Linked to this, we now we come to a feature that I both liked and didn't like. The story was constructed so perfectly - literally every loose end was tied, every problem solved, every rift restored; every character journeyed from an emotional low to ultimate contentment. On the one hand, this felt extremely contrived. It was just too unrealistic - life just doesn't fall into place happily ever after like that. Elizabeth's GP husband leaves the surgery empty and in debt, and Lucy just so happens to be a doctor looking for a fresh start and moving into the area - problem solved. Dan has been looking for his birth mother his whole life, and on his research trip to Ballycove finds her right in front of his eyes - perfect. Jo's dying wish is to share her insane love of naked swimming in the freezing Irish sea, and somehow every woman in the village is up for joining in - improbable, but amazing. It was such a storybook story in every possible way, that it ended up being eminently predictable. When Elizabeth’s husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, the only person she can turn to is her friend, Jo. Soon Jo has called in her daughter, Lucy, to help save Elizabeth from bankruptcy. Leaving her old life behind, Lucy is determined to make the most of her fresh start. The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is the sixth novel by award-winning, best-selling Irish author, Faith Hogan. The audio version is narrated by Flora Montgomery. It’s not until the death of her husband Eric, Ballycove’s local GP, that Elizabeth O’Shea discovers the extent of his deceit. She knew he drank, but not that he gambled, and to her dismay, he was more prolific at both than he was at being successful as a GP. The level of debt he has left her with in the form of loans is staggering. Will she lose everything? Faith Hogan is the queen of the emotional roller-coaster and this has everything to have you smiling through blinding tears, your heart will burst with love and sadness and you will be sure to get a lump in your throat while reading at the powerful message of hope and friendship.

I loved this novel and audiobook!! The writing is clever and the narrator is just perfect with an easy Irish accent. The 3 main female characters are intelligent and lovely. The decisions they make, often hard ones, create examples of real life in the process. It’s set in a small town or village (a real one) in Ireland on the west coast. ABOUT 'THE LADIES MIDNIGHT SWIMMING CLUB': Three women, three different stages of life, united by one thing: the chance to start again. THE AUTHOR: Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author. She was born in Ireland. She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.To be honest, I think we were all a little in awe of your extensive vocabulary when it came to telling her where to go. The parish priest had to run into the pantry to hide his smirk. This book left me feeling upbeat. I loved the closeness of the women and their strength and courage as they faced the ups and downs in their individual lives. This is a story of love, grief, community, and friendship, and it is warm and heartfelt. Set in a small coastal Irish town, The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club is told from multiple perspectives. There's Elizabeth, whose life feels like it's only just beginning following the death of her husband. There's her best friend Jo, whose daughter Lucy and son Niall visit from Dublin. Lucy agrees to help at Elizabeth's late husband's GP clinic and in the interim becomes a founding member of The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club alongside Jo and Elizabeth. Finally, there's Dan, a visiting writer from London who's come to Ballycove to finally discover where his life began.

All the characters are going through, and have gone through, immense change in their lives, and have a lot to deal with. There’s a very strong sense of community and friendship in this book.When Elizabeth's husband dies, leaving her with crippling debt, she must turn to her friend, Jo for help, who calls in her da The main thing that bothered me about this book really was the prose. To me, it just came across a bit clunky. The awkwardness was partly down to questionable punctuation and grammar - it quite often could have done with the addition of a few extra commas for clarity, or the removal of superfluous ones, and to be honest this punctuation problem could have largely been avoided with some mere re-phrasing: often there were just a few too many clauses jammed into one sentence and it just felt a bit muddled. The other slightly odd thing about it was the mixture between profound literary imagery ( 'the moon stole swiftly behind a swollen grey cloud') and light-hearted informal colloquialisms ( 'hadn't the foggiest', 'up to her eyes [in debt]',). Sometimes the level of formality would switch even within one sentence ( 'a baptism of biting cold that might chew her up in no time ') and these conspicuous gear-changes were a little bit bumpy. It might have been really effective if these humorous idiomatic phrases were used to develop character, but sadly even though the chapters were alternating between five different perspectives, the narrative voice and prose style remained the same throughout. In search of some solace, Jo and Elizabeth find themselves enjoying midnight dips in the freezing Irish sea. Here they can laugh, cry and wash away all their fears. As well as conjure a fundraising plan for the local hospice; to take a dip in the nip.