Cover Image: The Place We Call Home

The Place We Call Home

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

It was a nice story. I enjoyed the characters, but it also lacked something. more dept to the characters, sometimes i felt a bit bored.

Was this review helpful?

Review coming soon. Fell behind due to illness, amd working on all of the old ones now.

This one will not be forgotten. This was our Book Club Book when it first came out and I not only loved it, I wanted to dive in. We had so much fun talking about it.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC; opinions are mine.


Pub Date was January 9th, 2020
#thePlaceWeCallHome #FaithHogan #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

Another great book by Faith Hogan, I am always a fan of Irish books and this one doesn't disappoint with lovely characters, plenty of family secrets and a great location. Definitely recommended

Was this review helpful?

This book is a family saga filled with drama, Emotion and intrigue
The storylines were engaging and I liked the characters
The ending was perfect.
A great book

Was this review helpful?

A big emotional family saga. It's a good read meant for those who love stories wit secrets, lies, love, and hope. A very good read.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed the setting and the characters. The story unravels slow, but it was interesting enough to keep reading.
If you enjoy idyllic destinations and family sagas, then this is the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Miranda is only a teenager on the west coast of Ireland when she meets Richard, grandson of the scions of the Irish village where she lives. Her life is fraught--her father has just returned from WWII service, shell-shocked and unpredictable. She falls in love with Richard, but their lives are torn apart one tragic summer day.

Decades later, Miranda is a 70-something woman, now owner of the mill once owned by Richard's family. As she contemplates giving up full-time work, her children are divided over the future of the business. To the village, it's more than a mill--primary employer, whose benevolent owners have always looked out for the villagers' wellbeing.

Ada, Miranda's oldest child, has spent her life working in the mill and assumes she will become the manager. Simon, her ne'er do well son, lives in Dublin chasing one disastrous get-rich-quick scheme after another. Callie, the youngest, is the dark horse candidate, seemingly entrenched in her successful design career in London, until her abrupt return to Ireland. But nobody could have predicted the emergence of David, Richard's son who comes to Ballycove to heal his broken heart.

THE PLACE WE CALL HOME is a heartwarming multi-generational family saga, replete with love, resentment, loyalty, and deceit. The evocative setting adds to the novel's allure. My only issue with it is its similarities to one of my favorite books--Rosamunde Pilcher's THE SHELL SEEKERS. Aging mom with a heart ailment, priggish elder daughter, scheming son, and favored, glamorous youngest daughter--all very familiar territory to Pilcher fans.

Was this review helpful?

This was such a great read with many ups and downs and twists. There is no way you will figure it out. I look forward to more by the author!

Was this review helpful?

Faith Hogan is a fairly new author to me but I think she has gained a long term fan now. Her novels are heavier than I normally read but they are so emotive and well written you can really lose yourself in them. another winner from Faith.

Was this review helpful?

A new author for me but one I shall definitely be reading again.Set in Ballycove a small village in Ireland,it's a perfect location for this story that centre's around Corrigan's woollen mill.Miranda's family is very much the heart of this novel and each of her children has very different views on life and she is pulled in many directions as she tries to make sure the future of the mills is secure for the workers with whom she has has always respected. Just the right mix of characters who are all interesting. Told in the past and present it plays out perfectly together and makes this a fantastic read A thoroughly enjoyable novel

Was this review helpful?

When I hear that Faith Hogan has a new book out, I don’t even need to know what it’s about, I just know it will be fabulous. This one is no exception.

Set in a small Irish town, the home of Corrigan Mills, this is a real family saga.

Everything about this book is perfect, the setting is so well depicted, it’s like being there, the characters are, of course, marvellous, and the plot is rich and gently woven.

All the characters are likeable and relatable in their own way, even Simon, who is a bit immature and spoilt, but Miranda was my favourite. She’s a strong woman, and the heart of the family, and the mills. She’s getting a bit older now, but she’s very careful of what will happen to the mills. She loves her family, but she’s not a soft touch. The timeline goes right back to her childhood, and it’s fascinating to find out how she gets to where she is today.

This book took me a while to read, because I liked to savour it, and look forward to reading the next part. I was sorry to leave all the wonderful characters behind at the end.A really captivating and enjoyable read, highly recommended.

Was this review helpful?

Yet again another wonderful story from Faith Hogan. A touching drama of family relationships, loyalties & secrets, all set in beautiful Irish countryside. Thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the characters & how they all weaved in & out of each others lives

Was this review helpful?

Time to do the overly enthused happy dance, we have another Catherine Curzon and Eleanor Harkstead romance in the house!! How much do I adore these ladies? I do love these short seasonal stories which Catherine and Eleanor are so good at treating us all to, they are just perfect for those moments when you crave for something delicious and sweet, so instead of reaching for yet more Jaffa Cakes (honestly, the number of Jaffa Cakes I consume I am going to end up looking like one) I now reach for a Curzon/Harkstead story, which is far more delectable and long-lasting and far more addictive. The only thing I have to worry about is letting one’s tea go cold…. I really have gone completely off-topic, yet again!
So, The Dishevelled Duke is a very short story, set over the course of one day; Valentines Day to be accurate and it is apart of the appropriately named; A Little Bit Cupid Collection, which is a collection of short Valentine’s day stories written by an array of authors – each one looks so good, so I hope you will go and check out the other’s in the collection too.
As you would have gathered it’s Valentines Day in London, Billy who is as cute as a button is having to leave the bright lights of London when his photography career refused to take off, his hopes and dreams shattered he decides that now is the time to return home to lick his wounds, which means giving up his job as a barista in the brilliantly named; The Chelsea Bun – how much do I love the name of that little cake/coffee shop? and that also means leaving the object of his unwavering secret affections, his favourite customer; the handsome if deliciously unkempt; Charlie. Who suddenly turns up with a mystery parcel under his arm (but what is in the parcel??) just as Billy is closing The Chelsea Bun and saying a sad farewell one last time.
Delectable Charlie and his two gorgeous and immensely huge dogs have been visiting the bun every day for the past year, always sitting in the same spot and just enjoying a hot drink while reading the paper of doing the crossword – as you do! But he has secretly been admiring the hot little barista all along and trying to work up the courage to ask Billy on a date. Honestly, these two are the cutest, I adore their blossoming romance each one is very reluctant up until this point to even test their mutual attraction and yet once they open that door you know that these two are for keeps, but there is a little thing Billy doesn’t know and that is our dear, dishevelled Charlie has a wee bit of a secret….and what a bobby-dazzler that is!
Oh, gawd, did I honestly just write bobby-dazzler??

So with Charlie determined to send Billy off with a lasting memory we embark with the lads on a snowy rush through the city to the London Eye, but will a turn on the eye reveal more than just an eagle-eyed view of London to the boys, or will plans and futures change?? Well, you know me, I ain’t going to tell you what happens or what secrets they are both holding from each other, your just going to have to read it. But, I will say that you will sigh deeply into your mug of hot chocolate while ramming an iced bun into your mouth…it has to be done!
As always Catherine and Eleanor have written another winner, honestly they could write a dinner menu or a phone book and I’d be happy…did I mention how much I adore these ladies? The writing is as always flawless, it’s got great pacing sometimes with very short stories they can at times feel a little rushed, but not with this one, it moves along perfectly as we all make a dash across London.
The Dishevelled Duke is a delightful, charming delicious little romance with a wee twist and quite unusually for a Curzon/Harkstead romance there are no steamy scenes, I know!! Shocking, but to be honest this didn’t need a romp in the hayloft type of scene it is like it’s leading men; perfect exactly how it is.

Was this review helpful?

I adore this author and this book was a brilliant read and one that is perfect to escape for a few hours and loose yourself.
Characters that fall out of the pages of the book and make you fell apart of the story, the setting comes alive and captured is well with words.
A great read. that I would highly recommend.

Was this review helpful?

Faith Hogan has done it again! The Place We Call Home is another outstanding book from this amazingly talented Irish author (she writes crime now too, don't you know!). Faith Hogan's books always draw me in completely and make me feel like I'm part of the family, and never more so than in this family saga of the Corrigans of Ballycove.

It's like a complete family history as we meet the present day owner of Corrigan Mills, septuagenarian Miranda Corrigan, and flash back to her childhood when the mills were owned by local landowners, The Blairs. Miranda and Richard Blair become close friends one long hot summer and there's a definite spark between them that suggests they could become more than friends, but fate has other plans in store for Miranda.

Now you would think that Miranda became owner of the mills due to her relationship with Richard Blair, but it's a much more interesting and emotional story than that. Faith Hogan writes so vividly and emotively that I felt as if I was looking at Ballycove through Miranda's eyes and feeling every emotion that she felt. The characters are so full of life that I had to keep reminding myself that they weren't real people and I didn't really know them as well as I felt I did.

I don't want to spoil the story by giving away any of the plot so all I'll really say is that it is a family drama that puts Coronation Street writers to shame. There's jealousy and envy, unrequited love, money troubles and family secrets just waiting to be spilled; more than enough drama without needing to have a body buried under the patio. Even with so much going on, the pacing is very gentle; like waves lapping against the shore but each time the tide goes out, a little more of the family history is revealed.

The Place We Call Home is a book filled with love; first love, mother's love and some love from Faith, as undoubtedly a little piece of Faith Hogan's heart has been woven into the very pages of this beautiful heartwarming book.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this family saga and finding out each of the character's stories. Each member of the story is written so faithfully and with their own voice. This is a comforting saga where you feel that ultimately the story will pan out. The different characters are all sympathetic if not always likeable and the family dynamics are the driving force in the story.

The story flips from the past to the present day but this is never confusing. Above all, this is a character driven plot and each of the characters stand there in their own right. This story of family secrets, relationships and changing events make for a great read. It is a family saga with a brilliant setting and unexpected plot. Recommended. short:

Thanks to the author for a copy of the book.

Was this review helpful?

Weaving the past with the present, Faith Hogan delivers a family saga set in Ireland. Secrets of the past threaten to upend the success of the Corrigan's mill. With the upcoming retirement of the family matriarch, the three grown Corrigan children wonder who will be asked to take over. Each in their own way, must determine what home and family really mean to them.

Was this review helpful?

Favorite Quotes:

It’s no place for a child, not really. Old Lord Blair is as odd as a hen in a hairdresser’s.

The years had taken inches from his height and added it to his waistband; his hair had greyed into the kind of silky thickness most women of his age would trade their best shoes for.

In that moment, Ada felt such a mixture of emotion for this man who had always stood by her, but who had turned into someone she hardly saw any more. He blended with the furniture of her life, so much so that she couldn’t imagine what she’d do without him, but on the other hand his presence was as banal as a kitchen appliance, useful but hardly stirring.

Simon had a feeling that the softest part of Herr Muller was his teeth, but that was beside the point.


My Review:

This was an emotive, intriguing, and melancholy women’s fiction read with ample servings of family drama and romantic complications and told from multiple POVs. While emotional tension isn’t my preferred tone, I didn’t seem to mind the angst as Faith Hogan is a master storyteller. Her engaging storylines squeezed my heart and kept me guessing, although as I was nearing the last few pages I found myself growing increasingly restless and fearful of unresolved storylines, silly me, the crafty wordsmith had a few more tricks hidden in her purse. I gained a new phrase for my British Isles word list with Hooray Henry, which is British slang for an upper-class British male who exudes loud-mouthed arrogance and an air of superiority, and another form of one of my favorite Brit words of toff.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Aria and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. I really liked this family saga that takes place between two families in a small Irish milling community. This is the story of Miranda and her grown children-Ada, Callie and Simon. Like all families, there's secrets, jealousies and arguments. Despite their problems, they all learn to come together and love each other in the place they call home..

Was this review helpful?

A snowstorm gave me the opportunity to read this book about two Irish families who saw the value of living and working in a small milling community .The book follows the lives of these families and their offsprings and the people from the community who supported them. Like most families they experienced struggles, jealousies, secrets, lost opportunities. But in the end family loyalties and the bond of love usually prevails. The small Irish community is able to move forward yet at the same time live simple lives because of the hindsight and commitment of these strong caring families. An enjoyable read .

Was this review helpful?