Blog Tour: Ramblings in Ireland by Kerry Dwyer

Ramblings in Ireland
written by Kerry Dwyer         
published by Kerry Dwyer

find it here: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Goodreads

Why did I pick this book: I participated in the blog tour organized by the author. (I received a copy of this book for review purposes.)

Did I enjoy this book: Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I had hoped to. It had some great moments, but it also had some not so great moments. This should have been a quick read but, sadly, it was not. 

I understand that the synopsis tells us that this book is not exclusively about the walking trip through Ireland that the author and her husband went on but that it is about the memories she recalled during that trip. That’s fine but some of the memories were kind of out there and things that I did not need to know about. For example, I did not need to know about her underwear or the “she-pee”. Some of the tangents that the author went on were unnecessary and kind of dull. I didn’t need the lesson on grammar and accents. That made the book drag for me as did some of the repetitive paragraphs and discussions. 

Don’t get me wrong, there were some great parts to this book as well. The descriptions of their walks, their visits to the villages, and to the pubs were great. Chapter 3 described their first walking adventure which proved to be quite adventurous and possibly dangerous. During some of their walking tours, I laughed with them and I could start to envision some of the places that they went. I enjoyed reading about the people and how friendly they were to the tourists. I would love to visit these pubs and eat the local fare. The descriptions make me want to go on a walking tour of Ireland (a place I have always wanted to visit and hope to someday). 

Personally, I would have liked this book to be more about Kerry and Bertrand. I wanted to know more about their trip and the memories of their life together that the trip helped to recapture. I didn’t really want to know about her quizzing random people about the past tense or about her camping trip with another friend a few years prior. 

Would I recommend it: I would not recommend this book.

Will I read it again: I will not. 

About the book – from Goodreads: This is not a book about rambling in Ireland.

It tells the tale of one particular walking trip and the memories and musings it inspired.

Exploring the West of Ireland is a time for meditation, spiritual reflection and strengthening the bonds of life. More practically the ability to read a map might have proved helpful. The tourist office in Ireland has all their paths clearly marked. You can’t go wrong if you follow that little yellow man. Or can you?

As British ex-patriate Kerry Dwyer leads Bertrand, her trusting French husband, astray once more, they reminisce and reflect upon accents and accidents, family and friends, love and what it means to be alive. Bertrand doesn’t mind getting lost – he loves Kerry all the more for going off the beaten track.

This is a book about ramblings in Ireland. Walk with Kerry and Bertrand and follow where your thoughts lead you.