The Personals

The Personals
Brian O’Connell

The Personals reveals how classified ads are not just a few commercial lines of text in print or online – they can be a treasure trove of fascinating human stories; stories of love, loss, loneliness, redemption and hope. Some people do Sudoku, others watch Netflix. Brian O’Connell loves the classified ads. In an era of spin doctors and press releases, celebrities and social influencers, the classified ads can open a door into the lives of ordinary people with extraordinary stories. What draws Brian to the classified ads are the intriguing human stories he finds there, the unexpected twists and turns, the personalities, the curious objects and the range of human experience waiting to be discovered. The Personals is a diverse collection of compelling stories about the people and the lives behind the small ads.

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Copyright (#u02bac65b-4738-563e-9594-7c57dd2d8310)

In order to protect privacy, some names, identifying characteristics, dialogue and details have been changed or reconstructed.

HarperCollinsPublishers

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First published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

FIRST EDITION

© Brian O’Connell 2019

Illustrations © Micaela Alcaino 2019

Cover layout design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2019

Cover images © shutterstock.com

A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library

Brian O’Connell asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

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Source ISBN: 9780008321345

Ebook Edition © October 2019 ISBN: 9780008321352

Version: 2019-09-06

Note to Readers (#u02bac65b-4738-563e-9594-7c57dd2d8310)

This ebook contains the following accessibility features which, if supported by your device, can be accessed via your ereader/accessibility settings:

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Page numbers taken from the following print edition: ISBN 9780008321345

Dedication (#u02bac65b-4738-563e-9594-7c57dd2d8310)

‘Just for a second, I thought I lost myself,

And I watched my body falling,

And all the colours look brighter now.’

Brian Carey, RIP

Contents

1  Cover (#u4bee3e60-711c-5eea-a55a-4be8990ebb56)

2  Title Page

3  Copyright

4  Note to Readers

5  Dedication

6  Contents (#u02bac65b-4738-563e-9594-7c57dd2d8310)

7  Introduction

8  PART ONE: LOVE AND LOSS

9 When East Meets West

10  A Ringless Marriage

11  A Dress for the (Middle) Ages

12  A Chance Encounter of a Shocking Kind

13  A Long Engagement