiday is an understated witty story about disillusionment and misconstrued pasts. Mr. Lynch, Dermot, decides to take a holiday to visit his only son, Eamonn, in Spain. Eamonn and his wife, Laura, left England to work in Spain. Both Laura and Eamonn have jobs that allow them to work wherever they wanted; thus they found a new development on the coast of Spain that promised sun and happiness. Unfortunately, the new development has become a ghost town due to the developer’s neglect and Spain’s economy. Eamonn is struggling with depression and unhappiness. Dermont is redefining himself as a new widower. Through the visit, Eamonn begins to understand his father as a person, and develops a new awareness of his past with his parents. O’Flynn uses flashbacks to tell the story of each character’s memories. With the flashbacks, it’s easy to see how the father and son’s relationship has become awkward. The novel is refreshing in that it examines a father and son relationship in a warm and witty way. Both father and son do want to have a better relationship, and are in a time of their lives where they are ready to understand each other. Dermont says, “I think sometimes you lose people and you barely know it at the time.....It starts as a small crack. That’s all it is. It takes years, a lifetime, before you notice what went out through the crack. How much you lost.” Dermont is a sweet character. Eamonn is struggling with his identity. It’s an easy read.
August 12, 2018
Exceptional talented writer, unique stories. You have to get used to them, but they grow on you, I find. I had the same experience with the other two books I read from this writer.
A smile and a tear. If a book does that to you, and this one did, it's a four star for me.
It's about Dermott Lynch, a retired Irish busdriver who flies out to Lombaverde in Spain, after his wife died, to visit his son who started living there with his girlfriend working remotely as online editors. The new life. When he arrives, girlfriend Laura has left and Eamonn is in a bad way, lying in his bed all day. Dermott meets a weird set of the neighbours in the deserted expat complex of mostly empty and decaying apartments inhabited by stray cats. But he slowly starts to feel at home and helps his son, in his own way, to a turnaround in his life. It's about the love of father and son, the actual story mingles with flashbacks of Dermotts married life and its challenges and Eamonn's puberty and coming of age, and it's melancholic, humorous, sad, funny, all in one. A smile and a tear.
Great writer.
A smile and a tear. If a book does that to you, and this one did, it's a four star for me.
It's about Dermott Lynch, a retired Irish busdriver who flies out to Lombaverde in Spain, after his wife died, to visit his son who started living there with his girlfriend working remotely as online editors. The new life. When he arrives, girlfriend Laura has left and Eamonn is in a bad way, lying in his bed all day. Dermott meets a weird set of the neighbours in the deserted expat complex of mostly empty and decaying apartments inhabited by stray cats. But he slowly starts to feel at home and helps his son, in his own way, to a turnaround in his life. It's about the love of father and son, the actual story mingles with flashbacks of Dermotts married life and its challenges and Eamonn's puberty and coming of age, and it's melancholic, humorous, sad, funny, all in one. A smile and a tear.
Great writer.
May 31, 2017
O'Flynn is a wonderful writer! In Mr. Lynch's Holiday, she artfully explores the relationship between a recently bereaved father in his seventies and his thirty-something son, Eamonn, whose wife, Laura, has recently returned to her childhood home in England "to think things through."
A few years back, the young couple had left gloomy, drizzly Birmingham for sunny Spain, but the builders of the hastily constructed, Bauhaus-styled housing estate they settled in went bust, and many of the dwellings have never been occupied. The locals may be hostile (someone is dropping loads of used disposable diapers on the road into the ex-pat community, and lurid red paint is being splashed onto the walls within it), the estate's pool has drained and become home to a colony of feral cats, and the corpses of African migrants have recently washed up on a nearby beach. The once lovely blue sea-and-sky vistas and the blazing sun have lost all appeal, and working from home, with only oneself (and no external irritations) to rub up against, has become a form of slow torture.
Into this scene comes Eamonn's father, Dermot, a retired Birmingham bus driver who left Ireland as a young man in search of opportunity. Eamonn has all sorts of misconceptions about Dermot, but their two weeks together change all that. Dermot has depths, regrets, pain, and secrets (not dark ones) that bookish, self-absorbed Eamonn never had the curiosity to wonder about. By living and walking together and socializing with the other few people who live in the estate, the two get to know each other in a way they never could when Kathleen, Eamonn's mother, was alive.
By turns, moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Mr. Lynch's Holiday is surprisingly rich for a short book. It touches on such diverse topics as immigration and refugees, the economic downturn, English attitudes to Irish immigrants during the years of IRA bombings, education, class, religion, and family life in general. After the wonderful experience I had reading this fine, light novel, I am eager to get my hands on O'Flynn's other books.
A few years back, the young couple had left gloomy, drizzly Birmingham for sunny Spain, but the builders of the hastily constructed, Bauhaus-styled housing estate they settled in went bust, and many of the dwellings have never been occupied. The locals may be hostile (someone is dropping loads of used disposable diapers on the road into the ex-pat community, and lurid red paint is being splashed onto the walls within it), the estate's pool has drained and become home to a colony of feral cats, and the corpses of African migrants have recently washed up on a nearby beach. The once lovely blue sea-and-sky vistas and the blazing sun have lost all appeal, and working from home, with only oneself (and no external irritations) to rub up against, has become a form of slow torture.
Into this scene comes Eamonn's father, Dermot, a retired Birmingham bus driver who left Ireland as a young man in search of opportunity. Eamonn has all sorts of misconceptions about Dermot, but their two weeks together change all that. Dermot has depths, regrets, pain, and secrets (not dark ones) that bookish, self-absorbed Eamonn never had the curiosity to wonder about. By living and walking together and socializing with the other few people who live in the estate, the two get to know each other in a way they never could when Kathleen, Eamonn's mother, was alive.
By turns, moving and laugh-out-loud funny, Mr. Lynch's Holiday is surprisingly rich for a short book. It touches on such diverse topics as immigration and refugees, the economic downturn, English attitudes to Irish immigrants during the years of IRA bombings, education, class, religion, and family life in general. After the wonderful experience I had reading this fine, light novel, I am eager to get my hands on O'Flynn's other books.
August 13, 2017
I often think of Catherine O' Flynn's superb debut What Was Lost - a captivating, poignant mystery about a missing teenage girl. Mr Lynch's Holiday is her third novel and my GR pal Canadian Reader recently reminded me of its existence with an excellent review. I plucked it from my teetering TBR pile last week, so as to reacquaint myself with this writer's indubitable talents.
Things are not going well for Eamonn Lynch. A few years back, he and his partner Laura dropped everything to begin a new life in Lomaverde, a luxury new development in rural Spain. The young couple were excited about the possibilities of this fresh start and Eamonn had big plans to write a novel. But these days he can barely get out of bed. Lomaverde is an unfinished mess, Laura has left him and the long-awaited novel is a whole pile of nothing. So when his 76-year-old father arrives from Birmingham on an unexpected holiday, the timing couldn't be worse. But Dermot is a lot savvier than he lets on and sets about lifting his son's spirits in his own inimitable way.
Eamonn is a difficult character to warm to, pessimistic and full of self-loathing (granted we are not seeing him at his best). Dermot, on the other hand, is a very endearing fellow - good-natured and outgoing, even though he has endured his fair share of hardship. I know many an older Irishman just like him. He quickly introduces himself to the entire neighbourhood, entertaining the locals with tales of his days as a bus driver. Though he is recently widowed, he is content and has a positive outlook on life. He soon realises that Eamonn is not doing at all well and the exploration of the father-son relationship is the strongest aspect of the book. A tender moment between the two on an eventful swim was a standout scene for me.
Though I enjoyed this novel, it is maybe a little insubstantial for me to truly recommend. It's a pleasant read but I just don't believe it contains the invention or insight of O'Flynn's earlier work. I also thought that the story's resolution was a bit too neat and contrived. Dermot, however is a wonderful creation and his comic exploits ensure plenty of memorable scenes. Mr Lynch's Holiday is a charming, breezy read, and a touching examination of the bond between father and son.
Things are not going well for Eamonn Lynch. A few years back, he and his partner Laura dropped everything to begin a new life in Lomaverde, a luxury new development in rural Spain. The young couple were excited about the possibilities of this fresh start and Eamonn had big plans to write a novel. But these days he can barely get out of bed. Lomaverde is an unfinished mess, Laura has left him and the long-awaited novel is a whole pile of nothing. So when his 76-year-old father arrives from Birmingham on an unexpected holiday, the timing couldn't be worse. But Dermot is a lot savvier than he lets on and sets about lifting his son's spirits in his own inimitable way.
Eamonn is a difficult character to warm to, pessimistic and full of self-loathing (granted we are not seeing him at his best). Dermot, on the other hand, is a very endearing fellow - good-natured and outgoing, even though he has endured his fair share of hardship. I know many an older Irishman just like him. He quickly introduces himself to the entire neighbourhood, entertaining the locals with tales of his days as a bus driver. Though he is recently widowed, he is content and has a positive outlook on life. He soon realises that Eamonn is not doing at all well and the exploration of the father-son relationship is the strongest aspect of the book. A tender moment between the two on an eventful swim was a standout scene for me.
Though I enjoyed this novel, it is maybe a little insubstantial for me to truly recommend. It's a pleasant read but I just don't believe it contains the invention or insight of O'Flynn's earlier work. I also thought that the story's resolution was a bit too neat and contrived. Dermot, however is a wonderful creation and his comic exploits ensure plenty of memorable scenes. Mr Lynch's Holiday is a charming, breezy read, and a touching examination of the bond between father and son.
January 1, 2015
Reading other reviews, I can't help feeling this book is underrated by many. I enjoyed both of Catherine O'Flynn's previous books, but I think she reaches new heights here. Ignore the Daily Fail's claim that she's "a comic genius" -- yes, there are funny incidents and characters, but this novel is far more than social comedy. O'Flynn is a very worth successor to Jonathan Coe in her ability to combine humour and pathos, often in the same sentence.
The setting is one that's very familiar to me, and it's obvious that O'Flynn has direct experience of it -- her depiction of the crumbling, half-finished urbanización and its inhabitants is so true to life. She clearly likes architecture; her first novel was set in a crumbling 70s shopping centre, and in her second, the main character's father is an architect. Here Lomaverde is a character itself, its cracks, weeds, peeling paint, half-finished buildings and feral cats reflecting the characters' anxieties. The inhabitants are very recognisable types, but she succeeds in making them more than just caricatures -- they are human beings. It's so sad to read about Jean and David vicariously "visiting" their grandchildren via Skype and trying to convince themselves it's good enough. Even "baddies" Roger and Cheryl turn out to be a little more complicated than they appear. Some scenes are wincingly hilarious, especially the residents' meeting. And then she comes up with wonderful, random bits of trivia that are so real. Hearing a Geordie accent, retired bus driver Dermot remembers a colleague in the 1970s who would quote poetry to abusive passengers. You couldn't make this up.
At first the novel appears to be about Eamonn falling apart after Laura's departure. But really, his father Dermot is the key to the whole novel. Many of the flashbacks refer back to his life in Ireland and Birmingham. It's no accident that these two characters are Irish: the parallels and differences between Irish immigrants to England and the well-heeled modern immigrants are clear. This is one of the things that made the novel more than the sum of its parts for me, the other being the painfully true relationship between Dermot and Eamonn. A further strand, less developed, is the other kind of immigrant: the North Africans washing up on the beaches nearby. One character perceptively points out that these modern British immigrants are unlike the earlier generations like Dermot:
Oh, and she can write! Beautiful turns of phrase ... favourite quotes:
On Eamonn:
I suppose you could say the ending is a bit twee, but it brings the story satisfyingly full circle, and for all its realism, this is art, not life. If it doesn't get shortlisted for the Booker, there's no justice. So, a 5-star read for me.
The setting is one that's very familiar to me, and it's obvious that O'Flynn has direct experience of it -- her depiction of the crumbling, half-finished urbanización and its inhabitants is so true to life. She clearly likes architecture; her first novel was set in a crumbling 70s shopping centre, and in her second, the main character's father is an architect. Here Lomaverde is a character itself, its cracks, weeds, peeling paint, half-finished buildings and feral cats reflecting the characters' anxieties. The inhabitants are very recognisable types, but she succeeds in making them more than just caricatures -- they are human beings. It's so sad to read about Jean and David vicariously "visiting" their grandchildren via Skype and trying to convince themselves it's good enough. Even "baddies" Roger and Cheryl turn out to be a little more complicated than they appear. Some scenes are wincingly hilarious, especially the residents' meeting. And then she comes up with wonderful, random bits of trivia that are so real. Hearing a Geordie accent, retired bus driver Dermot remembers a colleague in the 1970s who would quote poetry to abusive passengers. You couldn't make this up.
At first the novel appears to be about Eamonn falling apart after Laura's departure. But really, his father Dermot is the key to the whole novel. Many of the flashbacks refer back to his life in Ireland and Birmingham. It's no accident that these two characters are Irish: the parallels and differences between Irish immigrants to England and the well-heeled modern immigrants are clear. This is one of the things that made the novel more than the sum of its parts for me, the other being the painfully true relationship between Dermot and Eamonn. A further strand, less developed, is the other kind of immigrant: the North Africans washing up on the beaches nearby. One character perceptively points out that these modern British immigrants are unlike the earlier generations like Dermot:
They have not emigrated from places with no work or money to a place with jobs and opportunities. No, they have left comfortable lives in search of somewhere even better. It's a kind of greed ... If you're greedy for happiness then you will always be hungry.
Oh, and she can write! Beautiful turns of phrase ... favourite quotes:
Being Irish had somehow become a mainstream leisure pursuit, like eating Thai food and taking salsa classes. To be Irish you just had to like the Corrs and U2, drink Guinness, wear a big hat on St Patrick's Day and be ceaseless in your quest for 'the craic'.
For Kathleen and Dermot, Eamonn's adult life was like a film with a plot they couldn't quite follow.
I think sometimes you lose people and you barely know it at the time. It starts as a small crack. That's all it is. It takes years, a lifetime, before you notice what went out through the crack. How much you lost. [the cracked swimming pool is a recurring symbol here]
On Eamonn:
It had come as a surprise to him to learn that he was an optimist. He would have laid money against it. But hope, it seemed, clung on tenaciously, like the most insidious of weeds. He spent his waking hours hunting down its tendrils and subjecting them to ruthless dousings of cold facts, but still they returned -- a fresh web of low-lying rhizomes each day.
I suppose you could say the ending is a bit twee, but it brings the story satisfyingly full circle, and for all its realism, this is art, not life. If it doesn't get shortlisted for the Booker, there's no justice. So, a 5-star read for me.
January 6, 2016
Catherine O'Flynn is a fine writer with an ability to take the ordinary and make it fresh, funny and moving. A retired bus driver decides on a surprise visit of his son in Spain. The son is marooned in a housing development that has subsequently gone bankrupt and is at loss with what to do in his life. On the face of it is all a little mundane, pragmatic salt of the earth father sets out to rescue helpless university educated son with his struggles. What makes it such an enjoyable read is the tenderness and humor with which the story unfolds. The story maybe a little mundane but the love feels very real as do the conceptions and misconceptions each family member has of the other.
January 17, 2015
This is my first reading of Ms. O'Flynn's work, and I found it an incredible blend of insight, and humor. It deals with several subjects that continue to confound us as we age. Feeling of being disconnected with our lives, feelings of having made terrible choices that we can't rise above, feelings of having lost our closest family members over time, inability to cope with actual loss. The author brings such a refreshing, reassuring viewpoint to the ageless mystery of fathers and sons, she held me spellbound. I often read passages aloud to my wife as some were the most clearly stated explanations for things we often prefer to ignore I have yet read.
She also has a very well-formed idea of some of the pitfalls of retirement getaways and expat villages in sunny climes. Having my own experience with an attempted relocation to a sunnier locale with "unfettered opportunity", I found her words answering questions I still hadn't confronted about my own ideas and mistakes. It's very hard not to heap so much blame upon yourself for having made really major mistakes, that you can have real trouble digging out the other side. Fortunately, if you settle down with this quick, absorbing read, you'll find the burden gets much lighter along the way. Thank you, Catherine O'Flynn for this wonderful book.
She also has a very well-formed idea of some of the pitfalls of retirement getaways and expat villages in sunny climes. Having my own experience with an attempted relocation to a sunnier locale with "unfettered opportunity", I found her words answering questions I still hadn't confronted about my own ideas and mistakes. It's very hard not to heap so much blame upon yourself for having made really major mistakes, that you can have real trouble digging out the other side. Fortunately, if you settle down with this quick, absorbing read, you'll find the burden gets much lighter along the way. Thank you, Catherine O'Flynn for this wonderful book.
February 1, 2016
This is the sort of novel that sneaks up on you and steals its way into your heart, without warning. Set in a crumbling Spanish housing development encased in foreigners’ dreams, this novel tells the story of father and son. Dermot Lynch, a retired Birmingham bus driver, has gone on vacation to visit his only son, Eamonn.
Without being prepared for his father’s arrival, Eamonn doesn’t have time to make excuses to prevent his father’s unexpected visit. Meanwhile his life is falling apart: His housing complex has been left unfinished by developers, his neighbors are few (and mostly worth avoiding at all costs anyway), and his beloved wife Laura has left him. His online job, which Eamonn has largely been ignoring, is shaky at best. In short, his life is on a collision course and sinking rapidly.
Into this comes the solid, unflappable Dermot, who helps right the ship, albeit through his subtle gestures and kind ways. Dermot, too, is having his own self-reckoning, having lost his wife of many years not long before the trip. Each man stands at a cross roads in his life, but one knows how to cope and the other needs some friendly guidance and familial love.
This charming book will gradually steal into your heart and evoke your tenderest emotions. It is the humanity and most sincere gestures that lay the groundwork for some earth-shaking emotional changes. It’s a book with layers upon layers, going seamlessly backward and forward in time to tell both the influences on Eamonn and his father as they change from boys into men. But it’s the father-son bond that is most compelling, as well as the idea that it is never too late to begin again.
Without being prepared for his father’s arrival, Eamonn doesn’t have time to make excuses to prevent his father’s unexpected visit. Meanwhile his life is falling apart: His housing complex has been left unfinished by developers, his neighbors are few (and mostly worth avoiding at all costs anyway), and his beloved wife Laura has left him. His online job, which Eamonn has largely been ignoring, is shaky at best. In short, his life is on a collision course and sinking rapidly.
Into this comes the solid, unflappable Dermot, who helps right the ship, albeit through his subtle gestures and kind ways. Dermot, too, is having his own self-reckoning, having lost his wife of many years not long before the trip. Each man stands at a cross roads in his life, but one knows how to cope and the other needs some friendly guidance and familial love.
This charming book will gradually steal into your heart and evoke your tenderest emotions. It is the humanity and most sincere gestures that lay the groundwork for some earth-shaking emotional changes. It’s a book with layers upon layers, going seamlessly backward and forward in time to tell both the influences on Eamonn and his father as they change from boys into men. But it’s the father-son bond that is most compelling, as well as the idea that it is never too late to begin again.
December 6, 2013
A wonderful, charming read by the funny, talented and wise Catherine O'Flynn.
Eamonn's wife Laura has left him and returned to England to rethink their relationship. Left him alone in their near empty new development home in Spain, surrounded by unfinished houses, current residents unable to sell after the corrupt developers left everyone in the lurch.
Eamonn's father Dermot has recently buried his wife Kathleen, Eamonn's mother. Dermot spent his life as a bus driver in Birmingham and decides to go to Spain and visit his son. Go abroad as the Brits like to say.
Eamonn doesn't know his father is coming to visit as the post is slow and Eamonn hadn't received his dad's letter.
Eamonn struggles to hide the fact that Laura has left him, that his life is in tatters while Dermot struggles to understand why his son sleeps till one in the afternoon and constantly stares at a blank computer screen.
The story is actually not depressing, it is very thoughtful and laugh out loud funny sometimes. There is a cast of characters also stranded in the unfinished Spanish sub-division, mostly Brits who immigrated and they are thrilled to meet Dermot and have him attend their BBQ's. A new face amidst the dozen or so constant ones is a delightful diversion.
This is a sweet story of love and understanding that provides insight and a deep sigh of satisfaction by the end.
Eamonn's wife Laura has left him and returned to England to rethink their relationship. Left him alone in their near empty new development home in Spain, surrounded by unfinished houses, current residents unable to sell after the corrupt developers left everyone in the lurch.
Eamonn's father Dermot has recently buried his wife Kathleen, Eamonn's mother. Dermot spent his life as a bus driver in Birmingham and decides to go to Spain and visit his son. Go abroad as the Brits like to say.
Eamonn doesn't know his father is coming to visit as the post is slow and Eamonn hadn't received his dad's letter.
Eamonn struggles to hide the fact that Laura has left him, that his life is in tatters while Dermot struggles to understand why his son sleeps till one in the afternoon and constantly stares at a blank computer screen.
The story is actually not depressing, it is very thoughtful and laugh out loud funny sometimes. There is a cast of characters also stranded in the unfinished Spanish sub-division, mostly Brits who immigrated and they are thrilled to meet Dermot and have him attend their BBQ's. A new face amidst the dozen or so constant ones is a delightful diversion.
This is a sweet story of love and understanding that provides insight and a deep sigh of satisfaction by the end.
August 9, 2016
A strange but lovely story about Dermot Lynch and his son, Eamonn, with referenced appearances by their wives, Kathleen and Laura, respectively. And then, there's Lomaverde....
Opening lines:
He arrived on a cloudless day. As he stepped onto the tarmac, he looked up at the sky and saw nothing but blue and the traces left by other planes.
Thoughtful passages:
He found the pay phones and pulled an address book out of his bag. The book was ancient, a faded lady with a parasol on the cover, the Sellotape holding it together dried out and yellow. The pages bulged with various additions and amendments on old letters, birthday cards, and torn scrapes of a tea-bag box. Looking for Eamonn's details, he came across the phone numbers of various friends and family long dead or forgotten. It was strange to think that by pressing a few buttons he might hear some of their voices again. The book contained his and Kathleen's entire life, and the information it held was almost all obsolete.
and
I think sometimes you lose people and you barely know it at the time. It starts as a small crack. That's all it is. It takes years, a lifetime, before you notice what went out through the crack. How much you lost.
Opening lines:
He arrived on a cloudless day. As he stepped onto the tarmac, he looked up at the sky and saw nothing but blue and the traces left by other planes.
Thoughtful passages:
He found the pay phones and pulled an address book out of his bag. The book was ancient, a faded lady with a parasol on the cover, the Sellotape holding it together dried out and yellow. The pages bulged with various additions and amendments on old letters, birthday cards, and torn scrapes of a tea-bag box. Looking for Eamonn's details, he came across the phone numbers of various friends and family long dead or forgotten. It was strange to think that by pressing a few buttons he might hear some of their voices again. The book contained his and Kathleen's entire life, and the information it held was almost all obsolete.
and
I think sometimes you lose people and you barely know it at the time. It starts as a small crack. That's all it is. It takes years, a lifetime, before you notice what went out through the crack. How much you lost.
September 2, 2015
I managed to complete this book but found it rather dull and the characters very one-dimensional. The plot seems very weak to me and I couldn't really take to, or care about, any of the characters. Once I'd finished it, I was curious to see ratings on this site and was very surprised to see some very positive ratings and reviews (not all). Each to their own, I know, but I really couldn't see much to like. 2 stars because it was easy enough to read.
May 2, 2020
dnf p/98, b/c the MC is crap. The Dad character is quite interesting, & the story set-up isn't necessarily bad. The MC, though. Story keeps jumping back in time to when MC was younger, & he wasn't any more interesting as a young kid than he is an adult. So that guy is why I just can't anymore w/ this book. I'm over it.
January 6, 2016
I have never read a novel by Catherine O'Flynn prior to this but I really ended up loving the story of Dermot and Eamonn Lynch. It ultimately left me with a lot of thoughts concerning what is home to most people and ex-pats living abroad.
Dermot, after the death of his wife decides to visit his son Eamonn and his girlfriend Laura in Lomaverde, Spain. Eamonn and Laura are ex-pats from England and decide to buy a home in Spain and really start to live their life in the fun and the sun. However, away from their native homeland Eamonn and Laura's relationship quickly deteriorates. When Dermot arrives Eamonn has been in an almost coma-like state and finally starts to wake up again when his father visits.
I ended up rating this novel so highly because I thought that Ms. O'Flynn manages this tale of ex-pats (Dermot and Eamonn) who both went to live in a new country and found that it is not as welcoming as they initially thought it would be.
The novel switches perspectives from Eamonn and Dermot and you can quickly see that Eamonn tends to be more negative towards just about everything including himself.
Seeing Dermot's perspective as an ex-pat from Ireland moving to England and being treated differently and at times with hostility due to IRA bombings and other acts was a nice way to showcase the differences between the two men. Although both men are decades apart both of them had to deal with embarking to some place new that did not greet them with open arms at first. It was great to see how they both reacted to being away from home with Dermot rising to the occasion and Eamonn sinking.
Usually I am not a fan of flashback scenes since I think more often than not it breaks up the flow of the novel. However, Catherine O'Flynn manages to expertly weave in past experiences of Dermot and Eamonn into their present day to explain how father and son grew apart throughout the years. Often when Ms. O'Flynn flashes back it is to show a crucial moment to explain the present day circumstances of both Dermot and Eamonn.
After I finished this novel it made me think to myself about how many of my close friends have moved away from the United States to settle in other countries and though they are initially thrilled with the prospect of a new adventure I think just like Eamonn that enthusiasm can quickly fizzle out. I liked Dermot's perspective interwoven in since I started to wonder to myself why his circumstances were different (he ultimately feels as if England is his homeland not Ireland) and decided that maybe it was because Dermot was from a different generation that no matter what made the best of things and did not tend to wallow for long.
I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.
Dermot, after the death of his wife decides to visit his son Eamonn and his girlfriend Laura in Lomaverde, Spain. Eamonn and Laura are ex-pats from England and decide to buy a home in Spain and really start to live their life in the fun and the sun. However, away from their native homeland Eamonn and Laura's relationship quickly deteriorates. When Dermot arrives Eamonn has been in an almost coma-like state and finally starts to wake up again when his father visits.
I ended up rating this novel so highly because I thought that Ms. O'Flynn manages this tale of ex-pats (Dermot and Eamonn) who both went to live in a new country and found that it is not as welcoming as they initially thought it would be.
The novel switches perspectives from Eamonn and Dermot and you can quickly see that Eamonn tends to be more negative towards just about everything including himself.
Seeing Dermot's perspective as an ex-pat from Ireland moving to England and being treated differently and at times with hostility due to IRA bombings and other acts was a nice way to showcase the differences between the two men. Although both men are decades apart both of them had to deal with embarking to some place new that did not greet them with open arms at first. It was great to see how they both reacted to being away from home with Dermot rising to the occasion and Eamonn sinking.
Usually I am not a fan of flashback scenes since I think more often than not it breaks up the flow of the novel. However, Catherine O'Flynn manages to expertly weave in past experiences of Dermot and Eamonn into their present day to explain how father and son grew apart throughout the years. Often when Ms. O'Flynn flashes back it is to show a crucial moment to explain the present day circumstances of both Dermot and Eamonn.
After I finished this novel it made me think to myself about how many of my close friends have moved away from the United States to settle in other countries and though they are initially thrilled with the prospect of a new adventure I think just like Eamonn that enthusiasm can quickly fizzle out. I liked Dermot's perspective interwoven in since I started to wonder to myself why his circumstances were different (he ultimately feels as if England is his homeland not Ireland) and decided that maybe it was because Dermot was from a different generation that no matter what made the best of things and did not tend to wallow for long.
I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program.
August 28, 2013
I loved Mr. Lynch’s Holiday by Catherine O’Flynn but I didn’t love the beginning. It was so depressing that I wondered if I could finish the book! But I am very glad that I did. The author slowly developed a tale of family relationships that did not work.
Dermot Lynch, a retiree and recent widower who lives in the U.K. decides to a take a trip to see his son who lives in Spain.
Dermot’s son, Eamonn lives in a development that has been abandoned by the builders and investors. Eamonn feels lost in despair, not only is he living in the crumbling Lomaverde complex but his wife recently left him. He doesn’t know if she will ever return. Everywhere he looks in Lomaverde, he sees decay. He doesn’t have any positive relationship with the remaining inhabitants of the complex. His life is bleak. He recently lost a job and has no real prospects of another one. He is a failure and cannot do anything about it.
Dermot sees Lomaverde buildings as pretty white boxes and sees in the decay some similarities of his childhood home in Ireland. The downfall of his home seems to be echoed in Lomaverde. Dermot and Eamonn’s relationship had never been much. They both keep their thoughts and inner selves very primate. But the longer that Dermot stays with Eamonn, the more their secrets seep out.
The writing of this book is so wonderful that the Eamonn’s view of Lomaverde and his life which he was afraid to deal with made me feel depressed that I really wanted to quit reading the book. But when his father came, I was fascinated by the two men’s past histories and revelations.
So my advice is don’t give up on this book, you will be well rewarded soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in family dysfunction and growth.
I received this book as a win from LibraryThing but that in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings in this review.
Dermot Lynch, a retiree and recent widower who lives in the U.K. decides to a take a trip to see his son who lives in Spain.
Dermot’s son, Eamonn lives in a development that has been abandoned by the builders and investors. Eamonn feels lost in despair, not only is he living in the crumbling Lomaverde complex but his wife recently left him. He doesn’t know if she will ever return. Everywhere he looks in Lomaverde, he sees decay. He doesn’t have any positive relationship with the remaining inhabitants of the complex. His life is bleak. He recently lost a job and has no real prospects of another one. He is a failure and cannot do anything about it.
Dermot sees Lomaverde buildings as pretty white boxes and sees in the decay some similarities of his childhood home in Ireland. The downfall of his home seems to be echoed in Lomaverde. Dermot and Eamonn’s relationship had never been much. They both keep their thoughts and inner selves very primate. But the longer that Dermot stays with Eamonn, the more their secrets seep out.
The writing of this book is so wonderful that the Eamonn’s view of Lomaverde and his life which he was afraid to deal with made me feel depressed that I really wanted to quit reading the book. But when his father came, I was fascinated by the two men’s past histories and revelations.
So my advice is don’t give up on this book, you will be well rewarded soon. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in family dysfunction and growth.
I received this book as a win from LibraryThing but that in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings in this review.
February 11, 2014
This is kind of a sleeper of a novel. On one level it is the story of a father and son trying to reconnect. By locating the story in a half finished vacation development in Spain torpedoed by the great recession, it is also a document of the hopes and aspirations of middle class people to have it all. The other story lurking within is about who is an immigrant and what that means. Dermot immigrates to to Birmingham in the 1950s from Ireland and works as a bus driver until retirement. A recent widower with one adult son, he journey to Spain for his first visit " abroad". He finds his son Eamonn , who with his wife Laura immigrated to Spain, recently abandoned by his wife and living in his pajamas, sleeping most of the time when he isn't on his laptop. How the father and son work through their considerable differences is the heart of the story and the author paces it well enough to keep your attention till the end. The picture of this shoddily built ghost town of vacation villas is as much a character in the story as the father and son duo.
Catherine O'Flynn has a sly sense of humor as she zeroes in on the disparate group of people who are living in the development and seem totally disconnected to their Spanish neighbors. She deftly touches on the bigger issues without polemicizing them. It is a short novel with a somewhat arbitrary but satisfying ending,
Catherine O'Flynn has a sly sense of humor as she zeroes in on the disparate group of people who are living in the development and seem totally disconnected to their Spanish neighbors. She deftly touches on the bigger issues without polemicizing them. It is a short novel with a somewhat arbitrary but satisfying ending,
November 2, 2013
Because of synopses mentioning "holidays" and "Spain," I requested this book, expecting a somewhat light and enjoyable read. The book turned out to be so much more! It was definitely enjoyable, but also a portrait of conflicting approaches to life -- specifically the ability to make the best of a situation versus losing what is "good enough" in pursuit of "the perfect." I thought the author did a particularly good job of conveying an almost tangible sense of atmosphere. As I read the chapters with focusing on Eamonn's life in Spain, I felt a very real sense of malaise and lethargy. The poignant ending stood out in sharp (and welcome) relief!
My favorite quote: "...hope, it seemed, clung on tenaciously, like the most insidious of weeds. He spent his waking hours hunting down its tendrils and subjecting them to ruthless dousings of cold facts, but still they returned -- a fresh web of low-lying rhizomes each day."
My favorite quote: "...hope, it seemed, clung on tenaciously, like the most insidious of weeds. He spent his waking hours hunting down its tendrils and subjecting them to ruthless dousings of cold facts, but still they returned -- a fresh web of low-lying rhizomes each day."
October 27, 2013
What Was Lost (O'Flynn's first book) was such a good debut novel I decided to go out and grab this, her third book, after reading good reviews in the press.
What I found unforgivable about this book was that nothing meaningful happens until well into the second half, and even then it's slight and watery. The whole just didn't add up to anything worthy of that long uneventful plod.
The characters had no depth and the everyone-speaks-in-the-same-voice dialogue read like a bad radio play. Also, I don't understand why the writer had some chapters set in the past - in order to explain the past - and yet all the chapters set in the present try to explain the past too.
This felt like a contractual third book that needed a serious critique by an editor and then a rewrite.
What I found unforgivable about this book was that nothing meaningful happens until well into the second half, and even then it's slight and watery. The whole just didn't add up to anything worthy of that long uneventful plod.
The characters had no depth and the everyone-speaks-in-the-same-voice dialogue read like a bad radio play. Also, I don't understand why the writer had some chapters set in the past - in order to explain the past - and yet all the chapters set in the present try to explain the past too.
This felt like a contractual third book that needed a serious critique by an editor and then a rewrite.
December 9, 2013
With a deft flick of the pen, Catherine O'Flynn turns a novel about expats living their dream retirement in Spain into something entirely unexpected. An entertaining,funny and touching novel, with great sympathy and insight for the characters and unusual little sidesteps.
June 7, 2013
Very funny and touching. I laughed and cried during the course of reading it. Recommended.
October 27, 2013
too blah, couldn't finish
August 10, 2014
short book that took forever to finish...do i need to say more?
September 2, 2015
Thank god that's over. Now I can get on with the rest of my reading.
August 5, 2017
I have always enjoyed this author due to her ability to elevate everyday lives and a mundane existence into a higher realm. She is an expert at revealing character through the minutiae of getting from minute to minute and is a master at depicting emotions through the simplest of communication. Dermots love for his son is shown through what he doesn't say even more than what he does and we divine much from his marriage without ever meeting his dead wife. The novel is a testament to spare writing, every word has a point and no text is wasted. Her affection for her characters shines through making us both believe and care for them. She is a hidden treasure. Read all of her books!
January 16, 2021
A quiet, funny and thoughtful read.
Catherine O'Flynn's book takes an amusing and deeply humane look at relationships, class, not fitting in, failure and love. Family is at the heart of the book. Dermot is grand character:
an unassuming, lovely man.
O'Flynn's eye for comic description is almost flawless. I laughed out loud on several occasions.
A very satisfying read. Occasionally bleak but subtlely uplifting. I book I would recommended.
Catherine O'Flynn's book takes an amusing and deeply humane look at relationships, class, not fitting in, failure and love. Family is at the heart of the book. Dermot is grand character:
an unassuming, lovely man.
O'Flynn's eye for comic description is almost flawless. I laughed out loud on several occasions.
A very satisfying read. Occasionally bleak but subtlely uplifting. I book I would recommended.
November 10, 2022
Reading Group choice ( but I choose so....). Wasn't sure & was hoping this wasn't another old person sorts out their life book. On the contrary, the father & son both need to understand themselves and each other.
I read this in one morning - with the wind whistling around the house it was rather good to be transported to Spain.
I really enjoyed it and will probably look for her other books.
I read this in one morning - with the wind whistling around the house it was rather good to be transported to Spain.
I really enjoyed it and will probably look for her other books.
February 4, 2019
Just the start of Feb and already a few 4 star reads. I loved this. Was very unsure about it from the blurb, concerned it was going to be a rip-roaring comedy about ex-pats in Spain, but it ended up being sensitive, believable and covered a lot of themes. Have just bought another book by the same author.
December 26, 2019
Cute book with a decent story. I did think there were a few dead ends - things implied that were never really solved (or solved very satisfactorily). And the end is a bit of a so-so ending that seems easier written than well thought out. But, a fun little read and a sweet story about the relationship between a father and son. Easy, quick read too.
December 6, 2020
Scott Pack sent me this as part of his 'fiftieth birthday book clear out'.
Really nicely written and well constructed novel with excellently drawn characters. I read it all in one go and it's a nice balance of gentle humour and bittersweet sadness. I realise this doesn't sound particularly amazing but I would recommend it.
Really nicely written and well constructed novel with excellently drawn characters. I read it all in one go and it's a nice balance of gentle humour and bittersweet sadness. I realise this doesn't sound particularly amazing but I would recommend it.
October 28, 2018
An engaging read and the elder Mr. Lynch as a character with whom you could really relate. His son was rather difficult, but made a nice contrast to his father. I rather enjoyed reading about the expat experience and this quirky Spanish community.
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