January Book Club at the Irish Cultural Center

Join us in the Irish Cultural Center Book Club. We’ll enjoy good craic and delve into Irish and Irish-American literature. This event is open to all, ICC Patrons and the general public.

This month's meeting takes place on Sunday, January 19 from 12–1 pm at the ICC. Please note date and time change, as this meeting includes a special presentation with the author Nuala O'Connor via Zoom.

We are reading Nora: A Love Story of Nora and James Joyce by Nuala O'Connor.

About the Book

Dublin, 1904. Nora Joseph Barnacle is a 20-year-old from Galway working as a maid at Finn’s Hotel. She enjoys the liveliness of her adopted city and on June 16 - Bloomsday - her life is changed when she meets Dubliner James Joyce, a fateful encounter that turns into a lifelong love. Despite his hesitation to marry, Nora follows Joyce in pursuit of a life beyond Ireland, and they surround themselves with a buoyant group of friends that grows to include Samuel Beckett, Peggy Guggenheim, and Sylvia Beach.

But as their life unfolds, Nora finds herself in conflict between their intense desire for each other and the constant anxiety of living in poverty throughout Europe. She desperately wants literary success for Jim, believing in his singular gift and knowing that he thrives on being the toast of the town, and it eventually provides her with a security long lacking in her life and his work. So even when Jim writes, drinks, and gambles his way to literary acclaim, Nora provides unflinching support and inspiration, but at a cost to her own happiness and that of their children.

With gorgeous and emotionally resonant prose, Nora is a heartfelt portrayal of love, ambition, and the quiet power of an ordinary woman who was, in fact, extraordinary. (text from Amazon)

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Irish Cultural Center of Western New England, 429 Morgan Road, West Springfield, United States