{"product_id":"the-amusements-1","title":"Amusements","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER of the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWINNER of the John McGahern Prize 2023\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Unputdownable . . . one of the best novels of the year' \u003ci\u003eSunday Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* * *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the seaside town of Tramore, County Waterford, visitors arrive in waves with the tourist season, reliving the best days of their childhoods in its caravan parks, chippers and amusement arcades.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLocal teenager Helen Grant is indifferent to the charm of her surroundings; she dreams of escaping to art college with her glamorous classmate Stella Swaine and, from there, taking on the world. But leaving Tramore is easier said than done. Though they don't yet know it, Helen and Stella's lives are pulled by tides beyond their control.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFollowing the Grant and Swaine families and their neighbours over three decades, \u003ci\u003eThe Amusements\u003c\/i\u003e is a luminous and unforgettable story about roads taken and not taken - and a brilliantly observed portrait of a small-town community.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* * *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003eTHIS BOOK is EVERYTHING'\u003cb\u003e Marian Keyes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Flannery's flawed, hopeful characters live and grow on the page' \u003cb\u003eANNE ENRIGHT, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Gathering\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Quietly beautiful . . . Flannery's characters are very well drawn, as is her understanding of small-town mores and idle gossip. It's a book that leaves and impression long after the final page' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIRISH INDEPENDENT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Effortless, perceptive, and hugely entertaining - I loved it' \u003cb\u003eDONAL RYAN, author of \u003ci\u003eStrange Flowers\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A cracker of a book' \u003cb\u003eKATHLEEN MAC MAHON, author of \u003ci\u003eNothing But Blue Sky\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Fantastic . . . we were gripped' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSTELLAR\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'If you like dark humour, superbly drawn characters, caravan parks, fish suppers and slot machines, \u003ci\u003eThe Amusements\u003c\/i\u003e is what you've been waiting for' \u003cb\u003eJAN CARSON, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Fire Starters\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A joy to read' \u003cb\u003eLOUISE NEALON, author of \u003ci\u003eSnowflake\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A brilliant book. I loved meeting all these characters, who jumped off the page and stayed in my head' \u003cb\u003eRÓISÍN INGLE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Brilliant. Dramatic, heartfelt, sometimes shocking and sad' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIRISH EXAMINER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin Books Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54008201478488,"sku":null,"price":17.5,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780241994948_0d4ea8d2-5d2c-4a3b-959e-fb55f36597cc.jpg?v=1764402330","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/the-amusements-1","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}