An Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post bestseller.In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything… memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.
The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.
As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?
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I do not read historical fiction books often but when Amy Harmon writes one, I know I have to read it. What the Wind Knows is also my first historical, time traveling book. I will admit, it took me some time to get used to it and when I did, the story took off. Annie and Thomas’s story is one of loss, love, hope and believing in things we think to be unreal.
The ending of the book was unexpected. I truly didn’t think it would end they way it did but I was beyond happy it did. It was the perfect ending to an amazing tale.
If you haven’t read historical romance or a time traveling books, let What the Wind Knows be your first. You won’t regret it.
If you are a reader of these, enjoy getting lost in the Ireland fog with Annie and Thomas. I truly did!
What The Wind Knows is a slow moving beautiful story rich in history and historical events. It blends history, romance and a touch of fantasy into one book.
“Thomas was still caught between the memory of them and the prospect of me, and I was snagged between a future that was my past, and a past that might be my future.”
Annie is a wonderful heroine, both vulnerable and strong. She rolls with the punches and adapts to whatever is thrown at her.
“I am changed utterly. Irrevocably. And though love is indeed a terrible beauty, especially given the circumstances, I can only revel in all its gory gloriousness.”
This story has a very Irish Outlander feel and Ireland and its history play a giant part, coming to life like another character in the book.
-4 Stars!-
Every now and again I come across a book that pulls me and wraps around my heart. Several sleepless nights when I couldn’t put it down. I’ll read again because I am sure I missed something. Unbelievably good. Highly recommend this book. Do you like history? Read this book. Do you like mysteries? Read this book. Do you like romance? Read this book.
Great book, easy to read, keeps you guessing.
A story I never wanted it to end.
Amy Harmon never fails! This is an amazing story, so rich with history and love. I know very little of Ireland’s story, and I was captivated by the weaving of history, magic, and passion. A love story that spans the test of time, this is a must read. I would love to hear more from Anne and Thomas’s journey.
I loved this book! It was easy to pick up and just keep reading. It’s been days and I’m still being haunted by this story.
Do yourself a favor and read this gorgeous book! Five Golden Stars!
This is a very well-written love story with the majority of the action taking place during and after the 1916 Irish Rebellion. It is a magical tale of a 21st century woman and an early 20th century man and their love for each other and for a boy/man, Eoin! You have to read it to understand!!!! I enjoyed the author’s depiction of the Irish people and their struggles.
I thought would enjoy the time travel but was mainly sad about what happened to the characters. I may give it another chance. Good research but way too much military history to suit me.
“Freedom is the ability to go where your heart calls.” So true, is this quote from the book, especially as the story unfolds.
A successful young American author, keeping a promise to her recently deceased beloved grandfather, embarks on a trip to his hometown in Ireland to scatter his ashes in the nearby lake. This begins a fascinating tale which includes time travel, Irish history, romance amid beautiful description of the country. Our heroine, Ann Gallagher, finds herself caught between a future that was her past and a past that could well be in her future.
This is a wonderful book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, anybody who loves romance, and for those who love time travel!
In other words, there is something for everyone! Excellent!
I am wrecked… completely and utterly wrecked with a horrible book hangover after reading this incredible novel! I just want to crawl inside it and stay there forever.
This unforgettable and timeless tale stole my heart and left me begging for more.
Richly layered in Irish history, weaving fact and fiction with a beautiful romance… Amy Harmon took me on a breathtaking and magical journey through time to 1920s Ireland during a tumultuous period when emotions were high and tempers ran hot while Ireland fights for its independence from the Royal Crown.
From times present to past, I fell completely into Harmon’s passionate words. They enraptured me and held me captive. I was consumed from the first word until the very last.
The story of Anne, Thomas and Eion leapt from the pages and held me in its clutches. Anne’s journey from present to past, told through her POV and Thomas’s through his journal entries, follows her travel through time from 2001 to when she fell into an unexpected new world in the year 1921 Ireland. My heart warmed and my eyes flooded with tears during Anne’s journey, through her inner turmoil with her identity and her beautiful romance with Thomas.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much these characters captivated me and had me entranced with their strength, their honesty, their love, devotion and loyalty. Amy Harmon wrote them on paper, but these characters took on a life of their own. I felt them so completely in my heart and that’s where they’ll stay because they are truly unforgettable.
What the Wind Knows is my Top Favorite Read of 2019 and it’s going to be hard to top this riveting and spellbinding story. Amy Harmon has always been a fantastic storyteller with her ability to captivate readers and pull them into her her books, and she made me not only fall in love with this story, but she made me feel like I lived it. Truly epic.
What the Wind Knows is a masterpiece. What Amy Harmon has created is a timeless journey, both literally and figuratively, that completely consumed me, every step of the way. I honestly could not get enough of this story of one woman’s desire to recapture of bit of her family’s history and her surprising adventure of a lifetime.
Harmon beautifully describes the Ireland of today and the one in the early 1900’s where the strife most of us have only known through news reports over many years, comes alive on every page. Our heroine, Anne Gallagher, is the devoted granddaughter of her beloved Eoin and when he asks her to scatter his ashes in his native Ireland, never did she dream she would then feel closer to him than ever. I felt privileged to ‘walk’ beside Anne as she discovers long-held secrets Eoin had never shared with her and the life he led as a young boy in the small town of Dromahair.
This book is beyond rich with emotion, as Anne navigates a past told brilliantly in alternating POVs. We get the exquisite journal entries of one Dr. Thomas Smith, a man who was more than a father to young Eoin and Anne’s take on a most fascinating new world. Here I thought my own trip to Ireland a few years ago was memorable. That pales in comparison to what Anne gets to witness! With unforgettable characters like Michael Collins (!), a man who I now need to explore further, and the delightful O’Toole family, I never wanted to leave the pages of this story. My heart was anxious, and yet my soul was thoroughly satisfied.
I was both thrilled to continue and hesitant to see if the past, present and future could exist together and Anne would finally find the personal happiness she knew was missing from her life. The unexpected but very touching love that she finds is truly the icing on the glorious cake that is this book. It’s a delicate love that has the unfortunate insecurity attached to it that can’t be avoided. As I held my breath during the last few chapters, I could only hope that Harmon would ‘save the day’ and give me the ending I craved.
What the Wind Knows is bursting at the seams with history. I couldn’t look away if I tried and there was no way I could even skip one word. All of it is necessary. All of it is breathtaking. All of it is perfect. Getting the start to the IRA; realizing just how much the Irish people have suffered for a freedom I sometimes take for granted, blew me away. And Harmon is a true artist as she weaves this crucial time in history with Anne’s determination to know her family better and to claim a love she never saw coming.
Please don’t miss a single moment of this book. Relish the joy that the Author gained by using her own family’s history to tell the tale of Anne Gallagher and how her life changed just when she needed it most. Not to mention the use of the poetry of W.B. Yeats as a lead-in to every chapter, which made me smile. Anne is forever surrounded by the love that her beautiful Eoin gave her and now her life is better than she could have ever imagined.
Yes What the Wind Knows is fantastical (my new favorite word, courtesy of Harmon). But if you just let yourself be swept away by its charm and its grace, you will find this to be a magnificent read that is truly unmatched.
5+++++++++ stars all the way!
Every book I read by Amy Harmon I loved, and What The Wind Knows is no exception. Amy’s writing is so beautiful and her characters are so compelling, you can’t help but fall in love with her stories. What the Wind Knows is a book about Anne who travels to Ireland to spread her beloved grandfather’s ashes and finds herself transported 80 years back in time, when Ireland was fighting for independence. There she finds a home and a family that she never had in her own time. But can she stay in a time period that is not her own?
What the Wind Knows is for everyone who loves historical fiction, time travel books in the vein of Outlander, and impossible love stories. It will sweep you of your feet, tug at your heartstrings, and make you cry sad and happy tears. I highly recommend it!
All the stars, sun, and the moon! Perfection! This story could easily be an epic movie!
One of the most captivating historical novels I’ve ever read. The immaculate prose and imagery will have you dreaming of Ireland in vivid color. The historical events of the Irish Rebellion are seamlessly weaved in a magical, timeless love story for the ages, resulting in the flawless, unforgettable novel I found it to be.
During tumultuous times in Ireland, Dr. Thomas Smith and Anne Gallagher meet under extraordinary circumstances. Anne finds herself inexplicably in 1921, decades before her time, drawn to Thomas and thereby the conflict he’s immersed in as Ireland tries to gain its independence from the British.
This beautifully written, completely captivating book takes you to Ireland and makes you never want to leave.
When Anne’s grandfather dies, he forces her to head to their ancestral home without him. Or rather, without him in corporal form; she brings him with her in an urn. Anne grew up hearing all manner of tales about her grandfather’s homeland, and she always believed they would go there and she would experience Ireland with him.
Lost in the reverie of the histories he taught her, she finds herself slipping into the Ireland of nearly a century ago, meeting some of the people her grandfather told her about. One in particular pulls her into the tempestuous times, and Anne finds herself on quite the adventures, both political and romantical.
I loved this book. I loved the way Amy Harmon’s prose lulled me into her world, making me feel as if I were right there with Anne. I loved the way I came to care about Anne, as well as the cast of characters she meets. I loved how breathless this book made me, keeping me on the edge of my seat as I wondered what would happen, particularly which world Anne would wind up in. And I loved the romance of this book: the romance of time, location, and, yes, a romance between Anne and a particular man she meets.
Amy Harmon creates this magical realism in a loving, reverential way that you will find yourself hunting down your passport, determined to book a flight to Ireland.
In fact, that’s what this book truly is: a love letter to Ireland. We’re the fortunate ones because Amy Harmon shares it with us.
I’ve never been to Ireland but after finishing What The Wind Knows it feels like I had. I’m a novice when it comes to historical romance but this book was calling out to me. I’m so glad I read WTWK. It has a perfect blend of history and fantasy thanks to the cleverly and brilliantly writing from Amy Harmon. Her prose is flawless. Absolutely effortless and intoxicating in her description of the beautiful country Ireland and her development of the storyline and its incredible characters.
I was completely immersed in this story. With Annie and her journey. Her story has so many layers and it was cleverly explored and depicted. I fell in love with her, Eoin and Thomas. The history of Ireland was fascinating and I felt like I was a part of Annie’s journey. It was intense emotions because of the the events that transpired in Ireland and then mixed with the beautiful love story of Annie, Eoin and Thomas. I was a mess numerous times. Tears down my cheeks. That’s a testament to Amy Harmon’s writing. She harness so much emotion with few little words. Magnificent.
WTWK is truly magical. A must read. I hitched a ride back to 1916 and it was a fantastic ride. A marvelous adventure.
5 Countess Stars
What The Wind Knows to put it simply was pretty fucking amazing. I figured out the twists way before they were revealed but that in no way shape or form detracted from my enjoyment of this story. I was hooked from the first line and fully immersed in the story by the end of the first page. This story was everything. It contained so many things I love to read about, history, time travel, love, secrets, lies, betrayal and adventure. Oh what an adventure it was. This story, these characters *happy sigh* just fully worked for me. I highly, very highly recommend this book. Do yourself a favour and go read it.
Copy provided by publisher through Net Galley
Annie was raised in America by her Irish grandfather. He has been preparing her to embrace his home country her whole life. She has researched the details surrounding Ireland’s complicated history, she’s learned it’s culture and ancestral language, and she can converse with a born and bred accent. Her grandfather has a particular vision for Annie’s first step into Ireland and the timing never seems to be right. But when he dies, Annie must make the much anticipated trip alone as she honors his wishes to scatter his ashes in the middle of Lough Gill. One task. One lake with a haunted past. Little does Annie know just how consuming Ireland can be.
What the Wind Knows is a multi-genre novel full of culture, history, family, and romance. Fiction meets nonfiction in a poetic and emotional story that is said by the author Amy Harmon to be very close to her heart. According to the author’s note, Annie’s character followed Harmon’s own footsteps as she recently journeyed to Ireland to experience her ancestral birthplace. Many of the locations and people within this book are all part of Harmon’s personal history. Someone once told me if I wanted to learn more about something, then teach it to someone else. That is what Harmon did. I finished this book completely stunned by the sheer amount of research that is carried within this tale of life, loss, loyalty and conflict. But beyond all, love. Love for country and love for each other. Absolutely timeless. Check it out.
All the stars possible!! Seriously, if Amy Harmon wrote a dictionary, I would be first in line to buy it. Her writing is exceptional, draws you in, and you feel like you are right there in the middle of it.
This book takes place in Ireland, for the most part. I have never given much thought to Ireland, but after reading this book, it is definitely on my bucket list to travel there. The description of it is so beautiful and I just wanted to be right where they were.
The love story between Anne and Thomas gave me all the feels! I loved the way they interacted and how the love story came about. It was perfect.
I don’t feel like this review can do the book justice, so you just have to read it for yourself. It is another top notch book from Amy Harmon.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This story is worth so much more than the 5 stars we’re given to rate a book. I can easily say that no matter how many books I read this year, What the Wind Knows will easily be at the top of my favorite books of the year list. I honestly am in awe of how Amy Harmon crafts some of the most beautiful stories I have ever read.
History is something I have always been very fascinated with, but to sit down and read a history book always put me to sleep, no matter how enthralled I was with the topic I was reading about. But sit me in front of a movie and I eat it up. To read this book felt so much like sitting in front of a movie screen that I could not put it down. Amy’s writing transported me right into 1921 Ireland right along with Anne. It was such a turbulent time for the country and it was evident that Amy did an enormous amount of research with the way she so seamlessly intertwined factual with fictional events in time throughout this story. A lot of the events during that time were heartbreaking to read about, but at the same time, it was beautiful to see how much the Irish people loved their country above all else.
This story is a historical romance and even if that trope is not your favorite, I beg you to read this book. It is so much more than that. I fell in love with the characters, the story, the history, the scenery, the idea that love transcends time and space.
I absolutely love Anne, Thomas and Eoin. All the versions of them. There were so many characters that were integral to this story, both past and present. And the way Amy reveals this story to the readers just cemented for me how masterful her writing is. The way certain events played out left me Gobsmacked and in awe, ruminating long and hard about how some things are going to happen the way they happen no matter what, so whether that event took place in the past or didn’t happen until the present, it is going to happen exactly how it’s supposed to.
“Yes. I told you. You told me. And you will tell me again. Only the wind knows which truly comes first.”
I know this will be a story that I think about for a very long time, and will come back to it constantly so that I don’t forget it. My emotions are overflowing since finishing it. This is one of those stories that leave a stamp on your heart and your soul. Incredible.