Irish Women’s Speeches (Vol II)
By Sonja Tiernan; UCD Press, €25
In the 160 years covered by this book, the social, political and cultural standing of Irish women changed greatly and this is reflected in their speeches. The speeches relate mainly to the arts/culture/heritage area and range in time from Charlotte Stoker (1863) to Lian Bell (2021). The book’s subtitle is “a rich chorus of voices”, and diversity of theme and tone certainly applies as painters, actors, journalists, writers, human-rights activists and others feature. Some of the speakers are well known, others less so, and quite detailed and very informative biographical notes precede each speech. Highlights include Sarah Purser on her stained-glass co-operative An Túr Gloine, Charlotte Stoker’s advocacy of State provision of education for children with disabilities and Norah Dacre Fox’s activities as a militant suffragette. Brian Maye
The Last Days of Terranova
By Manuel Rivas, translated by Jacob Rogers; Archipelago Books, £14
As Vicenzo Fontana prepares for the closure of the eponymous bookstore inherited from his parents, he reminisces about growing up under the Franco regime when the store became a focus for political resistance and centre for smuggled books. His tender relationship with his father and his Uncle Eliseo (“the thing with Eliseo was that he spent all day opening up passageways across the limits of reality”) is endearingly evoked as is his relationship with an Argentinian dissident, and significant, magical and fateful objects in his and their lives are lovingly or heartbreakingly recalled. In the end, it’s not the hostile regime but the greedy landlord’s despicable son and his egregious “boss” who try to put an end to Terranova, but they get their comeuppance in this beautifully told, enchanting story. Brian Maye
Stories from the Tenants Downstairs
By Sidik Fofana; John Murray Press, £16.99
Fofana’s impressive debut novel is a bold and engaging read, introducing us to the residents of Banneker Terrace in Harlem, New York, where a varied cast of characters are doing their best to make the very best life they can. It’s not a pretty place, but it’s home. The tenants’ voices are loud and clear; from Mimi who is struggling to come up with her rent, to ex-convict Boons who is trying to reassimilate without losing his criminal instincts, and Kandese who is making serious cash selling candy. Fofana deftly employs Harlem’s vernacular to relay the intertwining stories of a resilient community, full of vitality, battling with the rapid progress gentrification, but who are determined not to be defeated in the place they all call home. Claire Looby
