The Moon Over Kilmore Quay by Carmel Harrington ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

They say home is where the heart is, yet somehow my heart is split in two. New York, the city I live in and love, and Ireland, the home of my ancestors—somewhere I have lived only in my dreams. And now I have no choice but to go looking…

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May 2021; Bookouture; 978-1800197398
audio, ebook, print (388 pages); women's fiction

The Moon over Kilmore Quay is a book about friends and families.  It's a dual timeline book with time periods in the present day and the early 90s.  The main characters in this book are well written and the plot is a very emotional ride.  All of the characters have ties to beautiful Ireland - some by birth and some because they were raised by Irish immigrants.  This was the first book for me by this author and it's time to look into her earlier releases

Present Day - Bea has never been to Ireland but because she was raised by grandparents who had immigrated from Ireland and is the daughter of an Irish immigrant, she considers herself Irish at heart.  

As the book begins, she receives a copy of a letter that she'd written 18 years earlier to her future self.  Her life is very unsettled because she just broke up with the love of her life and she feels that the letter may help her deal with her life today.  It certainly opens up a lot of earlier issues for her and sends her to Ireland to find out more about her deceased mother's family.  She has two close long-time friends who are by her side every step of the way while she searches for information about her mother.

1990s - This part of the story is told by Lucy who moved to New York City from Ireland with her sister Maeve.  Maeve is adventurous and was looking for new adventures in her life.  Lucy was quieter and missed her home in Ireland and her parents.  As they learn more about life in NYC and fall in love, their lives take twists and turns that they didn't see coming.

This book is beautiful - it's women's fiction with lots of twists and turns until the final truths that will astound you.  I enjoyed learning more about the immigrants as they acclimated to America coming from a small town in Ireland where everyone knew everyone to New York where they knew no one.  I also enjoyed reading about Bea and her two friends as well as Lucy and her friends.  Women know how important their female friendships are to their lives and the friendships in this book were a major part of the story.  This is a wonderful multi-generational story full of family and friends, Irish songs, and St. Patrick's Day parades.  It made me laugh and it made me cry and I won't soon forget this novel.

Buy The Moon over Kilmore Quay at Amazon

About Carmel Harrington:

Carmel Harrington is from Co. Wexford, where she lives with her husband Roger, children Amelia and Nate and their beloved rescue dog, George Bailey. An international bestseller and regular panellist on Irish radio and TV, her warm and emotional storytelling has captured the hearts of readers worldwide, translated into nine languages. Carmel’s trademark is to write warm, uplifting stories with humour, heart and hope. She loves to write about family, friendships, love and life within complex, twisting plots. Carmel’s novels have been shortlisted for an Irish Book Award in 2016 & 2017 and her debut won Kindle Book of the Year and Romantic eBook of the Year in 2013.

 

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Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. 

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