The Ladies' Midnight Swimming Club

Product Information

A story with a nicely woven plot and some wonderful highlights—the ladies swimming in the altogether at midnight is a vision of warm friendship and individual courage. Elizabeth’s closest friend, Jo Harris is addicted to the natural high she gets from swimming at midnight in the icy Irish Sea off Ireland’s west coast. She manages to draw her friend into trying it, and during this intimacy Elizabeth reveals her problem. Jo is delighted to be able to offer a potential solution in the form of her daughter Lucy. The swimming represents so much and is a delightful focus and novelty in this beautiful novel…. Although swimming in Ireland in January?! Whew! However, I love swimming and I’ve experienced the same good feeling once in a very cold lake in Switzerland and it was amazing, exhilarating, and unforgettable. Now, I can barely handle California ocean swims and yearn for the warm east coast waters and summer vacations of my youth.

THE AUTHOR: Faith Hogan is an Irish award-winning and bestselling author. She was born in Ireland. She gained an Honours Degree in English Literature and Psychology from Dublin City University and a Postgraduate Degree from University College, Galway.Of course, the cover reveal is, in many ways, just another step on the journey to publication. You know the way they say it takes a village to raise a child – well, books are a little like that!

I loved this novel and audiobook!! The writing is clever and the narrator is just perfect with an easy Irish accent. The 3 main female characters are intelligent and lovely. The decisions they make, often hard ones, create examples of real life in the process. It’s set in a small town or village (a real one) in Ireland on the west coast. The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is the sixth novel by award-winning, best-selling Irish author, Faith Hogan. It’s not until the death of her husband Eric, Ballycove’s local GP, that Elizabeth O’Shea discovers the extent of his deceit. She knew he drank, but not that he gambled, and to her dismay, he was more prolific at both than he was at being successful as a GP. The level of debt he has left her with in the form of loans is staggering. Will she lose everything?

Member Reviews

To be honest, I think we were all a little in awe of your extensive vocabulary when it came to telling her where to go. The parish priest had to run into the pantry to hide his smirk. This is my first Faith Hogan’s read. And let me tell you, it will definitively not be my last! What a beautiful story. I found myself immersed, and not wanting it to end. I, was on holiday near the Irish Sea, and I, was part of the Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club. I loved them all. The ladies were warm, caring, compassionate, and it was so lovely to spend time with them. I saw the writing on the wall for one subplot from early on in the novel, making it all too neat, but then I thought, Why Not? A wonderful, emotional journey of three friends as they form a bond of love and hope when life is not all that.

I have to warn you, there will be tears, but also, there’s a lot of unfettered lunacy and heart warming tenderness. I do hope you’ll join me for this next adventure, it looks like the best one yet 🙂MY THOUGHTS: Why have I never read anything by this author before? Her characters are stunning. They made themselves at home in my heart and I don't want to say goodbye to them. Elizabeth, wife of the village doctor, finds herself left with huge debts when her husband dies. As she faces the future she also faces the boundaries of her married life. She lives in the west of Ireland with her husband, four children and a very busy Labrador named Penny. She's a writer, reader, enthusiastic dog walker and reluctant jogger - except of course when it is raining! The Ladies’ Midnight Swimming Club is the sixth novel by award-winning, best-selling Irish author, Faith Hogan. The audio version is narrated by Flora Montgomery. It’s not until the death of her husband Eric, Ballycove’s local GP, that Elizabeth O’Shea discovers the extent of his deceit. She knew he drank, but not that he gambled, and to her dismay, he was more prolific at both than he was at being successful as a GP. The level of debt he has left her with in the form of loans is staggering. Will she lose everything? First time reading Faith Hogan and won’t be my last. The Ladies Midnight Swimming Club is an emotional story about finding new friends and living life to the full. It is warm and heartfelt. I really enjoyed this beautifully written story and loved the three main characters who form a special bond together. The descriptions of the village and sea are so well written, you can place yourself there.