LONG ROAD, MANY TURNINGS.
“Every journey has to start somewhere. For now, this one starts here…”
Long Road, Many Turnings is a family saga spanning four generations. It is the book for anyone who ever wanted to trace their ancestry and discover how their family really lived throughout the first half of the 20th Century.
Although a work of fiction, Celtic author Mary has retold her own family story, achieving a mixture of drama, humour and historical events. Exploring scandal, heartbreak and danger through interrelated characters-including Roisin and Deirdre in 1907- to Ellen and Agnes in 1951.
Starting with two chapters focussed on the Drimoleague area of West Cork the reader experiences life across Ireland, both north and south, London and Wales. Chapters include the second world war, with storylines focussing on two different aspects – childhood evacuation to Wales and lorry driving for the Americans in Northern Ireland. These illustrate war’s unexpected impact on everyday life.
There are also chapters depicting the post and the inter-war years, times which had their own challenges. Each character’s story intriguingly slips into the background of the next thus readers are constantly provided with fresh themes and new characters. The writing is entertaining, touching on gender and cultural misunderstandings alongside a fast-moving storyline. It is accessible, friendly and down-to-earth.
Having published extensively during her nursing career and being a regular contributor to a range of professional journals, MARY MCCLAREY is now turning her hand to fiction. Long Road, Many Turnings is influenced by her experiences, both professionally as a nurse and midwife and personally as part of an Irish-Welsh family.
First published 28th September 2016
ISBN 9781785893339
BIC subject category: FT – Sagas
Paperback 216×138 mm 272pp Portrait
Second edition now available in paperback and Kindle editions from Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Road-Many-Turnings-McClarey/dp/1651828318/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=mary+mcclarey&qid=1589193719&s=books&sr=1-2
Mary has published a second novel along the theme of family saga. ‘Time for a change’, set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles, is also available from Amazon in Kindle and paperback version. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Change-Nursing-Northern-conflict-ebook/dp/B07DNF8BVR
The Author with West Cork roots: –
Mary’s earliest memories are of her grandmother, Kitty Cahalane, who grew up on a farm at Drinagh, just outside Drimoleague. Many times, she listened to her granny’s stories about running home from school barefoot, to a lighted candle in her mother’s window. The words Dunmanway, Bantry and Skibbereen peppered her grandmother’s reminiscences and to Mary they evoked a sense of heritage and mystery. When she visited Drimoleague with her parents and siblings as a teenager she immediately felt a strong connection with the area and as an adult she brought her mother back to visit. Mary now returns annually and delights in exploring the local area and meeting up with her cousins who live in Drimoleague.
The Fish Publishing Company which runs the Bantry Literary Festival awarded Mary Second Prize in their Flash Fiction category in 2020. She is currently writing her third fictional novel, set in 1900, whose central character is loosely based on another Drimoleague member of her grandmother’s family.