An Embarrassment of Riches

Irish Bedtime Stories - by Nicola

A warm and fun read before you turn out the lights is the little series by Brendan O’Carroll, an Irish playwright and stand-up comedian.  The first book is alternately called Agnes Browne or The Mammy.  The premise does not seem humorous—Agnes is trying to raise her seven children alone in Dublin after her husband dies.  Agnes is spunky, however, and she handles the hurdles in her life with strength.  The second in the series is The Chisellers.  The title refers to her seven children, some of which have begun to be a bit troublesome.  The third title in the trilogy is The Granny and continues, not surprisingly, when Agnes becomes a grandmother for the first time and most of her children are in their twenties.  O’Carroll continues with a prequel, called The Young Wan,

which describes Agnes’ young adulthood before her marriage.  In each book, the characters are eccentric and get themselves into some interesting predicaments.  The only drawback is that some people may have trouble with the Irish slang, which O’Carroll  uses quite liberally.