''Downturn Abbey'' is a 2013 novel by Irish journalist and author Paul Howard and the thirteenth in the

Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Ross O'Carroll-Kelly is a satirical fictional Irish character, a wealthy South County Dublin rugby union jock created by journalist Paul Howard. The character first appeared in a January 1998 column in the ''Sunday Tribune'' newspaper and late ...

series. The title is a reference to ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on P ...

'' and the ongoing

economic downturn In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...

Plot

Ross becomes a grandfather and his teenage son Ronan becomes a father. Honor is dropped from one of Fionnuala's

Hallmark Channel The Hallmark Channel is an American television channel owned by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., which in turn is owned by Hallmark Cards, Inc. The channel's programming is primarily targeted at families, and features a mix of television movies and ...

films and is expelled from school. Charles and Fionnuala's divorce comes through. Sorcha throws a ''Downton Abbey''-themed party. Ronan falls in with a local gangster. Fionnuala moves into "mommy porn" with ''Fifty Greys in Shades'', and begins a relationship with Oisinn.

Reception

In the ''

Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis. The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines. Traditionally a broadsheet new ...

'',

Ian O'Doherty Ian O'Doherty (born November 1971) is an opinion columnist. He works for the ''Irish Independent'', where the Press Ombudsman had upheld criticism of several of his articles. He previously worked for the ''Evening Herald'' and ''Hot Press''. E ...

wrote that "despite all the well-rendered social observations, there is an inevitable, and not unwelcome, familiarity to some of the scenes of chaos. Perhaps Ross has stopped being that scathing postcard from the edge of madness of old and become a more comfy, annual family newsletter." Writing in ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'',

John Boyne John Boyne (born 30 April 1971) is an Irish novelist. He is the author of eleven novels for adults and six novels for younger readers. His novels are published in over 50 languages. His 2006 novel ''The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'' was adapte ...

praised the book, saying that "The Ross novels show no signs of running out of steam and are already the most sustained feat of comic writing in Irish literature." and praising the portrayal of Ross and Fionnuala's appearance on ''

Miriam Meets ''Sunday with Miriam (''previously ''Miriam Meets...)'' is an Irish radio talk show. The programme began initially in July 2009, as a summer filler, presented by ''Prime Time'' and ''Saturday Night with Miriam'' presenter Miriam O'Callaghan. The ...

'' "It’s the aggressive relationship between mother and son that provides one of the most unexpectedly moving scenes in the novel. ��when Fionnuala denies that her son is her top achievement Ross feels "suddenly hurt by that. It’s like I’ve been kicked in the stomach." And when she goes on to admit that the lack of warmth or affection between them was down to her, it's a genuinely moving moment." ''Downturn Abbey'' won the International Education Services Popular Fiction Book of the Year Award at the

Irish Book Awards The Irish Book Awards are Irish literary awards given annually to books and authors in various categories. In 2018 An Post took over sponsorship of the awards from Bord Gais Energy. It is the only literary award supported by all-Irish bookstores. ...

References

{{Ross O'Carroll-Kelly 2013 Irish novels Penguin Books books Ross O'Carroll-Kelly Fiction set in 2011 Fiction set in 2012