NEW RELEASE
Postcards from the Heart - Ella Griffin (2011)
This follows the complicated lives of four friends. From the outside, Saffy looks like she's got things sorted - glitzy job, check, an apartment on the right side of town, check, TV star boyfriend, check. But what if she wants a TV star husband? Greg, the star in question, is about to get his big break in Hollywood. Where does that leave him and Saffy? As for Greg's best friend Conor, he's no more sorted in the love department. His long-term girlfriend Jess, with whom he has two kids, won't marry him - something he desperately wants to change her mind about. He keeps his mind off his predicament by writing his novel and wondering if he will ever get anywhere with it. For these four people, happy endings are starting to drift further and further away - and the fact that everyone's keeping secrets isn't helping matters either... While I enjoyed the plot, what I really loved about the book was Ella Griffin's writing - it is sophisticated, accomplished and intrinsically witty. Her words flow wonderfully, and the humour is embedded into the tale in a really subtle manner. I initially liked the characters - even Greg (his habit of mixing up his words affords great comic effect) - then grew to care about them. For me, this book was indicative of a writer with a lot to give in the future. Roll on her next book! (SBB)
Irish ad writer Ella Griffin's debut novel, Postcards from the Heart, is centred around four thirty-somethings. The summary says: "Life is looking up for Saffy. She has a great job, a gorgeous flat in the most desirable part of Dublin and - after six years - it looks like her boyfriend, Greg, is going to propose. Greg (just voted the 9th most eligible man in Ireland) is on a high, too - he's about to swap his part as a heart-throb in an Irish soap for a break in Hollywood. His best mate Conor wakes up every morning with Jess, the most beautiful woman on the planet but, even after seven years and two kids, she won't get married. He spends his days teaching teenagers and his nights writing the book he hopes will change everything, including Jess' mind. But their happy endings are playing hard to get. It seems everyone's keeping secrets - one-night stands, heartbreak, grief and loss are all in the mix. It's going to take some tough questions and even tougher answers before anyone's being honest - even with themselves." Postcards from the Heart, released in January, comes with a Marian Keyes' endorsement: "A fresh, funny new voice. Ella Griffin can make you laugh and then cry in the turn of a page."