A River in the Trees

Posted on 13 November 2018 by Jacqueline O'Mahony

Two women Two stories One hundred years of secrets.A sweeping novel of love, loss, family and history for readers who love Maggie O Farrell, John Boyne and Donal Ryan1919Hannah is nineteen years old and living on her family s farm in West Cork Her peaceful world is shattered forever by the eruption of the War of Independence, Ireland s bid for freedom from Britain Hannah s family hide rebel soldiers in their attic, putting them in great danger from the Black and Tans who roam the countryside An immediate connection between Hannah and O Riada, the leader of this band of rebels, will change her life and that of her family forever.2019Ellen is at a crossroads in her life her marriage is in trouble, her career is over and she s grieving the loss of a baby After years in London, she decides to come home to Ireland to face the past she has always tried to escape Her journey centres on an old house in the countryside, a house that used to belong to her family Reaching into the past, she feels a connection to her aunt, the mysterious Hannah O Donovan But why won t anyone in her family talk about Hannah And how can this journey help Ellen put her life back together Free Download Books A River in the Trees Author Jacqueline O'Mahony – kino-fada.fr Jacqueline O Mahony writes of two women from the same family set a hundred years apart, with a narrative that goes back and forth in time, from the present to the past In 1919 in West Cork, Ireland, Hannah O Donovan has her life splintered apart amidst Ireland s efforts to throw off the yoke of English rule with the War of Independence She and her father become involved in offering refuge to Irish rebels in their home, endangering their family as the British make their presence felt in the are Jacqueline O Mahony writes of two women from the same family set a hundred years apart, with a narrative that goes back and forth in time, from the present to the past In 1919 in West Cork, Ireland, Hannah O Donovan has her life splintered apart amidst Ireland s efforts to throw off the yoke of English rule with the War of Independence She and her father become involved in offering refuge to Irish rebels in their home, endangering their family as the British make their presence felt in the area There are inescapable repercussions o...I just love Irish lit and books that feature politics and her debut novel clearly proves that Jacqueline O Mahony knows how to write a captivating story In this text, she elegantly interweaves two storylines In 1919, during the War of Independence, young Hannah helps her father to hide rebel soldiers on their farm, falls in love with a young IRA fighter mind you As I learnt, thanks to the book, the Old IRA is not the same IRA we know today and gets pregnant which is very shameful for I just love Irish lit and books that feature politics and her debut novel clearly proves that Jacqueline O Mahony knows how to write a captivating story In this text, she elegantly interweaves two storylines In 1919, during the War of Independence, young Hannah helps her father to hide rebel soldiers on their farm, falls in love with a young IRA fighter mind you As I learnt, thanks to the book, the Old IRA is not the same IRA we know today and gets pregnant which is very shameful for a young unmarried woman at the time 100 years later, the marriage of Hannah s relative Ellen disintegrates because of her depression, rooted in her inability to have children Ellen decides to leave London and come back to her native Ireland and Hannah s old family home in order to find s...This is what they have done to us, she thought They have blackened our hearts This a book which falls into two halves the first part set in Ireland, 1919, is superb a tight, intense tale, lyrically and powerfully told, worthy of 5 stars Interspersed, though, is one of those stories of the modern descendents of the first tale, set in 2019, of which authors seem to be so fond even when it does little other than fill space This part was a 2 star experience for me It feels to me that theThis is what they have done to us, she thought They have blackened our hearts This a book which falls into two halves the first part set in Ireland, 1919, is superb a tight, intense tale, lyrically and powerfully told, worthy of 5 stars Interspersed, though, is one of those stories of the modern descendents of the first tale, set in 2019, of which authors seem to be so fond even when it does little other than fill space This part was a 2 star experience for me It feels to me that the 1919 story was written from the author s heart, the 2019 narrative from her head You could cut the whole of the latter from the book and far from losing anything, would have a tauter, starker tale madebeautiful by its purity and lack of distractions Hannah in the 1919 story is a heroine with whom I fell in love, and the narrative is written in achingly gorgeous prose, fu...Told from alternating points of view, the stories and experiences of the two women Hannah in 1919 and Ellen in the present day subtly mirror each other in some respects and provide contrasts in others The author leaves it to the reader to make the connections or note the differences between how the two women respond to the events that unfold in their lives and the choices they make.Ellen is a troubled, lost soul, seemingly suffering from a form of post natal depression, who has turned to a Told from alternating points of view, the stories and experiences of the two women Hannah in 1919 and Ellen in the present day subtly mirror each other in some respects and provide contrasts in others The author leaves it to the reader to make the connections or note the differences between how the two women respond to the events that unfold in their lives and the choices they make.Ellen is a troubled, lost soul, seemingly suffering from a form of post natal depression, who has turned to alcohol as an emotional crutch and reached a crisis point in her l...This is the type of book that I absolutely love A dual timeline story seeped in interesting history and some fabulous characters makes it a perfect read for me.The story follows Hannah in 1919 who helps her father fight for Irish independence and Ellen in 2019 who is struggling with life and wants to try and work through her problems by visiting her ancestry Although both stories were interesting I did prefer Hannah s story as she was the fiesty, independent character that I love to read about This is the type of book that I absolutely love A dual timeline story seeped in interesting history and some fabulous characters makes it a perfect read for me.The story follows Hannah in 1919 who helps her father fight for Irish independence and Ellen in 2019 who is struggling with life and wants to try and work through her problems by visiting her ancestry Although both stories were interesting I did prefer Hannah s story as she was the fiesty, independent character that I love to read about Her guts and determination to fight for her family s beliefs was wonderful to read about I was completely on her side and really wanted there to be a good outcome for her and her family That s n...A well written book with a dual timeline The present day and Ireland in 1919, a shameful time when the Tans ruled Ireland and killed people for fun.I have an interest in this era as my Grand Uncle fought in the Civil War He was shot in the leg while on sentry duty one night and it bothered him for the rest of his life I remember him as a real gentleman and couldn t envision him firing a gun This was a truly depressing read There was no lightness in it at all The historical part was overwhe A well written book with a dual timeline The present day and Ireland in 1919, a shameful time when the Tans ruled Ireland and killed people for fun.I have an interest in this era as my Grand Uncle fought in the Civil War He was shot in the leg while on sentry duty one night and it bothered him for the rest of his life I remember him as a real gentleman and couldn t e...A River in The Trees tells the story of Hannah and Ellen, who are from the same family, but 100 years apart In 1919, Hannah and her family were involved in the War of Independence where they helped hide the rebels from the British army In 2019, Ellen, broken and in grief after the loss of her baby, went back to Ireland in the hope of saving her marriage and most importantly saving herself The book s narrative alternated between the events of the two timelines Hannah back in 1919 and Ellen in A River in The Trees tells the story of Hannah and Ellen, who are from the same family, but 100 years apart In 1919, Hannah and her family were involved in the War of Independence where they helped hide the rebels from the British army In 2019, Ellen, broken and in grief after the loss of her baby, went back to Ireland in the hope of saving her marriage and most importantly saving herself The book s narrative alternated between the events of the two timelines Hannah back in 1919 and Ellen in the present time This is wha...My Rating 3.5 Two womenTwo storiesOne hundred years of secrets A River in the Trees is the debut novel from London based, but Cork born, writer Jacqueline O Mahony and was published by riverrun an imprint of Quercus Books A dual time story, it is described as a novelabout families, secrets and the impossibility of coming home Being a native Corkonian I was intrigued to read this book A River in The Trees is set in a small town in West Cork It s 1919 and the Irish War of Independence is My Rating 3.5 Two womenTwo storiesOne hundred years of secrets A River in the Trees is the debut novel from London based, but Cork born, writer Jacqueline O Mahony and was published by riverrun an imprint of Quercus Books A dual time story, it is described as a novelabout families, secrets and the impossibility of coming home Being a native Corkonian I was intrigued to read this book A River in The Trees is set in a small town in West Cork It s 1919 and the Irish War of Independence is tearing families apart, as neighbours fight against neighbour, with alliances being established and enemies made As tensions heighten, the violence increases and with the arrival of the Black and Tans, many fear for their l...We are a nothing people to them, he d said A nothing people I ve always had an affinity with Irish history I got very deep into it when I was in my twenties and read extensively from the famine through to the troubles I m still drawn to all things Irish, inexplicably so, but I guess we all have our areas of interest, even if we can t quite articulate our reasoning All of this has led to me having a solid grasp on the Irish War of Independence, so I was in good stead for reading this no We are a nothing people to them, he d said A nothing people I ve always had an affinity with Irish history I got very deep into it when I was in my twenties and read extensively from the famine through to the troubles I m still drawn to all things Irish, inexplicably so, but I guess we all have our areas of interest, even if we can t quite articulate our reasoning All of this has led to me having a solid grasp on the Irish War of Independence, so I was in good stead for reading this novel I felt in many ways this was a novel for an Irish audience, or at least for one where some familiarity on the basic details of Irish history would be known prior to reading The author doesn t give a history lesson with the pages of this novel, instead, it is assumed the reader will either understand or seek clarification from elsewhere I actually really liked that about this novel, it made me feel present within the text, as though I had just slipped into their lives at this particular point in tim...This tale in two timelines iswomen s fiction than romance, but could have been better researched In 2019 at the start, a woman buys a pack of ten cigarettes I was wondering what country she is in, but she s in Ireland Where packs of ten were made illegal in 2007.I never took to the contemporary part but the historical time line is interesting the Cork area in 1919 as independence and soon to be civil war are causing huge tensions A comparatively well off farm family get involved when This tale in two timelines iswomen s fiction than romance, but could have been better researched In 2019 at the start, a woman buys a pack of ten cigarettes I was wondering what country she is in, but she s in Ireland Where packs of ten were made illegal in 2007.I never took to the contemporary part but the historical time line is interesting the Cork area in 1919 as independence and soon to be civil war are causing huge tensions A comparatively well off farm family get involved when a rebel needs shelter Here, I am not sure the date is accurate, as the Black and Tans were founded in 1919 but only got well established in numbers by 1920 and according to The History Learning Site they were sent to Ireland in March 1920 Local records would say exactly when they were sent to Cork The modern half brings the traveller back to the farmhouse, which is now for sale Some readers will enjoy thisthan I did, and it s always good to see fresh voices I downloaded an e ARC from Net Galley This is an unbi...Just before the War of Independence in Ireland, in 1919, Hannah O Donovan s family are on the side of the rebels, a stance the consequences of which are far reaching A hundred years later, Ellen s life is falling apart and when she hears that the old family property is up for sale, she flees back, determined to buy it Narrated in alternating chapters from alternating points of view, the two women s lives start to intersect in a dramatic and gripping story that engaged me completely It s an am Just before the War of Independence in Ireland, in 1919, Hannah O Donovan s family are on the side of the rebels, a stance the consequences of which are far reaching A hundred years later, Ellen s life is falling apart and when she hears that the old family property is up for sale, she flees back, determined to buy it Narrated in alternating chapters from alternating points of view, the two women s live...Review to followTwo women Two stories One hundred years of secrets Everything I love about dual time stories is found in A River in the Trees which looks at two very different women whose stories overlap and interweave in a story of family secrets and hidden tragedy.1919, and in West Cork, Hannah is living a bleak existence on the family farm It s a life of hardship which is made all thecomplicated by the family s involvement in the Irish War of Independence Hiding a group of rebel fighters in the at Two women Two stories One hundred years of secrets Everything I love about dual time stories is found in A River in the Trees which looks at two very different women whose stories overlap and interweave in a story of family secrets and hidden tragedy.1919, and in West Cork, Hannah is living a bleak existence on the family farm It s a life of hardship which is made all thecomplicated by the family s involvement in the Irish War of Independence Hiding a group of rebel fighters in the attic at the farmhouse puts Hannah and her family in grave danger from the notorious Black and Tans who will stop at nothing to apprehend the rebels and prevent insurrection Hannah is attracted to O Riada, the fanatical leader of the rebels, a connection which will have repercussions for Hannah, and her family, for generations to come.In 2019, Ellen is at a crossroads in her lif...

13 November 2018

Jacqueline O'Mahony