The Mermaids Singing (1999) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

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Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Grace: daughter of Cliona; the story opens with Grace's battle with breast cancer; lives in Boston with her daughter Grainne
• Cliona: mother of Grace, grandmother of Grainne; lives in Ireland on her native Inish Muruch (Island of Mermaids)
• Grainne: daughter of Grace, granddaughter of Cliona
• Liam: step-cousin and friend of Grace; son of Mary-Louise
• Stephen: live-in boyfriend of Grace, helps take care of her during her chemo treatments
• Michael: first love of Grace's when she is a young woman; son of Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby, the employers of Cliona while she lived in America
• Seamus O'flaherty: Grainne's father - lives in Ireland
• Mary Louise: Grace's step-sister; Cliona married Mary-Louise's father Marcus; mother of Liam
• Marcus: husband of Cliona who brings her back to Ireland to help run his hotel and pub
• Mr and Mrs Willoughby: Employers of Cliona while she lives in America - she works as their housekeeper and nanny while she saves money to attend nursing school
• Granuaile: the legendary "pirate-queen" Grainne was named after; the queen went by several names such as Grainne Ni Mhaille, Grainne Mhaol, and Grace O'Malley - myth says that as a girl Granuaile wanted to sail on a ship with her father but was denied since she was female so she cut off all her hair (Mhaol means "bald"). She went on to take over both her father and her husband's kingdoms.
• Eamon: runs the ferry on Inis Muruch
• Tommy: Marcus's youngest son
• Father Cullen: Catholic priest on Inish Muruch
• Sarah and Lindsey: twin daughters of Mr and Mrs Willoughby

Quotes edit see section history

• “'You're whatever you want to be,' my mother had said, 'It's not important where you come from Grainne, what matters is where you take yourself."”

  Grainne speaking about her mother, Grace

• “What people lie about, well, sometimes it only makes sense in their own minds.”

  Stephen

• “You have no idea how much you're going to miss me.”

  Grainne

• “Listening to them murmuring to one another (Marcus, like my grandmother,spoke sentences like he was singing them), I began to worry that I spoke too loud, that my voice sounded as ugly as a fart in a quiet room.”

  Grainne

• “God does not give you more suffering than you can handle. I said that to Grace once and her smart response was "No, but your family does."”

  Cliona (Grace's mother)

• “'I don't think you're suppose to know what you believe in at fifteen,' he said, 'I imagine that's why it's so difficult.'”

  Father Paddy

• “Waiting doesn't always get you what you want. Sometimes, it's the waiting on a thing that causes it to pass you by.”

  Mary Louise

• “I didn't think I was waiting for love, just for a boy who kissed right. Who didn't ruin the moment.”

  Grainne, talking about her virginity

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Massachusetts: Beacon Hill (neighborhood in Boston), Boston, Scituate
• Ireland: Dublin, Galway, Connemara, Connaught (Connacht)
• London, England

Organizations edit see section history

• Trinity College: Trinity College, Dublin (TCD; Irish: Coláiste na Tríonóide, Baile Átha Cliath), formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", and is the only constituent college of the University of Dublin. Unlike the universities of Oxford and of Cambridge, after which the University of Dublin was modelled and both of which comprise several constituent colleges, there is just one Dublin college: Trinity College. Thus the designations "Trinity College Dublin" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes. Located in Dublin, Ireland, it is Ireland's oldest university. Originally established outside the city walls of Dublin in the buildings of the dissolved Augustinian monastery of All Hallows, Trinity was set up in part to consolidate the rule of the Tudor monarchy in Ireland, and it was seen as the university of the Protestant Ascendancy for much of its history; although Roman Catholics and Dissenters had been permitted to enter as early as 1793, certain restrictions on their membership of the college remained until 1873 (professorships, fellowships and scholarships were reserved for Protestants), and the Catholic Church in Ireland forbade its adherents, without permission from their bishop, from attending until 1970. Women were first admitted to the college as full members in 1904. Trinity is now surrounded by Dublin and is located on College Green, opposite the former Irish Houses of Parliament. The college proper occupies 190,000 m2 (47 acres), with many of its buildings ranged around large quadrangles (known as 'squares') and two playing fields. Academically, Trinity is divided into three faculties comprising 24 schools, offering degree and diploma courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2010, it was ranked by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings as the 76th best university in the world and 9th in Europe, by the QS World University Rankings as the 52nd best, by the Academic Ranking of World Universities as within the 201-300 bracket, and by all three as the best university in Ireland.The Library of Trinity College is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the United Kingdom, containing over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts (including the Book of Kells), maps and music.
• Irish Times: The Irish Times is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper launched on 29 March 1859. The Irish Times is considered to be Ireland's newspaper of record, and is published every day except Sundays. Though formed as a Protestant Nationalist paper, within two decades and under new owners it had become the voice of Irish Unionism. Today it is no longer considered a Unionist paper; it is generally perceived as being politically liberal and progressive.

First Sentence edit see section history

Glossary edit see section history

• Craic: "Craic" or "crack" is a term for fun, entertainment, and enjoyable conversation, particularly prominent in Ireland
• Curragh: a boat made of a wicker frame covered with horsehide or canvas
• Rashers: a thin slice of bacon or ham broiled or fried; also : a portion consisting of several such slices
• Trawler: A fishing trawler is a commercial fishing vessel designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is a method of fishing that involves actively pulling a trawl through the water behind one or more trawlers. Trawls are fishing nets that are dragged along the bottom of the sea or in midwater at a specified depth
• Slagging: In Ireland, to slag somebody is to tease them, to make fun of them, thus you are 'slagging' them. -usually playful fun with no offence intended.
• Mercato: market
• Togs: clothes
• Feckless: 1. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective.2. Careless and irresponsible.
• Merrow: Merrow (from Gaelic murúch) or Murrough (Galloway) is the Scottish and Irish Gaelic equivalent of the mermaid and mermen of other cultures. These beings are said to appear as human from the waist up but have the body of a fish from the waist down. They have a gentle, modest, affectionate and benevolent disposition.
• Seisiun: A seisiun or session is considered in Ireland to be a social gathering of friends and musicians with the intent of social interaction, the moderate consumption of alcohol and appreciation of local culture, most particularly music. The term craic is deemed to be synonymous with such occasions.
• Bodhran: The bodhrán (pronounced /ˈbɔrɑːn/<1> or /ˈbaʊrɑːn/; plural bodhráns or bodhráin) is an Irish frame drum ranging from 25 to 65 cm (10" to 26") in diameter, with most drums measuring 35 to 45 cm (14" to 18"). The sides of the drum are 9 to 20 cm (3½" to 8") deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads, or other animal skins are sometimes used). The other side is open ended for one hand to be placed against the inside of the drum head to control the pitch and timbre.
• Bronach: Brónach ♀ (Irish) Traditional name meaning ‘sorrowful’.

Series & Lists edit see section history

List the series to which this book belongs.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Lisa Carey (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.6

Notes for Parents edit see section history

mention of risks of teen pregnancy

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › Women's Fiction › Mothers & Children
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Family Saga
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Literary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary