Another amazing book by Amy Harmon.
I didn’t know if I was going to like this book or not. But I loved it. It peeked my curiosity and interest about Ireland even more. I love how this story is told and how it unfolds from the present to the past and the past to the present.
Eoin is the link between Anne and Thomas, between the present and the past and the past and the present.
I loved seeing Eoin as a little boy and seeing Ireland through Anne’s eyes in the present and then in the past. The bond between her and Eoin is strong always no matter when they are together. I didn’t know how things would work out with Thomas and I was worried about it but I loved how it all unfolded and came together. I would’ve loved a little more. It would’ve been nice to see the ending with a little more.
I love the story that is told with historical figures. An amazing must read. I highly recommend this book.

This is why I have the black sheep shelf, folks. This right here.

I'm going to start off by saying if you love OUTLANDER, or any time-travel-y historical romance, you'll probably love this. Even if I, a fan of OUTLANDER, did not.

WHAT THE WIND KNOWS is a slightly more modern slip through the sands of time, or rather less of a jump, and Harmon's take on the concept drops us into an Ireland on the brink of civil war as her countrymen fight for independence. But unlike the aforementioned novel that will no doubt be a comparison for every reader who picks this up, this story is both far more complex and simultaneously much simpler than the other epic.

I think my main problem, though, was I was just bored. There is so much history and politics crammed into this standalone that I was skimming pretty early on. We flip between our heroine's POV, contemporary and then in the past, and that of our love interest who is writing journal entries of his observations and experiences. These chapters sometimes overlap and other times fill in gaps. It was a clever way to show Anne's impact and adjustment to her unexpected timeline, and the complications of her appearance, but it was never consistently a perspective that I enjoyed.

While I can see from the author's note that this story was inspired by her own trip to Ireland and her own family history, it ultimately just reads too much like an homage. Anne is a writer in mostly-present day New York, with a strong connection to Ireland as a result of her grandfather, and just so happened to be writing a book set around the 1920s, so she goes to the past prepared with the goings on and all the relevant key players of the time. She even offers some hints and advice of what's to come. Kinda like Claire. Her birthday is October twentieth. Just like Claire (and me!). She ends up wearing two rings, for reasons, just like Claire. She acts as an extra set of hands and a pseudo nurse.. sorta like Claire. It was just a lot. That being said..

It did diverge pretty strongly in the connections and family aspect of things. Of which I was very confused for a while and then ultimately just kinda (shrug emoji) whatevs about. And the romance.. well, there's definitely no comparison there. I felt like I was walking along, fine as can be, and then tripped and face-planted into it. It comes out of nowhere, with little foundation, though I did kind of love it through Thomas' writings. It was the only time I actually felt it. His utter astonishment of his feelings was just.. sweet and aweinspiring. Easily the highlight.

I couldn't wait to finish this book. I just wanted it over with. It was a real struggle to stay engaged and while there were some lines and turns of phrase of pure loveliness, I just felt it was trying too hard to make me feel something that wasn't there.

This is a beautiful and magical story of love, family, mystery, history, and travel through time. The story is told from Anne Gallagher’s point of view but we learn many details of the past from Dr. Thomas Smith’s journal. Initially I wasn’t quite as interested in the various political conflicts in Ireland but as I learned more about the characters from the early 1900s and their love for their country, I become invested in the outcomes.

The story begins in 2001 and when Anne’s grandfather, Eoin, dies, she is instructed to take his ashes to Ireland, where her journey back in time begins. I can’t imagine how I would react if I was suddenly in such a different time period with the dress, customs, speech, and many other things that would make it difficult to blend in.

At times I wondered if this was just a dream based on Anne’s grief over losing her grandfather and not having any other family. As more and more details came to light, I kept wondering how things fit together and if changes in the past would affect the future.

I loved Thomas so much for his strong character, love for his country and family and willing to help anyone. There are several secondary characters that are quite important in 2001 and 1921 and interesting to see them at different ages.

I realized in the latter half of the book and even in the last paragraph, how skillfully Ms. Harmon has blended details that didn’t seem to be that important and then it’s like a light being turned on.

The story has so many heart-wrenching and fearful moments, but it was easily balanced with so much love and joy. This is a difficult review to write as I would love to mention so many scenes, people, and events. I didn’t remember the blurb before I started reading and I think it made the story so much better and just experiencing the story as it unfolded.

I was tearful at events toward the end of the story and couldn’t quite figure out how there would be a HEA but Ms. Harmon provided the perfect ending. Afterwards, I just sat thinking about the entire experience and how the puzzle was completed. This is a story not to be missed.

Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read this book.

OMG y'all this book was so good. It reminded me of like an Irish Outlander but better because I have picked up Outlander and DNF'd it like five times lol

Things I Loved

Time Travel- Time travel is something I love in books. I appreciate how seamlessly Harmon was able to transition the character from the past and present.

The History- The Irish Revolution is something I have never read about.

The Romance- I was feeling all the feels.

The Writing Style- I thoroughly enjoyed the formatting of this book and it was so easy to read.

So thankful to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this prior to the release date.

1) I mean, Amy Harmon can write.

Eoin let me ramble on about things I thought I understood—but only romanticized—like philosophy and politics and Irish nationalism. Someday, I told him, I wanted to write a novel set in Ireland during the Rising of 1916.

“Tragedy makes for great stories, but I’d much rather your story—the one you live, not the ones you write—be filled with joy. Don’t revel in tragedy, Annie. Rejoice in love. And once you find it, don’t let it go. In the end, it is the one thing you won’t regret,” Eoin had said.


2) I'm sure this would have been a heart wrenching and tender romance...mainly because this kiss is so darn sweet.

My breath caught at his confession—the sound ricocheted between us—and he leaned in to gently free it, brushing my mouth with his. His lips were so soft and shy, they slipped away without letting me greet them. I followed, frantic to call them back, and he hesitated, forehead pressed to mine, hands on my shoulders, letting my bated breath extend an invitation before he accepted it and returned.

____

Overall...wow. Wow, wow. Tugs at the heart strings and evokes the tenderness that only Amy Harmon can convey.

My main gripe is that so much of Thomas' journal entries were in italics and italics becomes extremely hard on the eyes in bulk.

What the Wind Knows was an enchanting story that spanned generations. The imagery and characters were rich and vivid. Amy Harmon really did her research to make the historical context surrounding the story come alive. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Irish history, romance, and masterful storytelling.

Anne Gallagher is an author living in NYC in 2001 when her beloved Irish grandfather dies. When Anne takes his ashes back to Ireland, a boat trip over a lough takes her back in time to 1921. Stuck in the past, Anne relies upon the help of Thomas Smith, a local doctor and close friend of Michael Collins, as the Irish struggle for independence from Britain. Emotional and moving, this is a story that highlights a time period not often written about that will stay with readers long after the book is over. Recommended for fans of Diana Gabaldon and Susanna Kearsley.

First of all I'm not a fan of historical books. But I love Amy Harmon.

The characters in Amy style are so well developed, all of them with their nuances colliding to give the story that powerful feeling.

This book made me cry, swoon, and fall in love with the characters. Amy describes Ireland in such delightful way that you are transported to 1922.

This is a book not only about history or time traveling is about family, love, friendship, soulmates, new beginnings all entwined with beautiful and poetic writing.

If you like historical romance this book is perfect for you but if you not this book is still perfect for you.

Directly after requesting ths ARC on Netgalley, I asked myself: „Anna-Maria, you POSITIVELY hated Outlander and can’t look at anything remotely Scottish any since without cringing – so why on earth would you want to read another time travel romance?“

Good question, dear self. The answer is that despite Gabaldon not exactly winning me over with her domestic violence set in the Highlands, the concept of time itself as an obstacle to love actually excites me. It’s like reading about long-distance relationships, only much more dramatic, and it’s fantasy! I also wanted to read Harmon’s works for so long now that, when I got the chance to read one of her books for free and saw that it’s set in the 1920s, I did not hesitate. And thank god that impulse wasn’t wrong.

So I feel sorry for comparing What the Wind Knows to Outlander throughout this review, but the parallels can’t be denied: Annie, a successful author of historical fiction based in New York, was raised by her grandfather Eoin, an Irish immigrant who lies dying of cancer and only wishes for his ashes to be returned to his birthplace in rural Ireland. Later, while still grieving over his loss, she ventures to Europe to fulfill his last demand and rows out onto Lough Gill with his remains, where she is mysteriously thrown back in time to a world where her beloved guardian lives on as a 5-year old boy. At first mistaken for her own great-grandmother and namesake, whom she resembles almost exactly, she decides to spend some time with then-young Eoin as his mother’s impostor, before returning to 2001.

That is, in itself, absolutely brilliant, because for a plot like this to make sense there must be either something preventing the time traveller from travelling back to their own timeline or a strong motive to stay in the past, which in this case is Anne’s affection for her grandfather. I wondered how the time paradox would play into the story, but the solution to that was more than satisfactory. After all, I was relieved to see that she wouldn't be romancing her own great-grandfather. Harmon’s writing seemed very down-to-earth at first, but there is depth in her simple style that later allows for high emotional stakes.

The things I couldn’t stand in Gabaldon’s take on time travel romance (I really should look up if she was the first one to even write anything like it – her work certainly started the hype around the genre) were thankfully absent in What the Wind Knows. For example, Anne’s struggle to acquire knowledge of day-to-day life in the 1920s without raising suspisions is wonderfully believable, starting with the issue of what to use as hair conditioner, and I absolutely loved the chapter dedicated to her understanding of the particularities of 20’s women’s fashion.

For at least half a year, Irish history and culture were the main topics in my high school English course, and despite struggling (and somewhat succeeding) to memorize the dates of the key events of Irish politics in the early 20th century, 8 years later, I found myself googling most of it („most of it" because I had no wifi connection or data volume left on my phone to actually look it all up). Harmon at least doesn’t make it too hard to get a vague idea about what went down in 1921 and 1922 Ireland, but anyone who, like me, knows only the basics, will probably not understand all the details of Irish insurrection.

But of course, I could not omit the romance in a review, which is adorable, though perhaps corny at times. Thomas Smith being a lovely love interest whose diary entries alternate with the chapters from Anne’s point of view, I was honestly engaged in their relationship. Still, I disliked the dry historical voice his diary chapters took up here and there, or the cheesy development of their love story later on, though that might be because, being the age that I am, I can’t find anything particularly romantic about raising children together, future grandfather or no. Nevertheless, I found the end satisfying and don’t think I’ve encountered anything like it before!

My rating might be a bit too generous, but „What the Wind Knows“ undoubtedly kept me entertained throughout my wifi-less days and and helped polishing up my knowledge of Ireland. You know what? I might even travel to Dublin this year, now that I'm in the mood for it. Give this a go if you don’t like Jamie or whatever that Outlander guy is called!

All the stars possible!! Seriously, if Amy Harmon wrote a dictionary, I would be first in line to buy it. Her writing is exceptional, draws you in, and you feel like you are right there in the middle of it.

This book takes place in Ireland, for the most part. I have never given much thought to Ireland, but after reading this book, it is definitely on my bucket list to travel there. The description of it is so beautiful and I just wanted to be right where they were.

The love story between Anne and Thomas gave me all the feels! I loved the way they interacted and how the love story came about. It was perfect.

I don't feel like this review can do the book justice, so you just have to read it for yourself. It is another top notch book from Amy Harmon.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would. This book is going to be hard to top for me this year. Beautifully told, strong characters and plot - there was not one thing I would change with it. I was so swept up in the story I found myself losing hours like Anne lost months. Absolutely incredible.

There are few authors that can transport me to another realm so completely with their mastery of words. Amy Harmon is one such author. I am in awe at the confluence of her imagination, research, and prose, and am astonished at the sheer enchantment she creates. It is evident that she has poured her heart and soul into this work, and the result is pure magic.

A warm lullaby crafted from a melange of history, W.B. Yeats' poetry, and indelible characters, What the Wind Knows is nothing short of spectacular. Shockingly, the suspension of disbelief required to read this novel (an act often proven difficult for me) was never a struggle, but a very organic experience from start to finish. The beauty of the text leaves the reader in a state of calm and awe, having expended raw emotion throughout the journey... a true marker of a superior novel.

My heart is more full for having met Anne Gallagher and Thomas Smith, and for having been introduced to the real-life character, Michael Collins. The rich history of Ireland that Ms. Harmon has shared is truly fascinating.

"There are some paths that inevitably lead to heartache, some acts that steal men's souls, leaving them wandering forever after without them, trying to find what they lost." -Amy Harmon

Many thanks to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Be on the lookout for this gem on March 1!

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A lovely story encompassing history and love. Beautiful plot and characterisation, look forward to read more from this author.

It's hard to put into words how wonderful this book is. I think it really hit home with me since I, too, was close to my grandfather so the feels were so real. This amazing book tells of love, history, war, conflict, friendship, longing, loss, and remembrance.. All in one book, how Amy Harmon does it every time she writes is unbelievable. My fave quote from the book, Yes, I told you. You told me. And you will tell me again. Only the wind knows which truly comes first." After reading the book this will make more sense. This is a must read for any historical fiction lover.

Amy Harmon delivers a book that is rich in history and the words feel imprinted on your soul.
I am not a huge historical romance fan, but I do enjoy books that tell a truth about a certain period of time like historical fiction. This is what Amy did with this book. She transported me from the 21st century and set me in the 1920's in a time when Ireland was facing a lot of political turmoil. She does it with a lyrical prose by adding Yeats to each chapter and by her own words. She researched the heck out of the time and infused her family and soul into the characters and it shows. It's quite simply one of those books that you want to take your time with and let it settle into your marrow.

What the Wind knows starts with a bit of pain and tragedy for our main character Anne. She is raised by her grandfather Eion who has showed her the world. They have discovered every corner of the earth with one another, except where they came from. Ireland has always called to her, so when Eion makes one last request, she knows she will do it. Upon returning to the place where Eion grew up she runs into people and places that were a part of his youth. But there is always something building beneath the words. When finally she goes to release her grandfather, she is taken back in time. 1921 Ireland is not what she expects and she finds out a lot about herself and her life that she only got glimpses of in pictures and letters. And what she is about to experience is something so beautiful, yet earth shattering.

"Was I changing history, or had I always been part of it?"

This book is like nothing I've read before and I don't know if I will again. It takes time travel, history, historical romance and meshes it all together into a time where life was simpler, yet full of stressful situations and truth that we don't always want to see. I know there are books out there like this, I'm sure, but I feel the beauty told in this story seems so much more personal and you can feel it coming through the pages. Anne and Eion and Thomas's relationships and history all combine to create something in the past and present. And when the present comes calling, it tears you apart to feel the loss all over again.


This is a Magical, beautiful, historical, thoughtful and full of underlying conflict book. The beauty and pain, the loss and family created was quite simply.....Ireland. This is what I imagine Ireland to be. Rich in history and love and secrets only the the wind knows.
"This is what Ireland does. It calls her children home. If you don't stay in Ireland, who will they come home to?"

From the journals to the books created for Eion to Thomas' steadfast love for others, to Anne's way with words and creating worlds for others, this is a book that can be enjoyed by all. It's rich in family and history and love for others. I would recommend this amazing book to anyone looking for a nostalgic, well written beauty of Ireland.

"Stories about love. Magic. History."
"And now you are living it."
"The love or the magic?" I whispered.
"The history."

Every book I read by Amy Harmon I loved, and What The Wind Knows is no exception. Amy's writing is so beautiful and her characters are so compelling, you can't help but fall in love with her stories. What the Wind Knows is a book about Anne who travels to Ireland to spread her beloved grandfather's ashes and finds herself transported 80 years back in time, when Ireland was fighting for independence. There she finds a home and a family that she never had in her own time. But can she stay in a time period that is not her own?

What the Wind Knows is for everyone who loves historical fiction, time travel books in the vein of Outlander, and impossible love stories. It will sweep you of your feet, tug at your heartstrings, and make you cry sad and happy tears. I highly recommend it!

Such a beautiful story, What The Wind Knows will always have a special place in my heart!
Her book took me on an imaginary journey I didn't want to end!It's a fantastic,unique, captivating and intense story.Do you know why I love Amy Harmon's books? Because they are pure perfection!Always, with original stories.

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This story is full of emotions, my heart was beating hard and I was anxious to see what will happen.I loved the characters so much, and especially the bond they have.There are some really intense and emotional moments between them!

This a must read, an unforgettable story that will stay with you forever!Prepare your heart for an emotional and touching story.

While every Amy Harmon book I’ve read has been completely different, they’ve all shared one or two important things- characters you can’t help but get attached to and a storyline that draws you in.

In this story, Anne Gallagher is a famous author who was raised by her grandfather in New York. Her grandfather is ill, and doesn't have much time left. On his deathbed he shows her some pictures and a journal for the first time. She finds it odd that she's never seen the items before, but he's very vague when she questions them, providing little information but making her promise to take his ashes to his homeland in Ireland after he passes.

She does, traveling to Ireland, feeling heartbroken and alone. But while she is there, something out of the ordinary happens. And she once again feel a connection to her grandfather.

The rest of the story focuses on Anne and her relationships- with her family, her friends, and her love- as well as Irish history.

When I first started this book I was a little hesitant about it. I thought that maybe the snippets of Irish politics and history might weigh it down. But that was far from what happened. I found myself caring about something that, since it has no direct relation to me, I otherwise would have never bothered to take the time to learn about. I found this story to be one I did not want to put down. Thanks Netgalley and Mrs Harmon.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Anne Gallagher is heartbroken after her grandfather dies. She travels to Ireland to spread his ashes in the lake and is transported back to 1921 where he is 6 yrs old.

Good story and great characters - both fictional and real life historical figures. I love historical fiction sagas that wrap me into the story and teach me a little bit of the history.

4.25

I just finished reading an #ARC of this book and I am so completely blown away by the beauty of this story and the phenomenal writing! It truly is a masterpiece! Amy Harmon knocked it out of the dang park with this book!! I will NEVER forget this beautiful story!