The Irishman's Daughter

February 15, 2019
Lear House, in a small village in County Mayo, has been an idyllic place for Briana Walsh to grow up. Her father helps manage the fields around Lear House, supervising the tenant farmers growing oats, potatoes, and rye for a wealthy English landowner. Sir Thomas Blakely is usually a reasonable man, but when a potato blight decimates the area, the Walsh family is forced to make a series of difficult choices. With the status of Lear House in jeopardy, Briana, her family, and the tenants of Lear House have never felt more unsure about their futures. Alexander (The Taster, 2018) immerses readers in 1840s Ireland with characteristic expertise, blending fact with fiction in this compelling and engrossing novel. Fans of Lucinda Riley and Paulette Jiles will appreciate Alexander's eye for detail and keen sense of place, which allow the blighted fields and family homestead to loom large. The Irishman's Daughter skillfully blends family ties with the horrors of a starving country and the hopefulness of young love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)