During a time of great upheaval and unrest in Ireland, as men and women run to take up arms against the tyranny and occupation of the British Empire, the lives of three women are forever altered, and thereby inextricably linked over the span of a century.
Mary Doyle arrives in Dublin in 1913, doomed, she fears, to a life of domestic service. Instead, however, she finds herself deeply affected by … affected by the social and political turmoil of a fledgling nation struggling for independence. Suddenly, all that was once inevitable is no longer a certainty as she is embroiled in the very heart of the Easter Rising.
Scarlett O’Hara has had many hurdles to cross in her life, not least her name. A successful political correspondent, she finds herself at a crossroads when one error of judgement jeopardises everything she has worked so hard to overcome and achieve. In the process of rebuilding her life, Scarlett faces the difficult and ultimate choice of starting all over again.
At ninety-three years old, Eileen Chiarello thought her time for adventure and wonder was over, before a chance meeting with Scarlett draws her back to Ireland, the land her parents fought for and loved so passionately. Now, at the end of her life, Eileen has the opportunity to fulfil a promise she never thought she could.
Historically sweeping and beautifully written, Shadow of a Century draws a circle around the Irish Rebellion and carefully traces the magnitude of its significance against the backdrop of three women’s lives across history.
more
Great history lesson, a must read for anyone of Irish heritage!
I didn’t finish it–I was interested in the early-1900s story line, but not in the modern character.
Too much detail that wasn’t necessary. Did not finish it.
My wife, who is Irish read this book, She says the book should have had her totally outraged and in tears at several points but the writing style just didn’t take her to that point. For her is was interesting historicaly but disappointing emotionally.
While I am not decreasing my rating because of it, the two or three negative opinions on current political issues is distracting and not relevant to this otherwise intriguing historical fiction.
An engrossing weekend read!
This was a wonderful book. Ms Grainger has a way of writing that you just can’t match. This was based on a true story about the Easter Rising in Ireland when they were trying to get freedom from the British in 1916. Ms Grainger has written many books and I am proud to say I have read every one. This is really one of my favorites.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, once I reached the halfway mark, it just seemed to drag on. I was more interested in the Irish uprising than the romance but once the first big revolt happened, it just limped back to the affair that started this whole affair. I just didn’t care enough about the affair to finish it.