After the success of his first book, For the Love of My Mother, J.P Rodgers now takes us on a humorous and nostalgic journey through his childhood, in Eggshells & Broken Dreams.
Set in 1950s Ireland that had seen no running water, radio or electricity, it's a journey seen through the eyes of John Paschal, a six year old boy who suddenly finds he's living in a strange house. Then he receives a letter from a mysterious woman, who claims to be his mother and he's forced to ask himself, why Bridie was writing letter to him from Galway when she hadn't written before.
And while he tries to come to terms with the fact that he's a bastard child, whatever that is, he can't help but admire the town's legendary characters. There's Tommy the village postman who knows what's in every letter and Harry Ryan, a local auctioneer, who organised the greatest carnival ever, with the promise of a free trip to New York for one lucky couple and Snowy Fox, '...the best bloody man in Ireland...'who has a way with words and whose daring exploits are still talked about today.
But time changes everything, people's hopes, dreams and aspirations. So that, by the time John Paschal turns sixteen, he must decide whether to live in poverty or seek out Snowy Fox's brave new world.
Set in 1950s Ireland that had seen no running water, radio or electricity, it's a journey seen through the eyes of John Paschal, a six year old boy who suddenly finds he's living in a strange house. Then he receives a letter from a mysterious woman, who claims to be his mother and he's forced to ask himself, why Bridie was writing letter to him from Galway when she hadn't written before.
And while he tries to come to terms with the fact that he's a bastard child, whatever that is, he can't help but admire the town's legendary characters. There's Tommy the village postman who knows what's in every letter and Harry Ryan, a local auctioneer, who organised the greatest carnival ever, with the promise of a free trip to New York for one lucky couple and Snowy Fox, '...the best bloody man in Ireland...'who has a way with words and whose daring exploits are still talked about today.
But time changes everything, people's hopes, dreams and aspirations. So that, by the time John Paschal turns sixteen, he must decide whether to live in poverty or seek out Snowy Fox's brave new world.
