Gracelin O’Malley

Set during Ireland's devastating potato famine, a spellbinding novel of a young woman torn between love for her family and duty to her English husband.

Patrick O'Malley names his newborn daughter Gracelin for the light of the sea that shines in her eyes. But when young Gracelin is only six years old, her mother's untimely death drains joy and laughter from the O'Malley clan.

At fifteen, Gracelin saves her family from financial ruin by marrying Bram Donnelly, the son of a wealthy English landowner. But, even though Gracelin is Protestant, she is snubbed by English high society for marrying above her station. To temporarily appease her husband's cruel nature, she intends to provide him with an heir--but that, too, will end in sorrow.

As famine sweeps Ireland, Gracelin openly defies her husband by feeding the desperate souls who come to their door. In secret, she also sides with the rebels who call themselves the Young Irelanders. Led by Morgan McDonagh and joined by Gracelin's beloved brother, Sean, the Irelanders are determined to fight and free their homeland from the yoke of English rule.

A vivid chronicle of nineteenth-century Ireland, the first volume of Ann Moore's popular trilogy introduces a courageous young heroine and movingly portrays an indomitable people as they struggle to survive the infamous famine and the brutal civil war that arrived in its wake. Fans of gripping historical fiction will love this "epic saga that sweeps you into the life of a remarkable woman" (Romantic Times).

"Lyrical, pitch-perfect prose . . . Historical fiction at its finest." --Publishers Weekly

"An Irish saga so lilting and elegantly written you'll be hearing Irish music in your head." --New York Times-bestselling author Eileen Goudge

"Truly great fiction . . . a grand historical novel . . . full of triumph, full of tragedy, full of hope and strength of spirit." --The Historical Novels Review

"An epic saga that sweeps you into the life of a remarkable woman." --Romantic Times

"If you love the lilt of Irish laughter and understand the river of tears that runs beneath it, you'll take Gracelin O'Malley to your heart and keep her there long after you've finished reading this beautiful book." --New York Times-bestselling author Cathy Cash Spellman

"Vivid historical detail." --Kirkus Reviews

Ann Moore was born in England and grew up in the Pacific Northwest region of Washington State. An award-winning author, Moore holds a master of arts from Western Washington University. Her trilogy of historical novels--Gracelin O'Malley, Leaving Ireland, and 'Til Morning Light--has been published internationally and enjoys a wide readership of enthusiastic fans. Moore and her family live in Bellingham, Washington.