Venetia Kelly's Traveling Show

Series: A Novel of Ireland

Written and Narrated By: Frank Delaney

Length: 13 hrs and 15 mins

Splendidly, Divinely, BOISTEROUSLY, Wonderful!

Ooooh waaaay back, say when I was 14-years old, I saw this music video (In the days prior to MTV) of a song called “October”, and I absoLUTEly fell head over heels in love with the singer of the group. I found the album, and an album released prior, and I discovered the singer was named Paul Hewson… aka Bono. Bono?! Whazzaa kinda name is that?!

Anyhoo, I offer this as an explanation for a couple o’ decades dedicated to absorbing All Things Irish. Cuz you see, in the library, I found his dad’s phone number, and I figured that armed with that, and armed with m’ preternatural knowledge of All Things Irish, and with m’ drop dead Personality ( I was NOT the Beauty of the family, but dang! I had Personality!!!), I’d find m’ way to Dublin, would find m’ way into Paul’s heart, and I’d be Mrs. Hewson, ya know?

Politics. History. Literature. Music. Even a smattering o’ Gaelic. Dude! I’d ROCK his world, and our Love Story would be one for the Ages. THAT’S why this wonderful wallow within the peat-y boggy oh so IRISH tale, Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show was such a BLAST.

It is beYONd Irish!!! To the point where, upon discussing it with Big Sis, I’d directed her to The Pig Did It cuz THAT particular gem of an audiobook was such a Send Up of a typical “Irish” novel, just jam packed with Digressions, HiLARious Dialogue, and Irish-isms/Language.

THIS book, however, is the Real Deal!

Let’s get the narration by author Frank Delaney outta the way: StuPENdous!!! PerFECtion!!! Spot On!!! The man knows exactly who his characters are, what they choose to do, how they react to the plethora o’ madcap adventures and situations that they find themselves in. And those Digressions? Ooooh, they are LEGION! As a BBC host, as “The Most Eloquent Man in the World” (NPR), fear not that the man has the best voice possible to do justice to this drop dead BEST 13 hours and 15 minutes EVER. Does a narrator Make Or Break an audiobook?! You betcha, and here, Delaney sends the topnotch writing way oh so waaaay over the top, touching the bonny blue skied heavens.

An older man looking back at the happenings surrounding the FRAUGHT year of 1932, Ben MacCarthy, an innocent 18-years old at the time is thrown into unimaginable circumstances. After “The Catastrophe” (Don’t ask, just get this book!), Ben’s Da starts behaving oddly and out of character. And don’t get his Ma started as his father’s odd and determined behavior has her pretty danged ticked off. And whazzis: Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show is in town and Ben’ll be joining his dearest pater to see what it’s all about?

Noooo! Doors SLAMMED!

And for good reason.

Because, you see, Venetia Kelly is somewhat extraordinary. She has IT.

And, eyes glazed over, Ben’s dad turns to him and says: You’re going back home alone tonight. And he decamps, leaving Ben and his mother and the family farm that, prior to this, has been doing well.

“FIND HIM AND BRING HIM BACK!!! Ben hears when he gets back to the farm all by his lonesome.

A chase ensues, and it’s not good news.

We meet the enigmatic Venetia, her somewhat amoral mom Sarah, and her DEFinitely amoral grandfather, “King” Kelly, a kingmaker, a politician wannabe, a stealer of family farms.

There’s Love; there’s Adventure; there are Politics of Ireland; there are Literary Icons. There are a pair of people Ben really really reeeeally wishes were his parents.

And then there’s Venetia and all that loving her entails.

Delaney crafts everything so that this is one long, loooong, unspooling of a convoluted tale. There are hilarious asides, little avenues taken that add nothing but richness and gorgeously wrought prose. I mean, seriously: This is gorgeous story crafting at its best with plenty of characters (And probably the most lovable ventriloquist’s dummy EVER), ominous doings, murder most foul.

What’s not to love? Really!

One of the things I made absolutely sure to learn whilst turning myself into the Perfect Female for Paul Hewson was the political history of such a troubled and magical land was All Things Éamon de Valera. So it was with real delight to have him as a beguiling character. Also the Irish Blueshirts (Na Léinte Gorma).

Also, well everything.

This was just such a fun, beautifully structured story. And the ending? To DIE for. I truly respect and admire an author who has the guts to Go THERE!

Nah, didn’t get to be Mrs. Hewson…

-BUT-

HAVE gotten the chance to continue a love for All Things Irish.

Go Frank Delaney, GO!!!

If every single work of his is as wondrous, as obstreperously delightful as Venetia Kelly’s Traveling Show?

I’m THERE!!!

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