No Admittance Except on Business
In No Admittance Except on Business, Christine O’Flynn takes us to County Cork, to her beloved Monard Mills, home to her family for many generations. The Mills and their surroundings are both the background and a main character in this memoir, at the intersection of place and memory. Lovingly rendered with the clear view of her bright childhood, Christine brings to life Monard Mills and those who lived there, through stories of school, home, family gatherings, work, marriage and other adventures. This memoir is also a journey for the author; a journey in time and place, and a journey in writing, inspired by the memoir written by her mother when she was in her seventies. Mam’s Journal forms the second part of this book, where Ann Hayes, Christine’s mother, takes us even further back in time, to the early 20th century. No Admittance Except on Business is a rich family history, an exploration of place, childhood and the everyday, and it will give the reader a sense of time and the importance of the roots that anchor us.
