Like making lace – she pieces together a
new life from a single thread of hope
(Set in Australia and New Zealand)
Brigid
is torn. If she stays, she is another mouth to feed in a land
plagued by starvation and poverty. If she leaves her beloved Ireland, she will
never see her family again, but leave she must. There is not enough
food.
Heartbroken, she boards the ship that will take her to a
new life in Australia, comforted only by the knowledge her cousin Jamie will
make the journey with her. Her skill as a lacemaker soon draws
attention, but life doesn't always run smoothly in the harsh new
landscape. Brigid must learn to conquer her fears and overcome the
stigma of being a servant, a female and Irish, if she is to fulfil
her dream.
A new start in New
Zealand offers hope – until the day
she encounters the man who seeks her downfall.
The historical aspects of the story are so accurate and described so perfectly that the reader will frequently need to remind herself/himself that the story is fiction … This is a thoroughly satisfying read. It is the kind of story that passes the test as a work of history and is equally satisfying as a novel that will have your attention from first to last.
**** 4 stars – Frank O’Shea, The Irish Echo, Sydney