This book was given to me by a close friend. Our parents are Irish, and we are aware of the struggles of Irish women. The book stareted well, and I was looking forward to a good read. However, I think Boyne should have had cold showers in between chapters, for it soon descended into puerile, vulgar sexual references on almost every page, which became boring. I gave up on page 139 after several attempts. What a come down from his other work.