BOOKS
LIBERTY TERRACE (Doire Press, 2021).
‘Acutely witty… Dysfunctional families and long-lasting traumas loom large over these darkly funny stories. D’Arcy takes her cue from Martin McDonagh and John B. Keane. But countering these moments of depressing realities are moments of redress: a disabled woman and her sister slash the tyres of an inconsiderate able-bodied person; and an elderly widower battling alcoholism takes a young squatter under his wing. After all, as the last story notes, we’re just off Hope Street. ’ Tanvi Roberts, Irish Times, 4/12/21.
‘… a charming, honest commentary on modern Ireland, reminiscent of Donal Ryan’s The Spinning Heart. Enchanting and engaging.’ Margaret Bonass Madden, Sunday Independent, 10/10/21.
‘She has a knack for getting into the heart of a story and a character in just a few lines… D’Arcy’s stories work because her characters feel believable, even the unsavoury ones, and we find ourselves desperately hoping that the others will get their act together and sort their lives out…’ John Walshe, Sunday Business Post, 12/12/2021.
‘These are fizzing dark comedies with deadly serious intent from a natural storyteller. A fantastic collection.’ Kevin Barry, author.
‘The stories in Liberty Terrace are intimate, humane and wickedly funny. Moving and perceptive, these stories are by turns unsettling and luminous. A triumph!’ Danielle McLaughlin.
‘Liberty Terrace is the world in merciless microcosm. Madeleine D’Arcy’s writing will make you laugh out loud and smart with painful recognition. A fond, sharp take on Lockdown.’ Mary Morrissy, author.
‘… In just a few pages, Madeleine D’Arcy captures a poignancy, a pain, a hopelessness and a hopefulness… Liberty Terrace is a very confident collection of short stories that will appeal to many, but in particular to readers who can fully appreciate the mastery required to write in this style. …’ Mairead Hearne, swirlandthread.com.
‘The stories are bursting with heart and compassion, and each one is beautifully circular in structure… I was left with the feeling that I’d been privy to something really special… ’ Emma McEvoy, Emma’s Book Blog
WAITING FOR THE BULLET (Doire Press, 2014).
This highly readable collection, conversational in tone, contains a wide selection of voices, from mentally unstable victims and doormat girlfriends to an older gay man returning to the village that shunned him in his youth. ... the darkness at the heart of this former Hennessy winner's collection rings true. Sarah Gilmartin, Irish Times.
‘Perhaps likeable heroes and hateable villains are a mark of cheap-and-easy fiction but balancing the black and white in characters is different – a test of the author’s engagement with life as it is, with people as they are, rather than with the storyteller’s stock in trade… Madeleine D’Arcy is a name you will not want to forget, when you have had these extraordinary privileged glimpses into her dark world.’ Jeremy Addis, Books Ireland (September/October 2014).
‘I endorse, without reservations of any kind, WAITING FOR THE BULLET, to all lovers of a superbly crafted short story. The stories are beautifully written, at times nearly heartbreakingly sad, funny, and not without some interesting sexual scenarios. I think another great storyteller from Cork, Frank O’Connor, would have been an admiring reader of WAITING FOR THE BULLET.’ Mel Ulm, The Reading Life.
‘And there it is again, that juxtaposing of light and dark, of sweet and bitter, a hallmark of this assured and carefully crafted collection whose stories will follow you around long after you’ve stopped laughing.’ Danielle McLaughlin, The Stinging Fly, Issue 29, Volume 2, Winter 2014.
‘A sharp, terse, funny collection of snappy short stories from an up-and-coming Irish talent. … Pithy, horrible, hilarious; you’ll love it.’ Valerie O’Riordan, Bookmunch.
‘In WAITING FOR THE BULLET, the ammunition is the few sentences in a story that hit the reader and change everything – literary bullets that reveal this collection and its author’s true explosive power.’ Alison Wells, Writing.ie
CORK STORIES (Doire Press, 2024), an anthology co-edited by Madeleine D'Arcy & Laura McKenna.
CORK STORIES … shines with a selection of work that successfully explores serious contemporary Irish themes, while at the same time manifesting the lively, inimitable Cork humour for which the city is renowned… Helena Mulkerns, Irish Times.
These are voices that draw us in, stories that provide a vivid glimpse into a broad range of lives and moments, with Cork landmarks and haunts dotted throughout. As is the case with the best short stories, these capture some moment of profound realisation, change, connection or acceptance, reaching moments of insight, depth or a darkly humorous dive into the complexities of the human condition, all in just a short number of pages. The collection, with 18 stories in total, featuring both well established and newer voices, is edited by Cork-based writers Madeleine D’Arcy and Laura McKenna. Overall, this is an engaging and deeply enjoyable collection, with two maps at the back to give us a sweeping sense of where around Cork these stories have taken us.’ therestingwillow.com
A diverse assortment of fiction, CORK STORIES highlights the unique charm and character of Cork through the voices of those who have walked its streets. With a mix of contemporary and historical narratives, this vibrant blend is … a treasure trove of storytelling, a really timeless compilation. Mairead Hearne, swirlandthread.com