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What Irish characters, myths or parts of folklore you like the best? Is that part of the story that you think compliments the book well? Is that something that you knew before or if it made you more curious about it?

I knew about rich Irish history in general but I didn’t know much about it. This book made me want to learn more. I liked how the author put all the details with mystery plotline. It made it even more interesting. Even though the parts about Great Famine were the hardest to read I liked to read about it. Even though all the myths are fascinating I also find them all very scary. So it seems appropriate to put them in a murder mystery book.

The spooky ghost stories added another layer of suspense to the plot, so I appreciated their inclusion.

Before reading this book, I did not know any specific Irish ghost legends, but the author cleverly wrote about the Yeats Tower ghost, which tied in well with the climax of the story.

My favorite line in the book was when Bridget said, “A famine is when there isn’t enough food. ‘A Great Hunger’ is what it really was. Thousands were forced to starve.” Bridget felt like the people of Ireland deserved to know the truth behind the suffering and anguish the country had been through. Bridget was so knowledgeable in Irish history. That added a great dimension to the story!

I confess my ignorance on the subject, and had read only that some migration waves to the USA followed famine. Reading some details of Irish history was interesting and gave me a broader picture.

I didn’t know a lot about Irish folklore until I read the book. For sure, the details of the famine and the gruesome details were startling! The additional ghost stories added great suspense to this book. I learned a lot and enjoyed the storyline.

Before I read this book, I the surface knowledge of any of the b folklore and history. I love the four leaf clover search and hoping to see a leprechaun that claire did. Ieprechauns are very naughty aren't they? I"d like to learn more, but not enough time too many books.

Irish and Scottish folklore have been an interest of mine for years, so I already knew quite a bit of what was in the book. I was delighted to see that the author had done their homework! The ghost stories were an added plus.

As stated earlier, I am hoping to visit Ireland sometime soon. I have been doing a bit of research on the folklore, but have only perused information briefly. I did find the ghost stories quite spooky and the famine was so awful to read about.

I read a novel by James Joyce called The Dubliners. It is a collection of 15 short stories and almost every story has the underlying theme of irish revival and famine.
Also I read the drama Riders to the Sea by Synge. Its main themes are mysticism and the power of the sea. It has several symbols and motifs to mysticism.I think you would enjoy the drama more.

Twylla wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 09:16 My favorite line in the book was when Bridget said, “A famine is when there isn’t enough food. ‘A Great Hunger’ is what it really was. Thousands were forced to starve.” Bridget felt like the people of Ireland deserved to know the truth behind the suffering and anguish the country had been through. Bridget was so knowledgeable in Irish history. That added a great dimension to the story!

Good comment. There was certainly a potato blight at the time - more than one, in fact - but there was still more than enough food in the country. Problem was that it was being shipped out to overseas markets. The Great Hunger, or 'an Gorta Mór' in Irish, is therefore a more accurate description of events than famine.

I didn't know much about Irish Folklore until I read this book. I found it very interesting. The ghost stories added to the story, and the famine was heartbreaking to read about.

I remember watching a youtuber who moved to Ireland and she once started telling ghost stories she learned from her community and that's all I knew about Ireland, so the ghost stories were very interesting to read. I also enjoyed reading about the famine and folklore since I didn't know much about that.

Kelyn wrote: ↑01 Mar 2020, 15:25 Irish and Scottish folklore have been an interest of mine for years, so I already knew quite a bit of what was in the book. I was delighted to see that the author had done their homework! The ghost stories were an added plus.

This book is starting to look more interesting than my initial judgement of the title. Are the ghost stories added for characterization of the story teller and the setting itself. Or does this novel actually have supernatural elements to it? I hear mystery and thriller, but it sounds like there's enough notes struck to be historical fiction too.

Oh, I would definitely say there was enough evidence for it to be historical fiction. "The Great Hunger' was one instance that seemed well researched.

I had hoped for more history or stories. There was a little, for example I enjoyed (not quite the right word) reading about how so many Irish traveler the roadways and died along the way, to be buried or left in the ditches. That modern yards probably should be sacred ground but no one knows who is there.

On the flip side, two so similar stories from museums:memorials was very disappointing.