#BookReview: The Letter Home by Rachael English @EnglishRachael @HachetteIre @ElaineEgan_ #TheLetterHome #IrishFiction #IrishAuthor

Available Now
Book length - 417 pages
Publisher - Hachette Ireland
BUY LINKS:
UK - www.amazon.co.uk
US - www.amazon.com
Independent - www.dubraybooks.ie

I want to thank Elaine from www.hachettebooksireland.ie for sending me a copy of this book for review.


ABOUT THIS BOOK

When journalist Jessie Daly loses everything she holds dear, she travels home to Ireland's west coast, and helps an old friend researching life during the famine. Jessie becomes drawn into the heartbreaking story of a brave young mother, Bridget Moloney, and her daughter, Norah.

On the other side of the ocean, in Boston, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She unearths a fascinating story, but her research forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about the past, as she uncovers an unexpected connection to Ireland in famine times.

Generations before, in the small townland of Boherbreen, a young mother faced a heart-wrenching choice: to watch her baby girl perish with hunger, or to start out for a new life in America, alone, in order to protect the one she loves most - leaving behind only a letter.


MY REVIEW

The story of three strong and intelligent women connected in unexpected ways, THE LETTER HOME by Rachael English is a beautiful and heart-wrenching tale of love, family, and courage beyond imagination. 

Moving back to her rural childhood home with her tail between her legs is not the way Jessie Daly imagined her life was going to go. With her perfect sister lording it over her that she has let down the family once again, Jessie decides she just has to bite her tongue and suffer for the next few months at home before she can return to the city and try to get her old life back. When an old childhood friend asks Jessie to help him research a young mother who lived there during the famine, Jessie is happy to help and the more she starts to uncover about Bridget Moloney, the more she needs to know. Her research will bring her in contact with Kaitlin Wilson in Boston who has her own reasons for researching her family tree and as the two women uncover more about their history than they could ever think possible, there will be secrets, harsh realities, and tales of unbelievable courage and love brought to light. And in looking at the past, it may just help Jessie and Kaitlin figure out what they want from their own future. 

Every time I read one of Rachael's books I always feel it is my favourite, but THE LETTER HOME is definitely my favourite of her books so far!
Three very different women with very different problems come to life on the page, and the realities of Ireland during the Famine are emotionally described bringing the utter despair and cruelty of what happened all those years ago to the forefront, as Jessie and Kaitlin learn about what happened to Bridget. I loved all three of these characters for different reasons but it was Bridget that stood out the most for me. Her determination, her selflessness, her absolute strength to keep going took my breath away, and while I learned about the horrors of the Famine at school, reading about it in this way, from a young mother's perspective made me emotional and made it hit home in ways that it never did before. Watching Jessie and Kaitlin try to deal with their own heartaches and problems as they learned about the past was special, and I can honestly say I did not put this book down until I turned the last page. 

THE LETTER HOME by Rachael English will make you laugh, will certainly make you cry, but most importantly it will make you stop and think of those who came before us, because in the wise words of Jessie's grandmother, Etty, 'I think what matters most is that we remember.' 



AUTHOR INFO

Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland's most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTE Radio's leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories. The American Girl, The Night of the Party and The Paper Bracelet were all top 5 Irish bestsellers.

To keep up-to-date with Rachael, you can follow along here:
Twitter - twitter.com/EnglishRachael
Facebook - www.facebook.com/rachaelenglishwriter