Think Downton Abbey, set in the heart of Boston Irish domestic worker Norah King’s decision to ask her wealthy employer, Caroline Parker, for an elegant red coat that the Beacon Hill matriarch has marked for donation ignites a series of events that neither woman could have fathomed. The unlikely exchange will impact their respective daughters and families for generations to come, from the coat’s … come, from the coat’s original owner, marriage-minded collegian Cordelia Parker, to the determined and spirited King sisters of South Boston, Rosemary, Kay, and Rita. As all of these young women experience the realities of life – love and loss, conflict and joy, class prejudices and unexpected prospects – the red coat reveals the distinction between cultures, generations, and landscapes in Boston during the 1940s and 50s, a time of change, challenge, and opportunity.
Meet the proud, working-class Irish and staid, upper-class Brahmins through the contrasting lives of these two families and their friends and neighbors. See how the Parkers and the Kings each overcome sudden tragedy with resolve and triumph. And witness the profound impact of a mother’s heart on her children’s souls. Carlson brings us front and center with her knowing weave of Celtic passion – both tragic and joyful – words of wisdom, romance, humor, and historical events. Dive into Boston feet first! The Red Coat is a rich novel that chronicles the legacy of Boston from both sides of the city, Southie and the Hill.
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Memory
Predictable and boring
Couldn’t get into it. I come from an Irish Catholic background and has high hopes for the book. But I never made it past the second chapter. It was just too bogged down in minutiae. A better storyteller would have painted the time, place, and cultural identities with much cleaner lines.
A big disappointment.
very true picture of SOUTHIE
Loved the Boston setting as I am from Massachusetts and was familiar with most of the various settings throughout the book. Has a great premise – a red coat that passes from a very wealthy family to an Irish domestic worker. There are a lot of characters and they aren’t well developed, yet there was a lot of opportunity to do so. As I got closer to the end of the book, I was surprised that it didn’t have a strong ending…just left you there.
Not quite done with it, but have enjoyed the story line and all the history included about Irish immigrants and the different classes of all the ethnic groups in our melting pot back in that time.
Good tale of family, connections and life