Book review: Answers from a life well lived
Alice Taylor’s 33rd novel feels like an intimate catch-up with a dear friend. Picture: Denis Boyle
- Weathering Storms
- Alice Taylor
- O’Brien Press, €12.99/ €19.99
It can be difficult to pin a writer’s persona down, and normally it takes time before you can picture that person clearly in your head.
An author often chooses what to share with the reader; which parts of themselves to pour into their words, and which to keep hidden close to their heart.
But not the proud Cork woman and prolific storyteller Alice Taylor.
The almost 90-year-old author is the perfect example of an honest, open book, and in her 33rd novel, — which feels like an intimate catch-up with a dear friend — she reflects on her nostalgic childhood while coming to terms with her own mortality.
The catalyst for Alice’s newest book is the falling of a family apple tree that stood in her garden for over one hundred years.
Planted by Uncle Jacky at the beginning of the last century, generations of children climbed its branches, and countless people gathered and took shelter beneath its sprawling blossoms.
The tree’s violent and untimely demise, thanks to a severe storm, makes Alice step back and reassess many things in her life, but it also inspires creativity and makes way for new beginnings.
She promises that her new novel contains no answers to life’s many questions — just her own reflections from a life well lived.
“Inevitably as the years go by, repairs and maintenance become part of the ageing process and you learn that these are the handrails to help you cope with the challenges that may accompany this time of life.”
One of the most touching moments in the book comes at the end of a chapter focusing on the importance of bookstores.
Alice recalls a signing she did in the well-known Galway bookshop Kenny’s, where at the end of the queue a woman emotionally tells her how much one of her books has meant to her mother.
When Alice asks how her mother is doing, the devastated woman explains that she is in the nearby hospital with not long left to live.
The next day, Alice visits the hospital and happily chats with the “gentle and delicate as lace” woman.
A few weeks later, she receives a letter from the daughter letting her know that her mother has sadly passed away.
Alice later writes a beautifully sincere poem in her memory, which she shares in the chapter.
Throughout the memoir, minor characters spring to life and practically jump off the page.
Alice’s remarkable memory refuses to leave anyone out, whether she is reminiscing about the repairman who came to the rescue to fix her precious old Aga oven, or a well-read elderly lady with whom she shared a hospital room in the Bons.
Everyone gets their moment in the spotlight and is honoured as truly special under the experienced writer’s gaze.
The physical copy of feels like an extension of Alice herself. The soft hardcover features a gorgeous wraparound floral design and plenty of beautiful photographs within.
Captured by artist Emma Byrne, the images often act as companions to Alice’s words, providing context to what she is writing about, from a close-up of a blossoming peace lily to a candid portrait of the novelist herself reading to an audience.
is both a beautiful recounting of days gone by and a hopeful look toward the future.
Alice’s stories, grounded in the generosity of her fellow Irish folk, evoke a deep sense of connection and harmony, reminding readers of the quiet, gentle strength found in rural communities.
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