#BookReview – What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon #WhatTheWindKnows

From Goodreads: “In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything…
Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.
The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.
As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?”

My Review

What a wonderful book this was!

A book I felt so at home in and didn’t want to leave. I felt like I’d been transported to 1920s Ireland every time I picked up this book.

I got to about 70%, and although I really needed to find out how it was all going to end, I really didn’t want to leave Anne and Thomas behind. I was reading the last few pages in a cafe, but if I’d been a home I would’ve let out a little cry at the ending as it was quite emotional.

The writing was so beautiful and the characters so real that it was an absolute pleasure to read. I loved that there was a mystery involved in the plot as well, but it wasn’t at the forefront of the story, just bubbling away in the background, only being revealed towards the end.

The historical setting was fascinating as my Dad was from Dublin, and his father, my Granddad, took part in the Easter Rising. This book really gave me a glimpse into what my Grandparents might have gone through and made me want to find out more about my Irish family history.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my digital copy.