Title: The Letter HomeAuthor: Rachael English
Published by: Headline Books on Jul. 7, 2022
Genres: Historical Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Source: Mobius Books US
Book Rating: 9/10
A rich, heartbreaking novel, moving between west of Ireland and Boston, of a mother’s love, a baby girl, a courageous voyage, and a forgotten story that binds two families separated by an ocean…
She had left behind everything she loved to forge a future for the one she treasured most…
2019 Dublin. When Jessie Daly loses her job, her flat and her relationship, she travels home to Ireland’s west coast and helps an old friend researching what happened in the area during the 1840s Famine. They are drawn into the remarkable story of a brave young mother called Bridget Moloney, and Jessie becomes determined to find out what happened to Bridget and her daughter, Norah.
On the other side of the Atlantic, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She knows her ancestors left Ireland for Boston in the 19th century. Everything else is a mystery. Kaitlin unearths a fascinating story, but her research forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about herself and her family and also uncover a heartbreaking connection to a young woman in the west of Ireland…
Review:
Captivating, layered, and heartfelt!
The Letter Home is an intriguing tale set in Ireland and Boston during the mid-1800s, as well as present-day, and is told from three different perspectives. Bridget, a young woman who suffers unimaginable loss and makes sacrifices no mother should ever have to make during The Irish Potato Famine, Jesse, a spirited journalist who, after blowing up her career and heading home to Co. Clare, stumbles upon new revelations about her past while researching the nineteenth century for a friend, and Kaitlin, a successful lawyer who, after feeling a little discontent with life, endeavours to discover more information about her Irish roots.
The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are resilient, independent, and strong. And the plot sweeps you away into a touching tale about life, loss, friendship, family, heartbreak, tragedy, survival, self-discovery, and the importance of remembering those who’ve come before.
Overall, The Letter Home is an insightful, engrossing, poignant read by English that does a lovely job of interweaving historical facts and compelling fiction into an absorbing, heart-tugging tale that is exceptionally atmospheric and beautifully entertaining.
This novel is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Mobius Books US for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Rachael English
Rachael English is the author of five novels: GOING BACK, which was shortlisted for the most-promising newcomer award at the Irish Book Awards, EACH AND EVERY ONE, THE AMERICAN GIRL, which reached number one on the Irish paperback best sellers list, THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY and THE PAPER BRACELET.
Like many many writers, she also has a day job. She's a presenter on the radio programme, Morning Ireland.
Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.
