Heather’s Bookshelf: The Winds of Morning
Author: Gifford MacShane
Released: 11/20/20
Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance Novella
“He found himself unable to let her go. He leaned on the wall and let her head slip down into the hollow of his shoulder. One of her hands crept up to rest upon his breast, but otherwise she did not stir. He kissed her forehead, laid his cheek against her hair and held her there until the first dim light of dawn.”
“The Winds of Morning” is a prequel as part of the Donovan Family Saga Series. The book is set in 1848 in Ireland and introduces Molly O’Brien, a young woman having just lost her mother and now responsible for her two ailing younger brothers.
Molly’s been performing hard labor 16 hours a day, but she’s still not making enough to feed herself or her brothers. Beyond hope, she decides her only option is to sell her body to feed her family.
John Patrick Donovan finds Molly in despair and decides to intervene. He offers to feed her and her brothers without requiring anything in exchange. Believing he can help them, he marries Molly and takes in her family. He sets out to make the long trip back to his family’s home.
Trigger Warning: starvation, famine, prostitution, death, illness
Overall, I really enjoyed this novella. It was short, tragic, and very sweet in parts. There’s a lot of love in this book- between a husband and his wife, a sister and her brothers, and a blood family with their adopted loved ones. There’s also a lot of loss in this book. The dichotomy between the emotions and the connection I felt to the characters after just a short tale was quite powerful. Both Molly and John Patrick were clear and very likable characters. The setting was also very vivid with the writing of the language to match the time and place. Although a novella, I still felt the ending of the story was a bit abrupt and wish it had been delved out more. Perhaps the main and subsequent novel may clear this part up.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
An emotionally complex novella filled with tragedy and love.
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