The Connellys of County Down: A Novel

Tracey Lange

Aug 2023 · Sold by Celadon Books

About this ebook

From Tracey Lange, the New York Times bestselling author of We Are the Brennans, comes The Connellys of County Down: a story about fierce family loyalty, good intentions gone awry, and the consequences of improbable love.

When Tara Connelly is released from prison after serving eighteen months on a drug charge, she knows rebuilding her life at thirty years old won’t be easy. With no money and no prospects, she returns home to live with her siblings, who are both busy with their own problems. Her brother, a single dad, struggles with the ongoing effects of a brain injury he sustained years ago, and her sister’s fragile facade of calm and order is cracking under the burden of big secrets. Life becomes even more complicated when the cop who put her in prison keeps showing up unannounced, leaving Tara to wonder what he wants from her now.

While she works to build a new career and hold her family together, Tara finds a chance at love in a most unlikely place. But when the Connellys’ secrets start to unravel and threaten her future, they all must face their worst fears and come clean, or risk losing each other forever.

The Connellys of County Down is a moving novel about testing the bounds of love and loyalty. It explores the possibility of beginning our lives anew, and reveals the pitfalls of shielding each other from the bitter truth.

Ratings and reviews

When I first read the synopsis of this book, I didn't think it would be for me, but a friend really recommended it so I went for it. I was very pleasantly surprised at just how much I loved this story. The author develops the characters in such a deep, beautiful way that I found myself loving them, but also being angry with them for the decisions they made - but I understood it - you know?! I loved the familial relationships and the complexities involved.

The Connelly's of County Down by author Tracey Lange is an adult fiction contemporary book set in Ireland. This author previously wrote we the the brennanas, which I have yet to read. I might go back and read it after having read this. This author does a great job of portraying family dynamics at different stages of life. This book follows our main character Tara who goes back home to live with her siblings after getting released from jail. Tara was the most interesting to me and I found the bac

This was so good! I loved how every character had their (in some cases very significant) issues, and how real the interactions between them felt. It was easy to root for each of them but also dislike each of them in turn. I ended up just a hair shy of 5 stars because some parts came together slightly too perfectly and I was just so frustrated by some stupid decisions, but this was still such a good read!

About the author

Tracey Lange was born and raised in New York City. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in psychology before owning and operating a behavioral healthcare company with her husband for fifteen years. While writing her debut novel, We Are the Brennans, she completed the Stanford University online novel writing program. She currently lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband, two sons, and beloved German Shepherd.