Product Description

USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards continues the journey begun in her beloved novel Whiskey Island with this unforgettable tale of star-crossed lovers, murder and three sisters who discover a hidden legacy that will lead them home at last to Ireland.

Megan, who is feeling hopelessly unprepared in her new marriage, has no idea how to fix the problems already facing her relationship. Casey, who is happily married to her high school sweetheart, is facing a new challenge: motherhood. And Peggy, who always dreamed of becoming a doctor, has put medical school on hold with the discovery that her young son is autistic.

Each facing her own difficulties, the Donaghue sisters are brought to the remote Irish village of Shanmullin by Irene Tierney, a distant relative who hopes that they will be able to help her learn the truth about her father's death in Cleveland more than seventy-five years ago. As a stunning tale of secrets and self-sacrifice, greed and hidden passions unfolds, the life of each sister will be changed forever.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #722842 in Books
• Published on: 2004-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 522 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Whiskey Island (2000) introduced a large Irish-American family, including the three Donaghue sisters who share ownership of the historic Whiskey Island Saloon in Cleveland overlooking Lake Erie. In this sequel, Megan, the eldest, runs the business and is about to tie the knot with Nick, an ex-priest who works with troubled adolescents; Casey, newly married, is happily pregnant; and Peggy, the youngest, is a single mother who has interrupted her medical studies to care for infant son Kieran, recently diagnosed as autistic. During Megan's gala wedding reception at the saloon, a tornado strikes and the guests are trapped. Luckily, Megan's father remembers the secret tunnel constructed during Prohibition (to accommodate bootleggers) through which the guests crawl to safety. The narrative shifts to a tiny village in Ireland where Peggy has been invited to stay with elderly cousin Irene. Irene's remote cottage is ideal for the rigorous therapy Peggy plans for Kieran, and Irene hopes that the Donaghue sisters may help her solve the mystery of her father's death-he had emigrated to Cleveland. Meanwhile, Peggy is grudgingly attracted to handsome but dour Finn O'Malley, formerly the village physician, who gave up his practice after a tragic accident decimated his family. In Cleveland, restoration of the saloon is in progress but Megan's unhappiness in her new marriage drives her to join Peggy in Ireland. When Casey also arrives, Irene and the three sisters fit the puzzling pieces of their lineage together. A bit of Irish humor might have made this melodramatic tale an easier read, but Richards's heartfelt paeans to love and loyalty sweeten the mix.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"Richards's writing is unpretentious and effective, and her characters burst with vitality and authenticity...."

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Peggy Donaghue avoided the parking lot of the Whiskey Island Saloon whenever she could, which wasn't easy since she lived directly above it. On days when there was no parking on the street, she reluctantly took the reserved spot closest to the back door and sprinted for the kitchen. She wasn't superstitious. She just didn't believe in tempting fate.

Not unless the circumstances were exceptional.

The young man standing just behind her cleared his throat. "It's real windy, Ms. D. You don't have to stay out here. Nothing's going to happen, I promise."

Peggy pulled her long chestnut hair into a temporary ponytail so it would stop whipping into her eyes. Over one shoulder she could see that Josh, tall, lanky and clearly uncomfortable, wasn't looking at her. That was understandable. Josh had just stolen his very first car. He was praying, just as Peggy was, that the owner wouldn't realize his brandnew Honda Civic was missing.

"I trust you, Josh. And I even trust them." Peggy nodded to the group of four adolescent boys who were poring over the car like melted butter on the saloon's Friday night pierogi special. "But I'll just stay here in case they need me."

"Nick was locked away in his study. When he gets like that, he doesn't know what's going on. He's not going to know." Josh's tone was less certain than his words.

"He's probably got stuff to do before he leaves town." Peggy saw a familiar figure coming up between the rows of cars. The willowy strawberry blonde was unmistakable— and related. "Uh oh, we've been nailed," she said in her best Jimmy Cagney imitation. "It's the calaboose for us now, Scarface."

Josh's pale cheeks grew red. "I gotta go. Winston's gonna make sure it gets done right and stuff. I gotta go home in case Nick notices—"

Peggy waved him away. "You go on. I'll face the music alone."

Josh looked properly grateful and took off, skirting Peggy's older sister by ducking behind the back row of cars.garbage can skittered across the lot in his wake.

Casey Donaghue Kovats came up beside Peggy and stood for a moment watching the group of adolescents tape strings of firecrackers to the back bumper of Niccolo Andreani's car. The silver Civic was parked close to the back door of the saloon so that it would be out of sight from the road.

"You're letting those kids tape fireworks to the bumper? You worked in an emergency room. You know how dangerous those things are."

"No "Hi, how are you, isn't this a windy day'?"

"Peggy, have you lost your mind?"

"Fireworks are dangerous. These are firecrackers, and they're only slightly higher-tech than tin cans and old shoes."

"Megan's going to have a fit."

"I certainly hope so. We've gone to a lot of trouble." Peggy motioned to one youth, a handsome young African-American with meticulously divided cornrows and a roll of duct tape adorning one arm. "Winston, will you please reassure Casey that Nick's car won't blow up?"

Winston abandoned his supervisory post to join the two sisters. "Yo, Ms. K. Nothing gonna happen here but a little noise."

Casey still didn't look convinced. "I have great faith in your abilities, Winston, really I do, but what if—and I know this is a remote possibility—you're wrong?"

"Can't be wrong. We tried it out yesterday."

"Yesterday?" Peggy was intrigued. This was new information.

the Baptist church."

Winston shrugged. "Learned a lot. Like don't put balloons and firecrackers on the same bumper, unless you want a real mess."

Peggy tried not to smile. "See? I told you we were in the hands of a master."

Winston escaped back to his job as Casey rolled her eyes. "I can't believe Nick had the bad judgment to leave his car at the saloon in the first place," Casey said.

"He didn't. Josh delivered it half an hour ago. Nick doesn't know it's gone."

"Then how's he getting to the church?"

"I thought he could walk. He's only a few blocks away." A gust of wind pushed Peggy against Casey's hip and made nonsense of that plan. The sky was growing steadily darker, and the wind was accelerating. That morning the official forecast for the spring day had been breezy, with the slight possibility of a shower. But this was Cleveland. Weather was the only guarantee. The particulars were in the hands of God.

"I'd give him my car, but I don't have a car anymore," Peggy said.

"You need to remind me you're moving halfway around the world tomorrow? Like it's not on my mind?"

Peggy ignored her. "Jon can drive Nick to the church. Will you call him and ask?"

Jon was Casey's husband of just a year and nearly always willing to lend a hand. "I guess he won't mind. At least he won't get blown off the road in this wind. Jon can take care of himself." Casey smiled. Peggy had noticed that Casey did a lot of that these days. Grinned when she had reason to, smiled mysteriously when she didn't. Marriage agreed with her.

More than two years had passed since Peggy and Casey had come home to Cleveland, lost souls looking for a place to hide. Now Peggy was the mother of a son, Casey was married to her best friend, and Megan, who ran the family saloon, was about to celebrate her own wedding.

Of course, what sounded like a trio of happily-ever-afters wasn't. Not quite. Each sister still faced considerable hurdles, but Peggy didn't want to think about her own. Not for the moment. Today was Megan's day.

"Remember the last time we stood around the parking lot like this?" Casey said, as if she knew what was going through Peggy's mind. Both Peggy's sisters had consistently read her thoughts since the day she was old enough to have any.

"We were at gunpoint," Peggy said. "And Niccolo walked by and saved us. Now he's about to marry our sister. Odd how things happen, isn't it?"

"I peeked inside. I can't believe what they've done, can you?"

"They" was the Donaghue family—and everyone in Cleveland who was related to them or wanted to be. A veritable horde of friends and family had descended that morning to scrub and decorate the saloon where Megan and Niccolo's reception would be held after the ceremony at St. Brigid's.

Peggy checked her watch. "I still have a million things to do before Kieran wakes up." The atomic clock had nothing on Peggy's toddler son for keeping life precisely on schedule. "You're still planning to leave him upstairs with a babysitter?"

"The old place looks great. The way it did when we were kids and Mom was in charge of family wedding receptions. Megan's going to love it."

Peggy knew better. Someday Megan, their oldest sister, would look back at this day with appreciation, even nostalgia. But today she wouldn't notice a thing. If all the signs were correct, Megan was going to walk through her own wedding ceremony and reception like a newly sentenced prisoner on her way to serving a lifetime behind bars.

Casey grinned. "Okay, maybe she's going to be a little jittery, and maybe she won't notice every little detail...."

"Come on, we'll be lucky if she's only comatose. I don't understand why she and Nick didn't elope."

"She didn't want to set that kind of example."

"For who?" Peggy realized "who" the moment she asked the question. "For me? Megan was afraid if she eloped, I'd copy her someday?"

"I think that's part of it."

"Unbelievable."

"And I think Nick wanted a real wedding," Casey added, before Peggy could expound. "He wanted his kids to witness it. They take a lot of interest in this kind of thing, even though they'll never admit it."

The kids Casey referred to were a large group of teens and pre-teens, including those who were so relentlessly decorating Niccolo's car. Altogether there were more than a dozen verging-on-delinquent and occasionally endearing adolescents who were part of an organization called One Brick at a Time. Niccolo Andreani was the director, founder and jackof-all-trades who ran it.

Peggy said.

"She won't talk about it, so I'm just guessing. But you know she's been a wreck ever since she agreed to marry Nick. She adores him, so it can't be regret. I just think she hates being the center of attention. She's happiest when she's

"Well, it's about time she had her day, whether she wants it or not." Peggy glanced at her watch. It was ten, and the wedding was at one. "What's on your list for the rest of the morning?"

"About a million things before I help Megan dress, including a hair appointment."

"Well, I have about a dozen more on mine. Then I have to get dressed, get Kieran set up—"

"And pack."

"I have everything ready to go. Aunt Dee came and got our suitcases early this morning, so I can clean up tonight after the reception and they won't be in the way. Megan's already advertising the apartment." Peggy tried to stave off further discussion of her impending departure. There had been dozens of such conversations, all of them fruitless, since she had announced she was moving to Ireland for a year. "Right now I'd better get busy. Because Kieran really is due to wake up—"

A gust of wind nearly lifted her off her feet, and this time it sent her smashing into Casey. Peggy's shriek was eclipsed by an earsplitting crack. For a moment she was so disoriented that the sound didn't register. Then in horror she turned her head toward the car and saw disaster swaying just above it.

themselves forward. "The tree—"

Winston and his crew were tough guys, but they were also survivors. Instinctively they scattered like the leaves that were raining from the big maple tree positioned just over Niccolo's new Civic. A horrifying screech, like ten giant fingernails on a heavenly blackboard, rent the air. Then, as Peggy watched in horror, the tree wobbled uncertainly and split in two.

With a thunderous roar, followed by the scream and crunch of metal, the half closer to the saloon fell on Niccolo's car, flattening the roof and hood. The other half of the tree remained awkwardl...

Customer Reviews

Deserves SIX stars!
In this incredible follow up to Whiskey Island, Emilie Richards pulls the reader in from the first page.

Beginning in Whiskey Island, Megan and Niccolo are about to be wed, while Peggy is planning on taking her autistic two year old son, Kieran, to Ireland to act as a companion to elderly relative Irene Tierney.

Peggy soon arrives in Ireland to find that while she had high hopes for finding a magic 'cure' for Kieran's autism, she has to fight her discouragement as the work she tries to do with him has little results. While honestly believing that all Kieran needs is her full attention, Peggy soon comes to realize that her son will never be like a normal boy his age and all she can hope for is his happiness. Soon she meets Finn O'Malley who facsinates her, yet makes her ache. Dealing with his own tragedy, Finn has given up his love for medicine and only takes care of his eleven year old daughter in the most fundamental way.

Back in Whiskey Island, Megan and Nick are learning that it takes more to make a marriage work than love. Trying to repair the saloon that was destroyed in a tornado during their wedding reception, Nick is constantly busy with the rentovations or trying to find funding for Brick. Megan on the other hand has too much time on her hand and soon realizes that her and Nick aren't on the same page. With her marriage in shambles so soon after the ceremony, Megan flees to Ireland and falls in love with Irene as quickly as Peggy did. She soon realizes that she left her heart with Nick.

The Parting Glass was an intensely emotional book about family. Richards also takes the reader back to the 1920's where we learn about Liam Tierney and Glen Donaghue. This book at times brought tears to my eyes and laughter into my heart. I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. Don't miss this book!

A stunning follow-up to Whiskey Island
Emilie Richards has followed up her impressive work, WHISKEY ISLAND, with another story about the irresistible Donaghue sisters. In this one, youngest sister Peggy is featured, but we see plenty of sisters Megan and Casey as well Combining historical and contemporary elements (present day Cleveland and County Mayo Ireland, with a story about the Donaghue ancestors in Cleveland in the 1920s) this book has something for everyone.

As the story opens Megan is dressing for her wedding to ex-priest Niccolo Andreani. They are in for a surprise though as at the reception, held in the family business, The Whiskey Island Saloon, a fierce storm is brewing without their knowledge -- a tornado traps the revelers in the saloon with, it seems, no way out. But the sisters' father, Rooney, remembers passageway beneath the saloon - a tunnel used by bootleggers in the 1920s. Tragedy is averted but what is the strange image Niccolo sees on the tunnel wall?

Meanwhile, Peggy has left her medical school studies to care for her young son Kieran who has been diagnosed as being autistic. So she is off to Ireland to meet an elderly cousin, Irene, who contacted them via the internet looking for information on her father, Liam Tierney, who had disappeared in Cleveland in the 1920s. While there Peggy meets Finn O'Malley who has abandoned his medical practice after a tragic accident took the lives of his wife and young sons two years previous, leaving him barely able to care for his surviving child, an 11-year-old daughter, Bridie, let alone care for patients. Peggy however has found friends in not only Irene, but in young Bridie who is so good with young Kieran.

Casey, having become the recent bride of high school friend Jon Kovats, is happy in her marriage but the young marriage of Megan and Niccolo is having its problems. Seems Niccolo, who had learned how to be a priest, has no idea how to be a husband and is seemingly more involved in his business venture which provides help to at-risk youth, than he is in keeping Megan happy. When a planned weekend away gets cancelled, Megan storms out of the house and decides to visit Peggy in Ireland. It isn't long before Casey decides Peggy and Megan can't have all the fun and she is joining them at Irene's cottage as well.

As Peggy struggles to help Kieran, she also hears stories from Irene who eventually admits she knows more about her father then she first led the sisters to believe. Stories of what really happened to her father, Liam, in Cleveland - and how much the families really are connected. A story of bootlegging, and of the tragic story of the first love of the sisters' grandfather, Glen Donaghue.

But there is romance in store for Peggy as well. She helps Finn come out of the depression and guilt he has felt for the past two years, but both know they have to take it one day at a time and fear they will never have a future together. It takes a near tragedy for them to finally find out what the future will hold.

I don't know how Emilie Richards does it. She so beautifully combines several storylines not only without confusing the reader but with immediately drawing in the reader to each storyline as the are told several chapters at a time. Not any easy feat! I felt as if I was in County Mayo, Ireland with Peggy (or was it just wishful thinking?) and could image the settings in Cleveland as well with Richard's deft hand at description. The characters are people the reader feels they know as well. I was so glad I was able to read these two connected books, WHISKEY ISLAND and THE PARTING GLASS back to back, and although it isn't necessary to read WHISKEY ISLAND before reading THE PARTING GLASS, I believe your reading experience will be enhanced if you do. THE PARTING GLASS is an absolutely first-rate read, one I couldn't put down once I started. I can give no higher praise than to say I am going to now be reading all the Emilie Richards books I've missed. Books fortunately I already have in my TBR pile.

A Calagon-type book ~~ it takes you away!
I am a devoted Emilie Richards fan ~~ I have read almost all of her books and I totally loved Whiskey Island ~~ it's in my home state and I love books that is set in Ohio since I know the general area. I just love Richards' books since she delves into her characters' lives and she brings her readers along with her into a journey that travels back and forth in time between two different generations of people, especially women. This book is no exception. In fact, it's better than Whiskey Island in some ways ~~ the sisters are more mature and dealing with more mature issues than being single and wondering if they'll ever fall in love.

Each of the sisters are set on their paths that they have chosen in life. Casey, who is not written about very much in this novel, is pregnant and happily married to Jon, her friend from high school. The novel centers mostly on Megan and Peggy. Megan and Niccolo are married but dealing with a shattered saloon that a tornado has torn apart, the growing lack of communication between the two of them and with Megan's restlessness as she is temporarily out of work. Peggy takes her son, Kieran, to Ireland after putting medical school on hold since he has autism and Peggy decided to devote time to helping Kieran learn the basic skills. She also went to be her cousin's companion. Irene, a lovely Irish spinster, is seeking answers to her father's death eighty years before. The sisters all help with the research and along the way, found answers to their own questions and problems as well as discovering the great secret that Irene's father has been holding all those years.

This is a great escape-novel. If you're overwhelmed with life and life's demands, this is the perfect book to sink yourself into for a few days. It's not a demanding reading but it's a fun reading ~~ and Richards keeps you guessing as you turn the pages. Once again, she writes about star-crossed lovers, relationships between husband and wife, between sisters and friends and lovers. It's a wonderful novel. She has the charm to keep you coming back for more.

7-23-04