Tuesday, February 16, 2021
Title: A Dance in Donegal
Publisher: Revell
Genre: Christian Fiction & Historical Fiction
Synopsis:
To fulfill her mother's dying wish, Moira Doherty moves from Boston to the rolling green hills of 1921 Ireland to teach in a village school. She doesn't expect to fall in love--or to uncover a scandalous family reputation her mother left behind years ago.
My Review:
When Moira's mother suddenly dies, Moira has a hard time coping and does not want to follow through on her promise to go to Ireland to teach. After agonizing over the decision she finally decides to go. Immediately upon entering Donegal, Moira experiences unexpected harshness before even reaching the guesthouse where she will be staying. Mrs. Martin makes Moira feel welcome and turns into her first friend, even though it is obvious that she is keeping secrets.
Sean is a thatcher and eventually
becomes a friend to Moira as well. He wants to help her discover the
secrets that the locals in Donegal are keeping from Moira and promises
to be her friend no matter what. The people in Donegal are steeped in
superstitions and rumors, and it looks like someone has made it a
priority to try and scare Moira off. Once all is revealed, will Sean
keep his promise to be friends with Moira, no matter what?
A Dance in Donegal
is well-written and the plotline flows seamlessly. The descriptions of
Ireland are breath-taking and you can hear the Irish brogue in the
conversations. When reading the story you get a sense that you are
there.
The author, Jennifer Deibel, has threaded powerful
lessons of forgiveness and redemption throughout the story. Moria grows
to be comfortable with herself, even though many residents of Donegal
have made it clear they do not like her. She develops into a brave
character, strong in her faith and compassion. While there are
occasional light moments in the story, there are some extremely sad ones
as well. As a trigger warning, there is a scene where a character is
sexually assaulted, it is not extremely graphic, but may be hard for
some readers.
I would highly recommend A Dance in Donegal,
a debut novel by Jennifer Deibel, to anyone who loves historical
fiction. Thank you to Revell and Net Galley for the opportunity to read
this book. I was not required to give a positive review, but am happy to
do so. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Originally posted here: https://encounterswiththedavisfamily.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-dance-in-donegal.html
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