Set in Ireland during the turbulent early 20th century, Patricia Falvey’s sweeping novel tells the story of one country and two very different worlds, exploring an unlikely friendship between two girls of vastly different backgrounds, as each tries to overcome the barriers set by class and birthright…
A sweeping novel of unlikely friendship, set in turbulent 20th century Ireland . . .
June 1900. Rosie Killeen crosses the road that divides her family’s County Mayo farm from the estate of Lord and Lady Ennis, and makes her way to the “big house” for the first time. Barely eight years old, Rosie joins the throng of servants preparing for the arrival of Queen Victoria. But while the royal visit is a coup for Ennismore, a chance meeting on the grounds proves even more momentous for Rosie.
Victoria Bell, the Ennis’s young daughter, is desperately lonely. Though the children of the gentry seldom fraternize with locals, Lord Ennis arranges for Rosie to join in Victoria’s school lessons. For Rosie, the opportunity is exhilarating yet isolating. Victoria’s governess and aunt objects to teaching a peasant girl. The other servants resent Rosie’s escape from the drudgery of life below stairs. Bright, strong-willed Rosie finds herself caught between her own people and the rarefied air of Ennismore—especially as she grows closer to Victoria’s older brother, Valentine.
As they near womanhood, the girls’ friendship is interrupted. Victoria is bound for a coming out season in Dublin, and Rosie must support her family. But Ireland is changing too. The country’s struggle for Home Rule, the outbreak of the Great War, and a looming Easter rebellion in Dublin all herald a new era. Not even Ennismore can escape unscathed. And for Rosie, family loyalty, love, friendship, and patriotism will collide, leading her through heartbreak and loss in search of her own triumphant independence.
