One of my favorite types of books are historical fiction with dual timelines. I will read any of those that anyone wants me to. There is just something about connecting the present with the past and past decisions influencing the future. I liked most of the characters in this book, but there were one or two that weren’t my favorite. I’ll let other readers decide for themselves on those. The writing was good and I liked the story.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I received an ARC of The Letter Home, by Racheal English. I have wanting to read this book for months. Such a great story, I loved Bridget, Norah, and Kaitlin, they are great people with great stories. I did not like Jessie at all though.

Thank you Mobius Books for my gifted copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a beautiful tale of discovering your family roots as well as human perseverance in the fight to survive. Set in Ireland and Boston, the story weaves the lives of three women, Jessie, Bridget and Kaitlin. Each struggling with their own battles including loss, humiliation and national famine but each doing so with such determination and endurance. Though all having completely different lives they learn how much we are all tied to our roots and the importance of knowing who we really are.

I found this book to be heartbreaking yet at the same time so endearing. Reading about these women's struggles and how they got through them was inspiring. The way their stories tied together was flawlessly done and I loved the dual timelines. Many times dual timelines can be confusing but this story’s was true perfection. The Ireland/Boston setting was refreshing for a historical fiction book as a lot lately focus mainly on WWII era. To be honest, I really did not know much of the Irish Potato Famine so it was insightful reading more about it. I felt so enraged and saddened learning about what happened to these families and am going to make it a point to educate myself more on these events.

Such a wonderfully inspiring historical fiction story and I urge everyone to grab a copy of this book!

This is an epic story. It's told in dual timeline - very historical, set in Ireland and Boston, lots of family drama and heartbreak.

The story is told by three women -- in Ireland, Bridget's story is set during the great potato famine . Her story is the mainline story. Then the two current day timelines are told by Kaitlin in Boston who decides to look into her family history and by Jessie who's in Clooneven, County Clare. Bridget is the link between both the girls and its a long, twisty story to find out how all three women are connected. So much history, the characters are strong women, the stories are amazing. Really enjoyed reading this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

For those readers interested in genealogy, this book might appeal to them

Three women are introduced , Bridget, who lived in Ireland during the Potato Famine, Jessie ,who has returned to her Irish home in disgrace, and Kaitlin, an American who is working on her family history.

I found the character Bridget fascinating, her struggles ,her family life and what she endured to survive. The other two female characters I found confusing. Going back and forth with their situations took away from the Bridget character. I found myself racing through the book to see what happened to her character.

Stories about the Irish Famine are difficult, this author did a wonderful job with her descriptions .

I will probably recommend this to readers who have a desire to research their family histories.

The story begins with Jessie Daly returning home in disgrace. She wasn’t appealing to me and I had a hard time wanting to continue reading, but I’m glad I did. She becomes engrossed in the search for Bridget Moloney. As an amateur genealogist, this appeals to me.
Bridget struggled to survive during the Famine of the 1840s in Ireland. In the dual time line, we learn of her struggles and heartbreak. In a third story line, Kaitlin Wilson in Boston is also searching and comes in contact with Jessie. A few unexpected twists and a satisfying ending!

After Jessie Daly loses her home and her job, she travels home to to a small village n the coast of western Ireland. She’s going to help a friend trace the history of the area during the Famine of the early 19th century. In America, Kaitlin WIlson is trying to fill in her family tree, all she knows is that her ancestors came to Boston from Ireland sometime in the 19th century. As both women research the path on different sides of the Atlantic, they will uncover the story of their brave ancestors and ultimately, themselves. A lovely book, and a gentle reminder that almost all of us in the United States are the children of immigrants looking for a better life