Gracelin O'Malley

From Publishers Weekly
The Troubles are harrowingly described in this finely wrought tale of an Irish beauty married above her station to an English landlord. Grace is the light of her household and only 16 when she is married off to Bram Donnelly, the lord of the manor. Her crippled brother, Sean, hates to see her go, knowing that his friend Morgan McDonagh loves her. She quickly realizes that Bram is a cruel, abusive drunk with a shady past, and that she does not fit in his world. Grace gives birth to twins a boy and a girl but only the girl survives, much to her husband's displeasure. When the potato blight hits and starving people come to the estate for food, Bram shows his true colors, not only refusing to help, but murdering some of them and turning his wrath upon Grace for feeding them. When he realizes he could lose the manor, he hatches a scheme with his mistress to come up with a male heir. Tensions escalate among his suffering tenants, and he knows he's a marked man he even rides his property with his young daughter tied to his back to keep from being shot. Woven into the story is a subplot involving Sean, Morgan and other desperate peasants who have begun to talk of revolution. Grace, somehow stronger than ever, is determined to help. The searing conditions of the Irish famines, exacerbated by the unspeakable greed and brutality of the English, come to grim life in this realistic tale too realistic for some, perhaps but Moore's refusal to ignore the stark plight of the Irish and her lyrical, pitch-perfect prose raise this book far above the romance genre and make for historical fiction at its finest. Agent, Jean Naggar. (Aug. 7)Forecast: An appended interview with the author, attractive cover art and an accessible price make this a good candidate for book group reading. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


New York Times bestselling author Cathy Cash Spellman
...you'll take Gracelin O'Malley to your heart and keep her there long after you've finished reading this beautiful book.


New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge
An Irish saga so lilting and elegantly written you'll be hearing Irish music in your head.


Publishers Weekly, August 13, 2001
...historical fiction at its finest.


Publishers Weekly, August 13, 2001
"...historical fiction at its finest."


Kirkus Review, August 2001
"Vivid historical detail."


Romantic Times, August Top Pick
"...an epic saga that sweeps you into the life of a remarkable woman. GRACELIN O'MALLEY is a classic..."


Book Description
Nineteenth century Ireland comes vividly to life in what Publishers Weekly calls the "finely wrought tale" of Gracelin O'Malley; her brilliant, crippled brother Sean; and their childhood friend, Morgan McDonagh, the reluctant hero of a revolution.Marriage to English landlord Bram Donnelly elevates Grace into a world at once fascinating and challenging, but acceptance is slow, and her husband becomes increasingly cruel. When potato blight devastates the countryside, Grace feeds the growing number of starving tenants who turn to the manor, defying her husband and bringing his wrath down upon her head; she compromises - for the sake of their young child - and strikes a twisted bargain that leads, in the end, to Donnelly's murder. As political unrest sweeps across the land, and suspects are rounded up, Grace harbors Irish rebels - her own fanatical brother among them - hiding, as well, the deepest secret of her heart. And as disaster threatens those she loves most, Grace fights to keep them alive, her profound courage affecting everyone around her.


From the Publisher
Beautifully crafted and emotionally powerful, GRACELIN O'MALLEY is a breathtaking historical novel that marks the debut of a dazzling new storyteller.


From the Author
From 'A Conversation with Ann Moore,' included in the book."Ireland was a predominantly Catholic country in 1845. Why did you choose to make Gracelin a Protestant?" As a Catholic, Gracelin's options in 1845 would have been much more limited, so part of that decision was about providing a more complicated storyline for her. But I also wanted to show that this historical struggle, which is so often portrayed as religious, is really about centuries of poverty and oppression. And, as in any moral struggle, there are representatives of good and evil on both sides; to be English or Protestant did not mean that one was devoid of all decency, nor did being Irish or Catholic ensure an honorable character. By allowing Gracelin O'Malley to be the Irish daughter of a disillusioned Catholic and a devout Protestant, with a child who is half English, and a lover who is Catholic, with friends and enemies in all camps, I hoped to represent the real participants in history as the complex individuals they were rather than simply good or bad.


About the Author
Ann Moore was born in England, and raised in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. She lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and two children.


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A deft if unshaded celebration of the usual strong and beautiful woman taking on an abusive husband, famine, and political rebellion in the Ireland of the 1840s, where the people are dying while their British landlords sit idle. Vivid historical detail gives the story of beautiful Gracelin O'Malley, who lives with father Patrick, disabled brother Sean, and grandmother Granna on a small farm, greater texture, but the cast, though sensitively drawn, stays hostage to the demands of the plot. Gracelin's mother died in the accident that maimed Sean, and the family has never recovered from the loss, though Granna and Gracelin have tried to keep things going. But times are hard, the harvests are failing, the British keep increasing the rents, and those who can, leave. Gracelin, a loving daughter, doesn't protest when her father arranges for her, at 16, to marry their wealthy British landlord Bram Donelly in exchange for canceling the family's debts. Bram's been married twice before, with both wives dying in suspicious circumstances; Gracelin thinks she can cope, though Sean and longtime admirer, handsome Morgan McDonagh, are not so certain. The honeymoon is agreeable and Donelly House magnificent, but when Gracelin falls pregnant, Bram becomes abusive. The potato harvest has failed again, the people are starving, and he objects to Gracelin's helping them. She gives birth to twins, but only a daughter survives, and, as Bram's brutal behavior escalates she suspects that he may have fatally harmed his other wives. As famine deaths mount, Sean and Morgan plot rebellion against the British, and Gracelin defies Bram by feeding the needy. Enraged, he imprisons her, pregnant again, in the attic. Thistime, though, Gracelin is strong and able to fight back, even if it need be by murder. Emotionally rather high-pitched, but an agreeable read.


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