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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Even though raised in extreme poverty, she has such grit and never gives up finding solutions for the problems of others and herself. Want to know what happens in the next book of the series. Best book I’ve read in a good little while.
It was set in 1925 Ireland and the main character was great and so able to take care of herself and family she was productive
And able to make anything work to supply her necessities
A very ambitious byoung lady under all kinds of bad circumstances she came up doing better
It’s a little slow at first but don’t give up! Just a short time and the book becomes one of those you hate to put down and REALLY hate when it ends. What a great read.
This author would benefit from a conversation with a professional editor. Her book reads like someone who has read a novel and thinks it’s equally easy to write one. It is not a horrible book… just too many words describing everything. Too many words describing each line of dialogue, each piece of furniture. Thirty percent of the words could be lost and it would be a happier read. It seems amature-ish. For example, every time someone prepared tea – and that happened WAY too often – we had to muck through an entire paragraph about it. By its very nature, a cup of tea should be comforting. Not increasingly irritating. We’re supposed to admire our heroine – and we do – but what is supposed to excite us to read the sequel is to create greater suspense. Instead, when I reached the end, I was just relieved not to endure another cup of tea. In summary, not objectionable, but very dull. Definitely needs professional editing to entice me to continue the series.
Was a tad slow
Is it high literature? Nope, and that’s just fine. It’s a ton of fun to read, and a great way to relax. When you know the heroine will always triumph, it’s easy to just enjoy the book.
I loved the story and it’s 4 books I believe. I loved the characters I can see them in my mind . I would loved to have been friends with them and am going to miss them so much when I’m finished reading .
I liked this book so much . I got the whole series I haven’t read the last book yet, but it’s the next book I will read.
I love historical fiction and could not put it down. I read all 4 books in a couple of weeks.
Predictable, Dickensian plotting. Shallow characterization.
Amazing characters, very Irish sayings, funny , and historical as well. I am on book3
Liked the characters and story line
I loved this book. Ivy was a wonderful character who stole my heart. I learned lots about Ireland and what it is like to live in poverty.
Loved this book…can’t wait to read the next in the series!! Was very realistic of the problems faced by the Irish for the time period . All the characters are fun to read about.
I loved this book so much, I bought the other three in the series. Riveting.
Hearing about Ireland in the 1920s was so interesting, sad, yet some good things about their lives, too.
nice book about nice people. I just don’t care for books that fade away into the next (to be purchased) book What ever happened to books that come to an ending.. at the end? I’ll probably read the sequels at some point, but I wasn’t driven to purchase immediately
excellent story of ireland in the early 1900’s
I enjoy Irish historical fiction, and loved the characters, but the plot worked out just too well to be realistic. Nonetheless, I plan to read the next one!
Great historical novel that is well written.Really enjoyed the main characters in this story.I look forward to the next in this series.