This book was a fascinating historical read. Set in the mid 1800's, the story begins with the passing of The Earl Gray Act in Britian that allowed for the transportation of young Irish immigrants to Australia to work as domestic help,farm laborers, etc. The trip from England alone is a brutal description of what these immigrants went through to get to their new country. For those who do not know much about this time in British and Australian history, I strongly recommend that you read this book. The people, the conditions and what these immigrants endured will keep you reading until the end. One of the best book that I have read in the past several months.

Thank you for the digital ARC of The Famine Orphans!

I was thrilled to find out there was a new book by Patricia Falvey, as I absolutely loved The Yellow House. The Famine Orphans tells the story of the Irish girls who were sent from the Irish workhouses to Australian during The Great Famine. Like any great historical fiction novel, readers will inevitably find themselves doing more research into these time period and topics. The stories of Kate and her comrades is engaging, although often dismal. It does illuminate the power of will and the indomitable spirit of the Irish. Weaved through the countryside of Ireland, to the seas of the world, to Sydney and the Australian outback, Falvey takes the reader on quite the journey. There are some slow lulls in the book but Falvey places them where they coincide with the characters' emotions. Overall a great historical fiction novel that will also be enjoyed by fans of Irish and Australian fiction.

It is well known that Australia was a penal colony for the British Empire - but until reading this book, I had no clue that thousands of Irish orphans were sent to help populate the country after the potato famines in the late 1840s.

This novel was well-researched and fascinating, and I feel it portrayed the era exactly as it was. I do feel like some details were skipped over, perhaps it could have been divided into multiple books to allow more of the story to be told - the ending in particular felt a bit rushed.

Overall I learnt a lot reading this novel, and would definitely recommend it!

4 stars out of 5 ⭐️

From the opening page this novel’s hooks are hard to resist. Divided into clear sections, 1846 through 1851, the story follows the life of Kate Gilvarry, beginning with her family’s devastation at the hands of the Irish potato famine. Signing on with the Earl Grey scheme is not what she wants but has little choice after her mother dies in the workhouse. With the prospect of employment in service in Australia, she weathers a long and arduous journey at sea, along with many other girls. The development of relationships between them onboard ship is poignantly rendered.

Patricia Falvey writes beautifully, engaging readers in a story of joy and tragedy, love and friendship, adversity and pain and the triumph of finding a home in a new country on the opposite side of the world. The writing is direct yet comforting, compassionate and candid – weaving through a story which brings so much nuance to the appalling circumstances of the Irish famine. A standout historical novel warmly recommended.

The best historical fiction books are the ones that teach you of a true event that you never knew of! That’s just what The Famine Orphans did for me. While I knew that criminals were sent to Australia in the 1800s, I never knew that Irish orphans were sent there too during the potato famine! 4,100 of them!

This story follows Irish orphan Kate as she journeys with other girls from Ireland to Australia to become domestic help. A story of love, loyalty, adventure, fear, betrayal, and sheer grit.

One star off because it dragged at some points.

This book covered a time in history that I didn't have any knowledge about. It is rather disturbing to think of how many Irish women were "lost" due to the transition to Australia. The book did a good job showing the gritty truth that many faced--starve and die in Ireland, or take a chance for survival in Australia. It was a no-win situation for many and that was displayed with the book characters.

I didn't really care for any of the characters--they all had things that annoyed me. The story was very clearly laid out and the plot was easy to follow. But I just didn't really get into it.

Triggers: rape, death

There is some swearing, but it appears to be all in "Irish". LOL

3 Stars

*Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions are 100% my own.

Irish girls orphaned by the great potato famine being sent to Australia to work and marry in the 1850s... this was a real-life historical event I had never heard of, and so I was eager to read THE FAMINE ORPHANS! And overall this story did not disappoint. The writing was a bit more "telling" than I would have preferred, although that was understandable since it took place over so many years. But I could sense the research in the details and the author's dedication to getting them right whenever possible, and the moments when the tale slowed down enough to actually "show" something happening to the characters were very engaging indeed. I look forward to reading more from this author, and definitely recommend this one to historical fiction lovers in search of something unusual in the genre!

Fairly predictable but an enjoyable read.. Well written, great characters and well told. hanks for the opportunity to read this and much luck on publication.

I tremendously enjoyed this novel! Based on real historical events and facts but with fictional characters, the story has had me fully captivated. Through the various and different characters, the author has accurately shown the paths each of the orphans could have taken, chosen or forced to take once in Australia. This has rendered the whole story very interesting indeed as well as poignant. A touch of romance, unexpected friendships and solidarity, all made this novel very worth reading!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

I enjoyed that this was a strong historical fiction novel, it had that element that I was looking for and enjoyed how the characters felt like real people. Patricia Falvey has a strong writing style and enjoyed how they worked in this universe. It was heartfelt and well written and was glad I was able to read this. Patricia Falvey has a strong writing style and am excited for more from the author.

A good read for people who like historical fiction. I do wish that the book was split into more chapters instead of larger parts.