Two for Joy

View other editions of Two for Joy.
View books by Patricia Scanlan.

Fantastic read - Rated
I picked this book up at a school sale and couldn't put it down. The thrill and pace of this with its slightly quirky romantic tale will have you engrossed for hours. It can be scarily close to real life and makes you appreciate Scanlan all the more. Definitley a book that I will probably read over again.

A really relaxing read - Rated
I have loved all of Patricia Scanlan's books and this one did not disappoint. It was so easy to read and I found myself able to picture the characters clearly. Their behaviour is realistic and I was genuinely interested in the eventual outcome for each one of them. This would make a great book to read on holiday or on a long journey. Very enjoyable!

Enjoyable - Rated
When I read the blurb for this book, I thought it sounded good and couldn't wait to read it. I'd read a couple of Patricia Scanlan books before and liked them. I was a bit put off in the very beginging by, firstly the age of some of the central characters, secondly the language used (I'm 21 and I don't think I ever spoke or thought the way the two in the book do) and finally some of the characters didn't seem very likable. This changed as the book went along. We see more of what makes the characters tick, and I found myself warming to even the most unlikeable of the them. Over all, once I got over my initial impression, I loved this book and couldn't wait to find out the ending. I find the fact that I went from not liking some of them, to cheering them on a great acheivement on the author's part. This book is well worth a read, and if like me, you aren't very impressed in the begining, it's worth going on.

A great read - Rated
The scene - Kilronan. The event - Oliver & Noreeen Flynn's wedding. The guests - Lorna Morgan, Heather Williams and her 'clodhopper' boyfriend Neil and the creme de la creme of Kilronan. Missing In Action - Oliver Flynn's mother, the bitter Cora who hates her new daughter-in-law with a vengence.

This is where the story starts. Noreen has finally outdone her sisters by marrying the best catch in Kilronan. But she soon tires of her days as a lady of leisure with a husband who works non-stop.

Lorna Morgan is waiting for the 1st chance to leave Kilronan and live the Sex in the City life shes always known she was destined for. She convinces her cousin Heather that the bright city lights of Dublin are calling them both so off they go on their first big adventure.

But a year can make a big difference and this book follows the lives of Noreen, Lorna & Heather from Kilronan to Dublin, London and New York.

A brilliant read which is so light and fluffy that you just can't help sitting for hours on end reading it!

A joy indeed! - Rated
At a time when the world and its frou-frou dog is hell bent on creating the next Bridget Jones, it is refreshing to read something as warmly realistic as Patricia Scanlan's "Two For Joy". As with all of her novels, the central focus is on a number of core characters. Usually there is one character with a profile slightly above the others but this time there are two (the clue is in the title - keep up, folks). Noreen and Heather lead lives we all know. Their life stories come straight from the realms of real life as opposed to the soft-focus, quasi 'Sex In The City' fiction that publishers decree is "in" for women readers. The lower profile characters (never merely secondary), are dealt with sensitively and - this is one of Scanlan's greatest gifts - they are all made human. The selfish mother-in-law and the treacherous glamourpuss cousin are not merely cardboard cut-outs squeezed in for dramatic effect. Yes, they are unpleasant people but they are recognisable - we have all resisted the urge to murder such people in real life (or maybe that's just me… must work on anger management!). In particular, Oliver's personal problems (I won't spoil the story by spelling them out) are handled deftly and kindly. So much so, in fact, that many more men could do worse than get over themselves and pick up what is marketed as a woman's book. If I can do it, so can you!

This is classic Scanlan: a good story, well told. Like her wonderful "Promises, Promises" (get it now if you haven’t read it), "Two For Joy" would make an excellent TV drama/miniseries.