This one will pull at your heart. It's a terrific debut and wonderfully written with great characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

No one knows the pain of a fire more than the women of the Keegan/O’Reilly clan.
When we meet Norah — the first member of her family to move from Ireland to New York — she is a mother of three, contemplating her husband’s casket as his men give him a full fireman’s funeral, and faced with a terrible choice.
Norah's mother-in-law, Delia, is stoic and self-preserving. Her early losses have made her keep her children close and her secrets closer.
Eileen, Delia’s daughter, adopted from Ireland and tough-as-nails, yet desperate for a sense of belonging, is one of the first women firefighters in New York. It is through her eyes that we experience 9/11, blindsided by the events of that terrible day along with her.

*3.5 stars*

This is a story of a multi-generational Irish family who became a family of firefighters. A rich and lush description of the family, the heritage, their lives - all the way from the 1800's through to 9/11 (which, I have to say, is one of the most profound descriptions of that day in fiction that I have ever read.) The story covers the challenges not only to members of the firefighting brigade but to their families as well. Also the heritage and tradition of being an Irish/NYC firefighter was interesting to learn about. So much history in this book that makes my heart sing...

However, what almost kills this book for me, almost made me give up, almost made me throw it out the window in frustration was the dreadfully thought-out timeline. Why the author felt the need to skip around so much, restricting the narrative flow, was beyond me. It all came out in stuttering pages that never really let me settle in to follow the lives of these women. I think that this would have worked so much better (for me) if the timeline was in one steady forward flow. Or, at the very least, have great chunks of time together so the reader can experience everything the characters are going through...

Having said that, though, I still think this is a book worth recommending, based solely on the historical fiction aspect...which it does incredibly well.


Paul
ARH