Product Description

Rural Irish girl Ellie loves living in New York, working as a lady's maid for a wealthy socialite. She tries to persuade her husband, John, to join her but he is embroiled in his affairs in Ireland, and caught up in the civil war. Nevertheless Ellie is extremely happy and fully embraces her sophisticated new life.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146 in Books
• Published on: 2010-06-18
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Features

• New
• Mint Condition
• Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon
• Guaranteed packaging
• No quibbles returns

About the Author

London reared of Irish parents, Kate Kerrigan worked in London before moving to Ireland in 1990. She is a now a full-time writer, and lives in County Mayo with her husband and their small son. Her latest novel, Recipes for a Perfect Marriage, was shortlisted for the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2006.

Customer Reviews

great story, full of contrasts
This is an excellent read and, I believe, can be read on two levels; firstly, as a romantic historical saga. It works really well in this way although I found it difficult to deal with Ellie's character as she seemed quite spoiled. On a deeper level, however, the novel looks at issues about materialism and the pull of 'things'and on this level I could relate to her bitterness and her often indecision. I think there was a huge moral lesson in this book and a real understanding of what makes for lasting happiness, fulfillment and satisfaction.
The history was well depicted explaining well the Irish cause.
The characters were vividly drawn and Ellie and her mother were very interesting and three-dimensional. This made them very believable.
The description was powerful and there was some stunning imagery when she was portraying the American countryside and this was very compelling when juxtaposed with the land in Ireland; both metaphors depicting the heart of each place.
My only criticism is the way Charles kept miraculously and coincidentally appearing and that didn't seem to be too credible to me.
This is a wonderful and intelligent book and a very enjoyable read. I thoroughly recommend this.

ONE OF IRELAND'S BEST WRITERS
As in all Kate Kerrigan's novels, this is a finely crafted story, gripping from start to finish. It covers a fascinating period of Ireland's history and brings home the extreme conditions and poverty that people were living in. It is well contrasted with the section of the book set in New York in the twenties and this new exciting world. The characters are all empathic and fully rounded, and Ellie, the heroine, is a particularly strong character. I thought the ending was very clever, you, as the reader, identified with the conflict, and frustrations Ellie was experiencing. Although fiesty and adventurous she was also a woman of her time. It is in the end a book about the endurance of love between two people. I am looking forward to the sequel.

Must Buy
I loved Ellis Island, my own grandmother emigrated around the same time and this book just made her experiences come to life for me, my mother and sisters, it is so real, so poignant and so beautifully written. I have read all of Kate Kerrigans books and passed them on to others and they just keep getting better. I highly reccommend this book!