swilling charmlessly

I'm Irish and I love to drink often. How I wanted to , really wanted to love this book .........but no. As much as I hate to give up on a book mid-way, I did just that. Unlike the other reviewers who concentrated, so it seemed, on the 'drunken Bastard Billy' aspect of it, I disliked it for other reasons. There were far too many characters, either mentioned by name or pro-noun and trying to work out who was who drove me to the last of the red wine. The great pity of it is, that "Charming Billy" has been chosen by an English publisher to introduce Alison McDermott to us across the waters. How I wish they had chosen "At Wedding And Wakes", a far better novel. McDermott is a good writer but she needs to improve her taste in editors. The book would have made an enjoyable short story and a highly romantic one at that. Tom Hanks bought books in Meg Ryan's Shop Around The Corner and she was, in turn, Andy Garcia's drunk. Am I making sense here? Ah well, I am Irish, I know what I mean. Now excuse me while I get some coffee. .