Title: Flight of the
Earls: An Heirs of Ireland Novel
Author: Michael K. Reynolds
Pages: 352
Year: 2013
Publisher: B & H Books
There
is so much we can learn from history, whether it is about one nation, people or
even an event. I love historical fiction
because of the vast unearthed treasures that come to be known through this
genre. Michael K. Reynolds shares at the
end of his work some of the books he read about his subject, the Irish
Americans during a specific era. Another
aspect depicted is the faith of the characters and how within their lives,
faith becomes personal after starting out as being generational.
The reader will follow Clare as she
travels through her life’s events to discover just how deep God’s love really
is for her. When she suffers setbacks
and tragedies, Clare wants to rise above her poverty and oppression without
God. Yet, God is using her experiences to
reveal who He really is. Through it all, Clare begins to understand the words
her grandmother spoke to her so long ago.
Clare’s da is a harsh man who loves
the bottle more than his family, especially after the loss of a child. That is not the only heartache da is going
through. Through it all, Clare is left
to carry the burden of her siblings and ma.
Clare is sent quite unexpectantly to America in hopes that her fortune
will in turn become the family’s fortune.
Leaving for America with one brother and a close friend, life becomes
even more lonesome and frustrating before they even board the ship. When the three arrive in America, they find
that what they left in Ireland is also what awaits them on American soil.
Clare, her brother Seamus and
friend Pierce are led to a home in the ground along with several other
survivors of the sea crossing. Before
leaving Ireland, Clare was given a necklace that begins a journey none of them could
have foreseen. The two young men have
dreams of being rich and having an abundant lifestyle where they no longer
would have to scratch out a living.
Clare wants to get a “legal” job and send the money home to the family
members who so desperately need it, especially due to the inability to grow
their main crop in Ireland. What starts
out with such hope in their endeavors becomes a course in learning a multitude
of truths regarding other family members, including the “real” profession one
uncle is exposed to have along with his other folly.
Flight of the Earls is the
first novel of the Heirs of Ireland series for Michael K. Reynolds and let me
say this is one series of stories to read!
With a sequel already set to be released in the summer of 2013, you will
want to start with this book while you wait.
It is entertaining, thought-provoking, and will grip the heart. You won’t want to put it down until you read
the last page. The scenes are so easy to
picture in your mind because of the well-written descriptions. The characters lives are surely representative
of real people who lived in the mid-1800s thru the present. I can’t say enough about it; I am hooked on
this series and this author!
My rating is 5+ stars.
Note: I received a
complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely
my responsibility. Other reviews can be
read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
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