Recommended for readers who enjoy An American Beauty by Shana Abé and When the World Fell Silent by Donna Jones Alward.
Three hearts. Lost love. One impossible choice.
A character-driven historical saga featuring the love triangle of a seaman, a governess and a wealthy speculator. Told through letters, the sweep of 19th century events like the gold rush, whaling voyages, and the streets of Manhattan unfold.
At the height of the 1840s whaling era, Catherine McGuirk arrives in Sag Harbor, New York. She has already spurned a marriage proposal from Patrick Lynch on her passage from Ireland and is confident she will find work as a governess, or at least a teacher. The local schoolmaster dismisses her with a smirk. Settling for hotel work has its upside when Cath meets a handsome seaman, Michael Heffernan. Just as she falls in love, he is off on a whaling voyage.
Spending her romance alone spurs Cath to continue her correspondence with Patrick. His ascent as a successful businessman in New York is swift, while Michael promises to give up the sea for marriage to Cath. Yet, when the Gold rush calls, he cannot resist.
A brokenhearted Cath moves to New York to revive her dream of becoming a governess. Once in Manhattan, she continues to be torn between her own ambition, her missing husband, and her former beau.
~ The Gloss Book Club
"This captivating epistolary novel illustrates the hopes and hardships of 19th-century Irish immigrants starting over in America. The book is historically rich and emotionally riveting."
~ The Christian Science Monitor
"Fans of historical novels will find much to like in McGuirk's debut. An ambitious work of historical fiction."
~ Kirkus Review
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