‘LIVES APART’ by Anne M. McLoughlin has been selected as the book for April by The Reading Room of the United Irish Cultural Centre in San Francisco.
For those with links to County Clare my recent debut novel may be of interest. Although a work of fiction, the inspiration for the book came from having researched my own family tree.
Set in Clare, Boston, San Francisco and Nova Scotia ‘Lives Apart’ explores sibling relationships and how a disastrous action can reverberate through the lives of the extended family. It also looks at the experience of emigration, both for those who had the courage to venture across the Atlantic and those they left behind.
A tale of emigration from Ireland to America after the famine. A family saga of betrayal, tragedy and survival.
LIVES APART tells the story of young Johanna McNamara, who, in 1877 leaves her quiet life on the family farm in County Clare and emigrates to America to join her successful businessman brother Hugh. Full of hope, she is determined to make a success of her life. However, tragedy strikes before she finds her feet in this new world, and she must put the care of others before her own needs.
Back in Ireland, farming life for the family continues through the seasons, with her brother Art struggling to deal with his troubled son Declan. Sending him to the USA is an option that might help turn him into a man. But little does Johanna know what lies ahead with the arrival of a nephew, whose act of betrayal will blow her life apart.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lives-Apart-betrayal-tragedy-survival/dp/1781994005/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08MWY632B
Lives Apart : Anne M McLoughlin : 9781781994009 (bookdepository.com)