Ratings7
Average rating3.9
Thrilling and full of suspense, this is a novel of Ireland set on a New York-bound ocean liner. In the winter of 1847, from an Ireland torn by disaster and injustice, the Star of the Sea sets sail for New York. On board are hundreds of fleeing emigrants. Among them are a maidservant with a devastating secret, bankrupt Lord Merridith and his family, an aspiring novelist, and a maker of revolutionary ballads -- all braving the Atlantic in search of a new home. But a camouflaged killer is stalking the decks, hungry for the vengeance that will bring absolution. The journey of twenty-six days will see many lives end, and others begin afresh. In a spellbinding story of tragedy and mercy, love and healing, the further the ship sails towards the Promised Land, the more her passengers seem moored to a past which will never let them go.
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A historically inspired drama that moves back and forth between the famine-ridden Ireland and a ship taking emigrants away to America. To learn about the tragic history of that era was fascinating (though horrifying), but I was less impressed by the sometimes contrived and pretentious “literary” trappings. The “document collection” premise did not work so well as in O'Connor's Shadowplay, which I loved; it was too unbelievable, which distracted and annoyed me rather than being a playful enhancement.
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3,356 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...