Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: This book kept me glued to its pages. A real family saga. Written with the unique ability to join the the past and present.The character development was great. I felt I got to know each character on personal level. This is a new writer for me,but I can only hope we will be hearing from again soon. A sequel would be really appropriate.
Rating:
Summary: Family Saga
Review: This book kept me glued to its pages. A real family saga. Written with the unique ability to join the the past and present.The character development was great. I felt I got to know each character on personal level. This is a new writer for me,but I can only hope we will be hearing from again soon. A sequel would be really appropriate.
Rating:
Summary: I May Be Biased Because Set Here!
Review: This novel is set in Cleveland, my home town, so I may have been more fascinated than others will be by this compelling tale. I also went to all Catholic schools with many Irish kids which only increased my interest level since Whiskey Island was the settling place for so many immigrant Catholic Irish. I can say, however, that Richards faithfully recreates all of this and hits no wrong notes. The novel proceeds at two levels: one part of it is set in present day Cleveland on Whiskey Island, close to downtown, and the other is set in the same place but in 1880. Both stories also involve a priest and a woman. Frankly, I do think more novels of any genre would benefit from using locales not already overused and this was certainly one of them. It gives a touch of originality to any tale when the reader can go to new places and meet new people from previously uncovered backgrounds. Having priests or former priests as major characters certainly puts this author in unique territory. This is my first book by this author and I will try another of hers.
Rating:
Summary: One of the year's best
Review: What a wonderful book! I raced through it, because I could not put it down. I wanted to spend time with these characters. I even wanted to shake Megan & Casey, to open their eyes to the wonderful men, right there in front of them, waiting to love them. The two stories in this book are all about love and redemption, and how goodness will triumph over evil, but it may take a generation or two. There is also a strong undercurrent of the power of faith and love in our lives. Fascinating characters, multi-level plot, great writing. Don't start this book at night if you have an early appointment in the morning! I hope this is honored at the RITA Awards, because it is deserving.
Rating:
Summary: A secret kept for over a century
Review: Whiskey Island is the compelling story of the Donaghue sisters whose past is full of pain but whose history is about to be traced back to three men whose love for Lena Tierney irrevocably sets in motion a chain of events that lead to a terrible tragedy and a horrifying scandal.Niccolo Andreani, a former priest, agrees to transcribe the journal kept by Father Patrick McSweeney who valiantly tended to his flock of Irish immigrants over a hundred years ago. Niccolo finds himself with more questions than answers when he comes into contact with the Donaghue sisters, the little girl under their protection, and the old man who harbors the truth to a murder that took place years ago. An old man who might be their father. Richards has crafted a powerful story as she allows readers to become acquainted with characters from the present as well as the past. The length of this novel is appropriate because it gives the author the means of exploring the lives of the Donaghues of the present and, more importantly, the struggle endured by the Tierneys. A tragic struggle witnessed years ago by their best friend, Rowan Donaghue, and counseled by their priest, Patrick McSweeney. The characterizations, drawn by Richards, of all these people are strong and distinctive. Her audience will be swept away by the powerful history of Whiskey Island and the intrigue of its present state. Furthermore, the author has so intricately intertwined the two to create a story whose development will have you turning pages in anticipation and feeling bittersweet, yet satisfied, with its conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Whiskey Island was a terrific read-Lots of twists and turns of the characters you thought you were beginning to know. All the while educating you on the Irish immigrant and other topics. I dont't want to mention as I want you to be as surprise as I was. Ms. Richards is a facinating story teller. I am anxious to read another book authored by her to see if it was because of the subject matter or if she is indeed a good as I think she might be.
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