On New Year’s Day 1925 Ivy Rose Murphy awakes to find her world changed forever. Her irresponsible Da is dead. She is grief-stricken and alone – but for the first time in her life free to please herself. After her mother deserted the family, Ivy became the sole provider for her da and three brothers. Pushing a pram around the well-to-do areas of Dublin every day, she begged for the discards of … discards of the wealthy which she then turned into items she could sell around Dublin’s markets.
As she visits the morgue to pay her respects to her Da, a chance meeting introduces Ivy to a new world of money and privilege, her mother’s world. Ivy is suddenly a woman on a mission to improve herself and her lot in life.
Jem Ryan is the owner of a livery near Ivy’s tenement. When an accident occurs in one of his carriages, leaving a young girl homeless, it is Ivy he turns to. With Jem and the people she meets in her travels around Dublin, Ivy begins to break out of the poverty-ridden world that is all she has ever known.
Through Streets Broad and Narrow is a story of strength and determination in the unrelenting world that was Dublin tenement life.
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Excellent series. I was so sad when I realized I had finished every one.
A great look at the poverty and struggles of workers in the past and women’s rights.
I am of Irish decent and the stories in this book touched my soul. My ancestors told of their troubles but this made those issues plain.
Great read and I want more. I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next. Can not wait to read number 2.
An author I intend to follow.
Well written and peopled with characters you could identify with and care about. Lots of action & twists and turns in the plot that keep you wanting to read more. A heroine with pluck, inspiring.
Interesting story about poverty in Dublin in the 1920’s.
It is so enjoyable to read an entertaining book that also gives us a glimpse into the reality of daily living in the past. Excellent historical fiction.