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Ireland, 1845. To Briana Walsh, no place on earth is more beautiful than Carrowteige, County Mayo, with its sloping fields and rocky cliffs perched above the wild Atlantic. The small farms that surround the centuries-old Lear House are managed by her father, agent to the wealthy, reckless Sir Thomas Blakely. Tenant farmers sell the oats and rye they grow to pay rent to Sir Thomas, surviving on the potatoes that flourish in the remaining scraps of land. But when the potato crop falls prey to a devastating blight, families Briana has known all her life are left with no food, no resources, and no mercy from the English landowner, who seems indifferent to everything except profit.
Rory Caulfield, the hard-working young farmer Briana hopes to marry, shares the locals' despair—and their anger. There's talk of violent reprisals against the callous gentry and their agents. Briana's studious older sister, Lucinda, dreams of a future far beyond Mayo. But even as hunger and disease settle over the country, killing and displacing millions, Briana knows she must find a way to guide her family through one of Ireland's darkest hours—toward hope, love, and a new beginning.
Praise for V.S. Alexander's The Taster
"This haunting and engrossing novel will appeal to fans of Anthony Doerr and Kristin Hannah."
—Booklist
"The 'taster's' story adds to a body of nuanced World War II fiction such as Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, and Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key. Book clubs and historical fiction fans will love discussing this and will eagerly await more from Alexander."
—Library Journal
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
February 26, 2019 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781496712301
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781496712301
- File size: 2403 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 15, 2019
Lear House, in a small village in County Mayo, has been an idyllic place for Briana Walsh to grow up. Her father helps manage the fields around Lear House, supervising the tenant farmers growing oats, potatoes, and rye for a wealthy English landowner. Sir Thomas Blakely is usually a reasonable man, but when a potato blight decimates the area, the Walsh family is forced to make a series of difficult choices. With the status of Lear House in jeopardy, Briana, her family, and the tenants of Lear House have never felt more unsure about their futures. Alexander (The Taster, 2018) immerses readers in 1840s Ireland with characteristic expertise, blending fact with fiction in this compelling and engrossing novel. Fans of Lucinda Riley and Paulette Jiles will appreciate Alexander's eye for detail and keen sense of place, which allow the blighted fields and family homestead to loom large. The Irishman's Daughter skillfully blends family ties with the horrors of a starving country and the hopefulness of young love.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
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