Molly Thomas is a feisty, independent soul, born on the Winter Solstice in the mystical Boyne Valley, Ireland. At every stage of her life, she has faced troubles. As a young woman, her family are evicted from their home at Christmas. Molly swears vengeance on the jealous neighbour and land agent responsible, Flann Montgomery. Then in 1896, her baby son is taken from his pram. While Molly searches … searches the streets for little Oliver, the police are called but her baby is gone. Why does trouble seem to follow Molly? And will she ever find out what happened to her child?
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I received a free copy of this book from BookSirens. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
When Molly Thomas is seventeen, her family is evicted from their home in rural Ireland. This sets in motion a series of events the puts Molly on a path to destruction and eventually leads to unspeakable tragedy. She swears vengeance on the landlord who stole their home, whom she also believes is responsible for the death of her father, but is Molly who finds herself a victim. Life is not kind to Molly after she leaves Dowth, and each time happiness seems within her grasp, tragedy sweeps it away. Later, when living in London, her infant son is stolen from his pram.
The story is less about the kidnapping and more about Molly herself. While it is told from the points of view of Molly, Henry Brabazon, the son of the man who owned Molly’s home, and the woman who steals her son, the focus of the book is how Molly deals with the events that shape her life. The early 20th century was a difficult time to be a woman, with few choices available. These choices narrow even further if the woman finds herself outside the boundaries of respectability with a child to care for.
It would be easy to excuse some of Molly’s choices. Especially the violent ones. So much of what happens to her, and the resulting grief, trauma, and depression, would explain the extremes of violence and explosive rage. So much is taken from her after her father’s death, it seems merciful to absolve her of responsibility. After all, life is more complex than right and wrong.
I cant do that. Because even though Molly suffered abuse, trauma, heartbreak, and the vagaries of power, she had a choice in how she responded to these events. Limited choices, perhaps, but choices all the same. I believe her bouts of depression and struggle with overwhelming guilt shows she knew this, too.
There was only one way for her story to end, and it would not be a happy ending.
At times, I could not decide if I liked this book or not. It flashes backwards and forwards in time, revealing and then going back to explain what happened. I liked Molly in the beginning, felt heartbroken for her losses, but later I found her to be full of self pity and inertia. Her reaction to every obstacle seemed to be avoidance or violence. There were minor formatting errors, and places where words and letters were out of order or missing. There was also a chapter from the POV of Gladys, the kidnapper, when the child is suddenly four years old that seemed out of place in the sequence of events.
In the end, I decided I did like the book. It’s a well-told story, even if it is a tragic one. Molly was a victim of circumstances as much as she was a victim of her own decisions. The fact that she suffered a great deal of guilt and remorse spoke to her character. I became invested in her story, hoping she would find happiness and love and be able to put the past behind her, and the story stayed with me after I turned the last page.
A Life of Trouble
Trouble seems to follow a young Irish girl named Molly Thomas. She finds trouble at home, she leaves and finds trouble elsewhere, returns and finds more trouble. It appears this young girl cannot catch a break. Her life is a long list of heartbreak, violence and Sadness.
It is a story that speaks of the plight of the impoverished Irish in the 1800’s. The difference between the rich landlords and the poor tenants.
The story is more about the sad conditions for women in the 1800’s. They were treated as second class citizens. If they weren’t married there were not a lot of options for them. There were even less options for an unwed mother in these times, no matter the cause, even if it was rape.
The story is of a happy family that becomes separated due to conditions beyond their control. Selling one’s body and soul to survive. Having no one to turn to and in desperation making choices that would cause more pain. Driven to create acts of violence which would haunt Molly the rest of her life. Always living in the past and existing in the future.
The story is sad and heartbreaking, the ending is even more so. You had best have some Kleenex reading when reading this book. It is a good story and it does hold your interest. I would recommend it .
Thanks to Nicola Cassidy and Book Sirens for allowing me to read a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
This engrossing family saga set in Ireland
and London between the last decade of the 19th century and the early 1920’s is one of those books where the characters live on in one’s mind long after the book is finished. Rich in details of the lives of the characters and the times in which they lived, the reader is transported from simple rural homesteads to ancestral homes, brothels and gritty city life. We follow Molly, the protagonist as she journeys from youthful optimism and a happy, simple life to stark tragedy and great sadness. We see her develop as a character of resilience and strength but also of vulnerability. As her life is weighed down by the burden of dreadful secrets she bears we see how what she’s going through impacts on the lives of those she loves and those she hates.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading touching stories featuring endearing and relatable lead characters set in centuries past.
I received an ARC for free and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.