The Tour: A feel-good Irish springtime read. (The Tour Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

This story follows a group of Americans who have gone to ireland for a motor coach tour of the island. One married couple, one mother and teenage son, two older women who had known each other previously, and two others who were strangers form the group who will have such an impact on each other. Jean Grainger brings them all together and tells the story in such an intriguing way that you feel they are actual friends sharing their vacation experiences with you. It's as if each person's life is a brightly colored thread, woven into a delightful pattern featuring first one, then another, sometimes two together, but never becoming tangled or dropping from sight until the beautiful fabric is produced. Ms. Grainger had a unique way of presenting the story of each person, and interspersing bits of Irish history and highlights seamlessly into the design. She has done a masterful job of research and presents it in a fascinating manner to instruct as well as entertain as you are immersed in the pages of the story.I normally prefer mysteries, but this is a refreshing change of pace. I highly recommend this book for anyone. There is no mystery or deep plot to work through, but there are several conflict resolutions that are brought to a satisfactory conclusion. I doubt that such dramatic character changes could be brought about in so short a period of time, but this is a compelling story that keeps the reader engaged to the end.

Oh my, what an enjoyable book. I won't give a synopsis of the story, it has been done in previous reviews. If you're looking for a really well told story that draws you in and won't let go, a story told without overt sex scenes, foul language or editing issues - then this is a book you must read. If you're looking for a thriller, chiller, mystery, suspense, voyeurism or science fiction, then this is NOT the book for you.~~~From the beginning, you will find yourself among a small tour group of diverse travelers on a tour through the gorgeous Irish country side. The concept provides the background for the reader to become part of the action. The descriptions of each character and their personality was clearly done and their stories intermingle with authenticity. I felt like I was truly along for the ride and could easily picture each traveler and their situation. This is one of the rare books that you keep reading 'just one more page or chapter' even after you've promised yourself you had to stop and get some sleep. I didn't want this tour to end, I wanted it to go on and on. The end came all too soon, however, not because of the length of the book but rather because I just hated for it to end. I highly recommend this book. 5 stars and a hurrah the shout out to the author.

What a beautiful tribute to the powers of kindness and caring! Loved this book. We start off with a wonderful Irish tour guide who brings his somewhat entertaining, inwardly fragile but often outwardly hostile American group to enjoy the sites and flavors of Ireland. The author depicts a believable cross section of characters with real situations and real personalities. Each character is developed to their fullest, so we actually care what happens to them. This is one of the few character driven books I've found in a very long time. Each character brings his or her problems to the tour and with a lot of bumps in the road and soul searching, things turn out to everyone's advantage. Sometimes meeting just one special person can impact a life in a positive way. Often, we never see it coming, but when it hits us, oh boy!

I'm confused why several reviewers have mentioned how badly this book needs editing, as that's one of the first things I notice in a book and I saw very little of that here. Maybe the author did go back and clean things up since then.Personally I found the story delightful, and really enjoyed getting to know the various characters. Was it believable? No, not really, but then how much of fiction is? A couple of the characters did go through some pretty instantaneous conversions that would have been more credible had they taken a bit longer to come about. Also chapter 29 for some reason seemed very different from the rest of the book, with quite awkward conversation between Siobhàn and Corlene- almost like it was written by someone else.One interesting thing I noted is that the author is a native of Ireland, and as such uses many, many words and phrases common to the Irish but not to Americans. So it can be a bit disconcerting to have these American tourists, visiting Ireland for the first time, speaking like a local. I have a feeling she doesn't even realize she's done so, since it all seems "normal" to her. :)My usual genre for easy reading is Christian romance, so I did find it a bit off-putting when a few of the characters slept together (nothing graphic at all) and when profanity was used a few times. It was a clean book though, other than that. I plan on checking out the sequel.

Pleasant, but predictable story of a group of travelers taking an escorted tour of Ireland led by a wise and caring tour guide, Conor. For someone has traveled in tours many times I recognized some of the characters; the person who always finds something to complain about, the one who is hoping to find the happiness which has eluded them at home, the couple in which one seems to have been dragged along against his will, and the others who are delighted to be in this place and love every moment of the adventure.I read this book immediately after reading one about the events during the second world war and needed something light with happy endings and this one filled the bill very well.

I loved this book! When I started it, I was reminded of Maeve Binchy 's books. It flows easily, the characters are well described, and I really loved the story. Once I got into it, I couldn't put it down, and I wanted it to end well. My only criticism is it is a bit unrealistic, even if it is a happy ending. The transformation of Dorothy 's character is too sudden . However, my feeling is that it is a real feel good read. Jean Grainger's love of Ireland, Irish people and the belief that there is good in everyone shines through. It's a lovely book.

I downloaded one of Jean Grainger's books onto my Kindle as it was either free or very cheap but I can honestly say that her writing is anything by cheap! Out of the 4 books of her's that I read one after the other, The Tour was my favourite. I was expecting something different and less meaty but the story was a delight from start to finish. Each member of the group stood out in my mind very clearly and the interaction between them all was very well written. I hope that Jean will be writing some more books along this vein as I am now totally addicted to reading about the Irish revolution and how it played out and also about modern times in those lovely rural areas around West Cork. More, more more!

I have just finished THE TOUR series and once again a brilliant readEvery book Jean Grainger writes has you captivated and hoping that there will be another book added to the seriesHer books bring the characters to life and also inform you of the history of IrelandI am sorry to say I have now read all her books and can’t wait for her to write more .

What a treat. Ms Grainger could teach a number of well-established authors a thing or two about multi-player (multiple PoV) stories. She effortlessly entwines the lives of a number of disparate, fascinating characters into a funny, heart-warming, above all, Satisfying read. She pulls no punches in her witty observations of shockingly bad behaviour and character deficiencies. I can easily believe many of her cast and their novel circumstances are grounded in real-life – they vibrate with verisimilitude and some with a touch of pathos. Thoroughly entertaining from start to finish, this convinced me I need more Jean Grainger on my kindle.

Really enjoyed this book - very readable and although I’ve only been to Ireland three times i felt it summed up nicely what I loved about the country. I couldn’t quite give it 5 stars as I felt the characters, although likeable and fun, were a bit cliched and their happy endings (tho very nice) just a little too neat. But I’ll certainly be reading the next Conor O’Shea book and hope there’ll be a few more!!