The Tour (Jean Grainger) Book Review

2016 Reading Challenge

45. The Tour by Jean Grainger
      Topic/Theme: book that takes place in Europe

Synopsis:

Every week, Conor O'Shea collects a new group of American visitors from Shannon Airport, from where they embark on a high end tour of the Real Ireland. But this particular tour, with its cast of unintentionally hilarious characters, presents even seasoned tour guide Conor with dilemmas that render him speechless for the first time in his life. Among this eclectic group are Corlene, a gold digging multiple divorcee on the prowl; Patrick, a love starved Boston cop; Dylan, a goth uilleann piper; Dorothy a poisonous college professor who wouldn't spend Christmas; Elliot, a wall street shark who finally shows his true colours. Then there's Ellen, back on Irish soil after so many years after so many years, to discover a truth no-one could ever have guessed at, least of all herself. And that's just a few of the colourful cast. The locals they meet on their journey, - West Brits, passionate musicians, Ukrainian waitresses and Garda high flyers all help to make this a tour no-one will ever forget. And of course, there's Conor O'Shea in the thick of it all, solving problems and mending hearts, but what about his own? 

My Review:

Conor is at the center of this story, but an eclectic group of people make it even better. Getting to learn about Ireland through Conor's elaborate, but not overly detailed, explanations offered a nice change of pace. Each character brought something different to the table and with that came their own personalities. An assortment of personalities led to some clashes among the group, as they dealt with their own problems and reasons for being there. Conor, the seasoned tour guide, always goes the extra mile to help each of them with their questions and anything else they may need. Not to mention that Conor tends to help them solve their problems (by giving advice for example), showing that he genuinely cares about each member. In the process, he has to deal with his own troubles, but doesn't let it get in the way of everything else. He manages to keep everything under control, even the unforeseeable obstacles that arise. Jean Grainger did a great job at keeping all the main characters at the forefront of the story without getting confused or lost. As you get to know each member's backstory, you can't help but feel for them when they come to terms with some events in their lives.

Despite each character's unique personalities, I can't imagine this story without any of them.

Where would you like to visit someday? And what was your favorite vacation spot?

I would like to visit Australia, France, Ireland,  and England. My favorite vacation spots include Niagara Falls, Yellowstone National Park, and North Conway, New Hampshire.

Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!

♥Meg♥