I received a free copy for my true and honest opinion via Netgalley.

On her wedding night, in eighteenth-century Ireland, English soldiers abduct Nell Dugan from the arms of her beloved Scottish husband and throw her on a ship, slave-fodder for a West Indies sugar plantation. There, she uses her beauty and cunning to seduce the plantation owner's stoic son who sneaks her away to pre-revolutionary Philadelphia where she agrees to marry him, believing her Scottish husband to be dead, and swearing to pay back the English not only for her own kidnapping but also for her mother's hanging by the Crown two decades earlier.

This story is based on the life of the author’s eighth great-grandmother, who for ninety-nine years lived through it all.

This was beautifully written and very easy to get through. I would definitely recommend for anyone who loves historical romance or historical fiction.

3.5 stars

"The Wind That Shakes the Corn: Memoirs of a Scots Irish Woman" is a historical fiction read based upon the life of Eleanor Dugan Parke, eighth great grandmother of author Kaye Park Hinckley. The story that unfolds combines extensive research, family stories handed down for generations as well as fictional embellishments. Eleanor (Nell) was four years old when the English hung her ma and the priest ma was harboring. Why were blameless people killed in 1700 Ireland? The English Crown ruled with an iron fist. The Irish had no rights. They could not own property, vote or attend mass. The Crown sent Presbyterian gentry from Scotland to control Irish land.

Using first person narrative, Nell describes squalid farm life where sheep died from disease and rents were often raised. Nell's life was one of constant turmoil. We travel with Nell as the English seemingly try to "cleanse" Ireland. On Nell's wedding night to Arthur Parke, many Irish Catholic and Scots Presbyterian men are killed while women and children are forced aboard ships bound for St. Kitts to work a ten year term of indenture. They experience "the vandalism of dignity". The worst is yet to come. Nell promised ma there would be retribution doled out to the English. She felt an emptiness, a void that could never be filled. Would forgiveness even be possible?

In "The Wind That Shakes the Corn" we follow Nell through the eighteenth century as she continues her journey eventually arriving in America during the time leading up to the Revolutionary War. Different types of oppression occur in the new land as the colonists seek freedom from English rule.

Author Hinckley has written a novel brimming with many historical facts, however, this reader would not call the tome a memoir. The novel is arguably heavily based upon her eighth great grandmother who lived for ninety nine years. Imaginings include chance encounters, coincidences that seem highly unlikely. That said, this reader found the tome to be a very enjoyable 4 star read.

Thank you Prytania Publishing and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "The Wind That Shakes the Corn".

I love historical fiction that's based on someone's life, especially when it's the life of their ancestor. This book is lyrical and interesting, with a unique insight to life centuries ago for an immigrant and her family. If you're interested in historical fiction focusing on more of a slice of life, you'll love this engaging read.

It was difficult to find anything to love about this book. The characters were okay, especially Thomas Dugan and Arthur Parke. In my opinion, what made this book stand out was it's mixing of literary fiction with a memoir, which I find uncomfortable to read because as far as I understood, memoirs are supposed to be as factual as possible. The synopsis suggested that this book was based on the author's eighth great-grandmother, but the majority content of it was fictional. This puts me off as the title of this book suggests it is a memoir, when it really isn't.

On the other hand, the enjoyment I experienced in this book was far from awesome.

p.s. a detailed review was posted in my blog and in goodreads

Hesitating to give any book a 1 star rating, I feel that this book is deserving of it for a variety of reasons. Historical inaccuracies and modern dialogue being used in a supposed historical memoir made this book basically unreadable. Only my opinion.

*I received an advanced copy of this book in return for a review.

The historical inaccuracies were so glaring in this book that I finally had to abandon it about a third of the way through. While an occasional anachronism or misunderstanding of manners and customs of the 18th century can be easily accepted, and while I'm aware that many historical novelists unknowingly give their feisty young heroines language and behavior that does not fit the time period, it's difficult to forgive post Civil War era characters plopped into 18th century Ireland and Philadelphia. Scots Ulster Presbyterians (ANY Scots Presbyterians for that matter) were NOT tolerant of Irish Catholics. Girls were not sent to village schools. They would certainly not act as tutors to young men. Their peasant fathers would never expect them to marry outside their station and class. "America" prior to the Revolution would have been referred to as "the colonies" since even the term "United States" did not exist. The colonies did not think of themselves as a separate "country" from Great Britain. Women did not argue politics. And they did not plan elaborate 20th century weddings. The manners and behaviors of the characters were so anachronistic, it was horrifying to think that editors had not picked up on the glaring gaffes. This author was in way over her head.