The Irish Milliner by Cynthia G. Neale Book Tour and Review!

The Irish Milliner by Cynthia G. Neale

Publication Date: June 2, 2017

Fireship Press

eBook; 276 Pages

Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance

It is New York City and the Civil War is brewing. Norah McCabe, an Irish immigrant who escaped the Famine as a child, is now a young widow with a daughter. She is a milliner, struggling to survive in tumultuous times. Norah meets Abraham Lincoln, befriends the extraordinary African-American woman Elizabeth Jennings, and assists the Underground Railroad. She falls headlong in love with Edward M. Knox, son of the famous hat-maker Charles Knox, but he is lace curtain Irish and she is shanty Irish. Edward joins the 69th regiment and leaves for battle. Can their love endure through class differences and war? This is a story of survival, intrigue, romance, as well as, exploring the conflict of Irish immigrants thrust into a war that threatened to destroy a nation. It is about an Irish-American woman who could be any immigrant today, any woman today, seeking to create beauty and make sense of her life.

“Suddenly the Civil War seems very relevant and Cynthia Neale does a great job of focusing on the role of the Irish in the conflict. And it's great fun to be in touch with her wonderful character, Norah McCabe, again!” ~Mary Pat Kelly, author of Galway Bay and Of Irish Blood

“This timely novel spans centuries to bring to our attention to a topic as old as yesterday, as expedient as tomorrow?emigration. Neale's work, written with love and insight, reminds us that our neighbor is all mankind.” ~Tim Pat Coogan, Irish broadcaster, journalist, writer and author of 1916 The Easter Rising, Michael Collins and The Famine Plot

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About the Author

Cynthia G. Neale is a native of the Finger Lakes region of New York and now resides in New Hampshire. She has long possessed a deep interest in the tragedies and triumphs of the Irish during the Great Hunger. This is Ms. Neale’s fourth novel. She also writes plays, short stories, and essays, and holds a B.A. in Writing and Literature from Vermont College. For more information, please visit Cynthia G. Neale's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

My Review

The Irish Milliner is a historical story about a young widow, before and during the Civil War ,who makes hats. She starts out making hats of various designs to see to make a little bit of cash so she can support her daughter and hopes to get her hats into the department stores in New York. 

The Irish Milliner is a vivid depiction of the war, slavery, the Underground Railroad. Norah is also a reporter, which is rare for a woman in this era. Norah escaped the famine in Ireland and is determined to make a life for herself in the late 1800's in the Five Points neighborhood in New York.

Life for a woman in this era had to have been difficult, a woman's role was to stay home and take care of the house and children. Norah is not so lucky being a widow but she is very creative and makes her way in a tough time. She has a variety of friends, a young man who comes from wealth and influence who is courting her, there is also another young man, a friend from Ireland, who is also after her affections. She is also a friend with a black woman, who introduces Norah to the world of the underground railroad.

I enjoyed the story, the historical aspect appeared to be well researched and told in vivid detail. I had not read the previous stories and it probably would have helped set up the characters in this book. Aside from that, I recommend this story if you like Civil War history.

This review is voluntary

Blog Tour Schedule

Friday, June 2
Review at 100 Pages a Day
Interview at The Book Junkie Reads

Saturday, June 3
Spotlight at What Is That Book About

Sunday, June 4
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Monday, June 5
Interview at Books & Benches

Tuesday, June 6
Review & Excerpt at Locks, Hooks and Books
Excerpt at Let Them Read Books

Wednesday, June 7
Review at Back Porchervations
Spotlight at Myths, Legends, Books & Coffee Pots

Thursday, June 8
Review at Rainy Day Reviews
Review at Just One More Chapter

Friday, June 9
Review at A Fold in the Spine
Review at CelticLady's Reviews
Interview at Ms. Stuart Requests the Pleasure of Your Company

Giveaway

To win an eBook of The Irish Milliner by Cynthia G. Neale, please enter the Gleam form below. Two eBooks are up for grabs! Rules – Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 9th. You must be 18 or older to enter. – Giveaway is open internationally. – Only one entry per household. – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. – Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen. The Irish Milliner