Exciting Times

When you leave Ireland aged 22 to spend your parents money, its called a gap year. When Ava leaves Ireland aged 22 to make her own money, shes not sure what to call it, but it involves:

- a badly-paid job in Hong Kong, teaching English grammar to rich children;
- Julian, who likes to spend money on Ava and lets her move into his guest room;
- Edith, who Ava meets while Julian is out of town and actually listens to her when she talks;
- money, love, cynicism, unspoken feelings and unlikely connections.

Exciting times ensue.

I had real fun with Exciting Times. It is a very funny, spiky, Marxist, feminist comedy and its really meanZadie Smith

A frankly sensational book Pandora Sykes

In the tradition of Dorothy Parker, Joan Rivers and Nora Ephron ... I found myself purring with pleasure. ...This is comic writing at the highest level Craig Brown, DAILY MAIL

Ive been pushing Exciting Times on everyone I know. Some of Dolans pithy observations of her characters are the best Ive read since Edward St AubynOBSERVER

A deeply profound insight into a modern relationship and love story ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Delighted to have read this gem of a story. It gave and took in equal measure and I laughed and cringed ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Funny and wry and political and smart and it knows exactly how it feels to be 22 and in unfamiliar surroundings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐