This book was a present. I like it so much that I have sat up late at night on the stairs, reading after everyone else is asleep! I then bought it for my friends, who did the same. The story is about an elderly women,Beulah, who was brought up in a strict Protesant sect amid rural Irish Catholics. They dont believe in conventional medicine or alcohol ( hence the title) She falls in love with the doctors son, but her fantasy about him is kept in her head. She gets a passion for scented soap flakes and washing, as no perfume is allowed. Her marriage to a kind boy from her sect ends tragically, and the twist at the end of the story is so astonishing that it took me as much by surprise as Beulah! It is a lovely period piece evoking pictures of rural life. There is a poingnancy about the life of Beulah, with her memories and regrets. There is also humour. I loved it and wish it could be made into a film.
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