In 1920, Annabeth De Lacy's father is appointed landlord of Galway Parish in Ireland. Bored without all the trappings of the British Court, Annabeth convinces her father to arrange an apprenticeship for her with the Jennings family--descendants of the creator of the famed Claddagh Ring.
Stephen Jennings longs to do anything other than run his family's jewelry shop. Having had his heart broken, he no longer believes in love and is weary of peddling the "lies" the Claddagh Ring promises.
Meanwhile, as the war for Irish independence gains strength, many locals resent the De Lacys and decide to take things into their own hands to display their displeasure. As events take a dangerous turn for Annabeth and her family, she and Stephen begin to see that perhaps the "other side" isn't quite as barbaric and uncultured as they'd been led to believe--and that the bonds of friendship, love, and loyalty are only made stronger when put through the refiner's fire.
Travel to the Emerald Isle for another poignant and romantic story from the enchanted pen of Jennifer Deibel.
Grab a copy HERE!
MY THOUGHTS
With the ongoing disputes between the Irish and British, the people of Galway Parish are less than happy when the De Lacy family move from England to take the place of landlord. Bored of her life at court, Annabeth is desperate for something different to do and manages to convince her father to allow her to apprentice for the Jennings at their jewellery shop.
Stephen Jennings is fed up with working at the shop, a broken heart having turned him cold to love and the legend of the Claddagh Ring that he must recount to nearly every customer. He has plans to leave, to move away and take on an ironworks apprenticeship in Spain, but his plans are delayed when his father introduces Lady Annabeth De Lacy as his new apprentice and tells him that he must teach her their craft.
While Anna is desperate to earn Stephen’s friendship, she begins to realise things she had never thought about before, about the Irish and the relationship between her country and the new one she is discovering. She had been led to believe the Irish needed English intervention, that the Irish couldn’t get by alone, but the place she arrives in is in no need of saving. So, she begins to question what her family is doing there, and why the English are so intent on ‘saving’ the Irish. Why, for the Irish seem to hate everything the English do? Perhaps all her lessons have only told her one side of the story...
Stephen acts incredibly distant towards Anna, and from his perspective, he has good reason to. She is an Englishwoman, who has come into his country in a position of power over him and his friends, and demanded to learn the craft that has been in his family for generations. But, as he finds himself showing her the real Ireland, and realises she is not the person he thought she would be, but someone who is capable of understanding when she was wrong about something, and willing to switch out her skirts for a pair of trousers and get her hands dirty, he finds himself growing worried. He has had his heart broken before, and he hasn’t believed in true love since. But how can he keep his heart safe while she is around? Throughout the entire novel, Stephen is incredibly back and forth with his emotions and moods, as he tries to figure out whether he can put his heart on the line again, frequently drawing back into himself to guard his emotions against whatever might be happening with Anna.
There is a big theme of the differences in social class in this novel. Anna is a lady, and yet, sometimes she wishes she weren’t, that she didn’t have the responsibilities that came with a title, and that she could do what she wanted. While Stephen is of a much lower social class than Anna, he at least has a house, a business, and enough money to keep food on the table. As Anna learns, there are those much worse off than she ever believed. Anna’s desire to help in whatever way she can is admirable, although often rebuked once she speaks and her accent gives her away as an English Lady.
The relationship between Stephen and Anna grows painfully slowly, it is not at the front of this novel at all. To begin with, Stephen dislikes even being around Anna, and all she wants is something to do with her time. But, as they get to know each other, they start to realise they enjoy each other's company and grow more comfortable together. With talk of revolution in the air, there is enough drama to stir the pot and keep things moving, especially to push Stephen and Anna towards each other. With Stephen being Irish, Anna’s family think themselves greatly above him and Anna has a secret that means she already has no chance to ever be with Stephen.
The setting of the novel is beautiful, you can almost see the streets, hear the sound of people going about their lives, and smell the sea air as you read. This book does not go deeply into some of the heavier topics, such as Anna’s social commitment to her family, and things she may be forced to give up for the sake of her father’s title, but focuses more on Anna and Stephen as they slowly begin to like each other. It is a sweet read, one that you might read on a quiet afternoon of relaxing. If you are after a gentler read, but one still set in a turbulent time, with social issues, revolution, and love, this is the one you should get.
Jennifer Deibel is a middle school teacher and freelance writer. Her work has appeared on (in)courage, on The Better Mom, in Missions Mosaic Magazine, and others. With firsthand immersive experience abroad, Jennifer writes stories that help redefine home through the lens of culture, history, and family. After nearly a decade of living in Ireland and Austria, she now lives in Arizona.
No comments:
Post a Comment