I'll admit that I almost didn't read this book. The first 25 pages were so slow and I didn't like the main character, Connor, at all. However, the writing was so beautiful that I decided to keep reading it and I'm glad that I did. I ended up really enjoying this well written story of two men during two different times as they struggled to figure out their purpose in life and how to achieve happiness.

Connor is a congressional aide in DC. When he was younger he was arrogant and proud of himself. As the novel begins, he is wandering through his life due to his recent divorce and what he feels isn't a challenging job. He spends more time thinking about the past than the future and just isn't sure what his purpose is. As he begins to remember his grandfather, he gains wisdom from the time that he spent with him. Liam immigrated from Ireland. He left a note for his family and girl friend and boarded a ship that sailed to Boston. He too kept looking back on his life and realized the mistakes that he'd made. Once he decided to look towards the future and have confidence in himself, his life began to change as he realized his purpose in life.
The last third of the book is about Connor finally finding a purpose in his life and looking toward the future. Remembering Liam's story helped Connor to turn his life around and bring him happiness.

This is beautifully written book about two men who lived their lives years apart but were both faced with questions about their place in life and how to achieve happiness.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Conor Finnegan,working as an aide to a congressional committee in Capitol Hill, is deeply disappointed with his unsettling marriage and lifeless career. At his worst, he curses his own mediocrity towards life. In retrospect, he reflects about his optimistic idealism as a young man and his first love, a woman who had devastated his heart. Now after an uneasy divorce and squeezed out of every concession by his wife, he seeks redemption from all his previous mistakes and redefines himself and his role.

Conor’s discontent turns his attention to his beloved grandfather and the details of his grandfather’s sweeping life story. Conor knows that to have his greatest chance at professional and personal success, he has to follow the spirit of his grandfather’s life.

The novel follows two story lines of Conor’s life in present time in America and his grandfather Liam’s past in 1920’s rural Ireland. We learn about Liam’s past as a young man caught in the crossfire of the Irish Civil War and his migration from Ireland to US to escape the violence and dread of it. There are a subtle similarities between two stories which help Conor to mitigate his discontent at last.

I have mixed-up feeling about this novel. It is indeed a very beautifully written and poignantly told story. But it is somewhat slow-paced. I can’t fathom the organisation as Liam’s story is sandwiched between Conor’s story and it takes most part of the story as well. In my opinion, it could have been better as an historical novel with Liam as a protagonist. Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading about rural Ireland and Black and Tan’s roles in the Royal Irish constabulary.

*𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙆𝙤𝙚𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣.

I really enjoyed the last 2/3 of the book. The first 1/3 was a little slow for me. I really enjoyed reading about Conor’s grandfather Liam. The parts about Conor were a little confusing for me. I enjoyed how Liam solved his problems and how Conor solved his too. I received a copy of this book from Smith Publicity for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Conor Finnegan's discontent mirrors the restlessness of his grandfather Liam, caught as a young man in the crossfire of the Irish Civil War. "

Slow moving story and I could definitely feel Conor's discontent throughout the book. The pov would abruptly change and I found myself reading (again) the previous pages to determine who was speaking.

2.5☆

Beautifully written story of family heritage and finding one’s place in life. There are two main stories here: Conor Finnegan, in present time in the US, and his grandfather, Liam Finnegan, in early 20th century Ireland. Conor, working in Washington D.C., experiences dissatisfaction in his relationships and his job. In the middle of the book, we learn Liam’s story of migration from Ireland to the US to escape the violence of civil war. We then return to Conor, as he finds a better path for his life’s work. There are many subtle linkages and parallels between the two stories.

I very much enjoyed this book. It is obviously carefully crafted, filled with evocative passages and atmospheric scenes. I appreciated the inclusion of quotes from other literary works that introduce each chapter. My only difficulty with it was the abrupt shift in the storyline from Conor back to Liam, so perhaps I missed the cue. It is ultimately an uplifting story of how changes in life can turn into improvements, even if we are unaware of it at the time.