Review of House of Eire
Posted: 08 May 2023, 20:42
[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Eire" by June Gillam.]
As the history of many places is often cruel, it is no surprise that many people would like certain things not to come to light. Bridget is a young, wide-eyed, bright soul who is determined to share the good as well as the bad of Ireland’s history. In, House of Eire by June Gillam, Bridget is searching for a way to honor those who suffered in Ireland’s Great Hunger, and ends up uncovering a certain story some would kill to keep hidden. Bridget is not alone, though; someone lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opening to strike. On the other side of the pond, her close friend, Hillary, is eagerly awaiting her overdue visit to her family’s homeland, Ireland. She is excited to finally meet her close friend, Bridget, in person and discover her family’s history before coming to America.
The story overall had a lot of history, and I liked the emphasis it had on facing your past and what your ancestors had to go through, the good and the ugly, to get to where you are today. It’s easy to want to gloss over certain things that make you, others, or a situation look bad. For example, how Seamus allowed Bridget, Sarah, and Claire to get hurt before ultimately deciding he had let things go too far. Sarah was my favorite character because of her good and lively sense of humor. She was definitely a breath of fresh air in a lot of tense situations.
Seamus and Bridget had a few good tender moments together to establish their relationship, but it still felt a little superficial. I had trouble sympathizing with him after Bridget’s tragedy, just because he knew what was ultimately going to happen, but did very little to stop it. There was still plenty he could’ve done, but he just decided not to. The same is true for Hillary and her husband; there is a murderer on the loose, and they take very few precautions to keep their loved ones safe. So it was no surprise that the situation was going to escalate. There were a lot of obvious hints as to what was ultimately going to be the climax.
Having found no errors, I would say the book is edited exceptionally well. Where it paid tribute to those lost and who suffered during the Great Hunger was also well done. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. Although the story was intriguing, it wasn’t so much a mystery as who the murderer was. It’s kind of obvious in the beginning, and there’s a part where the big secret is revealed in a not-so-subtle way around halfway through. That took away from the overall experience.
I recommend this book for ages 15 to 65 as well as those who enjoy history and mystery stories.
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House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
As the history of many places is often cruel, it is no surprise that many people would like certain things not to come to light. Bridget is a young, wide-eyed, bright soul who is determined to share the good as well as the bad of Ireland’s history. In, House of Eire by June Gillam, Bridget is searching for a way to honor those who suffered in Ireland’s Great Hunger, and ends up uncovering a certain story some would kill to keep hidden. Bridget is not alone, though; someone lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opening to strike. On the other side of the pond, her close friend, Hillary, is eagerly awaiting her overdue visit to her family’s homeland, Ireland. She is excited to finally meet her close friend, Bridget, in person and discover her family’s history before coming to America.
The story overall had a lot of history, and I liked the emphasis it had on facing your past and what your ancestors had to go through, the good and the ugly, to get to where you are today. It’s easy to want to gloss over certain things that make you, others, or a situation look bad. For example, how Seamus allowed Bridget, Sarah, and Claire to get hurt before ultimately deciding he had let things go too far. Sarah was my favorite character because of her good and lively sense of humor. She was definitely a breath of fresh air in a lot of tense situations.
Seamus and Bridget had a few good tender moments together to establish their relationship, but it still felt a little superficial. I had trouble sympathizing with him after Bridget’s tragedy, just because he knew what was ultimately going to happen, but did very little to stop it. There was still plenty he could’ve done, but he just decided not to. The same is true for Hillary and her husband; there is a murderer on the loose, and they take very few precautions to keep their loved ones safe. So it was no surprise that the situation was going to escalate. There were a lot of obvious hints as to what was ultimately going to be the climax.
Having found no errors, I would say the book is edited exceptionally well. Where it paid tribute to those lost and who suffered during the Great Hunger was also well done. I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. Although the story was intriguing, it wasn’t so much a mystery as who the murderer was. It’s kind of obvious in the beginning, and there’s a part where the big secret is revealed in a not-so-subtle way around halfway through. That took away from the overall experience.
I recommend this book for ages 15 to 65 as well as those who enjoy history and mystery stories.
******
House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon