A tangential travel memoir. Ex pat Brit Kerry takes you on a walking tour of Ireland and a tour of her memories.
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.
Professional Reviews
Picturesque beauty and cultural encounters
Rambling in Ireland by Kerry Dwyer
This book was a picturesque journey though some of the most breathtaking sights of Ireland. Mrs. Dwyer paints the beauty of the land in descriptive words, instilling within the reader a longing to see the sights she writes about. Her human snapshots are alive and vibrant. The reader feels like they are meeting these people on the walking trails and in each town the author visits.
Kerry Dwyer appears to be one of those individuals who perpetually sees a glass as half full. Her humor makes levity of some experiences which would be a source of contention for other couples. In one such incident, she remembered she had not waterproofed their boots, until after they got wet feet. It was viewed with humor instead of melting into a "shame and blame game."
I enjoyed learning about the cultural differences in her often humorous comparisons between the French and English. As an American, I appreciated her insights about life in France, Great Britain, and serene Ireland. She lives in a world, where cars have "bonnets" and she can stow things in its "boot." I also learned that knickers are not short pants cut off at the knee and frizzy drinks have not sprouted little green hairs (mold). The weather might be "heaving," but it is not the same thing as vomiting. Whether intentional or not, the word play taught me that although words may sound the same, they do not share the same meanings.
Rambling in Ireland reveals to the reader that Ireland is a land of beauty and potential danger. It is filled with colors and ancient culture. However, the true essence of Ireland isn't one that can be captured by a camera. It has to be experienced and Mrs. Dwyer's writing gives the reader a sampling of the spirit found in the Emerald Island. In Mrs. Dwyer's own words, "The best picture would be the one I was engraving in my memory." Her descriptions and feelings were engraved into this reader's memory.
Adventures and Fun In Road and Walking Trips
Like most vacations that go awry, they are never forgotten! This is a travel memoir of author Kerry Dwyer and her husband, Bertrand, traveling to Ireland for a walking sightseeing trip. Kerry herself is British while hubby is French. Kerry doesn't speak much French, while Bertrand has trouble with English. That, in itself, tells you the humor that both will find in Ireland! Kerry did much research and planning before they left France. You know how the best laid out plans go? Not too well at times. From selecting backpacks, to forgetting the water repellent spray for boots, to getting lost on the edge of a cliff in dense fog, you have to know there are many humorous events which Kerry describes very well. I enjoyed this travel story which had me laughing along the way, as well as cheering them on their successes. I also thought of how funny a sitcom this would make on BBC, like the many I've enjoyed watching. I've always said, everyone has a story to tell, and talented Kerry has provided a fun read in her "Ramblings." I do hope she will plan another vacation to share with us. To see her book trailer and some photos of Ireland, go to http://www.kerrydwyer.com
More than a Walking Tour
Ms. Dwyer has skillfully shared the pleasures of touring her ancestral land of Ireland with her husband, while letting the reader know how some of the scenes and happenings they encounter bring back memories of her life in England as a child. She also shows through her "mental ramblings" how life can be, living in a foreign country and marrying a husband from another country, culture and language.
The framework for this book was the couple's itinerary, but Ms. Dwyer then allowed her muses about her life in both England and France be triggered by things she and her husband saw and did on their hikes through the Irish countryside. The two of them discovered by the end of their week's vacation that even after years of marriage, they could still discover new mysteries about each other. This story was well written directly from the heart. Ms. Dwyer has excelled with her writing/publishing of this, her first book. A very good debut into the literary world.
“Ramblings in Ireland” by Kerry Dwyer is a great title for this casual yet rather in depth hike through the author’s mind, life and that holiday in Ireland.
I came across the book via Kerry’s blog and when enquiring about reading it Kerry said almost dismissively that I would not enjoy it as I was not her typical target audience. Never one to take no for an answer and intrigued I purchased the book all the same and began reading with a sceptic and curious mind alike.
All the more pleased and surprised was I to find myself hugely entertained by the easy flow of her language and the often drifting and unfocused yet charming “ramblings” about her family, her life in France, packing, underwear and many more.
With a great sense of humour I was taken back to my own family holidays, two of which had been in B&B’s in Ireland and some in France. I am a vegetarian and laughed heartily at the relating pages on vegetarian food issues over there.
The pages just flew by and I had finished the book in almost one sitting (one needs to eat).
As in her blog, Kerry is a natural writer who has a formidable way with words. I hope that once her holiday anecdotes have been exhausted Kerry finds a way to make some stories up and bless us with some fictitious ramblings instead.
Kerry Dwyer's Ramblings in Ireland, is aptly titled for that is exactly what the story is about, the ramblings through a country with present descriptions, of dangerous excursions to a ledge forbidden in fog (which they accidentally journeyed onto), to ill prepared clothing for rain, to a husband's compulsion for the Irish breakfast, the journey as it happened, coupled with the ramblings of times past. The word ramblings in the abstract can connote a pejorative, which would be anything but the case with Dwyer's story, for her writing is endearing and intelligent with a rare gifted ability to make the reader laugh, her asides had me laughing out loud.
Dwyer invites the reader in to her life, the mundane which through her talent are captivating and as the story progresses along you feel as if you're listening to a friend, a good friend, telling you about their vacation, and you get excited that you, for this brief time, have the vicarious pleasure of being let in, to more than just descriptions of the travels in a country, but of a women, her relationship with her family (the incidental mention of her grandfather's assassination in Palestine, her mother's mistaken identity for an Indian, to her husband's ability to pee anywhere, etc.). Her scene description is exceptional; when they go into a dining room you can see the people there, the pink-rinsed grandmothers, grunge clothing, dreadlocks... masterful imagery that brings you there, the detail right down to what she brought with on the trip. As the trip ends the author describes her love for reading and in the author's note she mentions her blog: [...].
When I went to check it out the first thing I noticed was a column at the top titled What is Rambling. There beside her answer is a photo of Freud, a brilliant metaphor for her journey and life, as she so adeptly, and with great humor, portrayed in her ramblings.
A passionate and poignant memoir written by a woman whose life has been guided by the words: "I am here to learn how to love well." The book is a deep examination of relationships, family, motivation, and honoring of the Self.
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