Ashes of Remembrance (Thoene, Bodie, Galway Chronicles (Nashville, Tenn.).)

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Summary: You get your wish!
Review: Book four of the Galway Chronicles, All Rivers to the Sea, is out! My favorite of all the Galway books, All Rivers to the Sea, is the rousing conclusion of my family's history in Ireland. (The entire series is based on stories my maternal grandmother told me when I was a little girl.) The best tales I think are based in truth and lived out in the lives of real people. Brock and I have loved writing the Ireland series. It is gratifying that so many of you are enjoying these novels right aong with us! After Ireland we are going back to Zion with a new series entitled The Zion Legacy. Both research and writing is incredibly intense work but we are excited about it! Book one is called Jerusalem Vigil. Stay tuned - more later!

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Summary: INCREDIBLE! HOPE THEY WRITE ANOTHER SOON!
Review: I am never dissappointed in a Thoene novel. This Irish series is best of all in my opinion! I love the on going story of Kate and Josheph and all the characters of Ballynockanor. The stories my grandmother told about her childhood in Ireland have really come to life. It is amazing how similar the stories in the Galway Chronicles are to the real life history of many of us Irish Americans! The injustice of l800 Ireland under English rule make me value America all the more in spite of our problems here. Anyway, this is a great read for ANYONE!

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Summary: These are the best books on tape I've ever heard!
Review: I can promise there is nothing out there as good as Thoene audio books!The first Thoene audio book we got was Shiloh Autumn! It was amazingly above and beyond any other audio book we ever heard. Now along comes the audio books of The Galway Chronicles! They just keep getting better and better! The music, the sound effects, the soft Irish voice of Sean Barrett all combine to make the listening experience of these audio books one of the best me and my family have ever heard. We do not watch TV, but spend our evenings sitting together and listening to these great stories. No other audio books capture the drama and the excitement of the stories like these. I have heard that the audio books are produced by the Thoene sons and that the Thoene daughter does the abridging. This must be a labor of love for the whole Thoene family and it has blessed my family immensely! Their care in making these books on tape is obvious. I cannot say enough good about these audio books in the Galway Chronicles and of Shiloh Autumn as well.

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Summary: Tremendous book! Great series! The best writers!
Review: I cannot express the positive impact the Galway Chronicles (and other Thoene books) have had on my life. The stories are more than just stories. Ashes of Remembrance is a superb continuation of the Galway Chronicles. I hear book 4 will be out soon. I can't wait to read it!

Rating:
Summary: Tremendous book! Great series! The best writers!
Review: I cannot express the positive impact the Galway Chronicles (and other Thoene books) have had on my life. The stories are more than just stories. Ashes of Remembrance is a superb continuation of the Galway Chronicles. I hear book 4 will be out soon. I can't wait to read it!

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Summary: Amazingly powerful writing! Can't wait for book 4!!!
Review: I have never been dissappointed by a Thoene book. Even those Thoene novels which are not my favorite titles are ten thousand times better than anything else out there. It is interesting that any criticism of their writing compares their books to other Thoene books not to the novels of other contemporary writers. It's because no one in their genre is as good as they are I think. I have my MA in Lit. I teach American and English Lit and drama. I just have to say, having read and reread their novels, I really feel that this Irish series is right up there with the best of the best of Thoene titles! It is obvious they are going to write a Book 4 for the Galway Chronicles. I just wish they would write faster! Bravo to the authors. You are the best I have ever read. (And I am comparing your writing to Steinbeck, Mitchner, Faulkner, Hemmingway...all of whom are long gone. May you live and write forever! We intellectually starving readers need you!)

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Summary: Another great read from the Thoenes!
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Galway Chronicles- I'm anxiously awaiting my copy of the next book. I really enjoy historical fiction, and I love anything about Ireland's past, so these books have been such a treat for me. I'm even recommending them to my dad, who strictly reads non-fiction, because I think he would enjoy them immensely. Through all the tragedies and horrors that these characters have experienced, one common theme is evident- God is always there, always protecting, loving, and comforting, even while the world is crashing all around. A sincere thank you to the authors, for conveying such a wonderful message and a terrific story.

Rating:
Summary: Another great read from the Thoenes!
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the Galway Chronicles- I'm anxiously awaiting my copy of the next book. I really enjoy historical fiction, and I love anything about Ireland's past, so these books have been such a treat for me. I'm even recommending them to my dad, who strictly reads non-fiction, because I think he would enjoy them immensely. Through all the tragedies and horrors that these characters have experienced, one common theme is evident- God is always there, always protecting, loving, and comforting, even while the world is crashing all around. A sincere thank you to the authors, for conveying such a wonderful message and a terrific story.

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Summary: A WONDERFULLY MOVING STORY.
Review: I must admit that at first I had some trouble getting into the Galway Chronicles. I think now it was a matter of getting used to the authentic Irish dialect and the fact that the heros of the story are Catholics! After chapter two of the first book my brain adjusted and I have been hooked ever since. Marvelous stories! This one follows the story of Kate and Joseph and the beginning of the political troubles of pre-famine Ireland. I am learning things I never understood about the true beginning of the Irish troubles. More than that, my faith is being stretched. My ingrown prejudices against Catholics (don't all Protestants have even a bit of suspicion?) have been challenged. My heart has been opened to those whom I have been taught all my life to suspect. Could Catholics know and love the same Jesus I know? Well, what a thought. Probably these books will offend a number of Protestants because they seem to show that both Irish Catholics and Irish protestants really banded together in that time to free themselves from English rule. They had a common love of Christ and of liberty. They were something like the founding fathers of our own nation!~ What a revelation! Are these books banned in England? Are they burned in some Protestant church parking lot because they seem to say that Christ is alive and well in the hearts of men and women on both sides of the denominational lines? I have known that my goal as a beliver in Life for the unborn was shared by Catholics. I was once surpirsed by that in my early days as a bigot. Now I am finding that we share the same Lord, the same baptism, the same hope. Bravo to the Thoenes for writing a series of novels which tell the truths of God's love so clearly in such an unexpected way. The topic was explored with great courage and tremendous spiritual insight. Can't wait for book four!May God bless them in tearing down the walls between Protestant Christians and Catholic Christians. (Just as they have done between Jews and Christians in their Zion books.)

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Summary: Powerful Emotion and Nail Biting Suspense All in One
Review: It should have been a happy day in Ballyknockanor. Joseph Burke and Kate Donovan were finally getting married. But the rejoicing turned to sorrow when the groom was arrested at the reception for his part in the recent Irish repeal movement. Unknown to Joseph and Kate, this is part of a larger scheme by neighbor Colonel Mahon in an attempt to take over their lands. As he plots and schemes, Kate finds herself in danger. Joseph becomes a further victim of the plot. Will last minute attempts to stop his punishment be successful? Will he and Kate ever be reunited? Can she survive Mahon's plans for her?

The first part of this book was so hard for me to get through, I thought about quitting. I just wasn't sure that I could deal with any more of the character's sadness. But just before I quit, the pace of the story really picked up and I got drawn into these character's lives once again. There are so many fascinating plots levied against them, I had a hard time putting the book down until I reached the satisfying ending. As always, the Thoene's back up their story with wonderful historical research that makes this time period come vividly to life.

With the way this book ended, you can bet it won't be too long before I'm back for the final chapter in these characters's saga. And I'm sure I'll enjoy it just as much as I did this chapter. Well worth reading.