The Daughters of Ireland
Deverill Chronicles
Fiction
William Morrow
August 15, 2017
Paperback
576
Publisher
Perched majestically atop the lush emerald hills of West Cork, Ireland, Castle Deverill has been the home to several generations of the Deverills. But when the castle fell prey to a devastating attack during the Irish revolt, the ancestral home’s survival was at stake—until Celia Mayberry and her husband buy the estate and vow to restore Castle Deverill to its former glory. For Celia, the castle holds many fond childhood memories when she ran through its vast halls with her cousin Kitty Deverill and their cherished friend Bridie Doyle. But not everyone is elated. Although Kitty is grateful to her cousin for purchasing the manor and ensuring it will remain in the family, she cannot help but be wistful for the days when she was the mistress of Castle Deverill. While she is content in her new life with her husband Robert and her adopted son JP, her heart still yearns for Jack O’Leary—the man she cannot have. As Kitty struggles with her choices, she must make a heartbreaking decision that could bring her the greatest joy, but hurt those closest to her. Now wealthy and the toast of the town in New York City, Bridie Doyle has come a long way since she was a young girl in Ireland and the daughter of one of the maids at Castle Deverill. But all her money cannot ease the pain over giving away her baby. When she finds love, she is tempted to return to her beloved homeland—even if it means she will have to face the woman she still longs to seek revenge against. As Celia wastes no time, or expense, in hiring workers to renovate Castle Deverill—even when the country soon finds itself in the midst of the Great Depression—she has no idea that her world is about to be shattered. Now everything that felt so certain is cast into doubt as these daughters of Ireland must find the inner strength to build a new future.
My review:
When I was sent this book by the kind folks at William Morrow to read and review, my first reaction was to look at this stunning cover, but think this is not really my kind of book. Well color me surprised, because this was an excellent read! It centers around three women who grew up together in a castle in West Cork, Ireland. Two of the women are cousins, one is the daughter of a cook in the castle. They are all grown up when we enter this story, and are dealing with grown-up problems like jealousy, adultery, scandals and lies. One of the cousins has purchased the war ravaged castle they grew up in and is restoring it in a grand way, but financial trouble looms. The other cousin pines for a former lover while caring for her adopted son resulting from an affair between her father and, you guessed it, the cook's daughter (and former playmate). The boy's biological mother has moved to the US, and is living the grand life, but wondering if she should go back and claim her son. There is a ton going on in this book, and the writing was on point to keep the pages turning to find out how these lives would all play out. The only real issue that I had was that I did not know going in that this was part of a trilogy. I did not read the first book (The Girl in the Castle), and honestly didn't feel that it hindered me in any way when delving into the story. However, there were lots of loose ends at the end that I'm sure will be carried over to the last book. Trouble is, will I remember the book by the time I get to the next one (this is why I'm not a huge fan of series books).
This is a great family saga taking place in the 20's in Ireland. I'm going to call it a soap opera in book form! Not going to lie, it is a chunkster of a book, but I think you'll be hooked.
