Alice Taylor Books In Order

Publication Order of Mossgrove Books

Publication Order of Poetry Collections

Publication Order of Picture Books

Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books

Alice Taylor is an Irish author best known for her novels which explore life in rural settings.

+Biography
Alice Taylor was born in 1938 in Lisdangan. That is in Newmarket, North Cork. A former student of Drishane Convent, Alice was 23 when she married Gabriel Murphy. The couple’s marriage lasted until 2005 when Gabriel died of an unexpected medical condition.

A longtime resident of Innishannon where she raised her four sons and daughter, and also run a guesthouse, Alice’s publishing journey began when she became the editor of her local magazine.

That was in 1984. As the years went by, the author experimented with poetry and even went so far as to publish her own collection in the late 1980s; though, it wasn’t until she wrote ‘To School Through the Fields’ that her star began to shine.

Alice was older by then, way past the age that most authors normally make their literary debut. However, that did not stop her from garnering a strong following of both local and international fans many of whom appreciated the rustic settings of her stories.

+Literary Career
People have called Alice Taylor a kind, observant, engaging woman. The author definitely works hard to maintain an air of calm around her life. When Alice decided to pursue a publishing career, it was with the intention of using her personal experiences to talk about a way of life that she feared might go extinct.

The author has a penchant for telling simple stories about simple people living in simple towns. She has admitted to being surprised by the interest her stories have generated in Japan, Poland, and other international markets.

Alice believes she was a little too young when she became a parent. Her children came into the world in the 1960s and 70s, a time when life was undergoing drastic changes both locally and internationally.

Alice doesn’t think her children will ever understand the sort of lifestyle she lived as a child of the 1940s. She has endeavored to educate them about the ordeals she suffered by creating characters and plots that best represent that bygone era.

Many a reviewer has praised Alice’s writing abilities whilst also criticizing her work for its nostalgic elements. They believe that the worlds Alice creates are idealistic and unrealistic because they stem from an author who has lived a largely charmed life.

As such, the rose-colored lenses through which she represents rural life in Ireland do not accurately portray the lives that most of her readers have lived. However, as far as Alice Taylor is concerned, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The author grew up on a farm. So she became acquainted with death fairly early on. Because she was a child at the time, Alice frequently grew attached to the animals on their farm.

Many of them were as close to her as her dearest friends. So Alice wasn’t unaffected when they died either of old age or because of some unexpected occurrence. In the years that followed, Alice’s understanding of death changed as she saw many of her friends and family members pass away, starting with Connie, her little brother, who was only five when an illness claimed him.

The author’s mother was very religious. She also had an easy going attitude that compelled her to think the best of people. Her father, on the other hand, had little patience for religion or people.

Even though they did not always get along when she was younger, by the time he died, Alice had come to appreciate the sanity in some of his actions and words. Alice admits that she still feels a little bad that he died before he could read any of her books.

She believes he would have found them amusing, especially whenever they delved into their rustic life on the farm. The author used to write with pencil and paper. But as the years went by, she was convinced to try her hand at a word processor.

Alice has admitted to not being a particularly disciplined author. She admires her colleagues in the literary field who can write enthusiastically on a daily basis. Alice can spend entire months without writing because her creative juices have simply dried up.

When the urge to write assaults her, she will block everything out and spend entire hours and even days writing, pushing her mind and body until she is completely exhausted. However, if the urge to write is absent, Alice won’t force it.

The author takes that same attitude with the various aspects of her life.

+To School Through the Fields
Alice Taylor lived a rich and colorful life on her farm in the 1940s and 50s, and this book brings her vivid memories to life. She attempts to give her readers an idea of what Ireland was like in those early years.

Reading Alice Taylor’s first novel is the equivalent of listening to someone as they tell you about the good old days of their childhood. While she doesn’t provide any exact dates, it is generally assumed that the events she narrates took place in the 1940s.

Alice’s village was a simple place at the time. Her farm had no running water or electricity and they did not even have the luxury of indoor plumbing. Her cast constitutes her immediate and extended family, not to mention her neighbors and friends.

The life she describes is busy and slow, quiet and active.

+The Woman of the House
No one ever really knows how far they will go to protect what they own until it is threatened by external forces. The Phelans realize the truth of that concept when Mossgrove, which they have owned for generations, is put up for sale.

The first novel in the Mossgrove series attempts to give readers an accurate representation of life in rural Ireland. The setting Alice Taylor creates is a hard place to live, one that can be comforting and peaceful but also quite petty.

The story Alice tells follows the exploits of a family through the good times and the bad. Alice highlights the important role the woman of the house plays.

2 Responses to “Alice Taylor”

1. Pat Wilson: 3 years ago

   I have read most of Alice’s books but would love to have chronological list please

   Reply
   • Graeme: 3 years ago

     Her Mossgrove book series has the same publication order as chronological order.

     Reply