Belfast Girls, by Gerry McCullough

Growing up in Belfast is not easy for Phil, Sheila, and Mary.  As children, the girls all got along, and were shielded from the dangers of the times in Ireland.  But as life progressed, they grew up, grew apart, and grew aware of the realities of life.  Men, glamour, drugs, gangsters.  Who will save these girls in their times of need?

I have to admit, the book had a little bit of a slow start for me.  It took me a while to get into it, to really feel connected to the characters.  But I am so glad that I stuck it out.  Over the course of the timeline, we get to know these three women, and the important men in their lives, as closely as we do our favorite television characters.  I would "tune in" to another chapter just to see what would happen to these girls that I now cared about.  With the brilliant descriptions of the setting and action, this book would make a fantastic mini series.

This story has a lot going on, but the action gets really fast paced at one point, and keeps you rocketing to the end of the story.  After the book is over, you need to take a few moments to let it all soak in.

I was not very familiar with the life and political climate of Ireland, so it took me a bit to catch on to this aspect of the book.  But I definitely learned a lot.  Which is why this book is so important.



I received a review copy of the book courtesy of the publisher and author.