Book Review
Basic Details:
Book Title: Kelegeen
Subtitle:
Author: Eileen O’Finlan
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance
Part of a series? Not yet, but there may be a follow-up
Order in series: 1st
Best read after earlier books in series? N/A
Overall score:
I scored this book 5/5 (+)
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
Short Summary of book:
This book tells the story of Meg O’Connor, Rory Quinn and their families and friends. They are planning to get married when the famine strikes. The hardship and the hunger that looms for all the people in Kelegeen where Father Brian O’Malley tries to do his best to look after his flock. He is a very caring man who goes beyond the call of duty. It is a great story, which captures the attention from the start and is hard to put down. I was very sorry when I had finished the book as I wanted to find out more about what would happen next.
What I liked about the book:
I loved the book, it was engaging from the start and I would highly recommend it.
What I didn’t like about the book:
I loved the entire book, it was difficult to put it down and I had to force myself to put the book away in order to do my own work.
My favourite bits in the book:
I loved where the bishop did turn out to not be as hard a man as was first thought. Where Father O’Malley was a rather unconventional priest and talked with his departed sweetheart. There were lots of little positive bits in the book which ensured that I was cheered up after emotionally charged scenes.
My least favourite bits in the book:
I didn’t like the bits where key characters in the book died. It was unavoidable in the vein of the book, but tears were definitely shed.
Any further books in the series? Any more planned by this author?
I understand she is researching a follow up to Kelegeen, I am certainly in favour of this. I can’t wait to find out what happens to the characters now.
What books could this be compared to and why?
This book reminded me of ‘La Peste’ by Albert Camus, although it is quite different from this book as well. My French is not as good as my English which makes comparison more difficult.
Recommendation:
In summary, I would recommend this book for the following readers:
Children
|
No
|
Young Adult
|
Possibly
|
Adult
|
Yes
|
If you like Historical Fiction/Romance this book is the book for you.
I look forward to reading more books by this author and hope she is planning to write a follow-up book on this one. I really want to find out what happens to Meg, Rory, Deirdre, Brendan and the rest of the family. Will they get together again? How will life pan out for them?
Book Description by Author:
On an evening in 1846 engaged couple Meg O’Connor and Rory Quinn join in an exuberant moondance. Observing is the parish priest, Father Brian O’Malley. The moondance brings bittersweet memories of Siobhan, the long-dead love of his youth, with whom he still feels a spiritual connection. Within days of the dance, the villagers of Kelegeen awake to find their potato crops destroyed by blight. They’ve been through famine before. But this is an Gorta Mór, a monster the likes of which Ireland has never seen.
At first Meg and Rory devise ways to help provide for their families, Meg through her sewing, Rory with his wood carving. But when tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival they turn to more dangerous ventures.
Father O’Malley reluctantly teams up with an English doctor, Martin Parker, to alleviate Kelegeen’s suffering.
When Meg learns of ships carrying Irish passengers to a new life in America she is determined to go and bring Rory and their families after her. It will take all her strength and courage along with the help of her beloved priest and the English doctor to make the plan succeed.
At first Meg and Rory devise ways to help provide for their families, Meg through her sewing, Rory with his wood carving. But when tragedy and a costly mistake end those means of survival they turn to more dangerous ventures.
Father O’Malley reluctantly teams up with an English doctor, Martin Parker, to alleviate Kelegeen’s suffering.
When Meg learns of ships carrying Irish passengers to a new life in America she is determined to go and bring Rory and their families after her. It will take all her strength and courage along with the help of her beloved priest and the English doctor to make the plan succeed.
About the Author:
Eileen O’Finlan’s debut novel, Kelegeen, was released on March 1, 2018 by BWL Publishing, Inc. Quotes from five star Amazon reader reviews include, “This book grabs you from the beginning…”, “It’s not an easy book to put down once you start it, but you also don’t want it to end”, “This was probably one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to all,” “This is what historical fiction is supposed to be,” and the author’s personal favorite review quote: “I have enjoyed many books which I chose from Oprah’s book club and this is one that would fit on her list. I put Kelegeen in the top three books I have ever read.” Due to constant demand from readers for a sequel to Kelegeen, the research phase for this next book is underway.
Eileen was born November of 1963 in Springfield, Massachusetts and has lived in New England all her life. Both of her parents were born and raised in Vermont, a state with which Eileen is head over heels in love. Growing up in a history-loving family where dinner conversation often revolved around the American Revolution or the Peloponnesian War, it is not surprising that she went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in History. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry. A former long time member of the Worcester Writers Workshop, Eileen now facilitates a writing workshop from her home in central Massachusetts. She lives with her 91 year old mother for whom she cares and her two adorable and rather spoiled cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia.
Eileen loves to weave stories of historical fiction with strong, but very human, characters who prevail against the odds. Fascinated by the unusual and little-known aspects of history her goal is to create a magical experience for readers in which they encounter the unexpected. Eileen attributes her interest in the paranormal, which also makes its appearance in her writing, to the facts that she lived in a haunted house at a very young age and that she has a deep Celtic spirituality.
Find out more about Eileen O’Finlan, her books, her cats (who have a story of their own in the works), and her ongoing endeavor to transition her entire front yard into a giant flower garden atwww.eileenofinlan.com , https://www.facebook.com/eileenofinla... , https://www.bookbub.com/profile/eilee... , https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B07B... (less)
Eileen was born November of 1963 in Springfield, Massachusetts and has lived in New England all her life. Both of her parents were born and raised in Vermont, a state with which Eileen is head over heels in love. Growing up in a history-loving family where dinner conversation often revolved around the American Revolution or the Peloponnesian War, it is not surprising that she went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in History. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Pastoral Ministry. A former long time member of the Worcester Writers Workshop, Eileen now facilitates a writing workshop from her home in central Massachusetts. She lives with her 91 year old mother for whom she cares and her two adorable and rather spoiled cats, Smokey and Autumn Amelia.
Eileen loves to weave stories of historical fiction with strong, but very human, characters who prevail against the odds. Fascinated by the unusual and little-known aspects of history her goal is to create a magical experience for readers in which they encounter the unexpected. Eileen attributes her interest in the paranormal, which also makes its appearance in her writing, to the facts that she lived in a haunted house at a very young age and that she has a deep Celtic spirituality.
Find out more about Eileen O’Finlan, her books, her cats (who have a story of their own in the works), and her ongoing endeavor to transition her entire front yard into a giant flower garden atwww.eileenofinlan.com , https://www.facebook.com/eileenofinla... , https://www.bookbub.com/profile/eilee... , https://www.amazon.com/default/e/B07B... (less)
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