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.
-
Sexual Content - 1/5
1/5
-
Violence - 1/5
1/5
-
Language - 0/5
0/5
-
Drugs and Alcohol - 0/5
0/5
Summary
From: Rebecca Maney
Book Title: A Dance in Donegal
Book Author: Jennifer Deibel
What do you like about this book:
"Yer mother's tale will come ta light sooner or later, peata. Then the whole of Ballyman'll know the truth about ye. . . . keep your eyes wide open".
With those kinds of ominous words still ringing in her ears, Moira Doherty could not, for the life of her, imagine what the old man was threatening to reveal, for her "mother was the most honorable, decent person (she'd) ever known". Wasn't she? But apparently the seeds of doubt had already been planted among members of her new Irish community, and Moira is beginning to seriously question why the Lord would send her so far away from Boston. . . . except that deep down in her heart Moira does know the answer to that question, her coming was to fulfill her mother's dying wish and to obey the voice of the Lord that she was certain had confirmed it.
Being an American trying to find her way into acceptance in a small Irish village wasn't easy, but Moira loved teaching and was glad the local teaching position provided her with a means of employment. But even that seemed to be fading away after she made a conscious decision to do the right thing instead of doing the easy thing; people began talking behind her back, her students weren't attending school and Moira even began to fear for her own safety. Thanks goodness for Sean McFadden, an handsome young thatcher as well as Sean's employer Colm Sweeney, and his wife Peg. What would it feel like to have Sean constantly by her side, with his easy manner and honorable intentions. What would it feel like to have that "dance in Donegal" that her mother had always talked about?
Where this story seems a bit weak in development, it makes up for in inspiration. It's always refreshing to see the Word of God so liberally applied to real life circumstances, especially when multiple opportunities for forgiveness are essential to a character's well being. And the ending? There were so many unexpected scene changes that the reader may very well wonder if they are still reading the same book. An excellent finale is always a good thing; it's what the reader will remember with fondness.
I received a copy of this book from the Baker Publishing Group through Interviews and Reviews. The opinions stated above are entirely my own.