I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for devastatingly beautiful dual timeline novel The Letter Home by Rachael English. Thank you to Anne Cater and Headline for giving me the opportunity to read and review this powerful and moving book.
About the book:
When journalist Jessie Daly loses everything she holds dear, she travels home to Ireland’s west coast, and helps an old friend researching life during the famine. Jessie becomes drawn into the heartbreaking story of a brave young mother, Bridget Moloney, and her daughter, Norah.
On the other side of the ocean, in Boston, Kaitlin Wilson is researching her family tree. She unearths a fascinating story, but her research forces her to confront uncomfortable truths about the past, as she uncovers an unexpected connection to Ireland in famine times.
Generations before, in the small town of Boherbreen, a young mother faced a heart- wrenching choice: to watch her baby girl perish with hunger, or to start out for a new life in America, alone, in order to protect the one she loves most…
About the author:
Rachael English is a bestselling novelist and presenter on Ireland’s most popular radio show, Morning Ireland. During more than twenty years as a journalist, she has worked on most of RTÉ Radio’s leading current affairs programmes, covering a huge range of national and international stories.
The American Girl, The Night of the Party and The Paper Bracelet were all top 5 Irish bestsellers.
My Review:
Inspired by true events, The Letter Home by Rachael English is a devastatingly honest and beautiful story that will stay with me for a long time to come. Not an easy read by any means, this is a book that will elicit a strong emotional response from many readers due to the very real and often painful subject matter of what life was like during a horrendous time in Irish history,
The Letter Home tells the story of three remarkable women whose lives interweave across time and generations. First we have Jessie who, after losing everything, travels home to Ireland’s west coast to help a friend research life during the famine. She soon becomes drawn into the heartbreaking story of brave young mother Bridget and her daughter, Norah.
Meanwhile, miles away in Boston, Kaitlin is researching her family tree. Discovering a fascinating but heartbreaking story, Kaitlin must confront uncomfortable and often horrifying truths from the past as her research uncovers a shocking connection to Ireland during the famine.
Generations before, a young mother must make a devastating choice that will leave her heartbroken and alone so that she can protect the one person she loves most in the world, leaving behind only a letter…
What follows is a beautiful but devastating story that tore my heart into a million pieces, made even stronger by the fact it is inspired by true events, adding even more depth to what is already a powerful and unforgettable read.
The Letter Home is a dual timeline story that begins with Jessie in 2019 and then moves backwards and forwards through time as a heartrending story of love and sacrifice during an horrendous time in Ireland’s history begins to unfold. The story had me gripped from the very first page, with the author bringing these characters and their stories vividly to life, moving me to tears as what happens not only to Bridget and Norah but also to Jessie and Kaitlin, is slowly revealed.
A poignant and emotional story, The Letter Home is a beautifully written, compelling, moving and thought provoking dual timeline historical novel that I would highly recommend.
The Letter Home by Rachael English is available to purchase now:
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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