From Booklist
The McGinley family and their neighbors are forced to leave their homes during the Irish land clearances of 1861, when Rose is only seven years old. The family fares better than most as they move from Donegal to Kerry, and Rose's mother becomes a housekeeper. As Rose grows up, she becomes a lady's maid to the difficult oldest daughter of the landowners, Lady Anne. During a house party, Rose falls in love with a gentle and caring blacksmith named John Hamilton. They marry and move north to a small town outside of Armagh. There they have an idyllic life raising their children until once again Rose and her family are faced with eviction, even though John's people have lived in the house for a hundred years. Doughty has written a lovely story about perseverance through adversity, and about how love enables ordinary people to survive desperate times.
Patty EngelmannCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Book Description
A spellbinding novel of 19th century Ireland, from the acclaimed author of On A Clear Day and Beyond the Green Hills. Little Rose McGinley is just seven years old when her family is harshly evicted from their home in Donegal, victims of the Clearances of 1861. It is the first step in what will be a long and eventful journey for Rose, one that will take her from Donegal to Kerry, and back again to the North, with her husband and four children. But the feisty little girl blossoms into a woman of extraordinary character, who confronts hardship and tragedy - as well as great happiness - with steadfast courage and the determination to keep her family together, against all the odds.
