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Dance in Donegal
£9.60£10.40 (-8%)
All of her life, Irish-American Moira Doherty has relished her mother’s descriptions of Ireland. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920, Moira decides to fulfill her mother’s wish that she become the teacher in Ballymann, her home village in Donegal, Ireland. After an arduous voyage, Moira arrives to a new home and a new job in an ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira’s mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she’s journeyed to Ballymann to do. Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of friends–and the strength of Sean, an unsettlingly handsome thatcher who keeps popping up unannounced–as she seeks to navigate a life she’d never dreamed of . . . but perhaps was meant to live. Jennifer Deibel’s debut novel delights the senses, bringing to life the sights, sounds, smells, and language of a lush country and a colorful people. Historical romance fans will embrace her with open arms.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Revell (2 Feb. 2021) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 352 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0800738411 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0800738419 |
| Dimensions | 13.97 x 2.24 x 21.59 cm |
by Louise
Lovely book couldn’t put it down
by J Banwell
This is a historical romance set in Ireland. Moira has travelled all the way from America to take up a teaching position in her mother’s home-town. However, she soon discovers that mystery surrounds her mother’s past, and some people are against her because of it.
I loved the Irish dialect in this book, and the characters were mainly well-crafted. Moira herself can be a bit infuriating, because there are times in the story when she seems a little too innocent.
Faith is important to Moira all through the book, but she seems to grow in her relationship with the Lord as the story progresses, mainly thanks to some local friends who help her evaluate her decisions.
I especially enjoyed the part about the young teenager who becomes deathly ill and must be cared for by Moira, a teacher against whom he previously set up a hate campaign. Moira risks being ostracized by the locals in her efforts to care for her student. Since this is the era of the Spanish flu, I found it especially interesting, as the fears from which people suffered mirrored those many are facing in the current coronavirus pandemic.
I have to admit this isn’t the kind of book I would normally read. Parts of it were a little too romantic and fanciful for my taste, but it is very well written and would appeal to those who enjoy these kinds of historical romances.