The Maker's Name
A literary historical Irish family-saga, for grownups
by Seamus McKenna
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Pub Date May 30 2024 | Archive Date Nov 30 2024
Seamus McKenna | Audacity Publications
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Description
Lucid, engaging prose covering half a century of a provincial Irish business family, which could be microcosmic of the nation, from a first-time author.
The Considine brothers, Rudi and Gus, are at war.
Their father, Malachi, has died in a ‘freak accident’. But are there such things as freak accidents? When Rudi attempts to grab Gus’s inheritance there’s a real prospect of human blood appearing on the Hawthorne Meats slaughterhouse floor. Enter Cosgrave, a solicitor with expensive tastes, and Toomarood, the banker with an eye to making money outside of his day job. Mix in the ‘free’ energy device, after experts have stated that the promoters are suffering from long-term, severe self-delusion. Does this all make up a catastrophe waiting to happen?
How will Gus’s childhood friend, Raymond Quinn, his partner, Kaarina, and their children, be able to deal with him being placed under an exit ban in China because of his part in a pyramid scheme that has defrauded Chinese small investors? Is Gus really the nice guy everyone thinks he is? His activities as a ‘celebrity butcher’ might suggest otherwise. Does Rudi go too far by defrauding Quinn senior and his business partner through the use of a shadow company?
Is Rudi capable of murder?
And Rudi’s wife, Penny - whose side is she on?
Treachery hangs over this story of the pressures and tensions, both personal and commercial, of Celtic-Tiger era Ireland, especially when that edifice is destroyed in the Global Financial Crisis of 2008.
For Rudi, the payback from Gus and Raymond is severe indeed.
ENDS
Advance Praise
Some comments from beta readers sourced from TheNicheReader service:
From Beta Reader RB:
What was your overall impression of the story?
”…This book was beautifully written, lyrical, detailed and it flowed very well. I also found the glimpses into life and business from 1950-the 2000’s really fascinating.”
What did you like about it the most?
“Firstly I really like the cover and the tagline is inspired - really catchy and intriguing. I loved the authors detailed and lyrical style.”
From Beta Reader CG:
What was your overall impression of the story?
“Overall, I really enjoyed it. It spans a lot of time with a decent number of characters who were reasonably easy to keep track of and the story progressed nicely.”
Did you find the main character engaging? If so, what was most engaging about them? If you didn't find them engaging, why not?
“I found Raymond and Augustus engaging. Augustus, for his insistence on using convoluted/educated language, even when it doesn't benefit him and could lead to confusion. Also, that he is very human with flaws as well as down-sides.”
From Beta Reader NL:
Did the story grab you from the beginning? If not, why not?
“Yes, I was both shocked and drawn in by the cold violence of the description of knives and slaughtering practices at the beginning, which set the tone for the rest of the story.”
Was the story easy to follow? If not, why not?
“Yes, the story was easy to follow.”
Overall, which characters did you find the least engaging, and why?
“I found all of the characters engaging in their own way. Even the more minor characters were developed enough to hold my interest and for me to understand their role in the story and to be interested in the part they had to play.”
Did you find the ending satisfying? If not, why not?
“Yes, it felt like all the characters who had engaged in greedy, questionable or illegal practices got their comeuppance.”
From Beta Reader DD:
What was your overall impression of the story?
“My overall impression of this story was that it was quite unique in its plot. I think it has an interesting storyline and I enjoyed reading it right from start to finish.”
What did you like about it the most?
“I enjoyed the characters in this story. I liked the mixture of young and old and also the ones from different countries and backgrounds. This novel has an international appeal.”
Did the story grab you from the beginning? If not, why not?
“I was interested in the story from the start. I thought that it was an interesting plot with strong characters. I enjoyed the family relationships and the differences that the boys and father had with one another all came across as well described and believable.”
Was there anything in the story that you had trouble believing or that seemed illogical?
“I did not find anything in the storyline to be either unbelievable or illogical. It all seemed credible to me. There are many lengths some people would go to when it comes to a family inheritance or dodgy business deals and scams.”
Did you notice any inconsistencies in the plot, with the characters, or with anything else?
“I did not notice anything inconsistent with either the characters or any parts of the plot in this story. It also seemed to run smoothly and at an even pace.”
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781738541010 |
| PRICE | €9.95 (EUR) |
| PAGES | 325 |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1394760
The Maker’s Name is set in Ireland and is about the Considine family and those around them.
The story spans across decades, from 1950 to 2010, and we follow a plethora of characters.
I picked this up because I am interested in Ireland, and I like flawed characters, stories with comeuppance, family wars, sibling rivalry.
Hence, the backdrop sounded perfect for my tastes.
Unfortunately, despite its strengths such as the setting, the concept/idea, and some of the interesting characters, this was majorly a miss for me.
The structure of the plot and the prose needed editing for my tastes. Other readers might think differently. Most chapters cover a large amount of time, however, what the main story is gets lost a bit. We do not always get enough opportunity to delve into the plot and the characters. Though, they all have immense potential. Kudos to the writer for coming up with them and I appreciate his lived experience feeding into this book. Perhaps, that is one of the best parts about it. The level of authenticity being good at times.
As someone who appreciates curious writing styles, a balance between descriptions and dialogue, and the use of subtext, metaphors and wit, I found this book to be a bit reliant on dialogue.
