Review of House of Eire
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Review of House of Eire
[Following is a volunteer review of "House of Eire" by June Gillam.]
In House of Eire: A Hillary Broome Novel Hillary Broome is set to finally take a long-delayed honeymoon to Ireland with her husband Ed, daughter Claire, and motherly friend Sarah. Hillary is a successful ghostwriter and plans for this to be a true vacation from work. She has pieced together her family history since her father's side of the family hails from Ireland. Ed is a police officer and has plans to attend a summit concerning gangs and world crime during their time in Ireland. Hillary has been in contact with her friend Bridget in Galway. Bridget is a supporter of building museums and memorials honoring the true history of the people of Ireland, and she has been collecting documents and information to assist Hillary. They plan to reunite and research Hillary’s family tree. Hillary learns Bridget is under some form of threat for protesting a developer’s theme park proposal.
June Gillam’s writing flows so well and the pacing of the story is superb. The story is split into three parts and uses two points of view, Hillary and Seamus. I especially enjoyed the character of the daughter Claire. She reads as a highly intelligent and inquisitive young girl. Her scenes provide balance to the heavier aspects of the story. I think many readers will feel a deep connection with Hillary since her emotions are written so palpably. Almost all the characters are written with such detail that you can easily visualize them. Gillam also leaves just enough details and tidbits in, that will make you question if some of the Irish ghost stories are being enacted upon the cast of characters. I especially appreciated the level of detail given to pronunciations and the history of Ireland.
The novel has a couple of powerful themes, including Hillary doubting her worth as a mother. Her frequent nightmares involving her mother especially evoke that doubt. Hillary still feels the trauma of being abandoned by her mother. Ed is also exceptionally written. Despite him being occupied with the summit throughout the novel, his scenes evoke a feeling of comfort and levity throughout. His sense of humor and playfulness with Claire is an uplifting delight. He also acts as the voice of reason for Hillary, encouraging her to choose safety over uncovering the truth.
The character Seamus felt like he was stalled around the middle of the novel. I felt that the conclusion of the first part of the book should have affected him harder. Also, the fantastic ending leaves me wanting a more complete resolution. I hope that the sequel and final installment of the Hillary Broome novels, House of Hoops, will satisfy that desire. There is a fair amount of cursing in the novel and some topics would not be suitable for younger readers.
I only noticed one minor error in my reading and would rate this story 4 out of 4. This title was exceptionally well-edited. This novel is the third in a series but can be easily read as a standalone novel. This is a great read for lovers of mysteries and thrillers. Fans of Irish folklore and history will enjoy this novel as well.
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House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In House of Eire: A Hillary Broome Novel Hillary Broome is set to finally take a long-delayed honeymoon to Ireland with her husband Ed, daughter Claire, and motherly friend Sarah. Hillary is a successful ghostwriter and plans for this to be a true vacation from work. She has pieced together her family history since her father's side of the family hails from Ireland. Ed is a police officer and has plans to attend a summit concerning gangs and world crime during their time in Ireland. Hillary has been in contact with her friend Bridget in Galway. Bridget is a supporter of building museums and memorials honoring the true history of the people of Ireland, and she has been collecting documents and information to assist Hillary. They plan to reunite and research Hillary’s family tree. Hillary learns Bridget is under some form of threat for protesting a developer’s theme park proposal.
June Gillam’s writing flows so well and the pacing of the story is superb. The story is split into three parts and uses two points of view, Hillary and Seamus. I especially enjoyed the character of the daughter Claire. She reads as a highly intelligent and inquisitive young girl. Her scenes provide balance to the heavier aspects of the story. I think many readers will feel a deep connection with Hillary since her emotions are written so palpably. Almost all the characters are written with such detail that you can easily visualize them. Gillam also leaves just enough details and tidbits in, that will make you question if some of the Irish ghost stories are being enacted upon the cast of characters. I especially appreciated the level of detail given to pronunciations and the history of Ireland.
The novel has a couple of powerful themes, including Hillary doubting her worth as a mother. Her frequent nightmares involving her mother especially evoke that doubt. Hillary still feels the trauma of being abandoned by her mother. Ed is also exceptionally written. Despite him being occupied with the summit throughout the novel, his scenes evoke a feeling of comfort and levity throughout. His sense of humor and playfulness with Claire is an uplifting delight. He also acts as the voice of reason for Hillary, encouraging her to choose safety over uncovering the truth.
The character Seamus felt like he was stalled around the middle of the novel. I felt that the conclusion of the first part of the book should have affected him harder. Also, the fantastic ending leaves me wanting a more complete resolution. I hope that the sequel and final installment of the Hillary Broome novels, House of Hoops, will satisfy that desire. There is a fair amount of cursing in the novel and some topics would not be suitable for younger readers.
I only noticed one minor error in my reading and would rate this story 4 out of 4. This title was exceptionally well-edited. This novel is the third in a series but can be easily read as a standalone novel. This is a great read for lovers of mysteries and thrillers. Fans of Irish folklore and history will enjoy this novel as well.
******
House of Eire
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: And Then I Met Margaret by Rob White
