Mary McGreevy

Walter Keady, author of Celibates and Other Lovers, spins outlandish magic in his rollicking tale of life and scandal in a small 1950s Irish town. With wit and Irish wisdom, Keady explores the natures of innocence and honor in a God-fearing community that is shattered by a strong-willed ex-nun named Mary.

Delightful Mary McGreevy is a redheaded force to be reckoned with, but no one seems able to figure her out. After 16 years in a convent, Mary decides to revoke her vows as a nun and return to her home of Kildawree, Ireland, to become an independent farmer. As if that weren't scandal enough for a traditional little village, she wants to have a child. And the final impertinence? Adamant Mary does not want to marry, despite the many suitors attracted to her. When she is noticeably "in the family way," her friends and neighbors are doubly horrified that she refuses to express remorse or to confess the name of her unborn child's father. Every man in the village--married or unmarried, celibate or swinging-single--is suspect. The results are disastrous, and the lives of several men are upended by the power of town gossip. The whole town is turned inside out when Mary's logical choice is revealed at last, yet there is still another unexpected surprise laying in wait at the end of this most unusual novel.