Difficult read fails to live up to Johnston hype

Foolish Mortals. By Jennifer Johnston, Headline Review, €20

Now in her late 70s, Derry-born Jennifer Johnston has been the doyenne of the Irish literary scene for a number of years and has been producing novels since the early 1970s.

Foolish Mortals is her latest offering, and is the first of her books I have read.

Having seen her previous works described variously as mesmerising, superbly executed and exhilarating, I had high hopes for ...