Could this book be any more funny! Aisling (ASH-ling) is a small-town Irish girl who is desperate to marry her man John. They have been dating for 7 years. Many of their pals have gotten married. She is still waiting.
Ash is desperate for the husband with the house and the road frontage, and the utility room for her, and the man-cave for him. She wants the hotel wedding and the continental breakfast.
She is lovely and sweet, and hilarious about counting her Weight Watchers points. Aisling is an Irish Bridget Jones.
I think there are a ton of insider jokes that you’ll only get if are from Ireland or lived there in the last 10 years. But lots of the sentiments and relationship twists travel well across the pond.
There are many funny moments in this novel. It opens with Aisling taking a fiver in the ladies. She’s gone into a stall to rest her feet when two girls come in, and they are talking about her.
‘Your one Aisling is absolute gas, isn’t she?’
That’s definitely not a local accent. But I know the voice — it’s the brunette with the complicated updo sitting two up from me on Titanic — all the tables are named after Denise and Liam’s favourite films, you see. Lovely idea, very personal. His cousin, I think she is. There are two of them — down from Dublin and very glamorous altogether. Shellac this, that and the other. Nice and chatty too, and not making beasts of themselves with the bread. The only thing worse than being at a zero craic table is when some brazen shnake takes a second bread roll when they think no one’s looking. Well, I’m always looking. Eight Points in a bread roll and worth every single one. But you can’t be getting into bread-basket politics with strangers at a wedding.”
Prologue
This Irish Times review of Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling does the book justice.
I love Aisling. And there are a few books in this series that I can’t wait to read.