A bleak love story set in 1970s London. Beautifully written and highly evocative of the era, but quite heavy going at times.

This was a wonderful and fully engrossing book examining the Irish experience in London through many decades and trials and tribulations of life. At the heart of it was a love story, however the additional characters and players in this book made it a truly enjoyable read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

Spans four decades of two Irish immigrants, Milly and Pip, in London. The other main character in the book is London. From 1979 to 2017,, London changes as much as Milly and Pip.

An excellent read. some have compared it to Sally Rooney - luckily, for me, I did not see the similarity.

Thanks To NetGalley for the ARC.

Spanning a period of forty years, this sweeping novel looks at the experiences of the Irish diaspora in London. It's a worthy novel interspersed with interesting vignettes, however I found the writing heavy in places.

The Irish have a long association with London, particularly with moving there for a short time while they get settled into a career or just to experience big city life before returning to our more modest metropolis.
For some it’s a rite of passage, to pop over the pond for a summer, or a year or two, to broaden horizons and get some experiences. For others though, they go there and never return, finding a life, friends and eventually family. Our London Lives follows Milly, as she falls into a job in a popular pub after all but fleeing the shores of Ireland and Pip, a customer and boxer of Irish extraction.
It’s Christmastime 1979, and Milly has been left to look after the establishment over the days its closed, while manager Trish accompanies a gentleman friend to the countryside. The bar’s owner is a presence in abstract form; she is always about to return from where she has been, but Milly has yet to actually encounter her.
Trish’s confidence in her young colleague to manage things in the short, fallow period while she is away encourages Milly to make herself at home more than she has in the few months she’s been there, working behind the bar and living in accommodation over it.
Trying on a fur coat owned by the mysterious landlady Mrs Oak, trying it on as if trying for size a different life, Milly acknowledges her secret, the one she brought with her from home. The new year is around the corner, a brand-new decade, the one in which her real life will begin.
Fast forward to 2017 and Pip has just left rehab. He is to make his way to his successful younger brother’s home, the latest in a long number of stints over the years. As he traverses London, sober and reflective, he remembers times before, shameful memories that have become faded recollections of mistakes that can never be fixed.
Following Milly as she makes her way through life in the 80s, 90s and beyond and Pip, years later, as he reflects on what could have been while giving a good stab at modern living, Our London Lives is an exquisitely vibrant story of two intertwined lives at different points in time.
Milly slowly grows to assert herself in 1989, while Pip’s reflections extend to the immigrant’s experience, one that looms large when he experiences, first hand if from a distance, one of the great tragedies of 21st century London. In 1999 Milly’s life has changed again, but Pip still looms brightly on her mind. They are connected, always, as the story tells us in a gently meandering non-chronology.
Christine Dwyer Hickey applies her remarkable powers of observation and empathy to her characters’ stories, rendering them wholly believable; sympathetic yes, but also not without their flaws. By taking place in separate eras we get a chance to see Pip and Millie from all sides; past, present, future as well as from their own perspectives and that of each other.
While Milly’s story spans a number of decades, Pips covers around twelve months technically, but really covers his whole 60 or so years as his memories wander to pivotal moments. This change of pace works by acknowledging the nature of memory and recollection, of how reflection can be healing but also galling, facing up to acts and actions inflicted on the person as a whole, with the benefit of and sometimes disadvantage of hindsight.
While Our London Lives is a wholly original tale that examines two interlinking lives, in parts I was reminded of, of all things, David Nicholls’ One Day. Milly and Pip are nothing like One Day’s Emma or Dex, but their love story spans thwarted romance followed by deep friendship as well, and the depiction of this type of singular, close connection is wonderfully realised in both stories.
Dwyer-Hickey is an author whose strikingly evocative prose and capability in rendering characters totally alive catches my breath. I loved Our London Lives, for its unsentimental yet warm story of these two people have lived their lives, or stood still while life happened to them. It depicts the most mundane, and with it beautifully, messily real aspects of humanity, warts, heartbreak, love, loss and all.

This is a poignant, dual-timeline narrative that follows the journeys of two deeply complex characters: Millie, a young woman who leaves Ireland for England at eighteen, escaping a past that is slowly revealed as the story progresses, and Pip, a recovering alcoholic battling demons from his own tragic history. Both their stories intertwine in surprising ways, drawing readers into a tale rich with emotion and personal discovery.

This is very much a character-driven novel, and while the pacing can feel leisurely at times due to its length, the emotional depth keeps you invested. The first half of the book pulled me in with its intrigue, as I became attached to these deeply human and flawed individuals.

The prose is undeniably beautiful, but the book sometimes lingers on descriptions and moments that don’t necessarily drive the plot forward. There are sections that feel padded with unnecessary detail, which may cause some readers to feel the story drags at points.

Despite this, the characters, including the supporting cast, are incredibly well-crafted. They leap off the page and are memorable in their own right, each playing a vital role in enriching Millie and Pip’s worlds. The relationships explored, particularly those with family and friends, add an important layer of realism, giving the story heart and weight.

Millie’s arc, in particular, sheds light on the darker aspects of history, especially the mistreatment of women, which was both eye-opening and heartbreaking. Pip’s story, though tragic, feels like a slow-burning mystery, and when his past finally comes to light, it packs a powerful emotional punch. The way both characters' struggles are unveiled leaves a lasting impression, making this a book I won’t soon forget.

There is something about the lives of Milly and Pip that left me feeling I couldn’t stop reading about their lives. Both have sought refuge in London for different reasons and their paths keep crossing but it feels like the stars are determined they will not meet at the optimum moment for both of them.
The pitch of the writing drew me through the story. It was a surprise to see it was almost 500 pages. A lovely read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6739916630

A very good, emotional book, driven by the two very human, very likeable main characters (and the third character is really London itself - as someone who used to live near Smithfields I very much enjoyed the portrait of the area changing over time; although not sure it would draw in people who don't know it well quite so much).

Minor downsides are the length and the relentlessness of the bad things that happen - although perhaps the point of the book is that you can draw strength and happiness from unexpected places, and from yourself, even when staring down the barrel. I also struggled occasionally with the chopping and changing between time periods - although perhaps this would have been easier to deal with if reading a hard copy book where it was easier to flick back and forth to check the year!

In any event, thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, I would read more from her if the chance arose.

I LOVED this book so much. Really enjoyed the detailed descriptions and feel of a London long since lost, and felt a lot of empathy for the characters. I think Christine Dwyer Hickey captures perfectly the émigré's feeling of otherness, and never quite belonging. Just a perfect read for me. Highly recommended.

There's no denying that Our London Lives is well written. I enjoyed the writing style; it flows very smoothly, almost seductively. Several scenes are vivid and atmospheric, others less so. Unfortunately, while I was deeply engrossed in some parts of the book, other sections dragged and I got quite bored. While it's promoted as a love story, I failed to grasp the great love between Milly and Pip. If it were TV, I'd be thinking there's no chemistry between them -- I don't know how this would translate to the written word, but somehow I'm not feeling it!

I felt the relationship between Pip and his brother Dominic, and that between Milly and the pub landlady, actually felt more vivid to me than the bond between the two protagonists.

My thanks to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

Our London Lives is a story of two Irish immigrants whose paths first cross in a pub in 1970’s London. Milly newly arrived and pregnant, though not yet showing, takes an immediate shine to Pip, a boxer from the club opposite the pub in which she now works. It appears that Pip is not available as he is with another girl, but from here the story unfolds as the author paints a beautiful picture of London and the intertwined and complicated lives of both of these intriguing and well rounded characters.
This was a book that I very much enjoyed reading and highly recommend.

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book spans a period of around 40 years and ostensibly tells the story of two young Irish Londoners. Molly is a pregnant 18-year-old seeking refuge in the anonymity of a big city; Pip, now in his 20s, has lived there since childhood with his father and brother, and is an amateur boxer of some promise, showing signs of being about to become an alcoholic. Over the next four decades their paths cross and diverge as Pip hits rock bottom, does a spell in prison and dries out, and Milly continues to work in the pub where she first got a job, gives her child up for adoption, marries and gets on with her life. Around them is a constellation of characters including Milly's co-workers at the pub, the pub landlady, Pip's brother, his boxing mentors, and his ex wife.

This is a rich canvas of a novel which manages to keep us interested in the lives of its characters over a long period of time. To me though, it was first and foremost the story of 40 years in the life of the city of London itself. I don't have much of a visual imagination but I could see the locations, the run-down streets around Notting Hill and Westbourne Grove which like the characters became ever more invisible as developers moved in during the boom of the early 2000s then went bust, abandoning gentrification projects and hiding entire streets behind hoarding, with no thought for the lives they had displaced and disrupted. The Grenfell tower fire is a pivotal moment in the story of the city and for Pip, while snippets of TS Elliot's The Waste Land provide background commentary.

This is a love story, but not one as simple as boy meets girl and happy ever after. It's a complex, nuanced rich sweep carried off with sympathy and a keen eye for observation. And a shot at redemption, as all good novels should promise. Recommended.

Oh my goodness what a book this one is going to take me a while to digest before I can write the review

This novel is the story of two people meeting in a London pub and what happens to them over the years
This is a very British book very well anchored in London. It’s nice to read about ordinary British people. As of the books I’ve read about London recently have focused on gang related violence this book looks at normal people and their struggles with life one young girl who travels from Ireland and knowingly pregnant and has to give up the baby the other when she meets him is a young man boxing. The book deals with the ordinary I’ve life poverty and alcoholism. Some of the subjects dealt with the novel are quite weighty but the author managers to treat them with subtlety and poise
The story is set over a number of decades and I particularly enjoyed the way that it showed how central London has changedover time
The author has a clear flowing writing style, the novel was a joy to read.
The author has great skill in the way that she describes personal characteristics and the way that her characters developed over time these are real people you really feel you understand them and the way that they behave
I very much enjoyed reading this book. It might not have been a book that I would pick up on a bookstore but I’m very glad I found it on NetGalley UK.
I read an early copy on NetGalley UK in return for a review the kids published on the 5th of September 2024 by Atlantic books
This will appear on Goodreads, NetGalley UK and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication it will also appear on Amazon UK.

Our London Lives is the story of two young people, both escaping Ireland seeking a new and better life in London. The book spans 40 years and alternates between different timelines and different narrators to tell the story of how they weave in and out of each other's lives..

One of the things I found most striking about the novel is how incredibly descriptive it is. The city of London takes on the role of a third protagonist, always there and always intrinsically part of the story. It's something that adds an aspect of social history to the book, bringing depth and richness to the story of these two characters,

A truly epic novel that will have particular resonance to the Irish diaspora or anyone familiar with London during that particular time period.

This book was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. I have read a couple of the authors previous novels and really enjoyed them and the synopsis of this book had me fully hooked. Unfortunately, I didn't love it.

This book tells the story of Milly and Pip and spans over forty years as their lives orbit each other in London. The book opens when they first meet in 1979, Milly has moved from Ireland to London in desperate circumstances and finds work in a pub where she meets Pip , a boxer who is fond of drink. Over the next 40 years their lives intertwine and separate multiple times. The book is told from both their perspective over varying timelines. Pip is 60 and an alcoholic when we first read his perspective, tracing back through the years and his catalogues of mistakes.

They were both somewhat interesting characters but I never really felt their connection. In fact at one point, I double checked to see had I missed a couple of chapters. Their relationship didn't seem to move beyond a spark or a feeling they were meant to be so it was difficult for me to become fully invested in their love story or them as characters. So much time was covered in the book that we were only getting snapshots of significant moments in both of their lives rather the development of their relationship.

I know so many Irish people have strong connections to London and especially Irish people of Milly and Pip's generation , and I suspect this book will resonate more strongly with readers who have that connection to the city.
I found some of the London references quite clunky ( The Kray Brothers/ Grenfell) and the depictions of the changing London streets didn't feel authentic . I also felt the book was a smidgen on the long side and elements dragged for me.
I did enjoy reading about the relationship between Pip and his brother and then with his nephew, this felt more real than any other relationship in the novel and I thought the final quarter of the book was the strongest and I liked the ending.
Overall though this one fell flat for me.
2.5- 3 Stars.

This is the intimate and intricate story of a relationship between two people who came from Ireland for a better life in London. They both wanted to escape trauma but the tragedies are never far from their minds.

The stories are told in alternating chapters, first the young woman's starting in 1979 and running chronologically. The man's is told in retrospect and includes his early childhood and the events of his life in no particular order. She spends her time in London living and working in a typical pub, while he is an up and coming boxer. They have one romantic relationship until they decide to stay as friends, although a connection is always there.

Running parallel with their stories is the backdrop of London. The city's experiences include the IRA terrorist attacks, the fire at Grenfell Tower, the death of the gangster criminals, the Kray brothers. As the couple grow older and reach middle age, London is being redeveloped, old buildings are pulled down and trendy places like the food chain Pret and coffee shops are opening.

This is quite a long book, running at just under five hundred pages, but mostly this story is engaging in its resolute reality, taking in observations of both character and landscape with a unique clarity and understanding. It looks at loneliness, regret and self worth and ways to adapt and come to terms with the way things are.

A clever, dark and poignant story, beautifully written with a real humanity. 4.5 stars rounded up

A love story with the gritiness and grim reality of london life spanning decades. All at once on and off a jaded barmaid and an alcoholic boxer will they make it work through all the harshness the city throws at them only time tells.

I was sent an uncorrected bound proof of Our London Lives by Christine Dwyer Hickey to read and review by NetGalley. Wow, what a book! I was invested in it from the very first page. It is so beautifully written and also heartbreaking, I felt really quite emotional all the way through. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t all doom and gloom but it is a very personal story of two people’s lives – you could say star-crossed – and the people close to them. The city of London plays a very big part, as might be gleaned by the book’s title, and I think knowing the city to a certain extent really helps as the author conjures up the sights, sounds and smells of the places described. If this novel is anything to go by then I will definitely be immersing myself in her other titles. I would class Our London Lives as a ‘must read’. Perfect!

I absolutely loved this novel. I've not read anything from this author before so had no idea what to expect. This was a well crafted, absorbing story about Milly and Pip over a period of more than 30 years stretching across London and Dublin. The characters were well rounded and realistic and I was urging them on to happiness throughout. A definite 5 star from me

Irish author Christine Dwyer Hickey really impressed me with the only other books of hers I’ve read to date “Tatty” (2004), which I read in 2015. This was a tale of alchoholism set over 10 years and seen through the eyes of the child of heavy drinkers. I described it as “a tale obviously tinged with heartbreak and yet it also very funny and is written with great style and observation and steeped in the period of the 60s-70s.” Twenty years on from this comes her 9th novel and much of what I said also applies- different time period though as this spans 1979-2017.
Eighteen year old Milly arrives on a boat from Ireland and finds live-in work in a London pub. One of her regulars is Pip, a promising young boxer. Alongside this narrative we meet Pip almost thirty years on, discharged from a clinic where he has been attempting to conquer years of alcohol abuse and with the prospect of staying with his musician older brother who he doesn’t get on with.
The strand focusing on Milly moves closer towards 2017 when she is 56 and Pip 60. Their lives have been full of missed opportunities and an unwillingness to commit. Will circumstances give them one more chance at happiness?
Whereas these are the two main characters and strongly realised, London is ever-present acting as another character, one which shifts and changes and yet also stays fundamentally the same, just as much as the two main protagonists. A lot of time, especially in the Pip sections, is spent on the streets of London, observing, and there are echoes of T S Eliot’s “The Waste Land”, a work which is so important to him. He has parts of his life which he cannot or does not want to recall of how he has used and abused these London streets. Milly, on the other hand, has lived a much smaller life within the confines of the pub with Trish, another barmaid and the beautifully drawn Mrs Oaks, the landlady, and only branches out when the London she has come to know is threatened by redevelopment.
Strong characters, a real sense of time and location and a plot which loves detail makes this a very good read. I do have a copy of this author’s previous novel “The Narrow Land” on my shelves (and I even highlighted it as one of the books I was most looking forward to at the start of 2019, a year which saw it shortlisted for Novel Of The Year at the Irish Book Awards and I still haven’t got round to it). Expect more critical acclaim for “Our London Lives”.
“Our London Lives” was published in the UK by Atlantic Books on 4th September 2024. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.