Carrie from Books and Movies is hosting a read-along of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey during the month of March. This week’s discussion focuses on pages 165-238, the sections titled “Truce, 1920-1921” and “Passion, 1921.” (My answers to the previous discussion questions are here.)
Beware of spoilers!
My overall impressions of the book so far:
Och, what a page turner! I have so much going on right now that the slower pace of the read-along schedule works for me, but it’s so hard to put the book down. It really is a good book to savor and contemplate, but it’s so tempting to drop everything and read to the end. At least the suspense won’t kill me for too much longer, as the final discussion is next week.
I absolutely love Falvey’s writing and especially her handling of Irish history. There’s no rambling Frank Delaney-style storytelling (which I love), but the way the story is unfolding totally fits Eileen’s character. And speaking of characters, Falvey’s are so complex and vivid that they feel real to me. I loved her most recent novel, The Linen Queen, but so far, The Yellow House is even better!
Carrie asked the read-along participants to post some questions this time around. Serena asks, do you think Owen has a right to ask Eileen for something in return for his kindness, and do you think he goes too far asking her to give up her role in the Troubles and commit to volunteer work?
Well, considering that he’s gone out of his way to keep Eileen in her job and she’s asking him to go out of his way to help her (and she so desperately needs said job), I think he has a right to ask for something in return. After all, she doesn’t have to agree. And based on what the gossipers think, he could have asked for something worse (though she might not have thought about it that way, ha!). I think Owen being older and having seen the horrors of war gives him an advantage over Eileen in terms of growing up. I think he knows Eileen is hurt and angry and can’t see beyond that now, and I also think her work for the Cause was too much on the sidelines for her to know the horrors of war. Owen knows that when he makes Eileen work at the hospital, she’s going to see things that will make her think, that will cause her some pain, but that will eventually help her grow up. (Oh, and it was also necessary for her to be at the hospital so that she could uncover the truth about Lizzie.)
Serena also wants to know, do you think Owen is right that confronting the past can help us heal? Do you think it will help Eileen?
I think he has a point, that you really have to face your troubles head on for you to move past them. Will it help Eileen? One can hope, but we need to get James out of the way permanently first!
Here are some questions of my own:
Do you think Frank is justified in abandoning his family and in the treatment of his sister?
I don’t dislike Frank as much as I do James, but he’s another one who makes me angry. I can see how the revelation of his parentage would hurt him deeply, but at the same time, the man who raised him was nothing but good to him, and Eileen, even understanding as a child that he was angry, distant, and brooding and didn’t care for her much, continually reaches out to him because he’s family. I think he has a lot of growing up to do and should have done it by now, but there are some deep wounds in the O’Neill family that will take time to heal, if they even can be repaired.
Do you think finding Lizzie will help Eileen’s mom to heal?
I hope I’m wrong, but I think she’s too far gone for that. If seeing Lizzie alive would just cause her to come out of her shell, I would be so angry for Eileen and Paddy and Frank. They are her children, too…and yet, mental illness is a scary, complex thing. I feel so bad for Eileen every time she visits her mom and effectively gets the cold shoulder. I still am trying to understand how she went from the strong I-mean-business woman in the bank to a mess in the blink of an eye.
What do you think about Owen buying the Yellow House?
Given that much has been made about how the O’Neill ancestors “stole” the house from the Sheridans and now the O’Neills have fallen apart, I found that totally predictable. And yet the romantic in me was happy, because Owen understands Eileen’s dream and had similar hopes for the Yellow House. I’m still holding out for the sappy ending in which they are happy together in that house. There’s so much about their relationship that reminds me of Elizabeth and Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.
Have you read The Yellow House? What did you think?
© 2012 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Diary of an Eccentric 
LOL “Och, what a page turner!” Love that comment. I’m going to add your questions to my list for Sunday. Good answers to mine. Frank and James make me mad…but I understand why they act how they do, but it doesn’t make it right.
LikeLike
I couldn’t resist, and Irene is the one who got me started on that! 😉 I understand Frank more than James; James is just a spoiled brat. Looking forward to your answers!
LikeLike
*Do you think Frank is justified in abandoning his family and in the treatment of his sister?
my thoughts: I think from the beginning of the book Falvey establishes that Frank is different, so the behaviour is expected and perhaps if he and Eileen were closer as children, and if Eileen and her Da would have made an effort to keep in contact with him, things might have turned out differently. So yes, I do think Frank’s abandonment is justified. Heck if a man I called my father and a girl I called my sister just left me to be with a man that hated me, and a mother that was clearly not well, I dump them too. Eileen just reached out to Frank when she needed him, and had little sympathy for what he needed.
*Do you think finding Lizzie will help Eileen’s mom to heal?
No I think, once you’ve lost your marbles your done for. It might help Eileen.
*What do you think about Owen buying the Yellow House?
my thoughts: I full expected that. Let’s face it, who would have the money. And Historically it would make sense as well.
LikeLike
I wonder if Frank would have softened if his da reached out to him? He seemed like he was truly done with him when he left. I wasn’t surprised that he was upset when learning the news; I just thought the hardness would have worn off over time.
LikeLike
Frank is a strange one. In some ways, he seems worse than James – because James behavior at least stems from a passion and goal and belief in something. Frank seems to purely be looking out for himself. I sure wish poor Eileen would quit getting slapped by the men in her life!
I’m afraid I’m with you on Eileen’s mother – I don’t think there’s anything that can bring her out of her mental state at this point. Though I am curious to see if I’m correct about why Terrence continually visits her!
Like you, I am a total romantic, and have hopes that Owen and Eileen will end up happy together in the Yellow House. But, this is Ireland during the Troubles, and so I’m not going to hold my breath.
What do you think of Paddy and the way they keep talking about his temper and outbursts? I find myself wondering if Falvey is foreshadowing something with that.
Good questions!
LikeLike
Now that you mention Paddy, and now that I’ve finished the book, I’m surprised that Falvey didn’t really go anywhere with that…except when he stood up to Frank. Maybe that’s where she was heading with it?
LikeLike
[…] Carrie from Books and Movies hosted a read-along of The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey during the month of March. This final discussion focuses on pages 239 to the end, the sections titled “Secrets, 1922,” “Choices, 1922,” “Home, 1922,” and “Epilogue, 1924.” (Check out my responses to the discussions on Part 1/Part 2 and Part 3.) […]
LikeLike