Kathleen McGurl writes the most vivid dual time-line historical fiction novels. I do look forward to a new book coming out. I always hope it will be as good as her previous and she never lets me down!
The Girl With The Emerald Flag is set in Dublin over two time periods, 1998 and 1916. In 1998 we meet Nicky, at University after leaving home. All she wants is to have some fun after being under her mothers eagle eye. After she splits up with her boyfriend she decides to do as her mum suggested and go to visit her great grandmother Gráinne in Dublin, Ireland. She is studying Modern History and needs a project so she goes to her Great Grandmother to interview her. What she doesn't expect is the story Gráinne tells her. The story of the Easter Rising and her involvement in this important historical event.
I did know of the Easter Rising but Kathleen McGurl has, again educated me even more. This is one of my favourite things about historical fiction. I am always learning new facts. If I love anything,it is history. I always have, and the history of the Irish is so important in my mind.
As the stories of both women unfolded, it felt like history was coming alive on the pages in front of me. Kathleen McGurl has a skill to evoke such lifelike characters from her mind. If every teenager read books such as Kathleen's, I am sure they would learn more than at school! I was captivated when it came to Gráinne recounting her memories. I wasn't able to stop reading until I had to sleep.
It is an emotional story and one that I was thoroughly immersed in. The way that Kathleen McGurl can transport me away from the present day in the space of a page is amazing. Definitely one I can recommend to any historical fiction reader.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources,Boldwood Books and NetGalley.

I really had high hopes for this book - a subject and setting that is among my favorites, both for fiction as well as non-fiction. Had the only story line been the 1916 one, it would have been rated far higher. However, the 1998 story line was, at times, hilarious - and I get the distinct impression that it was not to be meant that way.

I already felt Nicky and her behavior was just over the top, but throw into the whole Seb mess and his extreme over the top behavior and I spent more time rolling my eyes than caring about the events. They both came out like bad caricatures of the type of kids they were portrayed as. Their dialogue felt forced and Nicky's change, while welcome, just did not feel real at all.

On the minor annoyance side, you have Nicky and Conor, both students at major universities, writing each other with pen and paper. In 1998. As someone who is about the same age as these characters in 1998, there is no way they wouldn't have been emailing each other.

Didn't find this as good as her previous novels. Characters were good but the story dragged a bit. Set during two time periods but involving members of the same family.

This was such an engaging read. In 1998, Nicola is a student at university, studying modern history. She struggles with her relationship with her mother and is fond of rebelling. The other story is of the 1916 Easter uprising and the events leading up to it. I enjoyed both stories and the link between them. In the earlier story there are some very heartfelt moments and I struggled to keep back the tears. I did enjoy the way that Nicola became more aware of how her actions had an effect on other people. This was a well researched story and I found myself looking up to see exactly what happened to the various people involved. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The story begins after the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland; Gráinne, a young Irish girl, witnesses the executions that follow in a poignant chapter. In 1998, the year of the Irish peace agreement, Nicky, a rebellious student, cuts ties with her long-term boyfriend and loving family in favour of a life of freedom at university. Despite the differences between the two women, when they meet and Nicky learns her Great Grandmother's story, the similarities emerge, and Nicky appreciates what's important in her life.

I love how the author brings the social and political aspects of the Easter Rising to life with vibrant characters and vivid sensory imagery. It's an emotional tale, primarily as it reflects history. Gráinne is a complex, courageous character, and her story is compelling. I like how Nicky's character positively develops as she interacts with Gráinne and learns about her life as a young woman in 1916.

I enjoyed this story.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This was an interesting dual time-line book. I found the names hard as they were Irish but, the story was unusual and interesting. I didn’t know anything about the rebellion in 1916 so I learnt a lot by reading this. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

5/5

I LOVE A STRONG FEMALE CHARACTER AND A BOOK THAT MAKES ME CRY MY EYES OUT. The Girl with the Emerald Flag is a dual timeline book. One during the Easter Rising in Ireland in 1916, where Gráinne was part of the rebellion. It was fascinating and heart breaking to learn about all they did and gave up/lost during that time. I loved reading about her and Emmett’s love story that started during the rebellion and how devoted they were to each other.

The other is Gráinne’s great granddaughter Nicky set in the year 1998 during the Irish/British peace talks. Nicky is 19 and is going through that rebellious phase where she is away at college and dislikes on her parents want to talk to her maybe once a week. She sees herself as a grown up and doesn’t believe that she should have to bother with phone calls or visits to her family. Well bring in one school project where she has to research a rebellion and put a different spin on it. You guessed it she goes and visits her Great grandmother in Ireland and not only does she learn all about her past but she also learns some lessons about her life now in the present.

This was a captivating read that I enjoyed from cover to cover. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy on November 11th when it comes out!

I always look forward to a new dual timeline book by Kathleen McGurl and this didn't disappoint.
The Girl With the Emerald Flag is well written and covered a period of history I knew very little about. The main characters are Nicky in 1998, a student researching the part women played during the Easter Rising conflict in Ireland, 1916 and Grainne, her great-grandmother who lived through the period and contributed to the fight for an independent Ireland.

I have loved Kathleen McGurl's dual timeline novels, and I really enjoyed her latest book.
Set in revolutionary Ireland, in 1916 as well as modern day, the story follows a part of history I'm ashamed to say I know little about. Now that's changed, thanks to this book.
Both timelines are given equal attention, and I enjoyed both but I looked forward to Nicky's chapters a little more, I suspect because she reminds me of myself!
McGurl shows the reason I love historical fiction perfectly with this book. To raise awareness to a lesser known part of history through wonderful, powerful characters who you support and want to succeed.

In this book we follow nicky in 1998, and grainne in 1916.
I did not know a lot avout the 1916 rising , but i know there has been problems between Ireland and the england for a Long time.
What I liked about this book.. it told us the stories and destinies of the people, men and women , who supported the rising. It was refreshing to see that the leaders were not only men, but also strong women. With that being Said, this book has dual timelines. And even though i loved the 1916s story, i felt the 1998 story was weak. I Just did not like the Main character in the 1998 story. But I recommend the book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

The year is 1916 and while war takes place in Europe, Ireland is also preparing for a battle of its own. Grainne leaves her job in a department store to join the efforts of Countess Markiewicz in her aim to help gain Ireland its independence. As the revolution begins, Grainne realises that her beliefs will have personal ramifications, changing her life forever.

Decades later, Nicky is researching her great grandmother’s role in revolutionary Ireland. The discovery of a handkerchief amongst her great grandmother’s items uncovers a story of heartbreak and courage and an understanding of the sacrifices some made to fight for what they believed in.

It is always a pleasure to take part in the blog tour for one of Kathleen McGurl’s books as I know I have a good read waiting for me. Like her previous dual timeline books, we have two stories, their plots coming together to create a fascinating insight into an event from the past. The Easter Rebellion is something I have read about before but I really liked how in The Girl with the Emerald Flag, we are told the story from a woman’s perspective, a side of history that is often neglected.

Grainne is a wonderful, three-dimensional character who we meet in both time frames. A brave, tenacious young woman, we also get to see how events in 1916 have shaped her life and how Nicky, her great granddaughter helps her to uncover hidden secrets. Nicky was a character I did not immediately take to but as the story progressed and she began to re-evaluate her life, I warmed towards her. Her relationship with Grainne was a delight to read and really showed how important inter-generational friendships are.

Kathleen McGurl has written another cracking book, one that entertains and educates in equal measures. Perfect for these cold autumn evenings, I cannot recommend her dual timeline books highly enough.

A country rebelling...a forgotten sacrifice...

THE GIRL WITH THE EMERALD FLAG tells the tale of two women - Nicky in 1998 and that of her great-grandmother Grainne in 1916. The focus of the story is rebellion and it's consequences and both women share more than a little in common.

Written in a dual timeline format (my favourite) we are privy to Grainne's involvement in the Easter Rising of the 1916 rebellion in the fight for Ireland's independence as well as Nicky's own personal rebellion against the things that confine her to expectation and conformation in 1998. It is interesting to note that Nicky's story takes place at the time of the Northern Ireland Peace agreement, signed on Good Friday in 1998, 82 years after her own great-grandmother's involvement in the Easter Rising of 1916.

Grainne MacDowd is an idealistic 18 year old fighting for the cause of Irish independence. She works at Clerys department store before being taken under the wing of Countess Markievicz in the lead up to what became known as the Easter Rising. Her brother Sean is away fighting in the trenches for the British in Europe in the hope that in doing so will bring the home rule of independence to Ireland. However, the fighting takes its toll and when Sean returns on leave he confides to Grainne that he is not returning; that he cannot be involved in the taking of human lives. He then goes into hiding and Grainne never sees him again.

In a battle of her own for Ireland, Grainne does a little bit of everything leading up to the Easter Rising, from cooking and cleaning to running errands and messages. And then comes Easter Sunday, the day of the Rising. For a week the streets of Dublin become a battlefield as they, the people, fight for a cause they believe in, going some way to making the ultimate sacrifice for Ireland's independence from British rule.

At 19 years old, Nicky Waters thinks she knows it all. She's at university in Brighton studying modern history away from the confines of her stifling mother and loving father. As their only child, Nicky resents her mother's constant presence in her life, poking her nose in and thus trying to control her. She is ungrateful, selfish and somewhat naive though she believes she is standing up for her rights, rebelling against the conformities placed upon her. She refuses to visit home, choosing instead to stay on campus and live the university life. She even goes so far as to think her kind, loving and stable boyfriend of three years is boring and stale...so she dumps him to explore herself and live uni life to the full.

And then she meets Seb. Someone who is more selfish, more ungrateful, more self-obsessed than Nicky herself. He claimed to be a rebel but only so far as what's in it for him. I cannot believe Nicky chose him over Conor.

In the midst of her "living the university life", she's been handed a project on...ironically enough...rebellion. Her mother suggests she explore her great-grandmother's story of living through the Irish rebellion and the Easter Rising of 1916 as her topic. But Nicky is apprehensive. To do so would be giving her mother points in their constant battle of wills. However, Supergran (as Nicky calls her) Grainne is 100 years old and if she were to get her story down on paper, now is as good a time as any...before it's too late.

Her research takes her to Dublin where she stays with Grainne and listens to her remarkable story, taking notes. And as she does, Nicky begins to learn a valuable lesson. Finding your place in the world and gaining independence does not come without risks or consequences. It's OK to stand up for what you believe in but you must also learn from your mistakes. And Nicky realises she has made plenty. In a light bulb moment, she discovers that she and Grainne aren't so different after all...and she begins to see things from a very different perspective.

This was something of a different story and not one I would typically read, being incredibly political. To be honest, I didn't understand a lot of the political side of things and they don't particularly interest me, but the story itself was interesting. Especially the ending. I am not giving anything away when I say the executions in the aftermath of the Uprising were especially heartbreaking. So many died at the hands of their captors, if not in the battle itself, and the first hand account of hearing the firing squad outside their windows is particularly haunting.

THE GIRL WITH THE EMERALD FLAG is a heartbreaking tale of rebellion, independence and finding one's place in the world. I didn't enjoy it as much as some of McGurl's other books but it is still a well-written, well-researched and well-told story of a time long forgotten by some and not by others. For me, the history of Irish rebellion and Ireland's independence goes only as far as IRA attacks that I remember as a child or maybe a U2 song.

Overall, this is a sad tale really but with the promise of hope at the end. For both women. Perfect for fans of historical fiction and dual timelines.

I would like to thank #KathleenMcGurl, #Netgalley, #HQStories and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TheGirlWithTheEmeraldFlag in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The Girl with the Emerald Flag is a dual timeline story with the older timeline telling the story of Gráinne MacDowd, who becomes a member of the Cumann na mBan - the Irish women's group of the Irish Republican Army (the IRA) - in the time period of the 1916 Easter Uprising. Gráinne begins to work for Countess Constance Markiewicz at her home at Surrey House in Rathmines, Dublin, where she is an eyewitness to the Uprising, taking part herself as a messenger and nurse. The second timeline is that of Nicky, Gráinne's great-granddaughter, who is struggling to find herself while studying History at college. Nicky is assigned a project about rebellion and Nicky's mother suggests she talk with Gráinne about her involvement with the Easter Uprising - which helps Nicky grow up in many ways. I loved both story lines but I especially enjoyed learning more about the Uprising and how women, especially Countess Markiewicz, played such an important part in Irish History. Both timelines come to statisfying endings. What a great novel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl With the Emerald Flag is so beautifully written and the author did an outstanding job in researching for this book!

As a dual timeline story, I felt the plot flowed effortlessly between past and present. In the present (1998), we follow Nicola, rebellious daughter and Uni student trying to find her way and learning about herself through the stories her greatgrandmother shares. In the past (1916), Grainne - a young woman in the center of a rising rebellion.

I loved the way the writer stayed true to the use of factual events, places and people. Though our main characters are fictitious.

A fabulous read with a teary ending.

5/5

I love historical fiction and it is because of books like this. This started off as a slow burner but increased in pacing as the tesion increased. The story was riveting and had obviously been well researched. I loved the setting and the descriptions were of a high level. The characters were one of the best things about this book. I loved it.

The Girl with the Emerald Flag
3.5 💫

This was a slow burner for me and I almost decided to give up 20% in, however I'm glad I persevered.
Nicky Waters was an unlikeable character when I started the book however as the book went on I slowly fell in love with her rebellious side. Also, I loved the heroine Grainne from the get go! It's written from two different jumping between 1916 and 1998. Being from Ireland myself, it was great to learn the history of the country from a good historical fiction book, and I think Kathleen McCurl tells a wonderful story.

Thank you to Netgalley and HQ digital for sharing this book with me.

Once again Kath McGurl has brought us an other outstanding read, living in Ireland this is a book that has been researched so well and so accurate, attention to detail is brilliant, I loved this from start to finish and can highly recommend for a very true to life book.

I LOVED this book! It's a dual timeline with the contemporary part set in 1998 and the past in 1916, specifically in the week of the Easter Rising in Dublin.
Nicky is our modern day heroine. She's just left home to study in college. She's an only child and can't wait to get away and live her own life. She's an ungrateful, naïve brat at this stage and I didn't like her at all. She grows and develops during the story and I warmed to her a bit more towards the end.
Our past heroine is Grainne and she really is a heroine. She takes a job with Countess Markievicz and in doing so becomes involved with the Rising. She is also Nicky's great grandmother.
The two stories that unfold make satisfying reading. The author has certainly done her homework regarding the Rising. I've been told stories about this all my life. I was totally engrossed in this part of the book. Relating the events through the eyes of Grainne makes it come alive in a way you don't get from history books. It's a sad tale really.
If you like getting your history from fictional stories rather than dry tomes then this is the book for you. I'd highly recommend it!

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The book is about two women, Grainne and Nicky, both women’s lives are similar, as they both make choices, the outcomes of which they have to deal with.

The story depicts how the choices affect their lives and those around them.

A dual time line book, Grainne’s story was set in Ireland during the 1916, and Nicky’s was set in 1998 around the time of the Northern Ireland Peace agreement, set in England and Ireland

The story had mystery and suspense and was an interesting read, which gave you an understanding of the events 1916 Rebellion in Dublin Ireland.

I recommend this book.

This is a well-written historical fiction dual timeline novel. In 1916, Gráinne becomes involved in the Irish movement for independence, in particular the Easter Rising. In the late 1990s, her granddaughter Nicky interviews her for a school project and learns about her grandmother's actions. This is an emotionally-resonant story about courage and sacrifice in the fight for freedom and independence. I admired Gráinne as a character and I learned a lot about the Irish independence movement.