The Granny
The third installment of the Agnes Browne trilogy, in which O'Carroll (The Mammy, 1999;The Chisellers, p. 205) follows the fortunes and foibles of the Dublin widow and her large brood all the way to Agnes's happy end. Before she reaches that point, however, there's plenty of tribulation along the way, what with a son who lands in jail, another who runs off to England and breaks his mother's heart, a new grandchild to worry about, and the perpetual concerns of keeping body and soul together when you've got six children and no husband to rely on. But Agnes is not without her resources (a French boyfriend and a ready wit not least among them), plus her children are all in their 20s and (more or less) able to look after themselves now. O'Carroll is a popular stand-up comic, and he writes with an easy sense of humor that often becomes dangerously glib ("Sue White began every day in the office like a freshly uncorked bottle of champagne") but is usually winning and likable. If tear-jerkers put you off, however, this will not be your cup of tea. --Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.