Release date - 1st May 2019
Book length - 420 pages Publisher - Poolbeg Press Worldwide - www.bookdepository.com Amazon UK - www.amazon.co.uk Amazon US - www.amazon.com I want to thank Caroline from poolbeg.com for providing me with a copy of this book for review. ABOUT THIS BOOK Mary O’Connor, beautiful daughter of the local shoemaker, dreams of a life beyond the hardship and poverty of Brogue Lane but must resign herself to life as a lowly kitchen maid. William Pembroke Mulchinock, heir to West Villa, is obliged to let go of his dream of being a poet to run the family estate. When they meet they are dazzled by love. The Great Famine is about to grip the country, Daniel O’Connell is holding monster rallies, pushing for Repeal of the 1801 Union, and the young lovers are caught up in the politics of the time. Can their love survive political turmoil and bridge the great divide between rich and poor? MY REVIEW Poetic, beautiful, heartbreaking, and a story that will ensnare your soul, THE FIRST ROSE OF TRALEE by Patricia O'Reilly is simply stunning. Mary O'Connor knows how tough life can be as she works hard to provide some help to her family in the poverty of Brogue Lane where her father, a hard man at times, is a shoemaker. But working in West Villa as a maid will change Mary's life in so many ways, especially when her path crosses with William, the son of the house. Like Ireland's history at the time, tensions rise among these two characters who desperately fall in love and believe they can change the status quo, and help Ireland repeal the 1801 Union so that everyone may become more equal. William is determined to help his countrymen and with the beautiful Mary by his side, he knows he can conquer anything. But life is never that fair ... Everyone knows about the famous Rose of Tralee festival and it was practically a staple in our house growing up where we would all sit down to watch the gorgeous dresses and pick our winner. The song is known the world over but I never really listened to the words in any deep or meaningful way but that has changed since reading this book. My heart was completely invested in Mary and William as they battled their class differences and the political landscape which was brimming with tension, and sadly we all know the death and anguish that Ireland was going to face in the future with the Great Famine. But their strength and belief in themselves and each other really moved me and I honestly could not put this book down until I got to the end. Emotional, compelling, and all-consuming, THE FIRST ROSE OF TRALEE by Patricia O'Reilly took my breath away and this tragic love story is a must-read for all readers who love a little fact with their fiction. I will never look at the Rose of Tralee festival in the same way again as this story will always now linger in my mind. AUTHOR BIO Patricia O’Reilly was born in Dublin. She writes fiction and non-fiction, and teaches writing in UCD, the Irish Writers’ Centre, literary festivals and elsewhere. Her latest novel The First Rose of Tralee is the story of Mary O’Connor (182?-1845) the servant girl who stole the heart of the master of West Villa, and she is the inspiration for the annual Rose of Tralee International Festival Patricia is an expert on Irish designer Eileen Gray. The Interview, set in Paris in 1972, centres on Eileen Gray’s meeting with rising star of Fleet Street, Bruce Chatwin; and Time & Destiny is also about Eileen Gray; A Type of Beauty the story of Kathleen Newton, long-listed for Historical Novel Society Award, tells of her love affair with French artist James Tissot; Once Upon A Summer is based on a true story set during the summer of 1959 in County Kerry. Felicity’s Wedding, a contemporary novel was book club choice in Germany. Her short stories are published in magazines and various anthologies. Her non-fiction titles are: Writing for Success; Working Mothers; Earning Your Living from Home; Writing for the Market and Dying with Love. In her time Patricia has been a freelance feature writer for newspapers ad magazines, creator of radio documentaries, plays and broadcast scores of Sunday Miscellany pieces. For more information: Website - www.patriciaoreilly.net Twitter - twitter.com/PatriciaDublin
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