Reviewed by Emma Crowley
New York City, 1891: Stepping off the boat she boarded in Ireland, Maggie O’Halloran’s heart is filled with hope for this brave new world. But when her father isn’t waiting at the docks as planned, her excitement vanishes with the terrible realization she and her brother Danny are utterly alone—homeless, penniless and without a friend in the world.
Life on the Lower East Side is hard and grindingly poor, but Maggie is determined to survive. As she gazes longingly into the windows of Manhattan’s famous department stores, she dreams of owning her own millinery shop and becoming independent at last. And when fellow Irishman Brendan O’Donoghue offers her and Danny refuge, Maggie finally feels hope for their future.
Finding work with a wealthy family on the Upper East Side, Maggie’s dreams begin to feel closer than ever before. But just as her fortunes finally change, her brother’s involvement with a notorious New York gang brings terrible danger to both her and Brendan’s doors. Facing a heartbreaking decision, can Maggie save her brother and protect the new life she’s built? Or will the American dream she has held so close to her heart be lost forever?
Book Link: Kindle
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Irish Daughter of New York to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
The Irish Daughter of New York launches Kate Hewitt’s newest series centred around a young 19-year-old Irish girl Maggie O’Halloran and her 13-year-old brother Danny. Right from the opening, set in October 1891 as the pair disembark in New York having travelled across the Atlantic from Ireland, the reader is swept up in the chaos and hustle and bustle of the ever growing city. What eventually becomes known as the Gilded Age is in full swing in America as there was unprecedented economic growth, rapid industrialisation and wealth but this also masked deep social problems, corruption and inequality. All these issues are explored throughout the book as the reader is taken on an incredible journey where Maggie has a dream and is determined to better herself, forge her own fortune and find liberty. The plot moves along at a great pace from beginning to end Not too slow to have the reader bored and wanting more nor too fast so that events are thrown in for the sake of it. Instead there is brilliant plot and character development so that you quickly become deeply invested in the lives of Maggie and Danny and have your fingers crossed for a positive outcome. But nothing comes easy with this new life and all the ups and downs and trials and tribulations that they endure make for an excellent read.
Being a teacher in Ireland I have taught extensively about emigration to America and the reasons for it so I knew I was going to find this book fascinating. Kate Hewitt has done a remarkable job of bringing that time in history to life and the research undertaken was detailed and extensive. I felt like I was deep in a real life history lesson highlighting the hardships immigrants endured fresh off the boat. They had dreamed of so much, but the reality was quite different and the struggles the characters endure were real and concerning. After seven years living with an Aunt and Uncle following the death of their mother Maggie is delighted to be free from the drudgery of working in the haberdashery shop for no little or no reward. At long last their father had sent for them having left to seek his fortunes. Maggie loved millinery and this will be a strong focus of her storyline. Arriving in New York their father is not at the docks to greet them and from this point on this is where Maggie has to step up and use every piece of ingenuity that she possess if she is to ensure that herself and Danny can make it in America without Danny being put in an orphanage or worse the pair being sent back to Ireland.
Maggie will not let this city where it seems every man and woman is out for themselves beat her. The city throws numerous obstacles in her path but the decisions she makes and the actions she takes, some made out of necessity and others through her astuteness will see her face many challenges and it’s the way in which she over comes them is both admirable and remarkable. The Irish were viewed as being illiterate and ignorant, knowing nothing in life except potato growing and were thought to be little more than dirty peasants. But Maggie, has dreams and aspirations and although their father has abandoned them, she knows she needs to keep her wits about her and forge on with her ambitions.
Kate Hewitt providing a fascinating and detailed insight into New York at the time which was going through rapid expansion and also how the Irish tried to make a living. The tenement in which Maggie and Danny find themselves and the descriptions of their daily lives as they struggle to make money in order to climb out from the depths of poverty and their downtrodden circumstances were brilliant. The descriptions were vibrant and didn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the time. It made me stop and think of all the many people who left their countries hoping for a new and exciting life and then how they must have felt when reality set in and they knew they had to start at the very bottom and somehow try to claw their way out of this situation and try and make a living wage in a city where they knew no one. Those people were so brave and courageous and this is highlighted throughout Maggie’s story as she becomes a strong mother figure for Danny but yet the introduction of Brendan, an Irishman who was several years in the city and running a modestly successful grocery store was essential. Without him, I think Maggie would have fared much worse although that’s not to say things were plain sailing for her by any means.
The city was constantly changing and Maggie had to adapt to it as her circumstances changed several times. The details of which I won’t go into as it would ruin the story. Long working hours, dirty, dangerous conditions and poor wages made it next to impossible to live properly or save. Without savings Maggie couldn’t hope to better the future for herself and her brother. I felt she took one step forward and then another back several times over as the author threw many difficulties and desperate circumstances in her path. The unfairness at some of the things that unfolded had me raging because I could see that all Maggie had in her heart was to do well and embrace the burgeoning opportunities that materialised and were there for the taking if one had the resourcefulness and shrewdness to do so.
Due to how she had been placed in society she was viewed as being unworthy and was looked down upon and many stumbling blocks greet her. Yet, she was never one to back down even when the infamous gangs of New York start to make their presence known through Danny. It broke my heart that Danny arrived in America innocent and vulnerable but yet was quickly sucked into the gangs and we see a transformation in his character. Maggie couldn’t seem to reach him, and this is also where Brendan was really helpful but he too couldn’t overcome the power the gangs had. Danny’s situation has a deep impact in the last quarter of the book with consequences which will form the basis for book two.
One thing that frustrated me about Maggie was that it was clear that Brendan had feelings for her and would do anything top help her. In fact he went above and beyond many times when he could have just turned his back on things but that wasn’t in his nature. I thought at times that Maggie treated him very badly and almost took for granted his generosity. I know you can’t just manifest feelings for someone just because they have feelings for you but deep down I sense the feelings could be reciprocated if only she would just open up more. I felt she was closed with regard to this aspect because she was hell bent on achieving good things for herself which deserves admiration but I thought she could achieve a balance between the two. After all when push came to shove and things got very dangerous and desperate circumstances ensued Brendan selflessly steps in and makes the ultimate sacrifice. This deserved respect but I got the feeling that she would abandon Brendan at the drop of a hat but that she knows at this time she desperately needs him for guidance and protection.
If I had not known that there is to be a book two in the series I would have found the ending to be abrupt and unsatisfactory as so much happened in a short space of time with no concrete resolution but thankfully I was aware that there was more to come. The ending was dramatic and action packed weaving many threads of the story together, but also setting up many new plot points for book two, A New Home for the Irish Daughter which will be published in May. This first book was a brilliant, exciting and vibrant which I read in two sittings, which is surprising for me these days. So that shows how much I enjoyed it. I can’t wait to see what is next in store for Maggie and co and thankfully it’s not too long of a wait.
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