Assessment:
Plot: This powerful and endearing Irish immigrant’s story sharply explores the emotional turmoil that is associated with the experience of leaving a native country for a life in an unfamiliar one. Readers will fall in love with Rosaleen and her new family.
Prose: Boyle’s narrative form of writing submerses the reader into the time and environment; an entire world is set-up for deep imaginative reading. The novel is paced well, not missing a beat, nor ambling through detail.
Originality: The toil Rosaleen faces in her mid-1800s journey from famined Ireland to industrial Boston is familiar to readers of the genre, yet Boyle introduces unique interests and trials. Rosaleen learns about growing up, racism, classism, prejudice, and segregation, as well as women’s rights.
Character/Execution: Rosaleen is a beautifully detailed character with attributes many women will connect with, while simultaneously building empathy for the collective experience of immigrants. Boyle’s secondary characters, such as the love interest Emmett, or mother-figure Marie, are entirely of interest on their own and supportive of Rosaleen’s development.
Date Submitted: July 21, 2021
