Again, Rachel: The love story of the summer (Walsh Family, 6)

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I have probably invested as much energy in the doings of the Walsh sisters as I have my own, flesh and blood family to be honest.

Rachel was how I remembered her and I liked how her character was extended further in this latest Keyes release.

I think this book is well written and thoughtful and as always I love the gentle humour and likable characters. The chance to read and review Again, Rachel in a recent Tandem Global Collective read along was a big win for me. copies and spawned generations of devotees to Keyes’s writing – was a cultural phenomenon, following protagonist Rachel Walsh as she struggled to come to terms with drug and alcohol addiction during a spell in a Dublin rehab clinic, the Cloisters. Rachel is madcap, earnest, witty, giving and so sharply observant, and yet she also has the most enormous cognitive dissonance about herself.

She also self flagellates in a way by refusing the benefits of much of modern medicine in case might trigger a relapse. In addition to her fifteen previous novels, Marian has also written two collections of journalism, upon which hit BBC Radio 4 show Between Ourselves was based. In a true Marian Keyes's style, the book interweaves family drama, complex relationships, unique characters, social and mental health topics, splashed with a healthy dose of Irish humor. She ensures that you are hooked from the off and that you just have to keep reading to find out what happens next.The audible narration by the author was great, I was so addicted, I kept listening right through to the interview with Graham Norton at the end - a great little add-on. The two are middle-aged now and have spent years apart, but Keyes manages to emphasise their connection so powerfully that I, along with Rachel, went from hating him and being so cross with him, to slowly warming to him, to falling in love with him all over again. Her family all (well mostly) egg her on because of his hotness, despite the fact that he behaved abysmally towards her, and is not good, kind, smart or funny, he just looks great in tight jeans. I have read one of Marian Keyes previous books in the Walsh family series and enjoyed it, so of course I decided to give this one a shot. In this book, many forms of addiction are obviously discussed, but also there's a big section on pregnancy loss/stillbirth.

Readers of the previous books know that Rachel and Luke got married and now we learn they have been divorced for 6 years and he lives in Denver, Colorado. This is a long book - 579 pages in my doorstopper paperback, and about a third of that is fairly boring filler about Rachel’s work. It is touching, tender and heartbreaking but with the right touch of humor and smiles to save it from being a tear jerker. I loved Rachels Holiday and I have read it more times than I care to count so I was very excited to see that a sequel was being released. Even though this is a series, I thought it read fine as a stand-alone though I’m sure reading the previous books would be helpful.In the 21st century we have much more effective evidence-based therapies for helping addicts than expensive spells in rehab. Why do you believe stories of recovery are compelling to readers, and what can we learn from them about resilience and hope? Meanwhile, we explore Rachel’s present life, her relationships, her work, and catch up with the Walsh family. A bit about the Walsh Family series: Each book is centered around one sibling (Claire, Rachel, Margaret, Anna, and Helen) in the Walsh family and they can be enjoyed as standalones but I highly recommend reading all of them for maximum enjoyment!

At the very least, you most definitely should read Rachel’s Holiday but Again, Rachel will spoil key parts of the other books if you plan on reading them. I have been reading Marian’s books for over 20 years and my favourites have always been the ones that involve the Walsh sisters. When Marian Keyes announced she had written a sequel to her 1997 smash hit novel, Rachel’s Holiday, social media went into overdrive. I really enjoyed Rachel's after "the Holiday" story, and both Rachel and Luke have new partners but circumstance brings them crashing together again. The long-awaited follow up to Keyes' bestselling Rachel's Holiday finds our titular heroine having hauled her life back on track, only to suffer a spectacular setback when an old flame arrives in her life once more.A job she loves as addiction councilor at the Cloisters, a great guy in her life and a garden in which she loves to grow her little plants. Many books, including Again, Rachel , explore the concept of recovery in various forms (emotional, physical, mental). She was, when Rachel's Holiday was published, one of the only women I know of who was writing about this issue from a woman's perspective and I know, from my own exciting life experiences, how on the money she is on this subject. Having really enjoyed Rachel's Holiday years ago, I was really intrigued to see what happened to her next. Her particular gift is the ability to settle the reader into a comfortable seat, then carry them to the darkest places; to make serious things funny - and moving.