Billy is an average-looking sixteen-year-old who lives in an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood on the north side of Dublin. Jesus, on the other hand, is a beautiful boy with continental manners, from the most sophisticated part of Barcelona. As an exchange student, Jesus comes to live with Billy's family for three weeks during the summer. At the end of his stay - according to The Plan - Billy will go back with Jesus on a return visit to Spain. And then, the best laid plans go awry. A riveting look at growing up in two cultures by the author of nine critically acclaimed novels. The Open Door Series: Originally designed to promote adult literacy in Ireland, these original stories from best-loved authors and new voices showcase some of our best writing in short fiction.

Jesus and Billy Are Off to Barcelona

Literature & Fiction

PURCELL, Deirdre

Humor & Satire

Gemma Open Door

The Comedian;Open Door

O’Connor, Joseph

British & Irish

An Irish gumshoe gets in trouble again in this steamy short fiction that features gangs, pay-offs, immigration and a dose of greed. Private detective John Blaine is back treading Dublin's mean streets. With his marriage now on track, and a new baby to keep him closer to home, it seems life is good. That is, until he gets a call from the owner of nightclub in Dublin's raucous Temple Bar. A Romanian gang is threatening to burn the place down, but there are two sides to every story. Before he knows it, Blaine finds himself in the center of the blaze.

An Accident Waiting to Happen (Open Door)

Banville, Vincent

Literary

A family drama between rival daughters that reveals a mothers passion. Larry is an 87-year-old widow. Old and frail, she remembers her youth as if it were yesterday and longs for her past vigor. Larry lives with her daughters. Martha, the good daughter, waits on her mothers every whim. Mary has a career, takes exotic vacations and is mothers favorite, though she never lifts a finger to help. Something has to give. One embarrassing evening, Father Jimmy comes to supper, and pent up feelings emerge. High drama follows, and Larry is nowhere to be found...

Has Anyone Here Seen Larry? (Gemma Open Door)

Contemporary

A funny and frank story about a mother and her colorful son. It's bad enough for a mother to discover that her son is a porn star, even worse when the nosy neighbors know first. When Lynn sees her son Mark in an adult film she is forced to ask many difficult questions. How well does she know her son? Where did he get his obvious talent? And how will she tell his father? There are some things a mother should never know...

Not a Star (Open Door)

Hornby, Nick.

A story of male friendship, sometimes gone astray. Dave, Pat and Ben have been best friends since they were kids. They do everything together, and they all love their dear Liverpool football club. On a trip to see their favorite team in action, they have a few too many drinks before the match. Dave and Pat get busy chatting up two local girls. Suddenly it's time to leave for the game. But where is Ben?

Mad Weekend (Gemma Open Door)

Doyle. Roddy

Genre Fiction

Fair-Weather Friend (Gemma Open Door)

Scanlan, Patricia

The Charles River divides Boston and Cambridge, and the Red Line ties the cities together, traveling through an expanse of class and cultures along its route. When an unlikely combination of riders share an afternoon train, they are surprised to discover what's common in their American experience.
Part of the prestigious Open Door Series, originally designed for adult literacy in Ireland, these books confirm the truth that a story doesn't have to be big to change our world. Yankee Doodle is part of the US launch of Open Door books written by North American authors.

Yankee Doodle (Gemma Open Door)

Welch, Loretta

Suddenly driven from their African home by a war in Biafra, the McCall family washes up in a small town in the San Joaquin Valley. The locals assume they must be glad to be back in the "civilized world." But life in America is lonely, desolate and dull, and the children and their fragile mother hope that one day they will return to the life they left behind. Their father, a hardened oil man, knows better: war has destroyed any home they may have had. As the truth begins to sink in, mother and children gravitate toward another refugee from war-torn Africa and his dream. Anatole imagines an African animal park on the dry plains surrounding their California town and offers hope that these two worlds can be brought together in one place.

The Possibility of Lions (Open Door)

Maretich, Marta

What do you do when Fate shows up in your rose bed with three-inch canines and retractable claws? Robert―not Bob!―Stevenson wakes up one morning in his Vermont home to find a Bengal tiger sitting in his rose garden. Is the tiger real? Or has the illness that has invaded every other part of Robert’s body finally and quite literally gone to his head?

The Tiger's Back (Gemma Open Door)

Elliott, Professor of Music and Music Education David

Teen & Young Adult

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Books by Gemma Open Door