Castlecottage

Castlecottage

Through a whimsical tale dripping with Irish lore, authentic dialect, humor, and charm, author Amanda Keller illustrates that beauty and power can be found in every stage of life. In the charming town of Clonmel, Ireland, Josephine, a beloved faith-healer, is preparing for her eternal reward. But as she makes her last confession and readies to meet her Maker, her world is suddenly invaded by two relatives from America—her grown grand niece, Micheleen with her precocious 7-year-old daughter, Maeve. Micheleen, newly divorced, has landed a job as an executive with an international cosmetics company. Totally uninvited, she and Maeve move in to “care for” Josephine. A clash of cultures erupts between young Maeve, attached to her cell phone and video games, and her septuagenarian great-grand aunt who does not have a phone—any kind of phone—nor any affection for newfangled devices. But seeing Maeve depressed by the separation of her parents, Josephine employs faith and courage in a reunion mission, receiving natural and supernatural support from Fergus the barkeep/undertaker, the holy and beleaguered friar, Father Adrian, and a host of life-long residents of the old sod. Surprising twists serve to highlight the value of redemptive suffering and perseverance, knitting mystical experiences on earth with eternal transformation.