History Corner/ Book Review: The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey

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Today's entry into the History Corner is The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey, in honor of the upcoming St Patrick's Day, another winner from Hachette Publishing!

Premise: THE YELLOW HOUSE delves into the passion and politics of Northern Ireland at the beginning of the 20th Century. Eileen O'Neill inherits a lifetime of struggle and heartbreak when her family is ripped apart by religious intolerance, secrets of the past, war, disease, mental illness and greed. growing violence of the Irish war of independence.  Determined to reclaim her ancestral home and reunite her family, Eileen begins working at the local mill, saving her money and holding fast to her dream, as war is declared on a local and global scale, If civil war (aka the Irish Troubles) and family strife weren't enough to deal with, Eileen is torn between James Conlon, a passionate Irish nationalist, and Owen Sheridan, a British army officer and the son of the wealthy family, who owns the mill she works for. As the war's presence in her life intensifies, Eileen continues to weigh her heart's pull against national pride, family loyalty, class divisions and her own spirit. This novel delivers the best of both worlds: secrets, intrigue and surprising twists will keep readers flipping the pages, while Falvey's insight and poetic writing tugs at the heartstrings of the most cynical audiences.

WOW is the best I can say- this novel delftly weaves between the history of the Irish Troubles and civil war before and into WW I with such ease that you don;t realize how much you are learning about Irish history!The love story is excellent and Eileen's valiant effort to bring her together is rewarding and inspiring! This was a quick read (3 days) but very enjoyable- I can see the author with a sequel very easily- and I would want to read it!

So go check it out today and refresh your Irish history lessons!

Author Info:
 Patricia Falvey was born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland. She was raised in Northern Ireland and England, before immigrating alone to the United States at the age of twenty. Until recently, she served as a Managing Director at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, LLC, where she led a national tax consulting practice. She earned national recognition as a tax expert for the insurance industry and was a frequent speaker at industry conferences. She is a CPA with a Master's Degree in Taxation.(but DONT hold that against her!). Over the years she participated in numerous writing seminars, and in June of 2007, Patricia finally made the decision to leave her position with PWC at the pinnacle of her career and devote herself full time to her first love - writing. THE YELLOW HOUSE is her first novel.


Disclosure: this book was sent to me by Hachette Publishing, free of charge, for review purposes. I was not told how to review it however!