Product Description

Nineteenth century Ireland comes vividly to life in what Publishers Weekly calls the "finely wrought tale" of Gracelin O'Malley; her brilliant, crippled brother Sean; and their childhood friend, Morgan McDonagh, the reluctant hero of a revolution.

Marriage to English landlord Bram Donnelly elevates Grace into a world at once fascinating and challenging, but acceptance is slow, and her husband becomes increasingly cruel. When potato blight devastates the countryside, Grace feeds the growing number of starving tenants who turn to the manor, defying her husband and bringing his wrath down upon her head; she compromises - for the sake of their young child - and strikes a twisted bargain that leads, in the end, to Donnelly's murder. As political unrest sweeps across the land, and suspects are rounded up, Grace harbors Irish rebels - her own fanatical brother among them - hiding, as well, the deepest secret of her heart. And as disaster threatens those she loves most, Grace fights to keep them alive, her profound courage affecting everyone around her.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #290049 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-01
• Released on: 2001-08-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 416 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The Troubles are harrowingly described in this finely wrought tale of an Irish beauty married above her station to an English landlord. Grace is the light of her household and only 16 when she is married off to Bram Donnelly, the lord of the manor. Her crippled brother, Sean, hates to see her go, knowing that his friend Morgan McDonagh loves her. She quickly realizes that Bram is a cruel, abusive drunk with a shady past, and that she does not fit in his world. Grace gives birth to twins a boy and a girl but only the girl survives, much to her husband's displeasure. When the potato blight hits and starving people come to the estate for food, Bram shows his true colors, not only refusing to help, but murdering some of them and turning his wrath upon Grace for feeding them. When he realizes he could lose the manor, he hatches a scheme with his mistress to come up with a male heir. Tensions escalate among his suffering tenants, and he knows he's a marked man he even rides his property with his young daughter tied to his back to keep from being shot. Woven into the story is a subplot involving Sean, Morgan and other desperate peasants who have begun to talk of revolution. Grace, somehow stronger than ever, is determined to help. The searing conditions of the Irish famines, exacerbated by the unspeakable greed and brutality of the English, come to grim life in this realistic tale too realistic for some, perhaps but Moore's refusal to ignore the stark plight of the Irish and her lyrical, pitch-perfect prose raise this book far above the romance genre and make for historical fiction at its finest. Agent, Jean Naggar. (Aug. 7)Forecast: An appended interview with the author, attractive cover art and an accessible price make this a good candidate for book group reading.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

New York Times bestselling author Cathy Cash Spellman
...you'll take Gracelin O'Malley to your heart and keep her there long after you've finished reading this beautiful book.

New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge
An Irish saga so lilting and elegantly written you'll be hearing Irish music in your head.

Customer Reviews

Plodding and Predictable, Interesting History
I have to say that I was disappointed by this book. I think that perhaps all of the rave reviews I read lead me to expect an amazing story with amazing writing and I just didn't think it was that great.

I thought that the character development was on the light side and the story was very predictable, cliché even. I was never surprised by anything that happened. And there was a lack of tension throughout that made me feel like I could leave these characters and this story and not miss them or the end of this tale.

I'm very reluctant to ever give up on a book but I never felt like Ann Moore pulled me into the lives of these characters. They all seemed like stereotypes to me, every last one of them.

I think some writers have a way of writing grief that makes it seem effortless, Elizabeth Berg is one. But I didn't feel the depth of emotions that this saga should have evoked. I didn't feel the love between Grace and her man and I didn't feel the sadness for the others around her.

There were things that moved me don't get me wrong but it just didn't live up to my expectations based on the rave reviews I read.

I did find the history of Ireland interesting.

Somewhere this book was compared to The Winter Rose by Jennifer Donnelley and in my opinion it pales in comparison. I would suggest her books instead of this one.

ONE EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN
Gracelin O'Malley has endured it all in her young years with an arranged marriage by her father ( to an abusive husband) to financially save her family does not stop her "grace" in enduring all the hardships and famine in Ireland with so much unrest. Her love for her family, her land and her people makes this book unforgettable. It's a beautiful book that will make you so thankful when you have your own slice of bread!
Gracelin O'Malley is one of three books and the two following are "Leaving Ireland" and "Til Morning Light".

Couldn't put it down
Starting reading and didn't want it to end..very good read..buy from another source if you don't want to be double shipped and double charged