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    The Girls of Ennismore
    The Girls of Ennismore
    The Girls of Ennismore
    Audiobook13 hours

    The Girls of Ennismore

    Written by Patricia Falvey

    Narrated by Alana Kerr Collins

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Set in Ireland during the turbulent early 20th century, Patricia Falvey's sweeping novel explores an unlikely friendship between two girls of vastly different backgrounds, as each tries to overcome the barriers set by class and birthright...

    On a June morning in 1900, Rosie Killeen crosses the road that divides her family's County Mayo farm from the estate of Lord and Lady Ennis, and makes her way to the "big house" for the first time. Barely eight years old, Rosie joins the throng of servants preparing for the arrival of Queen Victoria. But while the royal visit is a coup for Ennismore, a chance meeting on the grounds proves even more momentous for Rosie.

    Victoria Bell, Lord and Lady Ennis's young daughter, is desperately lonely. Though the children of the gentry seldom fraternize with locals, Lord Ennis arranges for Rosie to join in Victoria's school lessons. For Rosie, the opportunity is exhilarating yet isolating. Victoria's governess and aunt, Lady Louisa, objects to teaching a peasant girl. The other servants resent Rosie's escape from the drudgery of life below stairs. Bright, strong-willed Rosie finds herself caught between her own people and the rarefied air of Ennismore--especially as she grows closer to Victoria's older brother, Valentine.

    As they near womanhood, the girls' friendship is interrupted. Victoria is bound for a coming out season in Dublin, and Rosie must find a way to support her family. But Ireland is changing too. The country's struggle for Home Rule, the outbreak of the Great War, and a looming Easter rebellion in Dublin all herald a new era. Not even Ennismore can escape unscathed. And for Rosie, family loyalty, love, friendship and patriotism will collide in life-changing ways, leading her through heartbreak and loss in search of her own triumphant independence.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 28, 2017
    ISBN9781522637851
    The Girls of Ennismore
    Author

    Patricia Falvey

    Patricia Falvey is the author of The Yellow House and The Linen Queen. Born and raised in Ireland, she currently lives in Dallas, Texas.

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    Reviews for The Girls of Ennismore

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    • 2/5
      While the plot is interesting enough, character and relationship development was very poor. As a result, I couldn’t engage emotionally with the book and ended up finding it not interesting when it really should have been otherwise.
    • 4/5
      The Girls of Ennismore. Patricia Falvey. 2017. Why do these recent books all have “girl(s) in the title? Not my intention. Anyway after the edgy-ness of the two previous novels I opted for a simple historical romance. This was a good one. Victoria, the daughter of the owner of the landed estate, Ennismore, meets Rosie, the daughter of a local farmer. She begs her father to allow Rosie to be her playmate. Much to the dismay of Victoria’s mother, Rosie joins Victoria in the school room and at play. Rosie learns to appreciate the finer things of life only to be sent back to her cottage when Victoria is presented. Rosie belongs in neither the world of the landed gentry nor the farm life she is born into. Interwoven in the lives of the two young women is the history of Ireland and its struggle for Home Rule. Both the Irish and the English sides are presented. This was an interesting book and the love interests make if a nice, clean romance.
    • 3/5
      Any fan of Downtown Abbey will recognize many, many elements in this work--the same timeline, very similar characters and situations.
    • 4/5
      The Girls of Ennismore by Patricia Falvey is set in Ireland in June of 1900. Rosie Killeen is eight years old and is earning a little extra money by helping at the Ennis estate or as the locals call it the “big house”. Queen Victoria will be stopping at the house and extra help is needed in the kitchen. On the way home, Rosie encounters Victoria Bell (7 years old) who needs some assistance. Victoria is the daughter of Lord and Lady Ennis. After helping Victoria, Rosie heads home. Rosie is unaware of it, but this accidental meeting will forever change her life. Victoria is greatly impressed by Rosie and asks her Father to let her take lessons with her. Victoria is lonely and would love to have a friend. Against Lady Althea Ennis’ protests, Lord Edward Ennis agrees to the arrangement. This is a great opportunity for Rosie, but one she does not want. Rosie soon joins Victoria at the big house for lessons with Lady Louisa, the girl’s’ tutor. Lady Louisa resents being forced to teach Rosie and sets out to make it miserable for her. Over the years, the girls grow closer. But when Victoria heads off for her first season in Dublin, these two young women are head off on separate paths. Rosie, though, is in an unusual position. She is not gentry, but she has the education. She is not a servant, but her family is poor. Rosie is caught between these two very different worlds and does not know where she belongs. It is especially difficult that she is attracted to Valentine Bell, Victoria’s brother. Rosie is not considered a suitable mate for Valentine. Rosie must find a way to earn money for her family and find her place in the world during these tumultuous times in Ireland. The Home Rule (who are fighting for Irish independence) is gaining popularity in Ireland and the first World War is starting to break out in Europe. To find out what happens to Rosie and Victoria, you need to read The Girls of Ennismore.The Girls of Ennismore is nicely written, had a good pace, and was easy to read. I found the book to be engaging. My interest was captured and held throughout the story. The author did a great job at bringing this period of time to life for me. I appreciated the setting of Ireland. So many novels have been set in England, so this was a nice change of pace. The Girls of Ennismore reminds me of Upstairs Downstairs (the show), A Woman of Substance (the book by Barbara Taylor Bradford) and Downton Abbey (you will think of Branson when reading this book). I give The Girls of Ennismore 4 out of 5 stars. There were a couple of slow sections, but they were minimal. Rosie attitude was challenging as she got older (in other words, she annoyed me), but it was understandable (most of the time). I was happy to see her character develop emotionally as she got older. The ending is so sweet. I am definitely checking out Patricia Falvey’s other novels.
    • 4/5
      I was drawn to this book due to my recent obsession with Irish history and reading fiction set during it; I'm glad I picked the title up yet have some reservations. While the author excels in some key areas, I had an issue with some characterization and our primary relationship. Still, this stands as a beautiful depiction of an Ireland on the brink of change and two women caught up in it.Descriptions of the timeframe and situation of our two heroines are lovingly described. I got a real sense for the differences between classes, the gentle splendor of a pastoral estate, and a capital city on the revolutionary brink. The author takes her time in presenting a setting the reader can experience and feel with the senses. The stark differences between the peaceful years before the Rising and the turbulent scenes of urban street fighting and death that followed make for an eye-opening difference in scenes. I can't credit the author enough for her fantastic use of the descriptors, making her readers really live the action and feel the emotionsBoth leads also had distinct personalities all their own. The reader gets the real feeling for the strengths and weaknesses of both girls. They face their changing world and circumstances with courage and maturity. Both learn to think for themselves in a world that would keep them subjugated, especially Victoria. The most change is visible in her as she pursues a career, political belief, and relationship inappropriate to her old world.I did have an issue with Rosie at times. She displays a strong courageous streak and incredible willpower to create a life on her terms, despite society’s expectations of a girl from her class. She works hard to find jobs to support herself and her family, finding a career and new life in politics and revolution. However, when it comes to her emotions and emotional maturity, I have to say there are times she felt like a dud. So many times she’d be faced with an emotional crisis and instead of dealing with it, she'd flounder and do nothing. Other times she face it with irrational anger and grudges, resulting in lashing out. This made her hard to empathize with.I also took issue with Valentine. I had to admire his love for the land and wish to do the right thing. Yet, I also felt he went along with life too much, not striving for what he truly wished for. He let life happen to him rather than make his own way. This lack of ambition, both professionally and emotionally, led him to miss out on many opportunities to create a better life for himself and to achieve the relationships he desired.Thankfully, as we approached the end of the book, Rosie and Valentine improved. Revolution and danger sparked something in them to finally act. Yet, this didn't translate into the relationship at any time. If you could call it a relationship… Not even at the very end, did I ever feel these two have any chemistry. All interactions, even emotional ones like confrontations or love confessions, felt flat and boring. Even being on opposite sides of a rebellion didn't add that extra spark of forbidden love. These two together are just boring, hands down. The other relationships in the book at least save this title from relationship purgatory for me. Brandon and Victoria are just sweet together. Two people from different sides of the class barrier, their relationship has the element of the forbidden that Valentine's and Rosie's lacked. My heart couldn't help but soar as they strove to be together, despite war and societal expectations. I also adored Rosie's relationship with Cathal. Now there is a relationship with incredible chemistry and emotional turbulence from the past that the pair do a great job in overcoming, even despite Rosie's emotional issues. The issues and consequences in that relationship felt real. Why oh why couldn't that relationship have worked out and made it to the end?!At least this book had a suspenseful tale of rebellion and character growth to carry it. Both Rosie and Victoria's maturation were a joy to partake in. Relationships with Brendan and Cathal also added spice and emotional depth to their characters. Even though Rosie fell flat emotionally for a large part of the book, at least by the end I felt some connection to her. However it's in the area of her relationship with Valentine and how long it took Rosie to develop that brought this work out. So in the end, this is a upper-to-middle of the road book for me. I'd be open to other works by this author in future, though, since she displays promise as a writer and suspenseful storyteller.Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.